Before we begin with the actual message, as a preparation of our hearts let us examine what posture are we listening/reading right now? It says in James 1:25 “But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do”. God really wants us to look intently into His Word, without letting a lackadaisical attitude get in the way even as we listen week after week to sermon after sermon
What is Church?
The title of the sermon comes from the list of values mentioned in the Church website as we have begun a series on values. That might raise a question why as individuals do we have to embark upon the values put on the church website? Is it not some sort of organizational values that the pastor or deacons or church staff have to follow?
But let us go to 1 Corinthians 3:9 to see what church really is. It says, “For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” Out of all the analogies, Paul uses the term ‘building’ to describe the church and that makes it easy for us to understand the perspective I am trying to bring here. Just like a building is built by many blocks, the church is far beyond an organization specific to the pastors, elders and staff – it is the coming together of God’s people. As a construction professional myself, I’d like to take you two thousand years back when there was no concrete and steel – even wood was not widely used in the region. They used stones as building blocks and these stones were carefully chosen to suit the purpose. Not any and every stone could make it but there were certain basic criteria in terms of shape and size. If it’s not chosen well any protruding part from a wall could harm the residents. So even the stones chosen will have to be chiseled out to provide a safe home. Even for the church, which is God’s building, it is essential for the individual blocks to share some common values so as to be a home accommodable, fulfilling its purpose. In short, we can very well see that the church is also people bought by the precious blood of Christ, sharing some common values
Church @ Home
Acts 2:46-47 MSG “They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.”
As we read through this passage, I’d like to draw our attention to what the church did as a routine – the worship at the temple followed by meals at home. As a church they gave themselves to the listening of God’s Word and then they carried the joy that filled their heart to their homes where they exuberantly feasted together. And as a result, the people who were around saw the love and were amazed.
This resounds with the prayer Jesus Christ made for all of us, believers shortly before He completed His work on earth.
John 17:20-21 AMP “I do not pray for these alone [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for [all] those who [will ever] believe and trust in Me through their message, that they all may be one; just as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe [without any doubt] that You sent Me.
And it is highly sensible for us to exhibit this in front of the world which badly needs God’s love that unites believers today. We would be at error if we think that all that we’re called to do is at the church premises. The church is not tied up or restricted to four walls of a church building!
What is home?
When we talk about home, it is more than the physical place – it is the atmosphere that makes the home. An expression about home goes like this: “It implies there’s a physical dwelling involved, but the main idea is that it’s a gathering of people”. And to consider some terms associated with it like ‘Home sweet home’, ‘make yourself at home’, hometown, homemade, homesick – one word to best describe is ‘belonging’. That’s what makes it home. But sadly, many homes are places of stress and unhealthy silence. And we have to remind ourselves that if we don’t enjoy our homes, nobody else will…
Proverbs 24:3-4 “By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.”
Home is a place where people are made. What’s learnt here is lived out…
OPEN HOME AS A STEP OF FAITH
If we read from 2 Kings 4:8-37, it talks about the family of the Shunammite woman. We can find from here few aspects that we can imbibe in order that we add purpose to our dwellings.
V8. Urged to stay for a meal. A heart of hospitality
V9. Often comes our way, let’s make a room. Identifies the need
V10. A bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. Willingness to go the extra mile
V11. Went to his room. Openness
The identity/purpose/meaning of the place changed when it became His room.
The background is that the Shunammite woman was without a son. Not just that, she appears to have gone through repeated cycles of high hopes and utter disappointments. It has worn her down – the expectation that what she desired (a son) she will receive now, and as days go by, it never happened. She grew fearful of having hope to the point that when Elisha said, “you’ll have a son”, she replied “No my lord, don’t mislead your servant”. Later when the child died, she goes “Didn’t I tell you not to raise my hopes?”
A house with no Hope. A heart shattered into pieces
It was during such a time, they take a step of faith – opening their home for Elisha
Romans 1:17 says, “The righteous shall live by faith – from first to last (from faith to faith).” It is not just for the beginning of our salvation, faith is the way of life for a believer. So, amidst such trouble, not waiting for everything to be perfect/alright, they opened their home for God’s service.
And we read that the woman receives a son the next year. Not only that, but she also receives him back later even from death. As a result, the family received back hope through faith expressed in their actions.
THE OPEN HOME OF AQUILA AND PRISCILLA
1 Corinthians 16:19 “The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house”
We also see from the Scripture, another vibrant couple in the New Testament about who Paul later thanks on behalf of the entire gentile church.
Romans 16:3,4 “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.”
What made Aquila and Priscilla so noteworthy. Turns out they met Paul in the city of Corinth, and they found that both were Jews and they belonged to the same profession – tent making. And they decided to open their home to Paul who stayed there for around 18 months. It was a regular practice for them to go to the synagogue and to hear Paul preach day after day apart from the multiple dialogues and discussions they would have had during the stay. All of these contributed to the couple’s immense training in the word of God under Paul.
Later we see they had a church meet at their home at Ephesus after Paul went on with his missionary journey. It is very essential that we make the study of God’s Word a priority in opening our homes as well, alongside values like hospitality, generosity and openness we saw from the Shunammite woman’s story. And it did not end there, later they opened their home to Apollos whom they trained from their learnings from Paul. They hear Apollos preach about the Messiah and were impressed, but as they identify that his teachings were limited to the revelation from John the Baptist, they offered to train him more adequately in the Word by opening their home to him.
And all of this led to Apollos becoming a great preacher and one of the forerunners in the first century along with Paul and Peter. We can summarise Aquila and Priscilla opening their home on two occasions as these:
A Home open to receive God’s Word
Paul at Aquila and Priscilla’s
A Home open to effectuate God’s mandate
Apollos at Aquila and Priscilla’s
I’d like to draw our attention to the kind of impact this couple had in the whole of the New Testament church – just by opening their home for purposeful effectuation of God’s kingdom. And it is an invitation for us today as we have heard this to add meaning and purpose to our homes and to participate in the building of God’s kingdom through these precious resources God has blessed us with!
Samuel Melbon works as a civil engineer and is part of Renewed Hope Community which is situated in the heart of the city between Old and New Panvel. We can confidently share that Renewed Hope Community is a Church in Kamothe, Church in Khandeshwar, Church in Khanda Colony, Church in Karanjade, Church in Panvel, Church in New Panvel because we are centrally located and these places surround our church Venue.
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