I often like to remind myself (and others) that even though we talk about "house church," that that's really not the point at all. It's not about house church, traditional church, institutional church, organic church, simple church, or emerging church. It's really not about "how we do church." The early Christians were not sitting around trying to figure out "how to do church" or "what church is supposed to look like." They were just being Jesus' people-- followers and lovers of God. How or when they gathered... and what those gatherings looked like... all of that was just an outcome of living for Jesus in their world with one another.
Their focus was simply Jesus. Period.
We are called to be Jesus people first, last, and foremost.
We love God. We gather with other believers to love and support one another. We go into the world with His light and love. Period. It really is not more complicated than that!
But... what about leadership, what about children, what about discipleship, what about training, etc., etc., etc?
It's amazing to me that we don't have confidence in God to actually lead His people (the church). We imagine that we have to think up for Him what is needed to make sure that His church (His people) area adequately cared for. How prideful can we be?
If we are following Him in obedience then we will love Him with our whole heart, gather with others as He leads, and pour ourselves out for the sake of the world. In this process, as we are in obedience to the Head, all of the "what abouts" will be taken care of. God is actually able to do that! We don't need to figure it all out for Him, we just need to love and follow Him.
If we love God with our whole heart, He will not fail us in any way. If we gather with believers wherever and whenever He leads us to, the right people will become involved with us in our Christian journey and our whole family (children included) will be ministered to and will be used to minister to others. We will build mutual relationships that will build up one another. We will be empowered to go into the world with His call and power present in us. We don't have to define this or figure this all out, we just gather and then go as He gives direction.
Perhaps five years ago I was called to do this, to some extent, within a traditional church structure. Maybe this year, God is calling me to put my gathering energy into being involved with a small band of intimate allies--a house church of brothers and sisters who are becoming close family and learning to be a living church. Yet again, perhaps three years from now, God's call will take me to Siberia where I will be sustaining my spiritual life with just a couple of other missionaries while the focus is on going into the world with His love. In all of these scenarios, I'm still fully part of "the church" even though the structure looks different in each case.
The point is: structure is not the point, figuring out all the "what abouts" is not the point, putting together the right kind of church is not the point. Living fully and freely under the Headship of Christ as lovers of God, lovers of each other and the world, and obedient followers is the point. He can and will take care of the rest.
