What Is the Heart of Lifegroup and Why Do We Do Them?

Biblical Foundation

Meeting house to house is one of the primary ways disciples of Jesus gathered throughout New Testament.

Acts 2:46-47 - "Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved."

Acts 5:42 - "Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ."

Acts 20:20 - "You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you, but have taught publicly and from house to house."

The house churches were everywhere:

• Romans 16:5 - The church that meets at Priscilla and Aquila's house.

• 1 Corinthians 16:19 - Aquila and Priscilla and the church in their house

• Colossians 4:15 - Nympha and the church in her house

• Philemon 2 - The church that meets in Philemon's home

Why Does Meeting House to House Matter?

House to House follows the example of Jesus and the early church. Jesus was consistent in house to house ministry and this pattern was continued by His disciples in the early church. As we follows this pattern, we follow in their wake. See Luke 5:27-32; Luke 7:36-50; Luke 10:38-42; Matthew 26:17-30; Luke 24:13-35; John 21:1-14; Luke 14:1-24; Luke 19:1-10; Acts 2:42-47; Acts 5:42; Acts 16:40; Acts 20:20; Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; Philemon 1:2

House to House helps people experience the church as spiritual family. In Christ, God has adopted us into His family. House-based communities are intentional places to live out this vision. And the New Testament is filled with commands of how our spiritual family is to relate to one another. We are to love one another (John 13:34, 35), honor one another (Romans 12:10), greet one another (Romans 16:16), welcome one another (Romans 15:7), show hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9), have fellowship with one another (1 John 1:7), live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16), forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32), bear with one another (Ephesians 4:2, 3), bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), comfort one another (2 Corinthians 13:11a), care for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25), encourage one another (Hebrews 10:25), build one another up (1 Thessalonians 5:11), exhort one another (Hebrews 3:13), instruct one another (Romans 15:14), stir one another up to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24), do good to one another (1 Thessalonians 5:15), submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21), speak truth to one another (Ephesians 4:25) and many more. House-to-House provides a relational environment where the Holy Spirit molds us and changes us from the inside out to be the spiritual family God has called us to be.

House to House cultivates an environment for people to develop as disciples and learn to use their natural and spiritual gifts to build up the body. The New Testament teaches that every disciple of Jesus is part of a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:5-9) and is a vessel for the Holy Spirit to work through (1 Corinthians 12:7-11; 14:26). House-to-House communities facilitate a relational environment where everyone can grow as disciples, use their gifts and contribute. House-to-House communities are also ideal for apprenticing emerging leaders and empowering seasoned leaders for exercising godly, personalized leadership in the church.

House to House communities are missional communities of salt and light in neighborhoods. While House-to-House communities benefit and strengthen disciples, they also exist to be salt and light in the neighborhoods and the relational circles in which they exist. Whether through investing in the neighborhoods, school campuses, workplaces or with a particular people of the city, House-to-House communities empower and engage the church on mission all around town.

House to House communities can be replicated anywhere in the world. Meeting in House-to-House community is a universal model of being the church that can be replicated anywhere in the world. Every culture has people living in homes with friends, neighbors and extended family. The House-to-House model described in Acts, which was initiated by the Holy Spirit, can be applied in any context or culture.

What Are The Core Values of Our House to House Communities?

The core values for our house to house communities (which we call Lifegroup) come from Acts 2:42-47:

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved."

We break this verse down into:

• Devotion to Scripture: “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching” - They were devoted to the apostles’ teaching which eventually formed the canon of the New Testament. This devotion stemmed from Jesus’s teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. He called His disciples to intentionally put His words into practice. Devotion to Scripture is a lifestyle of loving God’s Word, listening to God’s Word, living out God’s Word in our daily lives and leading others according to God’s Word. In Lifegroups we seek to build communities that lives this value out together. You can learn more about this value here.

• Devotion to fellowship and to breaking bread: "They devoted themselves to… fellowship, to the breaking of bread…” - Devotion to fellowship and breaking bread together marked the life of disciples gathered around Jesus in the Gospels and in the early church of the New Testament. They loved each other and spent time together. They gave to each other to meet needs. They were consistent in each other's lives. They ate together in each other's homes and shared life together with joy and sincerity of heart. It’s our desire to build Lifegroups marked by these values as well. You can learn more about this value here.

• Devotion to prayer: “They devoted themselves to…prayer.”- Prayer was part of the fabric of the disciples in the early church both personally and of their community collectively. They were a people of prayer. It’s our desire to build Lifegroups marked by this prayer as well. When we talk about this value, we are speaking to cultivating a culture and lifestyle of prayer in our Lifegoups. You can learn more about this value here.

• Experiencing the presence and power of God together: “Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles...They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.” There was a sense of awe in the church because of God’s Presence and His miraculous power at work in their midst which bubbled forth in praise to His name! It’s our desire to build Lifegroups marked by this same sense of awe, faith, signs and wonders and worship. You can learn more about this value here.

• Seeing the lost saved and added to their number: “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” God worked through the early church to seek and save the lost and to see them knit into the church community.  It’s our desire to build Lifegroups marked by this value as well. You can learn more about this value here.

• House to house AND in the temple courts: “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.” The disciples in the early church were engaged both house to house and as a part of the broader church community. House churches didn’t exist in isolation but were part of a broader church family. We follow their example. Our Lifegroups are integrated and are part of our broader church family. Our vision is that each disciple would be part of the 5 Circles of church and that each group would be integrated and a part of our broader church family. You can learn more about this value here.

• Christlike leadership: These communities were led by godly, loving leaders and leadership teams (1 Peter 5.1-4). Our Lifegroups are communities in which we value this type of leadership! You can learn more about this value here.