GREET THE CHURCH IN THY HOUSE

The original church was the house-church. Jesus extensively used the homes of the people for teaching and performing miracles. Disciples continued teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread from house-to-house. Paul often greeted the church by saying 'Greet the church in thy house'. The church grew exponentially during the heyday of the house churches.

Enter king Constantine of Rome in the 310 AD who threw away the baby with the bath tub. The bricks, the professional clergy, the pulpit, the Sunday sermon, the sacraments, the tithing and the program based activities killed the church. The bricks kill the church as nothing else does as the rest follow. What we call church today is only a caricature. The first century visitor will simply not recognize it as a church. He will miss the open, warm and informal living room family fellowship of the house church.

But the church today is literally coming back home again, with thousands being planted all over the world. Read on...

About the Author:
Victor Choudhrie is a cancer surgeon by profession. He is a senior Fellow of the American and British colleges of surgeons. He quit his job as the Director (CEO) of the Christian Medical college, Ludhiana in Punjab, India in 1992 to take up full time Church planting ministry in central India. His wife Bindu is also in full time church planting ministry, equipping women to be house church leaders and trainers. God has blessed this ministry abundantly. Large numbers of grassroots level leaders have been trained who have planted thousands of house churches all over India as a result.