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Our trinity, God's trinity 1 of 2

1/27/2024

Hi all,

We all want to flow better with the Lord, but for me, understanding the trinity of God and then the trinity of man, helps understand how He communicates and flows within us.

It also provides a picture in our minds about the flow from the Father to us. For me this has been key to walking with the Father and distinguishing between 'is it me or is it God?'.

The trinity of God and man - it's this simple
Father-Spirit-Son
spirit-soul-body

That's the flow - the Father is the source of all good things, from Him flows the Holy Spirit, to the Son. We are in His image and likeness, so we flow from our spirit, out to our soul, to our body.

Jesus said the Father is a spirit in John 4:24. He IS a spirit, but we struggle to think of Him that way because we think of a spirit as being a cloud, a vapor, ghost-like. And in those terms we say 'God is everywhere'. That contributes to the idea He is some sort of cloud or nebula in space. Wrong.

The Father is seen in the whole of The Revelation 4 when the apostle is brought to heaven before Him. He is very solid, though a spirit.

He sees the Father on His throne with a rainbow over it and a clear flooring before it. There are multi-winged cherubs crying out 'holy, holy, holy' around Him. It is to Him in 5:7 the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the one who had been slain but is alive forevermore, comes and 'takes the book out of the right hand of Him who sits on the throne.' (When you are in the Spirit you can see the Father, but in the flesh no man can see Him and live, the human body would be destroyed before His purity)

In Daniel 7:9-13 Daniel is given a preview of what John saw in The Revelation. Daniel describes the Ancient of Days on His throne, His white wavy hair, to whom the Son of Man comes to receive a kingdom which will have no end.

The Father is a spirit. Yet He is solid. He is always seen as seated on a throne. (see also Exodus 24:7-11, Ezekiel 1) So we have to renew the mind to the fact though spirit, He is solid, on a throne, and this is somewhere, a fixed place called heaven, in that realm.

How is God everywhere?
The verses that show the Father as the source of all good things are too numerous to detail here, But a few are worth mentioning.

James 1:16-18 we are told not to err, every good and perfect gift comes from the Father. Hebrews 12:9 where He is the Father of Spirits, and Ephesians 1 where we are told the Father used Jesus's sacrifice to adopt us to Himself, and so on. In I Corinthians 15:27-28 we are told when the Father has subdued all things under the feet of Jesus, Jesus will turn everything back to the Father that He may be all in all.

If the Father is on His throne as seen in The Revelation 4, Daniel 7, Ezekiel 1 and so on, then how is He everywhere? Being on a throne fixes Him to one spot.

Let me ask you this
Right now you are physically somewhere, maybe seated at home. But if I ask you to stop and remember back to a favorite childhood memory, you can 'go there' in your mind. You are back in time, mentally. If I ask you to think about what you will be doing tomorrow, you can think ahead to your activities. You do all that while seated at home reading this.

Jesus said in John 15:26 the Holy Spirit 'proceeds' from the Father. The Holy Spirit flows from the Father. The Holy Spirit relates to and functions therefore as the soul of the Father. The mind, will, humor. By His Spirit, who functions as His mind, He is everywhere, sees all, knows all - all while seated on His throne in heaven. He is every present, so while seated on that throne by the Holy Spirit who functions as His soul, He is also seeing past and future.

Thus, we cannot separate the Father from His Spirit. Father and Spirit are one. In the same way, our spirit and soul are one. No one can separate our spirit and soul.

Hebrews 4:12-13
Hebrews 4:12-13 tells us the Person of the Word, not ink on a page, but the living Word is sharper than any sword, dividing between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and critiques our thoughts and intents of the heart.

So here in Hebrews 4:12 we have the heart of man, which is comprised of spirit and soul. Sometimes a verse will emphasize the spirit, sometimes a verse will emphasize the soul, and sometimes a verse will focus on both soul and spirit which make the heart of man.

Notice the grammar. The first of each identifies the function. The soul and spirit, joints and marrow, thoughts and intents of the heart. The soul functions as a joint between spirit and body, it is the place of thoughts. The spirit relates to the marrow, the core of us all, where blood is made, and it is the place of our intentions.

This is the same as God. The Father is a spirit, the source of life, and the deepest intentions. The Holy Spirit functions as a joint between the Father and Son (body), and the Holy Spirit carries the thoughts of the Father. He functions as the soul, and being made as God, our soul functions as the joint between our body and spirit. It is like the middle point of a teeter totter.

The Holy Spirit we are told in John 16:13, "Will not speak of Himself, but only what He hears." In I Corinthians 2:10-11 we are told the Holy Spirit searches the Father's heart for what He has prepared for us. In this same way our soul searches our heart (spirit) for our deepest intent and purpose.

The Father relates to our spirit man, the Holy Spirit functions as the soul of the Father, and Jesus is the body. We are created in Him image so our trinity is the same:We flow from our spirit to our soul to our body.

That is all pretty challenging if you are contemplating these things for the first time. Next week we will look at this flow from the Father by His Spirit to His Son - spirit to soul to body. We are in His image, after His likeness.

As many have struggled with the triune God, we have no further to look than ourselves. When we understand the flow from our spirit to our soul and out to our body, it becomes easy to flow with the Father. Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
http://www.cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]

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House churches for 2024, What a HC looks like. 4 of 4

1/20/2024

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Hi all,

What does a house church meeting look like? How to start?

Elements of house church
We see a pattern in Acts 2:42:"They were steadfastly in the apostles teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer." There is no other pattern given than that. Paul later shares about the flow of a meeting (below), but of structure, we find no instruction nor pattern to follow other than these 4 elements tied together by a stead fast determination to grow in Christ.

The word 'steadfastly' is the Greek word 'proskartereo'. 'Pros' means 'towards together with', 'kartereo' means 'to show steadfast strength'. They were committed to growing in the Lord with others. We find no disciples in the NT all by themselves, no church that was all by itself.

We encourage all the house churches affiliated with us - stay connected to the local body of Christ, and stay connected with those in the network. We see this throughout Acts and Paul's letters - people traveling back and forth between the churches. Today it can also be by Internet, conferences, and travel between churches.

In the NT we see 3 groups of people. The first is like the leaders of Ephesus seen in Acts 20:17, whose hearts are just for their local body. We have no record of any of them traveling to any other church. This is by far the largest group of people involved in house church.

The second group are those who make short trips to other churches and then back home. The starts and ends of Paul's letters mention some of them. And the 3rd group and more rare in our day, is the one who travels constantly to different nations and churches strengthening the brethren. I only know of 1 or 2 people like that. So if you have no interest in traveling to others, that's fine.

They worked through difficulties with one another
A pattern we've seen is that for the first 3 months everyone has on their 'church face'. In the 3 to 6 month time the church faces fade and people start opening up to the reality of life - you start to hear the stresses and hardships. And if there are issues with children behaving, that will be seen right away as all are guests in someone's home.

IF a person or family will stay with it through 6 months of meetings, true friendships form. People realize house church is safe, everyone 'has your back', that every person and every family has issues in one form or another. There is no threat, people start to relax.

More than that, they start to change. Often the changes are subtle but significant. Family dynamics start to change for the better. People/families are changed from the inside out.

House church doesn't affirm one's faith by stained glass and a set structure with a set speaker each week. House church affirms one's faith through the surrounding people. By the mutual sharing week by week what the Lord is doing in you, what struggles are being faced, what answered prayers and victories have been answered and won.

It is in the 6-12 month time frame a house church starts to become a family. Six months to a year to only then start to realize the dynamics of a healthy and balanced house church relationships.

House church is messy. House church in comparison to the laser lights, smoke and ear-blasting musical production called 'worship', is boring. It's boring because it is normal life in that we walk through with others. We support one another. You won't have your ears tickled. You'll hear revelations others have received from the Lord. Things He taught them, and you can share what He is teaching you. All are edified. But it is so subtle if you are looking for fleshly impulses, you will be disappointed.

I Corinthians 14:26-40:Decently and in order
When we combine the steadfast commitment for the purpose of growing in the Lord with Paul's instructions of politeness and 'decently and in order', we see a relaxed gathering in someone's home that is safe, focused on growing in Christ, and full of peace.

In I Corinthians 14:26-40, he recognizes a situation very similar to many house churches in our day as well. In their time Acts 18:1-9 tells us 3 cultures were meeting in the home of a Roman man named Justus. Jews, Greeks, and Romans would not normally meet together socially. Many of those attending don't know others. They are strangers at the start.

Certainly Jews would not enter the home of a Gentile, let alone have a meal with them. Greek and Romans wouldn't normally meet together. But now these 3 cultures are meeting and eating together bound by their walk with the Lord. From I Corinthians 11:17-31 we see some did not want to eat with the others, their prejudice opening themselves up to sickness.

So when Paul writes in I Corinthians 14:26-40 about things done 'decently and in order', he includes instructions on how to be a guest in someone's home where all you have in common with others is Jesus. His instructions include if you have a word from the Lord but no opportunity to share it, keep it to yourself.

If you have a word or something you want to say, but the person next to you also wants to share, defer to them and let them share. Take turns. Don't monopolize the conversation. Don't push your own favorite teaching. Anything you say may be rejected. If the discussion rises to the level of confusion, let questions and further discussion done in your own home. (Wives ask their husbands at home because for the first time in their lives they are sitting together - so ask at home if the questions are too disruptive.)

Modern updates would include things like; If a door is closed, don't open it, the host has it closed for a reason. Don't peek into someone's medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Help clean up whether the meeting included a meal or not. Don't overstay the purpose and time for a meeting, and so on.

The host/hostess has the final word
What we have found that works, is that no matter who leads a meeting, the host or hostess determines the time allotted for the meeting.

For instance, if a meeting starts at 10am and a host allow people to stay all afternoon, or even into the evening, soon they will become exhausted and 'burned out'. Balance and politeness are key. Most people won't overstay their welcome, but a host or hostess should not be afraid to let such a one know they need move on to other things for the day.

Very often someone leading a house church has never led a group of anyone before. They aren't used to calling a meeting to order and hesitate interrupting conversations. I've been in house churches where the starting time was 10am, but at 11am people are still talking and eating, the host or hostess not wanting to interrupt. It's a learned skill to get everyone's attention to tell them what they have in mind for the meeting, but necessary.

Teaching, fellowship, food, prayer. Usually a meeting will include those elements as seen in Acts 2:42. Sometimes there is no food other than water or coffee. Sometimes the only prayer might be before eating food. Sometime 'teaching' takes the form of 1 person sharing what the Lord taught them that week, and then a 90 minute discussion and study happens - Acts 2:42 is just an outline for elements of their meetings.

There is so much more to share, which is why we have audio series such as 'House Church 101' on our site, 10 question and answer videos about house church, Return of the First Church, and more.

House church is that gathering of friends, family, neighbors and coworkers seen through the pages of the New Testament. It isn't for everyone and we celebrate however the saints choose to gather. But for some, looking for people on the same spiritual page in genuine relationships in Christ, house church is for them. Perhaps that includes some reading this series. Do your homework, but allow revelation from the Lord change you from the inside out. Be moved from that revelation in your heart towards a relationship based faith rather than an auditorium based faith.

Food for thought, new subject next week. Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
http://www.cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]

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Starting 2024, Why house churches now. Starting one. 3 of 4

1/13/2024

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Hi all,

When we read Acts we see the focus on homes. Pentecost happened in a home. Peter went to the house of the Roman Centurion, Cornelius in Acts 10. Hosts and hostesses in homes are mentioned in Philippi, Thessalonica, Rome, Ephesus, Corinth, Colossae, Laodicia.

How did they start? How can we start?
Consistently we see evangelism happening within 4 spheres of influence:Family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.

6 of the original 12 apostles were brought to the Lord within those. In John 1:40-51 we see Andrew bringing his brother Peter, to meet Jesus. Family. The next verse said they had a neighbor named Philip, who met Jesus. Neighbor. He in turn invited a friend, Nathanael, to meet Jesus. Friend. In Luke 5:10 we are told Peter was a partner in a fishing business with James and John, who met Jesus when He borrowed their boat. Co-workers.

Family, friends, neighbors, co-workers are seen throughout the New Testament
In II Timothy 1:5 Paul mentions the faith of Timothy's grandmother, Eunice, who he says was first in the faith in the family, and the faith of his mother, Lois. In Colossians 4:10 Paul writes of Barnabas being the uncle of John Mark, the author of the gospel of Mark. Acts 12:12 says Mark's mother Mary, was hosting a prayer meeting for Peter when the angel released him from prison.

Luke 24:18 tells us one of the two walking to Emmaus was Cleopas. John's gospel which was written after Luke's, tells his readers in John 19:25 Cleopas was Jesus' uncle. He tells us Jesus' aunt, Mary's sister, was with her at the foot of the cross. The faithfulness of His aunt at the cross explains why the just risen Lord made the point to visit the 2 as they walked to Emmaus - He wanted to tell His uncle so he could tell his aunt, He was risen.

In Acts 18:1-3 Paul is joined in Corinth by fellow tent makers, Aquila and Priscilla, as that church was being started. Co-workers. They are mentioned 6x in the NT, including hosting house churches when they lived in Rome and Ephesus. And on and on it goes. Family, friends, neighbors, coworkers are seen throughout the New Testament.

So it is today. Many house churches are comprised of people within those 4 spheres of influence, especially in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. But not always. In this day of the Internet, people no one in the house church knows, may be interested in coming to your house church. They may be a 'person of peace.'

An example of 'people of peace' joining you, in Philippi
A person of peace is first, someone who accepts you, but doesn't know the Lord. In Luke 10:3-9 the Lord says in such cases, build a relationship with the person, and only after that, share Jesus. A modern equivalent may be someone like that, or we may include a Christian no one in a current house church knows, but they want to come to your house church.

When Paul went to Philippi in Acts 16:12-40 there was no synagogue meeting, meaning there weren't 10 Jewish men age 13 or more to be able to form a weekly gathering. Paul learned some Jewish women went to the river to meet for prayer, so he went there looking for them.

"On the sabbath we went to the river where it was known prayer was made, and sat down and spoke to women gathered there." So the first thing is that someone is seeking a gathering of like-minded people. 'People of peace' we might say.

We also observe what was written of Lydia in Acts 16:14:"There was a woman there, Lydia, a worshipper of God, who listened to the words Paul spoke." Notice she was a worshipper of God, but was not yet born again. That changed when Paul told her of Jesus. She ended up inviting Paul and Silas to her home, and it appears the jailer as well. It is to them and others that Paul writes his warmest letter of all his epistles, the letter to the Philippians.

It may sound strange to say, but I've been to her house. The ruins have been preserved all these centuries, for after Christianity was legalized, her house was turned into a 'church', and you can visit it to this day.

There must be purpose to meeting:Acts 2:42, meeting 'steadfastly'.
In our day very often someone has a revelation that house church is for them. They need to be at a point where like the first century believers, going to temple is no longer for them.

Unfortunately in our day we also have people who say; "Maybe I'll check you out this week." They expect to visit a house church without any previous introduction, just like they would an auditorium church, so they are 'shopping'.

But house church is different. You're going to someone's home. Shoppers are rarely seen more than once or twice. People who have that revelation from heaven about relationship based faith, are all in from the start. They get it.

Let me be clear - God fills whatever structure man gives Him, so this is not against the auditorium style of the gathering of the saints called 'church'. Sometimes a person will visit a house church and it is all too new, with people they don't know, and decide they need the comfortable and familiar in the auditorium. That's fine.

A house church is not a place for evangelism, though a person of peace may choose to believe on the Lord in that setting. We see this mentioned in I Corinthians 14:22-25. A house church is safe and healthy, so it isn't the place to bring someone a host or hostess isn't comfortable with.

For such, the person who wants to bring them to house church needs to meet with them separately, 1 on 1, discipling them in the Lord for a time. Just because you are having church in a home doesn't mean you have to allow anyone and everyone into your home. A home meeting is intimate, personal, and a place for those you can trust.

Vetting:House church must be safe
If you aren't a family, friend, neighbor or coworker of someone in a house church, it takes a certain amount of determination and boldness to enter a stranger's home to be the 'new person' in a small group meeting.

Often this is done by meeting someone for coffee or tea in a public place, or for breakfast or lunch at a restaurant. It isn't an interrogation, but it is a time to find out why that person wants to attend, if they are goofy or potentially dangerous. to see if they are someone a host or hostess would be comfortable having in the home.

Jesus vetted people which may be a surprise to those who have never done house church. In Luke 9:57-62 Jesus had 3 separate men who came to Him and wanted to join the disciples. In the conversations He learned one wasn't aware that by following Jesus he would have no permanent home, another had the condition he first be allowed to bury a family member, and a third was wrapped up in family ties which would have made him double minded. In Luke 8:38-39 the man delivered of Legion begged to follow Jesus but was refused. Jesus told him no, but to go back to his home and his friends and tell them what Jesus had done for them.

Family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, people of peace. People that people in the Bible felt comfortable inviting into their homes. It is the same for us today.

We'll stop here for today and wrap up this series next week. Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
http://www.cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]

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Starting 2024, Why house churches. Context. 2 of 4

1/6/2024

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Hi all,

When the Lord created Adam and Eve in the Garden, He established the home as the primary place to learn about, know, and walk with God. It is the place to see how Christ (husband) and the church (wife) interact, treat each other, and depend on the Father God in their lives.

This is why Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:21-33 of this very thing, concluding in v32:"This is a great mystery; I am speaking of Christ and the church." That's His intent, the best-case scenario.

Revelation depends on family life
In Genesis 18:17-19 the Lord and 2 angels had dinner with Abraham. This is known as a 'theophany'. When Christ materialized temporarily in the Old Testament in various situations (and 2 angels in this case) to take part in natural things, like the meal they ate with Abraham.

The Lord pauses and we are given insight into His thoughts:"Shall I hide from Abraham what I'm about to do, seeing that he will become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed because of him? I know him, that he will raise his children and household in the ways of the Lord..."

This provides another revelation, that God ties the quality of the family life to revelation He gives into the earth. He based sharing the information that He was going to destroy Sodom on the quality of Abraham's family life.

God's plans for the family
Furthermore, the revelation of His plans allowed Abraham to intercede for the city. Remember that Lot, Abraham's nephew, and his family, lived in Sodom. The Lord knew all this when He tied Abraham's family life to revealing His plans for the city. So the revelation within the family concerns first and foremost, God's plans for that family.

If you want more revelation from the Lord for your family, then focus on your home life. Be that husband and/or father in Christ you need to be. Be that wife and/or mother you need to be. The Lord will reveal His plans for that family to that family, within that family. Don't think (mom or dad) you have to go to church to 'get a word' for your family. It starts in the home.

If single, be who you need to be in Christ to your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. Revelation for the purpose of intercession will come from the Lord for those groups in your life.

Get rid of stinking thinking
If you have thought church meetings are the primary way to learn what God is doing today, that is wrong. When you flow with Him in the original divine order, life falls into place. Things happen, but there is a grace to meet each challenge.

Revelation flows outward from the individual and family to the world. Apostles and prophets according to Ephesians 3:1-11 DO have revelation about Christ in us and things related to our salvation. Yes. But that scripture says their revelation has to do with what we have in Christ.

In the family, God's revelation will be about His plans for each member first, then outward to His larger plans in the earth. It makes the family as the primary 'intercessory prayer team' in the earth.

Flash forward to 150 years before Jesus' ministry in the gospels.
The Greeks have invaded Israel and Jewish leaders realize they are being overrun with worldly influence. God's emphasis was on each family learning the things of God, so He only commanded they come to the temple in Jerusalem 3x a year. (Deuteronomy 16:16, Ex 23:17, I Kings 9:25)

They only had to go to temple 3x in a year because God focused on His knowledge flowing in and through each family. Amazing how backwards we have it in church auditorium culture. We now emphasize going to 'church' 1-3x a week, giving our children to strangers to teach them about God. How backwards from the original intent! The Lord commanded daily revelation and talk of Him in the home, supplemented only 3x a year with a big assembly in the temple.

The problem with that plan is that if families fail, the knowledge of God doesn't flow into the earth. And in this case, the families of Israel were failing, heavily influenced by Greek emphasis on sports, fashion, art, theater, and working out at gymnasiums. How could they keep the next generation in the ways of the Lord when there are all those outside influences?

Around the time of the Maccabee's (when the miracle of Hanukkah happened)
There was a revival trying to reclaim Jewish ways. A group known as the 'separated ones' decided families should meet in homes each Sabbath (Saturday), with a minimum of 10 families comprising each 'gathering'. The 'separated ones' would copy the OT and travel to these home gatherings.

These separated ones also decided a person could walk on the Sabbath up to about 1/4 mile (.5km) before walking became work. It meant these Saturday gatherings were within each family's radius of 1/4 mile (.5km).

Remember a 13 year old boy was counted as an adult male. So you could have as few as 2 or 3 families making up each weekly gathering. (Jesus' 4 brothers were named in Mt 13:55, so that family with 1 or 2 others with several boys could form a weekly gathering.)

These weekly 'gatherings' would become the house churches in Acts.
The word 'separated ones' is the word 'Pharisee'. The word 'gathering' is 'synagogue.' When you see Jesus in the synagogue teaching, realize those were in homes. At the most there would be the occasional abandoned home they could meet in, but much of the time synagogues or gatherings were held in homes. The building we now call a synagogue came about like the building we call church did, centuries later.

When Pentecost happened and so many people started following the apostles, it was a synagogue split. I've seen estimates there were 10,000 believers in Jerusalem, all of them meeting in homes. The Pharisees were furious that a bunch of uneducated men would break off of their 150 year old system, teaching about Jesus whom they had killed.

They didn't meet in homes because of persecution.
They were already meeting in homes under the 150 year old Pharisee's synagogue system. As the gospel spread they continued meeting in homes, for the home remains God's creation for learning of Him and seeing His life demonstrated in day to day living. It was a natural thing to gather with other living temples of God over food and talk, study and prayer, to learn about Him and what He was doing in everyone's lives.

Roman, Greek, and Hebrew culture included family and neighbors regularly getting together for meals, sharing what was happening in their lives - so house church fit both the Jewish and Roman practice of groups meeting in homes.

That's why all the New Testament was written by apostles doing church in the home, writing to people doing church in the home. The '5-fold', the charismatic gifts, the Lord's Supper, Baptisms water and Holy Spirit - all in context as happening in homes. If you've been part of the auditorium church, you've taken God's Word out of context, as has your pastor, every visiting teacher - and it doesn't work well to take God's Word out of context. Put it back in the home and you can toss the bookstore manuals on how to do church - it's all laid out in the pages of the New Testament.

Next week - focus on our times, how to start a house church. Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
http://www.cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]

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