THE CHURCH IN THY HOUSE (PHILEMON 2)

From the Board of Elders

Dear Members in Christ,

“... the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.” John 10: 3b-4

Pray for God’s provision of a Pastor for CJBPF.

The Bible teaches that God is the Head of the Church and He is the great Shepherd. On earth, God ordains local Pastor to oversee His flock in the local Church.

Please pray for God’s provision of a Pastor for CJBPF. The office of the Pastor is still vacant since Rev Lee Kim Shong resigned as a Pastor effective 18th June 2020 (ref: Weekly Bulletin dated 7th June 2020). Rev Lee Kim Shong, since then, serves as a full time Preacher in the Chinese Congregation and Preacher Deacon Lim Seh Beng in the English Congregation. In the interim, the Board of Elders (BOE) oversees the spiritual growth of CJBPF. May the Lord hearken unto our prayer and answer accordingly.

In Christ,

Eld. Choe Tong Seng

 

The Church in Thy House (Philemon 2)

We often think of churches as institutionalized organizations. No doubt, in the modern era, churches, especially those in mainstream denominations are huge organizations. Often they have large numbers in their membership roll and mega-churches boast of thousands, even tens of thousands of members. In today’s exhortation, we find that the biblical pattern for the founding of churches has its humble beginnings in house churches. One notable example is the house of Philemon. In the passage below, the Apostle Paul sends greetings to Philemon and the church in his house, he writes,

“Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer, And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house: Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Philemon 1-3.

The letter to Philemon suggests that he was likely the head of a reasonably well-off household. He had a runaway slave Onesimus whom the Apostle Paul had brought to the knowledge of salvation, and is now ministering to Paul. Along with this greeting is a list of Christians who were most likely co-workers and members of the local assembly. 

 

The House Church - An early pattern for church growth

The passage from Philemon is not the only reference to “house churches” in the Bible. It appears that the beginning of the Gospel work in many towns and cities in the first century was initiated in these house churches. In another passage, the Apostle Paul also refers to another assembly in a house church in Laodicea. He writes to the Colossian Christians to, “Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house” Colossian 4:15.

Often we note that the mention of house churches is also accompanied by the mention of individuals by name. These are people whom the Apostle Paul is acquainted with, and are mentioned together with the greeting to the church. It suggests that these individuals are associated with the local house church in some way, either as a servant of the Gospel or as a member of the local church in question. How did these house churches sprout? What were their beginnings? The answer may be found in the Book of Acts. 

 

Conversion of entire households in the early church

The Book of Acts records many instances where the conversion of an individual brought about salvation to the entire household. We have the example of the Philippian jailer to whom the Gospel was preached. In Acts 16:32, we read that, “they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.” And the reception to the Gospel was wonderful, for the jailer brought the Apostle home, set a meal “and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.”  Romans 16:34.

In another example, when the Apostle Peter went to Cornelius, the Bible records in Acts 10:24 “And the morrow after they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends.” Now, Cornelius was “one that feared God with all his house.” So his entire household followed his piety. He brought together many, not just his household, but also relatives and friends were all assembled. Later in the chapter, they were baptized by the Apostle Peter. Many other household conversions are given in the Bible. In Acts 16:15 we read that Lydia the purple seller believed, “And when she was baptized, and her household,” she besought the Apostle to abide in her house.

These examples show that the grace of God reaches out not just to individuals but also their immediate family and household members. What became of these believing families? They continued in their faith and practice as a household unit, often with others joining them in their worship. In the early church, after the Pentecost conversion, the passage Acts 2:46 records that the converts were “continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.” What did they practice? Acts 2:42 tells us that, “they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” 

The early church in its infancy conducted its worship, prayers, fellowship, and sacraments in the houses of the believers. It was only in later centuries that history records dedicated houses of worship such as church buildings were erected. Throughout the New Testament, especially in the Pauline epistles, we find that usually, the mention of a church or “ekklesia” refers not to a dedicated building but a house church (as in the examples given above).    

 

Every home a church

Is this lesson applicable to us today? Certainly, it is! In his book “The Singapore BP Story” Rev Timothy Tow documents many instances in the early history of the Bible Presbyterian church in which missions and churches were initiated by a family or household of believers. These examples are from Chapter VI entitled “Period of Laying Foundation.” Firstly, we have the example of an outreach in Malaysia, named “The Temerloh Gospel Center” which was started in the home of Dr. Tow Siang Yeow in 1963. The outreach in Jurong had its early beginnings in a Sunday Bible Class (like a bible study) conducted in the home of a Mr. and Mrs. Chandra in 1960. Another assembly in Redhill started as a Sunday School in the home of a Mr. and Mrs. Seow in 1957.

If God can start churches by simple and humble beginnings, let us have great expectations of what God can do in the homes of those who sincerely seek to honor and worship Him. You may begin by starting a simple home devotion during the week-day. This can be an assembly of family members to read a passage of the Bible, sing a hymn, and pray for each other. May God bless and help each of us to make every home and family an “ekklesia” - an assembly of people, elect, holy before God. May His name be glorified. Amen.           

In Christ,

Dn. Lim Seh Beng