THE HOUSE CHURCH IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

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Order The Church in the House  

The scripture passages below show that common, ordinary dwellings were used for spreading the gospel and for discipling new converts both during Jesus' lifetime as well as during the expansion of the New Testament church in the book of Acts.

A House Where Jesus Is Worshipped

"On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and myrrh." (Matt. 2:11)

The very first time a group gathered to worship Jesus and offer him gifts was in a house, the house of Mary and Joseph.

Peter's House Is Used For A Healing Meeting

"When Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in a bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him. When evening came, many who were demon possessed were brought to him and he drove out the spirits and healed all their sick." (Matt. 8:14-16)

In the early days of his ministry, Jesus used the house of Peter to conduct preaching, healing and deliverance meetings.

The First Communion Service Is Held In A House

In the last week of Jesus' ministry he said to hs disciples, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, `The teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house,'" (Matt. 26:18)

Jesus could have chosen to celebrate the first communion with his disciples in a synagogue, in the temple, or in some other place of religious significance, but he chose to celebrate it in a common ordinary house. Thus he set his seal on the common dwelling place as a holy and sanctified place, worthy of the most solemn worship services.

Jesus Preached To Crowds Assembled In Houses

"Several days later he returned to Capernaum, and the news of his arrival spread quickly through the city. Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there wasn't room for a single person more, not even outside the door. And he preached the word to them." (Mark 2:l Living Bible)

The things we do in our church buildings today, Jesus did in houses, in the open air, and in the temple courtyard during his three years of public ministry.

Pentecost Came To A House Church

"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.". (Acts 2:l-2)

Many of us have never considered the number of foundational events that took place in someone's house. The first worship service happened in a house. The first communion service was in a house. Jesus preached and healed the sick in a house. The gospel was first preached to the gentiles was in the house of Cornelius. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was in a house. And the first churches that the Apostle Paul started were all in houses.

Over the centuries we have lost the dynamic of simplicity and have added things that have slowed the progress of the church into all nations.

In The Streets And In The Houses

"They worshipped together regularly at the Temple each day, met in small groups in homes for communion and shared their meals with great joy and thankfulness.." (Acts 2:46)

The early church not only met in small groups in homes but also in larger gatherings in public places. The most rapid growth of the church, both in the past and in the present day, has been when the church was not using formal meeting places, but remained flexible and mobile.

Saul, The Persecutor, Attacks The House Churches

"But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house: and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison." (Acts 8:3)

Where did Saul of Tarsus go to find "the people to the way" to drag them to prison and to death? He found them meeting in houses. He himself would later plant churches in houses on his missionary journeys.

A Praying House Church Delivers Peter From Prison

"Day after day in the temple courts and from house to house they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the news that Jesus is the Christ." (Acts 5:42)

They did not meet in the temple proper, but rather on the temple grounds, or in the vicinity of the temple where the people were gathered. This was an open-air meeting. THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY by Lion states that,

"Christians had no special buildings but met in private houses. Justin Martyr (100-165 A.D.) was asked by Rusticus the Perfect: `Where do you assemble?' Justin said, where each one chooses and can, or do you fancy that we all meet in the very same place? Not so, because the God of the Christians is not circumscribed by place.'"

In his book, CELLS FOR LIFE, Ron Trudinger says,

"They initiated the practice of meeting daily in the temple and of breaking of bread from house to house: this term can also be rendered: `In the various private homes.' Synagogues were used for a while, but as we see in Acts 19, it was not long before many of these were closed to Christians. But we continue to find significant references in Acts and the Epistles to churches in homes."

The House Church That Opened The Gospel To The Nations

"The Following Day Peter arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people." (Acts 10:24-27)

This is a good example of how to start a house church. Someone who is hungry for God and for the things of God calls together a number of his family and friends and then the Word of God is shared in the power of the Holy Spirit. So simple!

This meeting in the house of Cornelius was historic. It was the breakthrough that convinced the Jewish believers that the Good News was for all the nations of the world and not just for the Jews.

Lydia's House Was Europe's First Church.

"After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house where they met with the brothers and encouraged them.." (Acts 16:40)

The church of Philippi was formed in the house of Lydia. We are not told how the church grew, but when the group could no longer fit in Lydia's house, they probably formed another group somewhere in the city and continued to divide and multiply. Church history supports this conclusion.

Paul's Rented House

"For two whole years Paul stayed in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ." (Acts 28:30-31)

These final words in the book of Acts reveal that Paul not only made use of the homes of others for the proclamation of the gospel, but that he also used his own rented house for spreading the good news.

The fastest growing movement in the world today, the Christian movement, began in houses. It had its greatest growth while it remained a fluid, simple, mobile, relationship-oriented people.

From Shadow to Substance

All the types and shadows of the Old Testament were totally fulfilled in Christ. We no longer need the tabernacle, the vestments, the temple, the furniture, or any such thing. "Christ is all and in all. We are complete in Him" We no longer need a "holy place", or an altar of incense' or a laver, or shewbread, or urim, or thummim. We don't need the shadows for we have the substance . . . JESUS CHRIST THE LORD!

A woman said to Jesus "Sir, our fathers worshipped on the mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem." Jesus declared, 'Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father, neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and is now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:20-24)

Jesus made it clear that the time had come and that Jerusalem was no more a holy place than Samaria was for HE HAD COME and in his coming he forever brought an end to the idea of holy places, for he himself had fulfilled all the types and shadows of the Old Testament.

Let us rejoice and praise the Lord that we have been released from all bondage and legalism as to a place where we are supposed to worship God! We are free to worship him alone or together, anytime day or night, in any place we choose!

JESUS IS LORD!

Robert Fitts
Outreach Fellowship International
26616 Mission St.
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
Phone 949-489-9449
Cell 808-371-6338