”Day by day they attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, received their food with glad and generous hearts.” Acts 2:46

An outstanding God´s servant once challenged me and a few of others to meet for home  fellowship.  He got a rather lukewarm response.   I didn´t  really know what to say.

My basic attitude has always been a love for God´s people everywhere despite their church names.  It still is, please don´t get me wrong!  But fellowship in my home?  The challenge was “simmering” all right or slowly maturing to the point that I really saw no other alternative than asking the Lord to use my home for meeting on the principle of Matth. 18:20.

It sounds like “plain sailing”, doesn´it? But it´s not.  The prejudices are many.  Our homes are  usually not used for that.  But we started “from scratch”.  A little fumbling too, and yet eventually I became relaxed and peaceful as the reality of “where two or three are gathered in my name…” became more than pious, biblical “poetry”, but a real blessing.  So here we are.

Last time an unsaved woman came along.  Much love was shown to her.  Callously she refused, however, coming back to us.  The good Spirit working on her didn´t lead to repentance.  She´s a regular churchgoer and comfortable about it.  Nobody there cares about her soul.  I understood as I too have a religious legacy, but didn´t see the difference till Christ came into my heart.  O,  religion has its subtle arrays.  However,  I didn´t see that till I was born again.

In His name and unto His name we meet. Indeed, with “glad and generous hearts”  with that blessed Bible, otherwise so sadly supplanted or “crowded out” by subtle religious sentiments.  Things will not go better, rather  worse.  However, it´s still true that the first Christians met “in their homes”, and they will probably end up there as the coming of the Lord draws near.

Meeting for exclusive isolation?  Far from it!  The testimony has it powerful and evangelistic impact outside the fellowship “with all the people”  (Acts 2:47).

April 29, 2013 – jn