Home Churches

In this section, we will take a short look at how the church has evolved since Jesus died to save us. First of all, we must define the word church. We will work backwards. When the people of today hear the word “church” they immediately think of a building. That is what the word means today. However, “church” had a very different meaning when Jesus was here. What we translate as “church” is a word that means a set apart assembly of people for the purposes of governing and ruling. Jesus died to ignite a movement in which people (filled with Holy Spirit) would advance the kingdom of Heaven. They would influence the world and all of its cultures. Jesus NEVER considered a building to be a church. Holy Spirit does not indwell wood, plaster, and roofing.

There were not any churches while Jesus walked this planet. The Romans had conquered most of the world and Caesar was a god. Apollo and his clan were worshipped. Israel was under Roman rule. The Israelites still held to their laws and traditions. They met in synagogues. Their meetings were not at all like our American Sunday services. They observed their Sabbaths.

Then Jesus showed up. He performed many miracles and taught many people about the kingdom of Heaven.  Much of Israel’s religious system was challenged. Many people started to follow Jesus during his life.  hese people met together, ate together, and shared life together.

Much of this “togetherness” was shattered when Jesus was arrested and killed. But Jesus came back to life. He reassured and strengthened his disciples. Eventually he went back to Heaven. Then Pentecost came.

The book of Acts tells us Jesus’ disciples were together in one room. Suddenly, Holy Spirt came upon them and filled them. Peter gave an amazing sermon about Jesus and some 3000 people committed their lives to Jesus that day. You can read about this in Acts chapter 2.  But let us look at the end of that chapter.

Acts 2:42 - 47

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

Through Yahweh’s power and the work of Jesus’ followers, many people continued to get saved and to join their fellowship life. And there was not a single church building. This fellowship grew as the months and years went by. It faced many great times. It also faced times of great sorrow and death. This fellowship of people was illegal in the Roman Empire. It was also illegal among the religious Hebrew leaders. Much of this growth and fellowship had to be done in secret. Even back then, committing your life to Jesus could get you killed (read Hebrews chapter 11).

Life continued this way for some 300 years. Then, in the early 300’s Rome made Christianity both legal and the official religion of Rome. The Roman Catholic Church was born. This would appear to be a good thing.  However, it achieved many bad things. Making Christianity legal forever changed the flavor and nature of what Jesus died for. Christianity came under government rule. And an emperor can do whatever he wants.

One of the first changes made to Christianity was where people met. The emperors caused many large buildings to be constructed or remodeled for church meetings. Gone was the close, Spirit led fellowship of the family. Church meetings evolved into rituals and repeated patterns. To replace the awe inspired by Holy Spirit’s presence, people used magnificent buildings and stained glass to produce the awe.

The government also appointed special leaders (priests) to these churches. These leaders had special status in the government. Special clothing was made for them. They were separate from and superior to the common “lay” Christian. This two class Christian system exists till this day.

Another change was introduced that exists till this day. That change is the church choir. In Rome, choir members had to be trained in special schools. When they were ready, these singers were placed in churches.  They also were given special status in society (not as special as the priests though). They wore special robes.

Additional changes were made. The official and legal day to meet was changed to Sunday. Meeting on Sabbath became illegal. The birth of Christ was changed to December 25th to coincide with the celebration of the gods Mithra and Saturn. So much of what once was, was lost. The church that began in power and was destined to change the world was, instead, polluted, corrupted, and diluted by the world.  But…

That pollution and dilution resulted in the church not changing the world. That unchanged world now opposes Christianity almost everywhere. Few are the places in the world where someone can attend worship and not fear for their life. What change will this produce?  Large church institutions are closing, and people are looking for something they cannot define. Yahweh is most definitely bring home churches back to life. And that is why Yahweh has spoken to my heart to produce this website. I pray it blesses you.

I know this is a very brief and light look at church history. For a much deeper and more detailed look into the evolution of the church, we recommend reading PAGAN CHRISTIANITY by Frank Viola and George Barna.  Thank you.

p.s. Let’s talk about the church choirs present in many places today. I just listened to an amazing worship song on You Tube. It was absolutely beautiful. I sang along with them and shared my heart with Yahweh.  es, it was beautiful. But I want your home church to be amazing. There were a number of things I saw on that video that came right out of the Roman takeover of Christianity. Yet we accept them as normal today. Let’s talk about those things.

First of all, by my best count, there were about 200 people in that choir. The men had on the same suit, and all the women had on the same outfit. There were a handful of singers in front of the rest. These few singers had microphones.

I have never been in that church. But I have been in a church of 300 in California. Let me tell you something.  Having a few people in front with microphones is a sure recipe for jealousy and division. I have seen it first hand. “How come she got to sing that solo? I sing much better than she does.” “He always gets the best songs.  I wonder if he and the choir director are having a thing. I wonder if her husband knows.” The list goes on.

Whether we are talking about the choir, or any other part of our gatherings, avoid elevating the best, doing “specials” or solo performances. Remember, we are here to connect with Yahweh - not to show off our talents.

The second thing I want to discuss is the clothing.  et’s say those outfits cost $200 each. $200 times 200 people is $40,000. How many hungry children could we feed with that money? And that is just one church.  hat if every church choir started to wear their everyday clothes? The possibilities would be endless.

I want to make one thing clear. I am not picking on this one church. I am using it to make this point. So much of what we do in church we do without thinking. It is tradition. We have done things this way for centuries. As you build your home church, think about why you are doing each thing. Is it tradition? Does this practice come from the early church?  Is it rooted in pagan practices?

It might help you to think about the early first century gatherings. What was their worship singing like? Well, have you ever sat around a campfire and sung songs?  ave you ever gathered with friends and family and sung Christmas carols?  Werethere any microphones there?

Yes, I have focused on music a lot in these past few paragraphs. But music was just the illustration. I love music. I love singing to our Lord. What I have written here applies to every part of our lives. Our goal is to focus on Holy Spirit. If we do not have him, we have to figure out ways to impress and inspire the congregation. With Holy Spirit, none of the other stuff matters.