Mobile church model consisted of Jesus, His disciples and people
who came to hear Him at different settings. Jesus set a model of this moving,
mobile Koinonia (community, fellowship or church). Jesus by all means intended
to break the importance in terms of location and prominence so that these
factors including Christian hyped-up celebrities don't rob the essence of the
movement, which is present in the church. Today many Churches gain its
prominence by means of its grandiose structure, mesmerizing music,
and the pastor who most of the time becomes a celebrity in the course of
time.
The
movement is not about Location and structure.
Jesus in His
conversation with Samaritan lady told her, “Believe me, woman, an hour is
coming when you will worship
the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem." John 4:21
CSB . If you notice both these places had a significant importance in
history and worthy to become a Shrine. Jesus basically intended to
demolish anything that has a potential to gain importance more than God.
In Matthew (18:20) it says "For where
two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them.” God's
presence exists in the gathering that makes the church or fellowship, not
the other way around. In Acts 7:48 it says. "but the
Most High does not dwell in sanctuaries made with hands, as the prophet says:"
The Jerusalem temple
became such an important Shrine that it was broken again and again as
prophesied by Jesus in Mathew 21:6. "Not
one stone will be left on another that will not be thrown down". God
dwells in human heart. Paul understood this model so correctly that
he strongly emphasizes in 1 Corinthians 3:16 "Don’t
you yourselves know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God lives
in you”? You carry the temple of God everywhere and exhibit the
Love of Christ. Today, probably when everything is getting suspended
God is probably reminding us to equip our Church members to be a Church in
themselves and become the temple in their community.
Coronavirus has emptied the Vatican, the
capital of Catholicism, it caused restrictions in Jerusalem Synagogues,
Churches of any grandeur and all other religious institutions. Is God telling
us something? That He is not in places or buildings but in people! Surely if
God was in building or places then these would be the safest places. But, at
this very moment these are the most dangerous places. Currently the safest
place is your home.
Restoring
Church at home model:
Early Church didn’t
view Church as a place to go. Neither, did they see their gatherings as
“services”. All the gatherings were in houses, basically house Churches, I
mean. With the current Challenge that we are encountering, the early Church
model seems to be the best model for believers to stay intact and attract
Non-Christians to the fold. Time to help our believers use all their
teachings they received in Church and demonstrate Mobile Church Model / House
Church model to impact lives at the earliest.
1) Jesus ministered
in homes, and much of the gospel narrative takes place in homes. Jesus ate in
people’s homes, healed in people’s homes (Matthew
8:14-15; 9:10, 23-25, 28).
2) New Testament Christians
primarily met in small groups or home settings. When the apostles went to a
town, they often preached in the synagogue. But it usually did not take long
before they were thrown out and forced to move on to more intimate home
gatherings (Acts 18:4-7). The
New testament includes numerous references to Church in someone’s home (Romans 16:5).
It's high time
we use every opportunity strategically and creatively to reach out to the
Non-Christians.You may check the link for more light on this; God's Audit- Get prepared! And that means, the individuals understand they are the
Church, exemplify their obedience to the Great commission and be involved
in the Mission work God has entrusted to every individual.
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