Without giving a rigid model on Christian community and fellowship, I felt it would be good to emphasize some of the purposes of finding wisdom from the Lord for a context of life together that is more fitting for the relatedness that He desires for all of the saints.

The term community has taken on multiple meanings in Christian thought, as all words do. I am still fond of the word, believing that if community is experienced in the Church -by the reality of the Holy Spirit- it would serve as a great provision for us all in terms of edification, friendship and spiritual sobriety. I believe that the multiplied thousands of pastors who are stepping down from ministry annually (mostly due to sexual sin of some sort) could be radically reduced if we were experiencing intensive community and fellowship, along with our pursuit of the knowledge of God, revival, and the activity of the Spirit. I am even convinced that a right relationship among the saints could have served to expand and deepen past moves of God that instead ended up declining and fading away into the history books. Community, or intensive fellowship, is one of the facets of the Body that will release the Spirit of truth in the day to day lives of the saints, and encourage us toward a fullness that will last forever.

As leaders in the Body of Christ, we need to regain a value for “the least of these”(Mt. 5.19; 25.40), and a value for relationship and fellowship with others as a crucial means of seeing the Kingdom of God break into the realm of real life. Spirit-endued community- like prayer- undergirds all ministry activity, bringing the reality of God as a foundation to it all. If our marriages, parenting, and daily lives are hollow and devoid of the wisdom and love of God’s kingdom, any other ministry efforts will at best be hindered, and at the worst they may be found false. There are a handful of souls who find grace to be true to the Lord without having experienced intensive community, but the vast majority of the saints are still harboring secret sins, insecurities, fears, and anxieties, and are bound up in multitudinous ways that we leaders tend to be unaware of (especially in an event-oriented expression of the faith).

Truth be told, many leaders are still harboring unforgiveness, competitive spirits, and an idea of “performance-driven” ministry that is not in keeping with the apostolic Spirit of the New Testament. How shall we be delivered from all of this without utilizing the relatedness that God has given as one of the key provisions for our Spiritual stability and growth? The New Testament vision is a cry for the emergence of a corporate people who have been freed from the spirit of this age and brought into a present experience and demonstration of the age which is to come.

The Hebraic idea of the faith has always been one of “God over all and in all”(Eph. 4.6), not separating real life from service and ministry. Therefore, the Scriptures show us that it is God’s government to see all aspects of life and spirituality flowing together in one glorious ensemble. This is impossible without the experience of the cross of Christ, and that cross cannot be fully experienced apart from the life together that the apostles encouraged in the lives of their congregations.

How many men have we seen fall from their places of ministerial influence in recent years? Some who were considered by many as seasoned prophets or apostolic leaders, and who had genuine words, visions and dreams have been found engaged in sins ranging from homosexuality to alcoholism to heroine use to adultery and embezzlement. Some of these men went on in these sins throughout the course of decades of outwardly fruitful ministry. How on earth can this be?

My heart breaks for them. The pressures of man-centered ministry and platform persona often become the downfall for men who are expected by the people to be something that no one man can be. This is tragic, and there is a real possibility that if they would have been related rightly in the kind of context that I believe Paul was jealous for, they could have been delivered from that state before they ever plummeted into self-deception. Community is not a guaranteed success for every life involved, but it is indeed a provision for the Church in the last days, and I believe we need to ask the Lord for wisdom to see it built among those souls for whom we have responsibility.

I’m not discouraging larger gatherings, houses of prayer, or any other expression of the Body. I’m asking the Lord to release wisdom to build contexts for true relationship in the Church. Community, as I see it, is not merely getting together a group of saints and moving onto a compound. Christian community is the experience of Jesus Christ and the power of the Spirit in a context that pertains to real life. It has to transcend mere meetings or events, and leak into the realm of day to day life experienced with other saints. This is a challenge, especially in a Western culture, but I believe the Spirit of God will give us the love, courage, concern, and heart for being to one another what the Lord has called us to be. It may not look the same in every case structurally, but a context for this reality must be found for every congregation. The days that are upon us will most assuredly require it.

Here are some purposes for the formation of an intensive “community context”. At the end I’ll share what the Lord has given us, but the main issue is not our model or some other model. It’s the Spirit Who grants a context where these realities have opportunity to flourish.

WHY DO WE NEED “INTENSIVE COMMUNITY”?

1. Confession of Faults

“…confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed.” -Jas. 5.16

“…if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
...If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
-1 Jn. 1. 7, 9

We need to give the Holy Spirit the liberty to create a context in which ALL of the saints have opportunity and are encouraged to bring their faults and sins to the table of fellowship. There needs to be a place where the people of God know that they are not going to be written off or discarded as outcasts when they bring their sins into the light. We all need to be among fellow-believers who have laid hold of the grace to hear our shortcomings without approving of our sins OR rejecting us as we confess our sins and shortcomings.

This is only possible if the Spirit of the Lord is active amidst His people. If we realize that we are all in the “shadow of the cross”, we will not lighten the weight and consequence of sin, nor will we reject or look down on the one confessing. If the love of Christ is burning in a community, the people will have mercy on one another, and pray for healing and liberty from all of the strangleholds of darkness. Everything that keeps us from the love of Christ and the liberty of the Spirit- from immorality to marital strife to self-righteousness- is broken off of us in the place of confession and prayer. We need a context that is “safe” enough for this, that the people of God may come into the Light and find freedom and deliverance once and for all.

I believe that there are many saints who have reoccurring sins that they will not find deliverance from until they come into a context of life together that is conducive to the kind of confession and prayer that the apostle James (Jacob) was encouraging here. It reaches a point in some lives where the secret confession that is ostensibly “unto the Lord” becomes false, the repentance is feigned, and the saint does not truly find forgiveness and mercy, nor the grace to overcome when the temptation arises again. With certain situations, the Lord desires that we meet Him in the face of another saint. For certain issues, there must be a place for brother to brother confession, and that is the means through which God is wanting to bring deliverance. It’s not because of some “magic” power in a certain model of church. It’s that God means to display His wisdom to the powers of darkness through a Body (Eph. 3.10), and until we can become one in reality we will not experience the fullness of His intentions in salvation.

If we have some religious reputation to maintain, and that is the root of our unwillingness to confess sin, we cannot assume that a cowardly secret confession will be a means to deliverance. God is after reality, and the powers of darkness see right through a sham confession. Indeed, they relish in it, for it does not break their hold on our lives. We must come into the light of God, and often times this means bringing our sin to the table of fellowship. Leaders in the last days’ Church have a responsibility to see that a context and value for this reality is established wherever it is that they labor.

2. Edification and the Activity of Spiritual Gifts

I have long believed that the two primary contexts for the release of the gifts of the Spirit were the two least utilized contexts in modern times. I believe that the gifts of the Spirit were given for the edification of the saints and the exposing of the hearts of unbelievers. Prophecy, healing, and other gifts were meant to edify, encourage, and challenge the people of God and release the testimony of Jesus on the streets.

I am happy to say that there has been an increase in America of the gifts of the Spirit being manifested in grocery stores, malls, and on the street corners. May it continue to rise!

The other purpose of the gifts was for edification in Church life, and many have profited spiritually by their occasional activity in larger gatherings. I am convinced however, that the edification that comes from the Spirit- especially through the gifts of the Spirit- is most direct and effectual in smaller gatherings. How else could Paul say:

“What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.” -1 Cor. 14.26

If “each one” had a gift in a large gathering of hundreds or thousands of people, it would be next to impossible to have order in the gathering. The “each one” reality is meant for the smaller community gatherings, I believe. It’s in that familial context that the saints mature and grow in the activity of the Spirit. It’s where they “try their wings”, and are not rejected in their immaturity, but have liberty to be encouraged by others in love and the sometimes necessary correction. The gifts of the Spirit are of course for any atmosphere, but I believe Paul was encouraging their activity in a more relational, communal context.

If Paul said to “earnestly desire spiritual gifts”(1 Cor. 14.1), then it is not as complex as we’ve made it out to be. In a house congregation (as in other contexts), the saints should be be encouraged to set aside time to enter into the praises of God together, while anticipating the release of spiritual gifts. If we ask for bread, He will not give to us a stone.

3. “Let your hair down” and Be Humans

“…they were taking their meals together with gladness and simplicity…” -Acts 2.46b

Community provides a context for the saints to be humans together. There are times in the smaller gatherings given over to prayer, praise, the Word, and confession. But there are also times to “let our hair down” and do what humans do. It’s too easy, especially with those who are young in the faith, to fall into a pseudo-spirituality that is based on religious performance, striving, and seeking to build a spiritually superior image before men. In community you share meals together, talk about life and family, play with the children, break out the board games or the volleyball nets, perhaps. We need times to “be human” together, for the purpose of seeing God’s people released from that subtle outlet for self: man-centered, performance based-religiosity. One man used to say: “Community is what keeps true prophets from becoming false.”

Out of a context with this reality, families and friendships will emerge that will glorify Jesus and last forever.

4. Encourage and Stir One Another to Love and Obedience

“…speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him…” - Eph. 4.15

“Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘today,’ so that one of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
…and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling toether, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” -Heb. 3.12-13;10.24-25

We need a context where the saints are being encouraged and challenged by friends to go deeper in God. The spirit of this age is increasing in influence and power, and the people of God need a Spirit-charged communal reality together to combat the invasive waves of lust, violence, greed, fear, and anxiety that continually assault the saints. We need to experience the Kingdom of heaven in a setting that is more intimate and consistent than what mere meetings can provide. This will help us come into the real nit and grit of life in God. Community helps us to see souls- yes, even believers!- who are still bound by fear, anxiety, compromise and unbelief delivered and brought into wholeness by the wisdom and power that God has given through His Body. The insecure are lifted up and encouraged, the proud and arrogant are confronted, the fearful and timid are strengthened and emboldened, and the compromised are lovingly challenged by those who have become a family to them. It is a context for the experience of the cross, which releases resurrection glory.

Pastor, have your people a context for this reality? It has to be something more than tacking a few cell-groups onto the larger ministry and congregation. We need to see the emergence of a value for these things to be released in the church. I’m not promoting one structure. I’m talking about the realities the apostles encouraged. They require a context that is not fulfilled if we only gather in large assemblies or houses of prayer. So what shall it be?

The Lord has called us (for our part here in Kansas City) to labor for the raising up of 12 large “city-wide assemblies”, undergirded by house congregations and houses of prayer.

Say those assemblies eventually number close to 1,000 souls each. Underneath each one there will be roughly 100 house congregations where the saints will have opportunity for a more close-knit relatedness. There will be several- perhaps a dozen- elders/pastors in the larger congregation who have fatherly oversight of about 10 house church pastors each. This means that each house church will number around 10 to 15 adults (along with their children) who are all encouraged to go deep in relationship to one another, even if they have only a few similarities. In all of this, a formative thing is taking place, as the people of God are learning to take up their crosses and love each other beyond the realm of familiarity and likeness. Authentic love is formed by the Spirit resting on a people who have foregone a ‘me-first’ mentality and chosen the path of the Servant. It transcends cliquish relationship and convenience. It becomes an issue of each member ministering directly unto one another.

Each house church may form spontaneous outreaches in their neighborhoods, Bible studies, other prayer times, etc. They will contact each other throughout the week in simple ways (e.g. emails, phone calls, etc.), enhancing their relationships in a manner that is practical within our culture and does not detract from the quality of the family unit. Pastoral couples will be raised up who have a quality of life and maturity, with grace enough to be a presence in the lives of these 10 to 15 people on a regular basis. Saints will be raised up in these settings unto maturity, and as the months and years go by, they will find their identity in the Lord and be released into His purposes. Some will stay in their locale, making disciples and multiplying house congregations, and others will be sent into the nations.

This is a simple model the Lord gave us after 40 days of corporate fasting and prayer. We don’t have anything close to 1,000 souls even in this first congregation. But we believe the Lord has given us a simple model to labor in. The model itself is important, but it is secondary to the reality of communion with Christ and the intentional quality that we need to “bear one another’s burdens” and be to each other what we’re called to be.

In our fellowship, each week there will be a larger gathering with worship, prayer, and preaching. Once a week each house church will gather for confession, praise, the activity of the Spirit, and “letting our hair down” to have meals and hang out. Every pastor or leader will have as much value for the house church as any other aspect of the ministry, and that’s a crucial thing. If the house church is just something we have as an option, and the pastors don’t value it or involve themselves in it, the saints will be likely to neglect it as well. We’ve seen this over and over again.

It’s not primarily about the structure as much it is about living with a holy value for the things God wants to release in the lives of His people.

Still, just as Jesus’ command to take the Gospel required a context for missions (note how foolish William Carey once looked for suggesting that laborers be sent into India with the Gospel!), just as David’s heart for worship and prayer required the context of the Tabernacle, so do the apostolic encouragements require a context for Christian community in an intensive sense. We need a context where it becomes possible to “bear one another’s burdens”(Gal. 6.2), “confess your faults”(Jas. 5.16), and experience an atmosphere where “each one” has the ability to bring to other saints what the Lord has gifted them with.

So this is a rudimentary example of what the Lord has given us here. It may look different where you are, but the question still remains:

Shall we allow the Lord to give us a context in which the saints can come into these realities?

I believe He is stirring many hearts along these lines, and we are not interested in writing a faddish book about structures. We simply long for the Lord to grant the wisdom that is necessary for these things to be released by the Spirit. I believe that when the people of God have this foundation, the great and climactic completion of the Joel 2 outpouring of the Spirit will have a wineskin that is not some new faddish model, but the people of God themselves. They will have become His habitation in the realm of real life. The earth- and Israel Herself- will finally be fit to contain the new wine that will cast out death and usher in the age of glory.

Intensive community is a place where the saints find confrontation and challenge, hope and healing, the activity of the Spirit, time in the Word, friendship and reality in a context that’s intimate and effectual. Coupled with city-wide gatherings, houses of prayer, ministry training centers, and missions-sending bases, I believe these communal contexts will help to bring the Church into the fullness of what God has always desired. Without this reality, there will always be something missing in our experience of the Kingdom.

I am convinced that we will not come into the fullness of Christ without experiencing His community. Nothing short of this will fit us for the time of trial that is most assuredly coming. As a result of the maturation and love that comes over time from experiencing Christ in life together, I believe Israel will be moved to jealousy, the nations will see a greater measure of God’s Kingdom, and this will have a hand in bringing us to the day when Christ will be all in all.

May it be released, Lord. Grant wisdom and revelation to leaders of all streams and contexts for the building and nurturing of intensive community with You as the Center. We ask You to help us to see this great provision developed in our congregations and ministries. Let Your Spirit move upon us, to deposit the loving concern and holy sobriety that has always burned in the heart of the Great Shepherd. And may we hasten the Day when You break into the earth and come down in Jerusalem. Amen.

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