Wolfgang Simson's, Houses that Change the World, is an excellent primer on the Who... What... When... Where... Why... and How of the House Church movement. Here are a couple of quotes from Houses that Change the World:

Millions of Christians around the world are aware of an imminent reformation of global proportions. They are saying, in effect, “Church as we know it is preventing Church as God wants it.” Amazingly, many are hearing God say the very same thing to them. There is a new collective awareness of an age-old revelation, a corporate spiritual echo. . . I am convinced that it reflects a part of what the Spirit of God is saying to the church today…

The house church reflects God’s qualities and character. This community lifestyle is molded in the spirit of love, truth, forgiveness, faith, and grace. House churches are the way we love each other, forgive each other, mourn with those who mourn and laugh with those who laugh, extend and receive grace and constantly remain in touch with God’s truth and forgiveness. It is a place where all masks can fall, and we can be open to each other and still keep loving each other...

You can order this book from Amazon, or download a free draft copy at Dawn Ministries. You can also read some excerpts at Next Reformation. Also check out the Simson's 15 Theses. -- Bob

Jesus posed a question to the religious folk of his day: "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard...' 'I will not,' the son answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go... Which of the two did what his father wanted?" The answer is too obvious to miss.

The day has come to stop talking and to start doing. Its one thing to sound like your a Christian, but something all together different to live like a follower of Jesus. Bono is a challenging figure to those who are content to merely sound like Christians. He may not always sound like one, but he sure acts like one. Someone said, "I went to see Bono to find out what kind of Christian he was. I came home asking myself what kind of Christian I am." Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom, but only he who does the will of my father who is in heaven." Today is Monday. It is a very good day to ask ourselves, "What kind of Christian am I going be this week?" Mere words can never adequately answer that question -- Bob

Where Two or Three Gather...

Jesus said, "Where two or three gather in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Pretty incredible statement. The Lord of Life... The Alpha and the Omega... The One who is above all Rule and Authority, Power and Dominion is fully present with us when we gather in his name. Amazing! You mean we don't need magnificent church buildings with stained glass windows and cross adorned steeples to feel the presence of God? No, just two or three gathered in his name. What about pipe organs and colorfully robed choirs? No. Well, we certainly need preachers to expound upon the Word of God. No, no, no! We just need a few people who are willing to hang out with Jesus and seek to understand his ways and try to live in the power of his name. Way too many Christians are so busy going to church meetings, fund raising banquets, ladies aid meetings, men's fellowship, choir practice, Sunday services and a dozen other things, that there is little time left to just come together in the presence of Jesus. Actually, that's one of the main things that is wrong with many churches. We make time for everything BUT hanging out with Jesus. What would happen if a bunch of us decided to stop doing all of that other stuff so we'd have more time for Jesus? I believe it would revolutionize our lives and make a difference in our world. That's why I love the idea of doing church in the context of a simple House Church. Just think, no more pointless committee meetings... No more fund raising campaigns... No more cold, damp church buildings... No more boring sermons... No more spectator religion. Just a small group of devoted believers sitting at the feet of Jesus, seeking to understand his ways and tryng to walk together in the power of his name. -- Bob

The Kingdom Conspiracy

"This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how." -- Jesus

Religion is man's attempt to analyze and simplify the mysterious ways of God so they will be easy to understand and effortless to put into practice. Jesus took a much different approach. He calls us to embrace rather than analyze... celebrate rather than simplify... unleash rather than understand the mysteries of the kingdom. God longs to plant the seeds of the kingdom in the soil of our souls so that the kingdom of God will grow and thrive within us. -- Bob

THE KINGDOM CONSPIRACY

Powerful heavenly forces are working in concert... conspiring to do something significant in your life. Don't settle for a life of mediocrity! Do not settle for mere fame or fortune! Don't settle for the expensive toys and trinkets some sell their souls to possess. God has something remarkable planned for your life. Look at this promise:

No eye has seen...
No ear has heard...
No mind has conceived...
What God has prepared for those who love him... (I Corinthians 2:9)

After you have hiked through a Redwood forest, artificial Christmas trees aren't all that impressive... even with glittering ornaments and twinkling lights. God has Redwood dreams for your life. Don't settle for an imitation of real life. More to come on The Kingdom Conspiracy... -- Bob

What the ??? Who are these people and where do they come up with such bizarre portrayals of Jesus? The Lord of Life reduced to a knick-knack? Never! As hard as some Christians have tried to restrain, contain or constrain him, Jesus doesn't fit into any of the tiny boxes we have created for him. In his book, Pagan Christianity, Frank Viola writes: "In Jesus, we have a Man who refused to bow to the pressures of religious conformity. A Man who preachd a revolution. A man who would not tolerate hypocrisy. A Man who was not afraid to provoke those who suppressed the liberating gospel He brought to set men free. A Man who did not mind evoking anger in His enemies, causing them to gird their thighs for battle. What is my point? It is this: Jesus Christ came not only as Messiah, the Anointed One of God to deliver His people from the bondage of the fall. He came not only as Savior, paying a debt He did not owe to wash away the sins of mankind. He came not only as Prophet, comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable. He came not only as Priest, representing man before God and representing God before man. He came not only as King, triumphant over all authority, principality and power. He came as a Revolutionary, tearing apart the old wineskin with a view to bringing in the new. Behold your Lord, the Revolutionary!" Wow! Now that's the Jesus I will forsake everything to follow. -- Bob

Who Cares What You Look Like... God doesn't! That's probably not very good news if you are someone who puts a lot of importance in the way you look. But it is very good news for those of us who never looked cool, stylish, sexy, hip, classy, handsome, beautiful, athletic or at least interesting. The Lord is neither impressed nor put off by the way we look. God is much more concerned about the condition of our hearts. According to I Samuel 16:7, "The Lord does not look at the things a person looks at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." I'm looking for a church where people aren't judged by the way they look, but are loved just the way they are, and encouraged to love God with all their hearts. That's the kind of church where you are likely to find Jesus. -- Bob

"You know that the rulers of this world love to exercise power over others. But that is not the way it will be for those who follow me. Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. And the one who puts himself must be willing to be last if he wants to follow me. I did not come to be served. I came as a servant, to lay down my life for others." -- Jesus

There was another breaking story last week about a Christian leader who was involved in a smutty sex scandal. Ted Haggard, pictured above in the lobby of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, was the founding pastor of New Life and also president of the National Association of Evangelicals, an organization with a membership of 30 million. He has been identified by Time Magazine as one of the 25 most influential men in America. However, last week he resigned as the president of NEA and was dismissed as the pastor of New Life Church. It is a sad story. I have been seriously praying that Ted and his wife Gayle and their five children will survive this messy episode in their lives. The national response to Ted's misdeeds has been predictable. His supporters are caught somewhere between denial and heartbreak. His antagonists are caught somewhere between smugness and delight. When I read Ted's book, Primary Purpose 10 or 12 years ago, I thought he had a pretty good grip on the kind of life we are called to live as followers of Jesus. But he recently confessed, "There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I've been warring against it all of my adult life." The biggest problem here is not that Ted Haggard has dark and repulsive issues in his life. A bigger problem is that Christians are in denial about how flawed most of us really are; and then we have a tendency to point our fingers at those who aren't as practiced as we are at hiding their flaws. Here's how we need to response to this recent scandal:
- We need to focus on Jesus as our first love.
- We need to repent of "Christian Hero" worship
- We need to realize that the heroes we create are flawed
- We need to spend more time reaching out to the poor and needy
- We need to spend less time consorting with the rich and famous
- We need to be completely honest about our flaws
- We need to deal with our flaws with transparency and grace
- We need to stop pointing our fingers at others
- We need to invite all who are flawed to find healing in Jesus.
Please pray for Ted and Gayle Haggard and their children-- Bob

"But when they said, 'Give us a king to lead us,' this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: 'Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejectd me as their king.'" (I Samuel 8:6-7). The kingdom of God can have only one king. His name is not Saul or David or George. The first Christians referred to Jesus as "King of kings and Lord of Lords." Christians can have only one king. His name is Jesus. The politics of Jesus can be summed up in one phrase, "Seek first the kingdom of God." What does that mean? I believe it means that we pledge our allegiance to the kingdom of God rather than to a flag or a nation or a president or a party. One of the problems with the politics of the "Christian Right" is that it values the politics of King George over the politics of King Jesus. -- Bob

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR JESUS IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES?

The Great Physician doesn't just slap bandaids on our wounds!

He doesn't hang with the beautiful people!

He is far more than a colorful cartoon character!

A Jesus belt buckle won't help you to keep your pants on!

Jesus footware won't really help you make your mark on the world! So I guess you may as well throw away all your Jesus Junk and try to actually following him! -- Bob

When I was a little boy, my uncle taught me a finger game where you bring your hands together to form a fist like church building with your two thumbs forming a stubby little steeple. Then you say, "This is the church, this is the steeple open the door and see all the people," and open your fists to reveal tiny fingers that represent "all the people." If you know this little game, you were probably just filled with a surg of nostalgia. If you're not familiar with this game you probably don't have a clue about what I've just tried to explain. Well here is the point... We live in a land that is dotted with all sorts of beautiful church buildings with steeples that reach for the heavens. But when you open the doors you wonder what happened to all the people. North America is in the midst of a pretty significant exodus from traditional, institutional churches. In the past 6 to 8 years, millions of Christians have discontinued their regular Sunday morning routine. In his book, "Revolution," George Barna says that many people long for a deeper spiritual experience, and many churches are either unwilling or unable to offer it to them. According to Barna, people are searching for:
- Intimate worship
- Faith-based conversations
- Intentional spiritual growth
- Opportunities to serve
- Investment of their resources in people
- Family focused faith
The house church movement has emerged as one response to this spiritual quest. An increasing number of people are opting for the intimate community and nurturing relationships that are part of a healthy house church experience. -- Bob

As hard as we try, all the kings horses and all the kings men won't put the air back into the church again. All of the "Purpose Driven... Seeker Sensitive... Organic Church" books, tapes and seminars ever produced won't put the air back into the church again. We need a fresh wind, the wind of the Spirit to breathe life into the church. What we don't need is more hot air. Let's just stop it! Let's stop trying to reinflate the Church of the Living God with MORE HOT AIR! Talking about God and faith and prayer and sin and worship and community might make us feel good about the Christian experience, but most of our talk is little more than hot air! We need to stop producing books and tapes and seminars that aim at merely reinflating the church. Let's start walking by faith, living lives that are devoted to the ways of Jesus and asking God to fill our lives and empower our mission with the wind of the Spirit. -- Bob

ATTENTION!!! God is moving his church to a house near you. That was always God's plan for his church. He doesn't need us to "Build" a building where people can attend a religious meeting. God wants us to "Be" the church that offers help, healing and hope right where people live. The New Testament church wasn't a network of buildings, but a network of people who met from house to house. The evidence of this is clear:
- Pentecost took place in a home
- The Last Supper took place in a home
- The wedding feast of Cana took place in a home
- Some of Jesus most important teachings were given in homes
- The first Christians met in homes for worship, teaching and prayer
- Paul wrote, "Greet the church in your house"
- The New Testament church was a "House Church"
Believers-Church-Network is an attempt to respond to what God is doing in the world. I don't think Jesus ever intended for his Church to be a group of people who remained paralyzed within the four walls of a building. I think it has always been his intention for us to become a network of brothers and sisters who are being transformed by the love of Jesus and sent out into the world. -- Bob

"The kingdom of God belongs to them." That's what Jesus said when his disciples tried to get between Jesus and some children who were crowding around him. "Let the little children come to me," he said, "don't forbid them because the kingdom belongs to them." What are some of the kingdom qualities that Jesus treasures in Children. How about enthusiasm, spontaneity and curiousity? Or what about the capacity to be authentic, uncomplicated and trusting. I believe these are a few of the qualities that Jesus treasures in those who choose to live as the children... of God. -- Bob

“Our whole being… is one vast need…crying out for Him who can untie things that are now knotted together and tie up things that are still dangling loose.” -- C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Do you know this face? His name is Wyatt Earp; not the famous law officer and gun slinger who lived in the wild west, but another Wyatt Earp who is far less famous... except in the eyes of God. Jesus said that God notices the Wyatt Earps of the world. He notices every sparrow that falls to the ground, and he knows and values the nameless, homeless, yet priceless men and women who live on our streets. During the height of his popularity, Jesus was passing through a village where a huge crowd had come out to see him. There were two blind men in that crowd, but they had been pushed aside by the mob. Somehow, Jesus heard the men's cry for help over the noise of the crowd and went to their aid. Those who are serious about following Jesus need to be on the lookout for fallen sparrows and anonymous characters like Wyatt Earp. Both are priceless in the eyes of their creator. -- Bob

BALANCE... when you live aboard a sailboat, you don't take it for granted... you have to work at it. Balance is even more important in the life of a Christian. Jesus said, "I am the alpha and the omega." Alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Jesus led a balanced life. He wasn't a single issue Messiah. He didn't focus on the alpha issues and neglect the omega issues. He came to guide us through all of the complex twists and turns of life; from alpha all the way to omega. Jesus was comfortable dining in the home of a rich man, and he was comfortable hanging out with the poor. He came to save the lost and he came to proclaim the way of peace. He called people to walk by faith and he challenged them to love justice. He exposed the hypocrisy of some religious leaders who wanted to stone a woman who had committed adultry, but he also challenged the woman to, "Go and sin no more." Jesus came to bring life and to oppose death. I believe that means he is opposed to anything that might kill, steal and destroy. He came to say no to abortion... child abuse... capital punishment... hunger... terrorism... wars and rumors of wars. Jesus is the alpha and the omega. We can't afford to get so caught up in the alpha issues of life that we neglect the omega issues of life. There is no such thing as an Alpha Christian or an Omega Christian. Anyone who follows Jesus needs to follow him from alpha all the way to omega. -- Bob

Jesus doesn't ask us to "Go" to church. He wants us to "Be" the Church. But there is a lot of confusion about what it means to "Be" the church. Most of us identify "Church" as the building where we meet for worship. Even though I've been critical of that definition, from time to time I slip and do the same thing. But the church is never identified by a building in the New Testament. The New Testament identifies the Church of Antioch... Corinth... Ephesus... by the Christians who gather in each of those communities. The first church building wasn't built until around 234 AD. That means the church experienced great vitality and growth before a single building was built. You could argue that the bigger and more beautiful our church buildings have become, the smaller and weaker the church's impact has been. After spending a couple of years worshipping in the tiny mud church buildings in the mountains of Northern Nigeria, I thought it would be great to worship in one of Europes great cathedrals when we traveled through Europe a few years ago. However, we were disappointed when we showed up for Sunday morning worship and found the building locked. We learned later that the cathedral functioned as a museum Monday through Saturday, but it was closed on Sundays. No matter how grand and glorious church buildings may be, they cannot compair with the strength and vitality of 2 or 3 Christians who gather in the name and focus on the mission of Jesus Christ. -- Bob

When our walk with Jesus becomes a lifestyle rather than a weekend religious exercise, we begin to enjoy the priceless treasure of life in the kingdom of God. Jesus says it is like discovering a pearl of great price. Juan Carlos Ortiz provides an interesting adaptation of that parable.
"I want this pearl. How much is it?"
"Well," the seller says, "it's very expensive."
"But, how much?" we ask.
"Well, a very large amount."
"Do you think I could buy it?" "
Oh, of course, everyone can buy it."
"But, didn't you say it was very expensive?"
"Yes."
"Well, how much is it?"
"Everything you have," says the seller.
We make up our minds, "All right, I'll buy it," we say.
"Well, what do you have?" he wants to know. "Let's write it down."
"Well, I have ten thousand dollars in the bank."
"Good- -ten thousand dollars. What else?"
"That's all.
“That's all you have?"
"Well, I have a few dollars here in my pocket."
"How much?"
We start digging. "Well, let's see--thirty, forty, sixty, eighty, a hundred, a hundred twenty dollars."
"That's fine. What else do you have?"
"Well, nothing. That's all."
"Where do you live?" He's still probing.
"In my house. Yes, I have a house."
"The house, too, then." He writes that down.
"You mean I have to live in my camper?"
"You have a camper? That, too. What else?"
"I'll have to sleep in my car!"
"You have a car?"
"Two of them."
"Both become mine, both cars. What else?"
"Well, you already have my money, my house, my camper, my cars. What more do you want?"
"Are you alone in this world?" "No I have a wife and two children....."
"Oh, yes, your wife and children, too. What else?"
"I have nothing left! I am left alone now."
Suddenly the seller exclaims, "Oh, I almost forgot! You yourself, too! Everything becomes mine--wife, children, house, money, cars--and you too." Then he goes on. "Now listen--I will allow you to use them for the now. But don't forget, they are mine, just as you are mine. And whenever I need them you must give them to me because now I am the owner." -- Bob