SimpleChurch Journal aka House Church Blog

Chapter 9: Multiply

(From "The Simple/House Church Revolution" Book.  The entire book can still be downloaded here.)

REACH * DISCIPLE * GATHER * EMPOWER * MULTIPLY

The real power of organic systems verses organizational ones is the potential for multiplication. This principle is seen throughout nature: one seed produces a crop of plants that produce fruit, multiplying into more seeds. Entire forests are populated without any human energy at all by the power of natural reproduction built into God’s creation.

My friend Kevin Sutter, an organic church planting trainer, likes to hand out grains of rice to his students. He explains what happens with this one grain of rice based on only two plantings per year. At the end of one year the single grain can produce ten thousand plants. At the end of two years it can give birth to over one hundred million plants. This is nature’s organic multiplication.

As we reach, disciple, gather, and then empower others to do the same, we are becoming part of God’s divine, organic, multiplication process.

Jesus Used Organic Metaphors For a Reason

Jesus used organic metaphors to describe the kingdom of God because his work on the earth is meant to be a living, multiplying movement. Thus the well-known parable of the seed in Mark chapter 4.

“Listen!” Jesus taught, “A farmer went out to sow his seed (verse 3).” Later he explains: “This is what the kingdom of God is like (verse 26).”

Jesus goes on to describe the various seeds that do not take root and grow. He then ends the story by describing the seed that falls on good soil. “Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times (emphasis added) what was sown.”

This is the way of Jesus’ kingdom, the way that his kingdom grows and spreads, and the way that that the glory of God fills the earth. It does not require human-made organizations, just the proper care and cultivation of the life that is present in every believer.

Multiplication Begins at Spiritual Birth

Just as every new living thing has in it the power to reproduce, in the same way new believers, who have received Jesus’ new life, have the power in them to reproduce. We want to see this potential for multiplication unleashed at every new spiritual birth.

As soon as someone has experienced new life, we encourage them to share their story with others. The DNA of multiplying what God has put in us can begin the moment a person receives a new life in Christ. By sharing their story immediately with others, they become reproductive quickly and learn that they have unlimited potential to be used by God. A new disciple can begin reaching and discipling others by giving away immediately everything that he or she receives.

We like to baptize people publicly. We find that baptism is a wonderful opportunity to invite the person’s friends and families to a celebration. This allows the person who has experienced a new life to share that reality with others.

Reaching and discipling others can begin from day one. If a person is learning life lessons from his walk with God and his own process of being discipled, he can help others follow the same patterns and grow as well. New disciples can become disciplers by passing on their own experiences and pointing others to the same tools (Scripture, prayer) that are providing growth in their own life.

If gatherings are as simple as they are meant to be, then new believers can gather others. By simplifying gatherings back to basics, those who are new to Christ, and learning from others, can begin gathering other new believers or seekers together and follow the same patterns he is being taught.

When new believers can begin immediately to reach, disciple, and gather others, then the process of multiplication of God’s kingdom can be unleashed in an incredibly powerful fashion.

Empowering others becomes natural to new believers. Finally, we see that new believers can become leaders in the best sense of that word. They learn that everything God gives them can be given away to help, strengthen, and lift up others. Thus they discover, from the outset, to become leaders who know how to serve and empower other people.

If we can see the simple principles of God’s kingdom (reach, disciple, gather, empower, multiply) cultivated into the lives of new believers, then the natural power of God’s life will reproduce itself without the need for human-made systems to control or motivate. This is the wonder of true, organic multiplication.

Church Planting Movements

The power of God’s kingdom to reproduce itself exponentially is more than just theory. There are numerous examples of this from the days of the early church in the book of Acts to movements that are taking place in many parts of the world today. The term “church planting movements” is often used to describe those situations where disciples and churches are reproducing quickly and organically.

In David Garrison’s book on church planting movements he notes many recent cases:
•    In India a church planting movement produced 4,000 churches in less than seven years.
•    In a northern Chinese province, over 500 hundred churches and 20,000 believers were birthed in less than five years.
•    In an Asian Muslim country, more than 150,000 Muslims embrace Jesus and gather in more than 3,000 locally led Isa Jamaats (Jesus Groups).

Garrison concludes his book with the challenge that if we remove the obstacles and cultivate the principles that lead to this type of reproduction, these movements can, potentially, take place anywhere.

Principles that Aid Multiplication

Garrison lists several components that are present in every church planting movement including:
•    Extraordinary prayer
•    Abundant evangelism
•    Intentional planting of reproducing churches
•    The authority of God’s word
•    Lay leadership
•    House churches
•    Churches planting churches

David Watson, who has been involved in church planting movements and training, suggests that there are several “counter-intuitive” principles that are helpful for healthy reproduction:
•    Go slow to go fast. Be willing to invest in a few people who have the potential and DNA for reproduction.
•    It’s about discovery, not preaching or teaching. Use inductive, participatory methods for scripture study.
•    Obedience is more important than knowledge.
•    Let the lost (who are seekers) lead Bible studies.
•    The best time for a church to plant a church is when it is new.
•    Expect the hardest places to yield the greatest results.

Can We Trust the Power of the Seed?

The seed that God plants in the life of every believer is his power and word. It has the dynamic in it to produce growth, life, power, and reproduction. Jesus said we were to “produce much fruit.” He did not ask us to do something that he has not empowered us to do. We can trust that well-planted seeds in hearts that are given proper, basic care will produce a harvest without extensive toiling, planning, or organizing. As we learn to trust God in this area, we can plant and nurture while letting the Spirit of God do the heavy lifting of growing and multiplying his life in and through others.

One of my missionary friends likes to tell people that, when it comes to ministering to others, most of us only need to remember two things:
1.    It is simpler than we make it.
2.    We can trust God more than we do.

This is a great reminder that God has the power to fulfill his word on the earth. It further reminds us that our work with him is simple: reach, disciple, gather, empower, and then let it multiply.

Chapter 10: Intimacy With Jesus

(From "The Simple/House Church Revolution" Book.  The entire book can still be downloaded here.)

“A man touched by the Spirit of God suddenly says—‘Now I see Who Jesus is,’ and that is the source of devotion.” Oswald Chamber

Having discussed the core principles of walking out our life and ministry with Jesus, we want to remind ourselves that there is only one core value: to live in intimacy and devotion to Jesus Christ.

Jesus did not invite us to follow a religion of rules, nor did he mandate an order of service or church structure to follow. He did ask us to follow him. Out of that flows all of the life, joy, and power that we need to live fully in him and for him.

Confessing My Religiosity

Though I have sought to be, first and foremost, a lover of God, I have found that I have often fallen into patterns of religious thinking and action as a replacement to intimacy with him. It is my confession that at times I have:
•    Reduced my Christian walk to a routine devotional time and a rote church service attendance.
•    Become more concerned about being accepted by my fellow church-attending peers than bringing joy to God’s heart and purposes.
•    Cared more about being seen by others as a worshipper than actually being in God’s presence.
•    Shown more concern for the success of church programs and projects than for the people involved whom God cherishes.
•    Been more concerned about being “right” than about loving rightly.

Fortunately, God has a wonderful way of allowing my religious world to crumble so that I can be wooed back into deep, heartfelt relationship with him. Only because of this grace am I able to return again and again to the place where my soul resonates with the song-writer who wrote: “Just give me Jesus.”

God Pursues Ever-Deepening Intimacy With Us

The experience of intimacy with God does not have an end-point. It grows throughout our lifetime and is always initiated by his ability to draw us deeper.

We often begin by knowing God as our Forgiver. Our experience with the cross of Jesus Christ brings us into an encounter with God’s grace that initiates in us a deep, loving response toward him. Brennan Manning expresses this well:

Jesus comes not for the super-spiritual but for the wobbly and the weak-kneed who know they don’t have it all together, and who are not too proud to accept the handout of amazin’ grace. As we glance up, we are astonished to find the eyes of Jesus open with wonder, deep with understanding, and gentle with compassion.

We also learn to know God as our Father. As God continues to draw us into his heart, we become acquainted with his deep, parental passion toward us. This changes the way we see ourselves as we recognize that we are deeply cared about for who we are, and it builds our trust in him as we become aware of his constant care and attention.

Yet there is always more, as Jesus informs his disciples that they are to be his friends. We discover that there is no end to the depth of relationship that God desires with us and offers to us. Although we make many mis-steps on the journey into intimacy with Jesus—faltering, hesitating, becoming religious and proud, distancing, retreating—God never gives up on his quest to be close to us.

Solitude and Listening

If I were to point to one great need for us, as God’s people, who desire to experience a deeper intimacy with God, it would be the need for more solitude out of which comes a more available listening heart. Henri Nouwen speaks to this:

Solitude is being with God and God alone. Is there any space for that in your life?

Why is it so important that you are with God and God alone on the mountain top? It's important because it's the place in which you can listen to the voice of the One who calls you the beloved. To pray is to listen to the One who calls you "my beloved daughter," "my beloved son," "my beloved child." To pray is to let that voice speak to the center of your being, to your guts, and let that voice resound in your whole being...

Solitude is where spiritual ministry begins. That's where Jesus listened to God. That's where we listen to God. 

No Replacement for Intimacy

While this book is not a devotional, we are reminded that all that is life-giving proceeds from intimacy with Jesus. We can put into place models, principles, good ideas, plans, strategies, or structures, but if our life is not centered on the pursuit of Jesus, it will all be dead religion. Conversely, if our life is rooted in abiding and resting in the presence of Jesus, then ministry, service, joy, and goodness will overflow from us without effort. He will naturally bubble up through us.

When all is said and done, we want to renew our hearts to:
•    Love God with our whole hearts.
•    Follow Jesus with undivided attention.
•    Listen to Jesus’ word and voice in every situation.
•    Be passionate about God’s purposes on the earth.

Chapter 7: Gather Simply

From "The Simple/House Church Revolution" Book.  The entire book can still be downloaded here.

REACH  DISCIPLE  GATHER  EMPOWER  MULTIPLY

One pastor described his first experience of gathering in a simple, house church setting:

As of midnight Saturday night... I AM FREE! No more institutional church. I am no longer on staff at my church... We want to follow God, relax, and rest in His presence... Sunday morning we slept in  the first Sunday morning "sleep in" in my adult life... Then at 4:00 p.m. we went to a friend's house for a house church meeting... We played some horseshoes in the backyard before dinner. We enjoyed communion together and ate a meal together. I got my guitar out and played a few songs and then the host popped in a worship CD, passed around some song sheets and we sang a few more worship songs. One lady's dad who lives in Oklahoma had recently been diagnosed with cancer (lymphoma) and she was really upset, so we spent quite some time laying our hands on her and praying for her dad. It was a very moving time... The freedom is almost overwhelming!

This pastor’s experience is only one example of a simple, natural gathering. It is not a “model” for house church. That way of thinking is institutional in nature. Instead, we want to allow God to lead us into the myriad of ways that followers of Jesus can gather around simple devotion to him and a love for one another.

What Gatherings Are NOT

Most of us come from backgrounds where gatherings are organized as part of traditional church structures. Most church gatherings (even small groups) are organizationally-driven, programmed events. It can be a challenge for us to re-imagine gatherings that are unlike our past church experiences.

Let’s start by thinking through the New Testament and reminding ourselves that gatherings were never:
• An event to attend
• A performance to watch
• A place to go
• A place or event that is exceptionally holy
• A place to go to get spiritually fed (focus on self)
• A service to attend where there is a pastor to sit under
• An event/service that needs finances in order to happen
• A meeting to attend that demonstrates allegiance to a religious organization
• A get-together where one goes to get one’s spiritual life “super-charged”
• A service where a few people minister to a crowd of people

What we do see in Scripture are many different types of gatherings which took place frequently, naturally, and often spontaneously. They did not require a great deal of planning or preparation because they were a natural outflow as followers of Jesus connected and gathered around a love for him and each other. They took place in normal, everyday settings and they fit into the rhythm of everyday life.

Characteristics of New Testament Gatherings

Let’s reflect on what gatherings do look like in Scripture. Remember, the first church was birthed with 3,000 people coming to Christ in one day (Acts 2). Gatherings immediately sprang up in many different settings, at many different times, and with great frequency—even daily (Acts 2:46 ). The nature of these gatherings was such that they could take place anywhere and everywhere that life was happening.

Most gatherings were small. Although there were city-wide prayer meetings at times, most gatherings took place in homes where it was easy and natural to gather. Jesus himself ministered to crowds but gathered, personally, with his closest spiritual friends (the three), spent a great deal of time building relationships with his extended spiritual family (the twelve), and, to a lesser extent, with his spiritual network (the seventy). Likewise, smaller gatherings were clearly the focal point of New Testament congregating as evidenced by the churches meeting mostly in homes.

Many gatherings took place around a meal. This created a space for relationships to be built and intimacy to take place. The smaller-sized groups, along with eating together, allowed for deeper relationships to be built and honest sharing of life to take place.

Gatherings met where people already naturally congregated. Special buildings for worship, and the associated costs were completely unnecessary as worshipers met together in homes, neighborhoods, and existing public meeting places.

Gatherings were simple and did not require professionals or even special leadership. Although leaders functioned to serve the church in a variety of ways (see chapter eight), gatherings were not dependent on special leaders to take control or guide the meetings. It was understood that when Christ’s body came together every member loved one another and ministered to one another under the guidance and leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Gatherings were more fluid than structured. In fact, many gatherings took place completely spontaneously without pre-set schedules at all. Yet even regular gatherings did not have a prescribed “order of service” or a model to follow. The idea of planning and structuring a New Testament gathering was completely contrary to the understanding that Jesus is in the midst of his body when we gather and that he is fully present and actively manifesting his will and resurrected life.

As Wayne Jacobsen said:

Jesus did not leave us a model to build, but a guide to follow. We experience the life of the church not because we meet in a certain way or in a certain place, but because we learn to listen to God together and let Him teach us how to share His life. If we substitute any method or design for that process, we will end up following it instead of Him and building a counterfeit instead of the real deal.

Every Person a Minister

The reason that simple, Spirit-led gatherings could take place anytime and anywhere was because the early church completely understood the concept of every-person-ministry. This goes to the very heart of God’s church: every person filled by the Spirit of God, every person part of the priesthood of all believers, and every person essential to the expression of Christ on earth.

Gatherings reflected this reality: “When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation (1 Corinthians 14:26).” This is not just a suggested model for church gatherings; this is highlighting the reality that Christ can only be most fully expressed through the participation of every person.

Frank Viola says it well: "The Lord Jesus cannot fully disclose Himself through only one member. He is far too rich. In fact, His riches are inexhaustible (Ephesians 3:8)! When every member of the Body functions in the meeting, Christ is seen. He is assembled in our midst.” 

Because the early church walked in the reality of every-person-ministry, it was easy for gatherings to take place naturally, organically, and wherever believers could easily gather. They understood these premises:
• When Jesus-followers get together, Jesus is in their midst.
• When Jesus-followers get together, everyone ministers one to another through the spiritual gifts that are given to each one.
• When Jesus-followers get together, the Spirit of God, who is in the midst of the gathering, will lead.
With this understanding, gatherings can take place simply, powerfully, any time, anywhere, with whoever is able to gather.

What About Intentionality?

Doing away with organization and programs does not mean that we necessarily do away with intentionality. Jesus-followers gather. They gather because they want to, and they gather because they need to in order to stay connected to God through his family.

As we walk with Jesus and look at his life, we find that he depended on others and valued the importance of gathering regularly with others.

Types of Gatherings

Three types of gatherings seemed to be the norm in the life of Jesus as well as those who were led by the Holy Spirit in the early church times:

1. Spiritual friends. Gathering with one, two, or three others was highly valued in the New Testament and provides a unique opportunity for high level sharing and inter-relating to take place.
2. Spiritual family. Gathering regularly with an extended-family-sized group (7-20) also seemed to be a New Testament norm providing a community of believers to grow with, exercise spiritual gifts with, and share life with.
3. Spiritual network. There is also benefit in gathering with larger groups for prayer, worship, or receiving input from certain ministries within the body of Christ.

In acknowledging these three types of gatherings, this is not intended to be a model for an organization. It simply points the way for Christians to gather and connect with one another in a healthy, yet organic, way. It provides us with some guidance in seeking out a way to regularly relate with the body of Christ that is balanced and growth-producing.

Followers of Jesus become responsible themselves to find these three levels of connectedness. We do not need to provide an organization or program for this to happen. We simply need to encourage one another to live life with Jesus and gather regularly with others as he leads.

What Do We Do When We Gather?

Coming together, for Jesus-followers, is really as easy as, well, coming together. The Bible does not provide us with an outline or order of service because we are his people, coming together with his love and purposes on his heart, for his glory, and with his leading. As such, times together can involve anything and everything from eating to praying, from sharing life’s journeys to crying with each other, from studying scripture to listening in silence, from laughing together to ministering in spiritual gifts, from talking and more eating to prophesying and teaching.

When people ask this question, “what do we do when we get together?” I like to encourage them to think through two scriptures, initially, that speak to this question.

The first has already been mentioned: 1 Corinthians 14:26 says “When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation.”

The second is Acts 2:42: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Notice, again, this is not an order of service, simply a broad record of what God’s people tend to do when they gather. The four elements of Acts 2:42 provide some guidelines for gatherings, but the Holy Spirit wants to be the one leading and controlling our agenda. When we get together, it is a supernatural gathering with God in our midst.

As Felicity Dale said, “If we will learn to hear and follow His promptings, we will never have a boring meeting.”

Because we have learned, in the past, to have certain people lead our gatherings, moving into Spirit-led, participatory gatherings can be a daunting endeavor. The way to learn is to do it. Make mistakes. Learn some more. Don’t give up. Every person is a minister, and when we capture that in our times together it is incredibly rewarding. The body of Christ can reflect him in wonderful and varied ways when fully unleashed to do so.

Chapter 8: Empower Others

From "The Simple/House Church Revolution" Book.  The entire book can still be downloaded here.

REACH  DISCIPLE  GATHER  EMPOWER  MULTIPLY

We have discovered how easy it can be for every believer to be involved in the process of reaching, discipling, and gathering.  These are not roles given to certain special ministers, but every person in Christ’s body gets to be involved. The role of leadership, then, becomes about empowering people in these processes.

The Kingdom of God is not a Top-Down Hierarchy

Our old paradigms of “leadership” will not do because they come from top-down, hierarchical organizations. This type of structure is not new. It has similarities to all man-made structures such as the military, governments, and community organizations. The basic premise is that someone is over some, who are over others, so that decisions can be made and passed down in an efficient and productive manner. This is, in fact, a necessary form of leadership for most organizations to have in order to survive. It allows for order so that each person knows his or her part to play.

However, this understanding of leadership does not serve the true nature of God’s kingdom. We know this because Jesus stated clearly that this type of leadership, associated with normal organizations, is simply not acceptable. He said it would not do.

Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you (emphasis added). Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:25-27 NIV

Jesus is doing more than challenging those who would use their authority abusively; he is describing the typical type of leadership that is used in human organizations where one person, by necessity, exercises authority over another. He says without reservation: “Not so with you.” This is not the type of leadership that will serve the purposes that God has for his people.

Why?

Because God’s kingdom is not a top-down, hierarchical organization. It is, instead, a living system. It is an organic network. It is a movement that is alive and led by God’s own Spirit. Jesus was not just dismissing authoritarian leadership; he was making it clear that typical, human-made structures and organizations will not serve God’s purposes. Our understanding of structures and leadership must shift entirely.

The Kingdom of God is a Living, Decentralized Network

Perhaps the best way to describe the alternative to top-down hierarchical organizations is the term “decentralized network.” This is a system that cannot be controlled because it takes on a life of its own. It describes living, organic systems as well as networks that informally and naturally grow and reproduce. Perhaps the best example of such a system is the internet itself. Who is in charge of the internet? Who is the president? Who are the board members? None of these questions fit because it is not a top-down hierarchy. It lacks centralized leadership. It is beyond the control of any one authority because it reproduces itself, grows, and functions like a living system. Yet, it has become the largest communication system in the world.

When Jesus said that we must not exercise authority the way that rulers and governments do, he was saying that, likewise, his kingdom was not to be put under the control of any human-structured organization. It is to be a living system, a decentralized network that could reproduce and grow at will. It is to take on a life of its own with every part involved in growing and reproducing. He was saying that this type of living system requires a completely different type of leadership.

What Type of Leadership Supports a Living, Decentralized System?

Jesus goes on to describe the type of leadership that would support his kingdom: servants who give up themselves to empower others. He is acknowledging that his kingdom, a growing, full-of-life organism, can only be supported by leadership that does not exercise top-down control in any way—by people who willingly give their lives to lift up others, to give authority to others, and to encourage others to grow and reproduce. This type of leadership is in the very DNA of successful, decentralized networks. It allows for the continual lifting up of the next, who lifts up the next, who lifts up the next. It facilitates unlimited, dynamic reproduction.

Shifting from hierarchical leadership to a serving and empowering type of leadership involves real change:
• From my control to trusting the Spirit’s control
• From displaying one's own gifts to revering the gifts of others
• From guiding to making room for the Spirit to guide
• From vision-leading to awakening the visions of others
• From priest to a company of priests
• From trying to be God's mouthpiece to helping others hear from God
• From titles and positions to servants of no repute
• From promoting my own ministry to promoting the ministries of others

Mike Steele describes the heart of leadership this way: "A weeping father crying out for his sons to overtake him."

Letting Go of Control is the Heart of the Matter

Hierarchical organizations, by their nature, require control mechanisms. This is the primary hindrance to God’s church in the world today. By letting go of our human control, and letting go of organizational systems that require this type of control, the body of Christ is released to move into its full potential as a living, reproducing movement.

As Henri Nouwen says:

The way of a Christian leader is not the way of upward mobility in which the world has invested so much, but the way of downward mobility ending on the cross... It is not a leadership of power and control, but a leadership of powerlessness and humility in which the suffering servant of God, Jesus Christ, is made manifest.

As we let go of control-type leadership and top-down organizations, we become ready to use leadership gifts in a way that serves and empowers the body of Christ to reach her full potential. Positions are not needed for this. Titles that lift one above another are not necessary. Leaders simply function, in servant-fashion, using their gifts to help others grow into fruitfulness.

A leader is one because he or she reaches, disciples, and gathers others. In this sense, all become leaders to some extent. Some may have a special ability (i.e. apostolic, pastoral, or evantelistic) to reach and gather many disciples. This leader is still in a serving capacity, lifting others. He or she does not need to be in charge of or “over” a ministry. Rather, this person simply functions by building up the body of Christ and reproducing his or her own ministry in others. Everything is given away: spiritual authority, recognition, encouragement, opportunities to minister and serve. This leader empowers others so well that his or her own ministry goes virtually unrecognized.

When properly understood, we can see that God’s purpose is to release a multitude of no-name, gifted leadership that will never be recognized yet who function in concert with God’s purposes to serve and empower others.

Does Letting Go of Control Mean Out of Control?

Somehow, we have lost confidence in God’s ability to lead and guide his church. There is an important role for empowering- servants (leaders) to play: reach out, disciple, gather, and then turn around and empower others to do the same. This is the lifestyle that God has called each of us to. We need empowering servants who flow in every level of giftedness described in Scripture. But we do not need organizational-style leadership, along with titles, status, or human control, for this to take place. The greatest church movements in history have been, seemingly, the most out-of-control. That is exactly where God is able to be the one in control.

Leaders who empower others, to empower others, who empower still others is the essential component needed to see the kingdom of God flourish and reproduce itself throughout the earth. Amazingly, God can lead all of his people as we do nothing more than lay down our lives for him and each other. As we let go of our human controls, Christ is able to be fully manifest through his people.