The Future of House Church

By Ron McGatlin

From my perspective, it appears that the house church movement has been a forerunner of something more urgent and more essential than has been recognized for the most part so far. The greatest value and significance of the home group meetings are yet ahead of us.

The dependence on the corporate meeting as the center of Christian faith and activity will change. Indeed, it has already begun to change. The church meeting at the church building has for centuries been the center foundational core of spiritual life. The spiritual effect on the home and community flowed outward from the center church structure. This is beginning to change and will be pressed by external circumstances to change even more rapidly in the near future.

Several factors are aligning to move the center core of Christianity from the church meeting and church building to family and home centricity. Spiritual life will flow from the home and extended families to larger spiritual gatherings and eventually to all aspects of the community and the culture.

Significantly increased persecution will be one of the major external factors affecting this change. Meetings in church buildings will become unsafe as Christians become fair game for disillusioned and angry people inflamed by anti-Christ spirits and radical political agendas. Another related factor is economic crises. Economic suffering and lack will not allow provision for church buildings to be maintained. The desperate need for basic life provisions will draw believers to bond together to help one another. There will be a turn toward much greater dependence on God and a strong desire to comfort and care for one another. Thus the family and small group home gatherings will become the core of spiritual life and activity.

Small “house church” gatherings have been a step in the direction of home and family becoming the core of spiritual life from which life and ministry flows outward into the culture and every aspect of life including larger gatherings. A whole new focus on personal life in God and the practical reality of living in Christ and Christ living in us will replace the traditional practice of meeting with God once a week in a church building. Believers will no longer be spending one day focusing on God and living life the rest of the week with only a limited influence of spirituality in their lives. Every moment of every day will be lived in the influence of Spirit God.

This change releases the things of God from confinement within the walls of the church system box. The exclusion of God from real daily life came about through the mentality of “going to church” instead of the reality of being the church all day every day. It was also moved forward by the unfortunate misinterpretation of constitutional law in America separating the church from all government. This played out as separation of God from real everyday life.

The true church centered in real life and focused on the true Head, Christ Jesus, opens the way for the pure kingdom of God lifestyle to flow into every aspect of our lives.

Navigating a Major Turn

A small boat can turn very quickly in a small radius. A very large ship turns very slowly over a very large radius. Like the small boat a smaller group put together by God can turn much more quickly than a denomination or a mega church. A major turn is taking place in the worldwide church. Briefly stated the turn is from religious church form to the kingdom of God reality experience of Christ alive and well in His people.

The smaller gatherings in houses provide much more potential for a faster turn toward kingdom of God living on earth. Turning the large traditional church systems into the freshly restored works of the Holy Spirit and the kingdom of God lifestyle has proven to be very slow and difficult if not impossible. It will be much less of a problem for the developing smaller more intense house church groups to make the transition. The one-on-one and small group interaction will enable a more rapid movement to the next level of the kingdom of heaven coming forth on earth.

Larger Corporate Gatherings

From these foundational core groups the love, power, and wisdom of God will flow outward spawning larger gatherings of many small groups coming together occasionally to worship, praise, and experience the awesome corporate anointing of God. These can be open powerful gatherings as long as it is possible to have them. They may be driven underground by severe persecution but will be even more precious to the people if that occurs.

Mobile mature sons of God (not gender specific) gifted as apostles will move from city to city feasting on the glory of God with many groups coming together at larger local corporate gatherings. All of this takes place under the One Head, Christ Jesus, by the Holy Spirit. Headquarters is always only in Heaven and in the hearts of God’s people. The mobile apostolic servants will bring encouragement, enlightenment, connectivity, and spiritual direction to the people. A plurality of mobile apostolically gifted servants will bring different aspects of the kingdom that causes fullness and connection to the various parts of the glory of the kingdom reality in the people.

Within the smaller groups God will raise up gifted maturing sons and daughters to lead the less mature into more of the meat of the gospel of the kingdom in Christ. All of the ascension gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher will be present and growing up within the small groups. Many gifts that have been dormant in the pew sitters of religious type systems will be released to mature and to function among the small groups. Rather than the religious systems training a few people as ministers in an academic educational atmosphere, there will be many growing up spiritually trained in true life reality of God moving by His Spirit in practical experience of the love, power, and wisdom of Christ in His people by the Holy Spirit.

God’s Tool Kit

I am giving special tools to My faithful servants to assist in this time of transition from where you have been into the greater reality of My kingdom now within and among you. I am issuing tools to enable My sons to employ My strategies into the practical transition of the ages. Many have gone before you and have paved the way for this journey and for the many battles to forever conquer the inner enemies of your souls.

A sharp sickle to cut down the false growth of fruitless words and beliefs propagated in My kingdom by the enemy of your soul -

A sharp sword to divide asunder the mixture of your foolishness with My glorious word of truth -

A large hammer of strong heavy words to smash the structures of flesh that have grown into mountainous rocks of doubt and unbelief of the anti-god of your foolish lust and pride -

A plow of hardened steel to break up the hardened fibrous growth of roots of your resistance and hard-pressed feelings of resentment that leads to rebellion -

An unending bottle of the oil of liquid fire of My love to heal all things, purify all things, restore all things, accomplish all things, believe all things, and endure all things with burning consummation of all things of My kingdom in you, redeeming and reclaiming the future of all created life and substance of My world-

A plethora of My wisdom to meet all needs and answer all questions with unanswerable strength.

Thank You, Father God, for your gifts of tools with which to serve You and Your kingdom. We humbly and most graciously receive the special anointing and gifts to do the work of transition into the fullness of life that you have prepared for your people to live and proclaim in Your world. Help us, God, to never misuse your power tools in even the slightest way. Father, may we never be a detriment to Your name and Your kingdom of heaven coming forth on earth. Now, Lord God, we rest in You, in Your words, and Your ways. We say, LORD, here we are humble and on our faces before you in adoration and thankfulness that you have chosen and allowed us to be a part of Your powerful move to cleanse, restore, and renew our world to Your kingdom of heaven on earth as it is in heaven. So be it, Father, as You have spoken and You have given, so it is in us this day. In the name of our Lord Jesus we receive with thanksgiving all of Your provision. Amen.

Yes, the house church movement and the wilderness wonderings have all had their purpose in preparing His people for the great and terrible day of the Lord and the awesome advent of the fullness of the King and His kingdom.

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit - Rom 5:25.

Live in the Spirit, Walk in the Spirit,

Ron McGatlin

http://archive.openheaven.com/ -
mailto:basileia@earthlink.net -

Thank you Ron for posting this.  I've seen some house churches coming forward and something didn't set right with me about them.  I saw them as smaller versions of what Dad is delivering us from so I asked Dad what did He want the home church to look like.  He didn't answer me right away but told me to be still.  And then a couple weeks later He began to speak and let me know how He want them to look like healing rooms and reminded me of John G. Lakes' healing rooms.  He said they should be places where people can come be healed and delivered.  A place where they can learn about Him because His children are in need of a teacher.  He said His people should not be burdened to give money when they come because He will fulfill the needs of the ministry.  He wants His children to be nurtured so that they can mature.  He also showed me that the Kingdom will advance more quickly within these small settings.  Impartations will take place that will activate many into ministry. 

After He shared this with me, I got really excited and could clearly see how He wants it to be.  And everything you wrote here confirmed that.  He also said that the apostles were carrying the blueprint.  So what you said about them traveling from city to city confirmed that.  It was just a few weeks ago that He told me this and then your post follows which lets me know that the time of transition is upon us.  He's establishing these places of refuge right now so that His children will have a place to go as they transition from the religious system into the kingdom. 

He also showed me that He's going to bless many with bigger homes so that families can gather together. 

Many blessings to you. 

Yes, Quo, God has much more for us than just moving the same thing from the building and continuing at the same level of spiritual life and limited revelation. Things can get real more easily in smaller house groups but not if we just continue the same thing in a different place. The kingdom of heaven is invading earth and wants to invade all or our group meetings, homes, family, business and all life. Supernatural life walking in the the Spirit is the kingdom way for Christ to live His life in us and among us.

Blessings Ron

edwintee wrote: Hi, bro. Ron. It may not just be persecution and economic crises that would change the corporate-centeredness of church today. Natural calamities may help bring about the change, too. Yesterday central Philippines had a 7.2 earthquake, which heavily damaged at least 10 church buildings, some of them centuries-old. Today one of this old churches had church service (mass) outside of the damaged structure. Isn't that kinda prophetic of what might be in store for the church in the near future? I mean, we Christians may finally find out that we do not go to church to fetch water from the church well; we carry the well in our innermost beings all the time and we can allow the rivers coming from it to burst forth and flood our sphere of relationships, our corporate gatherings, and the entire world. May we seek God with all our hearts until we have that breakthrough when our hearts and our homes and our neighborhoods and our schools and offices have become portals where heaven can freely and massively be poured into earth. <3 Tere

Yes, Tere, Natural calamaties are another big factor. Now is the time to find the breakthrough for heaven to be poured out on earth. There is no life apart from God in us and with us. Father pour out your life to cleanse and heal our world. Open the portals of glory over all who love You. Amen.

susanvercelli wrote: Amen. For me personally its been a type of recovery house, we have taken ppl in drug addicts alcholics detoxing right on my couch, feed them, shelter, love them minister deliverance is a big part Very needed, deliverance ministry is something a person is trained for equipped to deal with the bondage and demons that ppl need freedom from. There are spiritual tools god gives..we had some ppl who rebelled at truth went back out Things got worse now prodigals are returning left and right Now they say thank you, you didnt lie you told us the truth all you told us was true, they also kniw and trust me better bc they know I love them not just words but deeds.

Amen susan, bringing life, His life to the dead and the dying. Not just sending them to an institution but by pouring out the oil and the wine to heal and set free in every area of need right where we are. Reaching the needy in every walk and facet of life.

Ron

Quo very true, women will have more role in the home centered spirituality that is excercised in real life rather than only in corporate church system type meetings.

And yes Susan, with the small group meetings and daily life being the center of spirituality the people have more real opportunity to speak powerful life giving prophetic words as well as exercise other ministering gifts.

Ron