A MODEL EKKLESIA IN ACTION

We were about ten believers and a few seekers from other faiths, seated comfortably on mats in a believer’s living room. He wanted to start by singing songs of praise, until someone gently reminded him that in the New Testament Ekklesia, there was open worship with no preset order of service. We decided to function according to 1 Cor. 14:26-31, which says that everyone can participate. So instead of singing, we started by studying these scripture passages. 

We then asked if there were any prophets in the group, because it is the prophets who do most of the speaking, and not the leader. Initially there was an embarrassing silence. But then we realized that in the house Ekklesia, every believer could freely prophesy (v. 31). We also learned that prophecy has essentially three components. Firstly, edification is about the growth of the Ekklesia; secondly, we can exhort or encourage each other; and thirdly, we can comfort one other. When we do these, we are prophesying (v. 3). Until this time, we thought we were only lay people who were to sit quietly and listen to the leader, but suddenly we all felt encouraged and prophetic. Further, we discovered that each one has spiritual gifts that we can use on a regular basis (1 Cor. 12:6-7).

We found that God does nothing without first revealing it to His prophets (Amos 3:7). There was a very audible silence as the impact of this revelation hit us. We understood that God had been speaking to us for a long time both individually and corporately about what He wanted to do in our city, but our traditions had left us deaf.

During the discussion, we realized that God communicates with His people even today in dreams, visions, revelations and prophecy, in fulfillment of His promise: “It shall come to pass afterwards that I will pour out My spirit on all flesh, your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions” (Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:17-18).

So, we asked the participants to share their dreams, visions or whatever God had been revealing to them recently. In the beginning, there was some hesitation. Then a sister read from one of the Psalms, on which she had been meditating for the past week. Its theme was God’s love for all nations (Psa. 2:8). Then a brother said that he had seen in a dream a huge serpent covering his city with its hood. Another person told us that he had seen in his dreams a big, bright light with many small lights like stars shining around it. Another sister said that she saw many empty vessels waiting to be filled.

Together, we tried to discover the meaning of all these revelations and understood that God is expressing His concern for the unsaved Gentiles. The Devil has a dark hold over them now, and Yeshua is the bright light and the house Ekklesias are little light houses. Together we can overpower the darkness. The empty vessels are the unbelievers who are waiting to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and whoever brings them to the Lord will shine like the stars (Dan. 12:3).

The leader stood up to give his sermon, but just then, his little daughter came crawling to him on her knees, talking to him in “tongues.” We reminded him that God was saying through his daughter (Psa. 8:2) that there would be no sermon that day (1 Cor. 14:30). Everybody laughed and the sermon came to an end before it even got started. A seeker from another faith remarked that he was utterly amazed at how God speaks to us. He wanted to know more about this God. Next, we thanked the Most High God (1 Cor. 14:24-25). Then we sang songs of praise and prayed for each other (Eph. 5:19-21). Later we took up a collection for a widowed sister to help with her children’s school fees.

After that, we then opened our lunch boxes and broke bread (shared a simple meal), thanking God that, as the Lord’s Body, we can break into small groups to go witness to lost folk. Then an elder passed around a cup of grape juice around in a cup, reminding us that the blood of Yeshua was shed for all people, even for those who are still outside the fold. Finally, we happily greeted each other with a holy kiss, using non-touch technique. 

Everyone was amazed at how quickly the time had passed, and especially at the number of prophets among us who prophesied. The seeker expressed desire to stay back and get some more clarification. Next week we rejoiced when we heard that he had accepted the Lordship of Yeshua and got baptized.

Soon many problems came to this small flock. The next day, the house owner told the host family to vacate the house as he did not want an Ekklesia on his property. So, they all prayed with one accord, and very soon found a better facility. Some participants preferred the traditional way and left. Nevertheless, within a month, some started new flocks in their own homes, neighborhood, and one even started a flock in her workplace, who met at lunch hour in the lawn under the shade of a tree. In these ways, the disciples and their Ekklesias began to multiply (1 Thess. 1:5-8).

THERE IS NO STANDARD MODEL OF HOUSE EKKLESIA

Joshua never fought two battles in the same way. Yeshua did same miracles differently, every time. Similarly, just like any Household, there is no one size that fits all. However, the success or failure to multiply and prosper depends on the structure and focus in reaching the ultimate trajectory of advancing the Kingdom by rapidly colonizing the neighborhood, workplace and the city and beyond.  

Different models of house Ekklesia:

1. The Classroom model: This is the commonest and the least effective, having an academician dispense lectures to a captive audience.
2. The Bollywood-Hollywood model: lots of film-style singing, dancing, and dramatic orations.
3. The Bazaar or mega-church model: It is like in a marketplace where everyone is out shopping.
4. The Committee model: everything must be approved by the committee.
5. The Open Ekklesia: like the one illustrated above; this one multiplies the fastest.

GEMS:

• We’ve been caught off-guard because ‘Loving God and loving our needy and hurting neighbors as ourselves is no longer central to our theology and practice. We passed that responsibility to NGOs or the church committees. (Isaiah 1:25)
• The call is not about how many charitable projects my local church or organization is doing, though they are important. God’s command is to love our lost neighbors as a community of disciples in our daily rhythms of life sacrificially. (Isaiah 1:26,27)
• The speed with which the Corona Pandemic has shut down the traditional churches, is the same speed with which it is opening new Households of God. Soon, if not already, it is the new norm. 
• Believers who have tasted the new wine in house gatherings are not likely to quickly go back to the stale wine being dished out in traditional churches. 
• “Gentile” or goy or goyim (plural) is translated as “nation” 374 times, “heathen” 143 times, “gentiles” 30 times, and “people” 11 times. 
• The word Christian is used three times in the New Testament: Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28, and 1 Peter 4:16. Originally it was used to refer to followers of Christ who recognized Yeshua as their King and not the Roman Emperor.
• Yeshua used the word ‘Church’ only three times (Matt.16:18; 18:18-20)
• Yeshua referred to ‘The Kingdom’ 122 times. 
• The word ‘disciple/s’ is mentioned 270 times.
• Yeshua did not ask us make Christians or to plant churches, He commanded us to make disciples.

Copyright © 2023 Victor Choudhrie
All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form, by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission of the publisher.