HOUSE CHURCH MOVEMENT?

Why are we accepting the term, “house church movement?” A movement denotes a temporary condition that will eventually move aside for the next “movement” that comes along.

What I have observed is that there is a growing trend to “systematize” the house church (more correctly referred to as the Ekklesia.)

The way things are going, the house church will have rites, systems and procedures that will rival the traditional church that so many are being called out from by the Holy Spirit.

Conferences, coaching, seminars etc. that promise “success” in house church operation and growth are looking just like the conferences, coaching, seminars etc. offered by the traditional church.

“Seekers” are targets for opportunists who offer “guarantees” of “success” at creating a house church. Who measures "success?" How can spiritual growth be "guaranteed? "

Being led by the Spirit is slowly being replaced by systems and procedures (can we say Sadducees and Pharisees?)

Coming soon: The House Church Denomination with its splits and divisions. The only difference from the traditional church will be the location if we allow the legalists to set up systems.

Be careful to keep your eyes on Jesus and not on systems.


Frank Coleman

The Emerging Church

The Emerging Church

by Josh Crofton



Recently the Lord has been speaking to me about the emerging church and how

it is going to affect the many kingdoms of this world. I know this may sound like a tall order for the current church, but we are entering into a cultural shift in the body of Christ. The majority of Christian influence has been from within the four walls of a church building where we have gathered to worship and be trained. Currently God has been making it clear that we are no longer able to remain hidden from the world, but it is now time for many to be released into their place of influence where they are needed the most.



God has kept his hand upon this generation, not letting them make the same mistakes that have been seen in the past. There have been spiritual fathers assigned to this emerging generation, these fathers have said yes to the call of God and watched over these new leaders that are about to arise. God has given these fathers the wisdom and grace to help the up and coming generation stay on course as they mature. I believe that one of the primary things God has accomplished through our present leadership in the church is found in the book of Malachi.



Malachi 4: 5-6 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.



There has been great healing in the heart and soul of this present generation because true spiritual fathers have taken the time to embrace the many that have been wounded and discarded. Because of this, a sense of purpose and direction has been released to the up and coming generation that will empower them to move forward into their assignment from God.



We have now entered into a time where assignments from heaven are being released. Many of the future leaders of the church are going to carry an anointing much like that of Moses, where a spirit of deliverance will be upon them as they lead the church through turbulent times. Gods timing is so precise in this hour because He has caused a generation to rise up that will deal with some of the greatest crises that the world has ever seen. God has equipped the leaders of the church to deal with global issues that will affect nations and kingdoms with the solutions that come straight from the throne of God. There will be many people that choose to allow fear and anxiety to overtake them in times of perplexity, but the anointing of God that is upon the church will be a beacon of hope and abundant life in the midst of what will seem like gross darkness.



Isaiah 60: 1-2 Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.



Prophetic Voices



As leaders, we owe it to the future generations not to forfeit their future by letting theologies of hopelessness and despair be the prevailing voices of so called prophecy in the church. This kind of ministry is not looking at current events from a heavenly perspective, but from an earthly one that prophesies based on natural events rather than spiritual knowledge. Until the final appearing of Jesus Christ, there will always be a victorious church that is radiating with the glory of God upon them. This kind of message will cause an entire generation to arise and shine as they establish the authority and dominion of Gods kingdom in the earth.



Technology



One of the primary fields that will be affected by the up and coming generation is the field of technology. As time continues to unfold, there will be a merger in the realm of prophecy and technology, as prophets are going to arise in this field that will create forms of technology that will change our current understanding of media and travel. God is going to release heavenly inventions that will greatly enhance our ways of living while at the same time giving us a clearer understanding of how heaven works and what kind of activity happens in the realm of the Spirit. Technology is a blessing from God, and while there have been many that have used it for evil purposes, God is about to lead the body of Christ into a great place of influence in this field.



Spiritual & Natural



Spiritual authority is going to be released through this generation to deal with many of the enemy's strongholds that have kept the world in a state of spiritual blindness (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). God is raising up an apostolic/prophetic leadership that will deal directly with many of these spiritual influences that have been hindering the furtherance of the gospel and keeping many from hearing the truth of the gospel. I believe as this kind of leadership begins to emerge through out the earth, there will be an outpouring of revelation that will reveal the person of Jesus Christ and give the world a true understanding of His love toward them.



Many of the future leaders in government and positions of influence will be kingdom minded individuals that have the heart and mind of God for our nation. God is raising up leaders in these positions that will possess real solutions for many of the problems our nation has been facing. These leaders will possess wisdom and favor as they seek God for the answers to deal with many of the hard questions we are facing.



Luke 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.



Wise Stewards



There is a transference of wealth that is going to take place in the church, as finances and resources are going to be put in the hands of those that have allowed a process of faithfulness to work in their spirits. Many have said that God is going to take the money from the wicked and give it to Gods people; I believe that this is not an accurate statement because God is all about stewardship. That is why our nation has been in the financial mess we have seen, because bad stewardship has been the "norm". God is raising up leaders that will know how to steward the finances that have been given to them, they will not squander the wealth that has been entrusted to them, because they will have the right perspective about money. Some of the most creative entrepreneurs are going to arise out of this generation that will not let the state of any economy keep them from prospering. They will have the wisdom and foresight to navigate through any storm, while they continue to prosper and be a blessing to the church.



The future only looks dark if you can't see the light, but we have a promise from Jesus that WE are the light of the world.



Matthew 5:14-16 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.



Josh Crofton

Now Back To Our Story

Now Back To Our Story by David VanCronkhite
A few years ago I wrote an article titled "A Few Degrees Off" for my "Pondering the Journey" series. The gist of it was how far off base we can become when we start our life-journey with a simple truth that is practiced or presented in a way that sets the compass just a little off. So it was with my journey.

I got "saved" and was immediately instructed to begin memorizing scriptures. Nothing wrong with that. I mean, how can anyone who desires to know God and follow Him argue with memorizing scriptures? But there was something not quite right. What if all we learn and take away, as I did, are lifeless laws and wooden words and miss the journey of the amazing stories of God encounters?

For me, the Book became merely a collection of scriptures. It was several decades before I realized it was a collection of stories of real people attempting to find a real God in the midst of real life. And life was and is a series of experiences--a few successes, a lot of failures and how we deal with a very relational God who desires to have life-infusing, two-way conversations.

I realized then that if we miss the stories, we'll never find the unfathomable love of God. I never knew, for instance, the depth of the story of God and Moses. Oh, I could quote the key scriptures surrounding the interaction of the two to prove my theology about God and man. But a story?

In Exodus 34 we find Moses desperate to know God, and God desperate for Moses to know Him. The Creator of the Universe tells this failure-of-a-man how to be successful, how to know Him, and how to become fully human the way he was intended to be. The words and story here--how God wants to impregnate all of mankind with His DNA--were never meant to become theological statements, but an ongoing, epic tale instilling hope and faith into a confused world.

Moses said "God, reveal yourself to me." And God answered, revealing His DNA, the unchanging character of I AM that I AM. "Look at it and then tell the people who I am so they will have a hope and a future." God, in His most awe-inspiring moment, began to show Himself to a murderer He had put His hand on, just as He desires to put His hand on each of us.

The Creator within us

The Creator slowly, painstakingly begins to describe what it means to have Him forever live, not only among us, but within us. He details the very nature of the Seed that He promises to impregnate us with, not in a natural way but, as Nicodemus would find out generations later, in a most supernatural way. And all this thousands of years before He sends the One to display the mystery and the availability of the Seed.

According to this story that crosses across testaments and supercedes any theology, God says that we can imitate Him if we'll let Him change us from within. It will take a supernatural birth. But when the Seed is planted, when we are impregnated, the world will know that something has happened to us.

Religion says, "Do this and do that." Even more, it says, "Don't do this and don't do that." God says, "Be this and be that because My Seed is in your spirit. We will journey together and I will point out where you have missed the mark. Your desires will begin to shift from pleasing yourself to pleasing me. And here is how you can please me. Be like I am. Act like I act."

God revealed to Moses the secret, the mystery of transformation. We take on His nature and must become like Him because the essence and character of God now dwells within us. "I am compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, merciful, truthful, covenantally faithful and forgiving," God told Moses. "That is how I want to be represented among the people. I want them to know Me that way. And if that is who I am, then that is how those who represent me must be."

Because our focus frequently has become more on theological certainty than relational faithfulness, we have become a generation that can hurl so-called truths at one another but cannot live life with one another. Yet, in our relations to man, whether a friend, a stranger or enemy, God calls us to reveal His character, to take on His very nature.

The Book is the love story of the ages. God tells Moses that He is Jealous for Him, not of him. God wants all of His love. And He tells us today that all He wants is for us to see, feel, hear, touch, taste this amazing love and love Him back.

How do we love like that? Not by theology or the law, but by Agape, By the germination and bursting forth of the Seed in us which is centered on pleasing the Father, expressing itself by doing good to our neighbors, strangers, and our enemies. Simply put, it is letting the Seed within begin the journey of daily transformation of a spirit that will eventually transform even the mind, soul and body.

Too many people today know us to be followers of God because of the scripture we quote and the theology we defend. It's time they recognize us as Christ followers because we are troublemakers with only one concern: to please the Father and allow the DNA of His Seed to grow and mature. Let us be known as "those people" who are compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, merciful, covenantally faithful, forgiving, and therefore, so, so rich in agape.

Can that really take place in our lives? Indeed. It's about a Seed, a supernatural Seed and being supernaturally impregnated from above. God, in His greatest mystery, will transform us in a moment and begin a journey to mature the Seed. It will be a journey back to the beginning of the story of the ages.

And because change is inevitable, I, for one, would rather sit on my porch with a neighbor sharing a love story than convincing them of my theological uncertainty.

Comments for David - david.vancronkhite@gmail.com

Church As We Know It is Over

Church As We Know It is Over by Don Nori Sr.
The Church is at a major crossroads in her multi- millennial sojourn through time upon this earth. She has some very big decisions to make. But most of us are not aware of the change that is in the Wind. For church, as we know it, is over.

The church, (the one being built by Jesus, not this monstrosity of a system we incorrectly call the Church), will move on with the gentle sound of His voice. The Church He is building will not need an earthquake, a hurricane, or pixie dust floating in the air to get her attention. His sheep hear His voice and follow Him because they follow His voice. This will be a big test of who we really are and whose kingdom we are really building. If it is His Kingdom, we will leap at the sound of His voice and go where he leads us. If we are building the counterfeit, we will not be so inclined to move very quickly. For there is much to lose and much to risk in responding to Him whilst building anything of our own.

The charismatics, the Pentecostals and the revivalists are all crowding at the river Jordan. The Holy Spirit is urging, calling, leading them to cross, but few have the faith to cross because few have the faith to risk what they have built. Maybe that is the problem…we have built it and it is OURS. We must protect what is ours at all costs, even at the cost of moving on with the Lord. It is always so easy to camp along the river rather than risk the dangers of fording the rapids, even when you have the voice of the Lord drawing you on..

So we invent, discover and imagine all kinds of histrionics to keep everyone satisfied where they are… on the wrong side of the river. We go around the things He has shown us again and again. We devise newer and more complicated ways of saying and doing the things we have know for years. Oh, we will occasionally look longingly across the river, wondering if there really is more over there, but the safety is always here. Few will admit that we have lost the faith, the daring and the adventure of our earlier days. Although denominationalism is anathema to us, we gather around the same things and build the same walls and defend our position with the same conviction and piety as all those who have gone before us.

But those who do not cross the river do not change the world. It is true, they do not rock the boat, but they do not see anything new, experience anything deeper than what has been “felt and telt” many, many times and for many, many years.

God does not talk in circles. He has a definite destination in mind and He fully intends to have a people that will be willing to be lead to the deepest reservoirs of His love and the very fullness of His Life.

Church as we know it is over. He is about to wrestle control of His own church from the carnal hands of insecure, angry, controlling and legalistic men and women, to build His own church, just as He promised He would.

Church as we know it is passing away. The thing we have called church is but a dim shadow of the life-giving, empowering wholeness of that for which Jesus died, rather, rose from the dead to lavish upon mere mortal men.

We have asked for wealth when He wanted to give us nations. We focused on our healing when He wanted to make us healers. We have searched for mercy and compassion when He had called us to carry those same treasures to a dying world. We are self-examining when He wants us to be pouring ourselves out so others can find Him.

There is no doubt. The self-centered, need-oriented, program-driven, growth-addicted destiny-snatching, dream-killing counterfeit is about to be replaced by His church; a company of loosely connected people held together only by the bonds of love. This people is the Christ-centered, Kingdom-declaring, light-shining heart throb of God Himself. His people hear His voice and respond with joy and anticipation, not fear and uncertainty. They are a devil-ignoring, life-giving, God-honoring group of worshipers whose greatest fulfillment in life is to be called to His service by the gentle sound of His voice. This church understands that the hands Jesus will stretch out to heal will be their hands. They know they are His hug, His smile, His encouraging word and the world’s only hope of glory.

The solution is clear…You are the church that Jesus Himself, is building!