Phuveyi Dozo
Naga United Village, Dimapur
At the wake of Covid-19 and in view of precautionary measures, daily vocabularies of the globe are coronavirus, lockdown and home staying, social distancing, hand washing, disinfecting, sanitization, mask mandatory, thermal screening, janta curfew and hand clapping on March 22 in India.
Adopting precautionary measures of pandemic, Christians change our prayer vocabularies from subjective desires to objective importance like ‘global healing and recovery, God’s control and protection, super medical ability from God to wipe out the plague, global compassion instead hostility, love for nations, social concern and human mercy’.
Scenario of Churches on March 22
Sensing the need of precaution, many churches suspended morning devotional services that became an opportunity and facility for their members to sit together in their living rooms to exercise their faith. Many families had Sunday worship in their respective homes either monitored/guided by their pastoral team or under family leadership. For instance, it was an unusual morning for families to get together to pray, worship God, read Bible together, collect offering, making intercessory prayer, sharing, and making reconciliation as families at the Naga United Village Baptist Church guided by the pastoral team. It reminded us of early Christians worshipping God in their homes as their churches. It was a rare chance for nuclear families to get together in modern time such this. The best part of the day was when the members laid down their mobile phones and refrained from social interferences to uphold the Lord’s Day and the day before God.
Returning to House-Church
A house church is a family where its members worship God together in their home. This is the biblical model practiced by the early Christians. A house church is a structure-less church in relation to modern church buildings. How can we define a house church? It has no pulpit. It has no regulation. Leadership may be in rotation. The members read the Bible together, share together and pray together, naturally under family leadership. It is the indigenous pattern of a given family. Jesus Christ is the Head of each house church. The time with God in a family is without limit whereas members are conscious of time in a time scheduled church.
Our relationship with God has nothing to do with structural dimension. But a house church does not replace an established or organized church with its activities in a church building. The members of a family go to a church building together to worship God along with other members. In this, a house church is not to thwart the function or existence of the member church. But a house church is the pulse and an ongoing blood circulation of the member church. The living families strength their main organ. The Lord Jesus gave analogy of true vine to illustrate the relationship of the trunk and branches (John 15:1-8). The apostle Paul talked about a body with different functioning parts (Rom 12:3-8; 1Cor 12:12-26).
A house church is a biological mission to its members in various vocations or professions, and age ranges. Varied vertical interests and even denominations drive members of a given family to different directions. But family time as a house church on Sunday binds the members together for prayer, decision, and reconciliation or conflict resolution.
In mission field, normally, house churches give birth to cell churches. For example, several house churches explode to form a small neighborhood gathering as cell church. Cell churches thrive toward an established church with a church building. In this process, the body of the Lord Jesus ripples.
Pertaining questions and Answers
1. Was March 22 suspension of church devotional worship a compromise with secular wave or a Hindu trap? It was not a pressure under persecution or a political force. It is a precautionary issue from COVID-19 pandemic. Our bluntness and carelessness may also bring shame to Christ. Jesus advised us to be wise and humble (Matt 10:16).
2. What is a House-Church like? It is a family where its members naturally gather to worship God as family life regardless circumstance. Early Christians began at home (Acts 10:1-8; 16:15). A house-church is the origin of all modern church buildings as believers increased and expanded; and as they became capable to erect their building.
3. What is the difference between House Church and Underground Church? A House-church is a biblical model of church growth whereas an underground church is a secret or hidden place where believers gather to worship God because of opposition and persecution. Underground church is not a denomination.
4. Why do churches refrain from or suspend their worship in church building? Circumstance tells us about this. It may be natural calamity or disaster, death, persecution and church building sealed off, disease and pandemic, and direction with valid reason.
5. Is it a defeat of Christian faith when Christians suspend their worship in church building? A church building is not a sign of Christian victory since God does not reside in it (Acts 17:24). A church building is a facility built for convenience of Christian activities and exercise. Christian victory is ‘when a Christian is alone’ like in church history. 6. How can Christians worship God under any circumstance? Christians worship God regardless a designated place (John 4:23,24), circumstance, an appointed time, size of people (Matt 18:20), and a model since worship is the life of the believers.
