HOUSECHURCH

The Babylonian Empire was rising to power, and Judah was facing internal corruption and external threats. Habakkuk, a farmer and a Prophet, cried and sighed to God for his people plagued by injustice, violence, and idolatry. Then God told him, a Jew, to look at the Gentiles and, “ Behold and wonder marvelously; for I will work a work in your days which you will not believe, not even if it is declared to you.” (Hab 1:5). Habakkuk became curious and earnestly wanted to know what God was going to do so he climbed up the rampart of the city and waited. God told him, “ Write the vision, and make it plain on the tablets, that he who reads it may run. For the vision is for an appointed time ...” (Hab. 2:1-3) The vision that God gave him was “ For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Hab. 2:14). Then Habakkuk committed: “ Though the fig tree shall not blossom, and fruit is not on the vines; the labor of the olive fails, and the fie...

THE POPES Popularly, Pope is taken to mean Papa or Holy Father, but in reality, it means Pontifex Maximus, the ‘big bridge builder’ or ‘the bridge between God and man’. The Latin Cardinal means a ‘door hinge’ that opens the door to heaven. Being a vicar of Christ also means that he represents Christ on earth. When he speaks ex-cathedra, which means from the Throne as God and can even overrule the Scriptures, but the Sovereign God does not share his glory with anyone (Isaiah 42:8). The Pope is considered infallible, but history shows otherwise. They also falsely trace their succession to Apostle Peter, who, being an apostle to the Jews, never went to Gentile Rome. The last he was heard of was in Babylon, where he wrote his epistles (1 Peter 5:13). Peter was married, and Jesus healed his mother-in-law, so why celibacy? (Matthew 8:14 and Mark 1:30). The enormous marble statue of St Peter in the Vatican is the Greek god Jupiter, whose toes the pilgrims have been kissing for centuries. The ...

 By Wolfgang Simson, author of “The House Church Book” – www.refornation.eu Based on biblical, archaeological and historical evidence, house churches – and flat‐structured regional networks of  house churches ‐ have been the primal, original expression of the ekklesia that Jesus Christ promised to built in the New Testament. During the emergence of sanctuary‐based, hierarchical and denominational church systems from AD 100‐400, house churches have often become sidelined, suppressed and even persecuted by what called itself the mainline church (see the history chapter in: The House Church Book). House churches have, in various forms and under various labels like pietistic groups, cells or base communities, always existed under the radar of both secular and religious observers. A major and historic comeback of house churches has happened in China – curiously after the expulsion of Western missionaries and their religious influence after Mao Zedong in the early 20th century. Som...

  WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH   Worship is a much-abused word in the church. High octane singing, deafening music, dancing, thrashing on the floor, babbling, and screaming are considered spirit filled worship . Since we cannot find Yeshua or Peter or Paul indulging in this kind of acrobatics, we must draw traction from David who danced (but did not sing) before the Ark of the Covenant. However, David offered an ox and a calf as sacrifice every six paces, before dancing, seven miles from Obededom’s house to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:12-15). In the OT we find worship is nearly always associated with offering blood sacrifices. The first time ‘ worship’ is mentioned in the Scriptures is when Abraham took Isaac to be sacrificed (Gen. 22:5-13). From Cain and Abel, to Noah, to the Tabernacle of Moses and the Temple of Solomon, God was always worshipped by offering sacrifices. (Exo. 29:42) There are four types of sacrifices mentioned in the Scriptures – 1. Animal sacrifice for ...

  SUSTAINABLE DISCIPLE MAKING MOVEMENT Victor Choudhrie The beginning - The church age started with 120 Holy Spirit baptised people (Acts 2:1-3) in a house and grew to 3000 people (Acts 2:41) on the same day of the Pentecost. It grew to 5000 people in the next few days (Acts 4:4) and into myriads (tens of thousands) by (Acts 21:20). This was only the Jewish church. We do not know how many churches Paul had planted among the Gentiles but we do know that within three years all Asia (Turkey) had heard the Gospel (Acts 19:8-10). It was an international church as pilgrims from every nation under the sun (Acts 2:5) had gathered in Jerusalem for the season of Feasts of the Lord which lasted from the Passover, the Firstfruits and the Pentecost. The pilgrims returned to their home countries soon and shared what they had witnessed from the crucifixion of Jesus as the Lamb of God (Passover), his resurrection (Firstfruits) and the Pentecost (Harvest of souls) So the church became a global...

  THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH IN THE PANDEMIC SCENARIO Victor Choudhrie God has pressed the reset button and changed everything in the way we live, move and have our being (Acts 17:28). Politics, governance, administration, judiciary, media, educational system, the health system, the way we work and spend family time, even our eating and sleeping habits and how we entertain our visitors, all have drastically changed. One does not have to be a prophet or an End time biblical scholar to realize that the end of the “the Church age” as we know it, and God is back in the hearts and homes of the people, where he belongs.   Wars, floods, famines and fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and epidemics have taken in the past also but never before on a global scale with the frequency, rapidity and severity as now.   We know that the Apocalypse is staring at us. Israel is legally back in the Eretz Israel (the Land of Israel) since 1948 after nearly 2000 years of diaspora t...

CORONA – GOD’S WEAPON FOR TARGETTED DEMOLITION THE PLAGUES OF EGYPT were specific and targeted, demolishing all the prominent gods of Egypt. The Serpent god:   The Pharaoh’s gold crown was designed in the shape of a serpent – proving that Satan controlled the king. Moses’ serpent swallowed all the Pharaoh’s magicians’ serpents, thus proving the sovereignty of the God of Moses. The River god (Nile) turning red: The Nile river was revered in Egypt like the Ganges is, in India today. A holy dip at the appropriate time could cleanse you from all sin. One whammy with Aaron’s rod, turned it into an unholy bloody river with stinking dead aquatic creatures. The Sun god: was the all-powerful Egyptian god that famous Tutankhamun worshipped. Three days of total darkness demolished god Ra, making a mockery of his power, in a sun worshipping culture. (Genesis 1:14-19; Exodus 10:21-29) The Ruler as god: Like most rulers, Pharaoh acted like god. He spoke arrogantly to Moses sa...