What Happens at Your House?

I am not asking what TV programs you watch or what you had for dinner. I am asking, “What are you using your house for in the work of Christ? Deb and I have been in our home for 25 years. The living area has a bit of open space, and throughout the years Deb has invited others to come and spend time with us in our home. She might have ladies, like the ladies’ class she is in, come over for breakfast or the widows at Christmas for a meal. I may have some men come over for steaks or ribs, or we may invite couples to be our guests. Why? When the Lord allowed us to have this home, we committed to using it for the glory of the Lord and sought to bless others by using it. I know many of our church family do that also. They open their hearts and homes to others, seeking to get to know them, and edify them in faith. When I hear of those types of kindnesses, my heart is warmed because it shows compassion, care, and love toward others in a biblical way. Those type meetings do not take the place of regular church meeting times, we now have church buildings, but they are extremely important in building relationships that can last a lifetime, with fruits reaching into eternity.

In the early years of the New Testament church, there were no church buildings like the one we call Corinth Baptist Church. Church buildings wouldn’t come along for over two hundred years. The largest building in Jerusalem would have been the Temple, in which the Jewish people met on the Sabbath, and for daily teachings. Beside the actual Temple building, there were several courts, beginning with the Gentile court where even Gentiles could walk around. A marketplace was being run from this spot, and it was this spot that Jesus cleansed the Temple twice; once at the beginning of his ministry and another at the end. This outer Gentile court would have been large enough, but noisy, with constant harassments and permissions from authorities that would have been hard to come by. Most often those early Christians met in homes, preferably those Christians with larger homes. If a large home wasn’t accessible, there would be groups who would meet outside the cities, perhaps near a river, like the church at Philippi. In those homes would be prayer meetings and meals. There would be testimonies and the apostles would teach. As the church grew, other men would be trained for teaching, along with other discipling’s in the work of the Lord. People were being evangelized so the number of home meetings would need to expand. The ladies were also constantly doing many things from teaching other ladies, to cooking, to darning clothes, to knitting coats and blankets, and ministering to the sick. Some of the ladies owned larger homes, which meant they had means to support the work of the church, which they did gladly by opening their homes for the work. Toward the end of this blog, I’ll ask you about a lady that had a son, a brother, and a large house. Who is she? What did she do for that early church? Do you know? More on that later.

It is a blessing when families serve the Lord together. One of the miracles of Christmas, that first Christmas, is to see a young husband and a young wife, serving the Lord, in the birth of Messiah, the Lord Jesus. Both Joseph and Mary wanted the Lord’s will in their lives. Six months before Jesus was born, His second cousin was born, John the Baptist. His parents were older, but both wanted to honor God with their families. Their names were Zechariah and Elizabeth. Many times, in the OT and the NT, we find whole families loving and serving the Lord together. Abraham, Sarah and their lineage; Issac and Rebekah; Jacob and his sons; Moses, Aaron and Miriam (brothers and a sister); James and John (brothers); Peter and Andrew (brothers); even Paul in Romans 16:7 refers to Andronicus and Junia as kinsmen. The word “kinsmen” means relative. The situation in the home of Jospeh and Mary was likely tense for a long time. They loved the Lord and they loved Jesus. Christ was the oldest child, but as the other children came along, problems began to arise. His brothers and sisters didn’t believe in their older brother they way mom and dad did. The siblings thought he was mad, some kind of lunatic. It was only after the resurrection that they finally saw. But once they did, they all began serving the Lord, with two of them even being in the ministry, James and Jude. Once they were saved, they spent the rest of their lives serving the Lord.

Why invite people into your home? It isn’t that hard. It can be simple as a cup of coffee and possibly makes a difference in eternity. Many reasons could be given, but I’ll mention three.

1. Sitting around a kitchen table everyone is on equal ground. No high stages, no pulpits just looking at each other face to face as you share a little breaking of bread.

2. Sharing your story of how you met Christ and the goodness of God in your life. It gives them a time for sharing their story with you. It may give you an opportunity to give the gospel for those who don’t really know Christ.

3. Strangers become friends. You may find you have many things in common with them. Their gifts from the Holy Spirit may work hand in hand with your gifts. You may find out that these one-time strangers have become even more than friends, they’ve become family as you work side by side in service to the Lord.

So, who is this lady that had a son, a brother, and helped the early church? Acts 12 contains a fascinating story about Peter in prison. James, John’s brother, had already been beheaded by Herod and he had planned the same fate for Peter. The night before the execution, the Angel of the Lord opened the prison doors, took him from between two soldiers, and led him outside. How did Peter know right where to go? Acts 12:12, “And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.” Her home was a sanctuary for believers when persecutions were heating up in and around Jerusalem. It is thought that this house had what we call the “upper room” in it. It was a central spot that those in “the way” knew. Her son is the Mark, author of the Gospel according to Mark. She is thought by most to be the sister of Barnabas, the man that was Paul’s first missionary partner on the very first missionary journey. John Mark was his nephew. These three, this family, served Christ together. Mary is revered in the history of the NT as a Christian full of hospitality, a lady of great faith, and supporter in all things Jesus. As far as the pages of the Bible tell us, she never led a prayer meeting or ever taught a ladies’ class, but what she did do was what she could. She offered up her home so the people of God could be blessed. That’s what happened at her house. What happens at yours?