“Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, with
the church that is in their house.”
(1 Corinthians 16:19)
It was much the same way in the Middle East in the first century, after Christ's ascension. Followers of Jesus, if caught having Christian meetings in each other's houses, were imprisoned, tortured, and even crucified. They were not free to build large, comfortable church buildings where they could openly meet whenever they wanted as we are free to do today, never having to worry about persecution. It was life or death for them. Being a passionate follower of Jesus cost them something—often their very lives.
Consider the average American "Mega Church" of 5,000 to 10,000 people. If 1,000 congregants from such a church each (conservatively) tithed $200 a month, that's $200,000 monthly. And $2.4 million per year. And it takes a good chunk of that money to pay for the huge building debt, lavish expansion projects, staff salaries, maintenance, cleaning, community outreach programs, missions, ministry schools, sound equipment, graphics and advertising, radio and television programs, overhead, and so on. Large churches do, or have the opportunity to do, a lot of good, in their communities, and abroad.
It struck me today... hypothetically, what if such a Mega Church were to sell all its property and holdings, paying off all its debt, and instead establish at least one hundred house churches throughout the entire community? After all, the Church of Jesus is not a building—it's a living organism. Church means, "The called out ones." The Church of Jesus is His people—the Family of God. Instead of building a Mega Church building and organization, praying they will come to us, why not take the Church family to the individual neighborhoods of the entire city? The whole valley?
Having a church building and organization is not the purpose. It cannot exist just so we Christians can have a luxurious place to gather together in comfort for an hour once a week. That was never God's intention or purpose for calling us out.
Many non-Christian people are either intimidated to walk into a mega church building, or they think all the church wants is their money. It's a bad stereotype. But sometimes it's the sad reality.
If the U.S. economy implodes in the near future, as some people predict, the mega churches of today will cease to exist. They will become extinct dinosaurs, empty shells, too expensive to maintain.
If the persecuted house churches in China are thriving, and the house churches in the first century, empowered by the Holy Spirit, collectively turned the world upside down for Christ, we the called out ones of Jesus can reach our lost and dying world with the same power and purpose. But are we willing to count the cost?
This post will no doubt ruffle some feathers, and challenge man's comfortable traditions. Many will say it can't work the way I'm suggesting in this modern day. But God often goes to great lengths to push us out of our comfort zones and accomplish His purposes. And the direction this world is rapidly heading, we may not have a choice.
Jesus said:
“And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me
cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does
not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to
finish it—lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to
finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man
began to build and was not able to finish’? Or what king, going to make
war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is
able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or
else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks
conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that
he has cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:27-33)
—God is Love and Love Never Fails.
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