Five Things We Will Learn
- Why Scripture defines the church by obedience to God’s Word—not by buildings, size, or location.
- How the early church functioned from house to house while remaining fully shepherded, connected, and accountable.
- The critical difference between a house church and a church in a house—and why that distinction matters.
- Why perpetual church planting is God’s most effective strategy for reaching souls and making disciples.
- How biblical honor, spiritual covering, and right relationships protect the church from confusion and rebellion.
What Is the Church, Really?
“Church, church—what is it?”
We have made the church many different things. Today we hear terms like megachurch, community church, house church, or even statements like, “You don’t have to go to church—I am the church.”
But when you return to Scripture and read the Bible plainly, the definition of the church is actually very clear.
God’s expectations for His church do not change based on geography or setting. They don’t change if you’re in China, in a cave, under a tree, in a megastructure, or in a living room. The same Word applies everywhere.
So what does that really mean?
Jesus, Pentecost, and the Birth of the Church
Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and for three years revealed the Father to us. He made the love of God known. He is the image of the invisible God.
After His death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus told His followers something remarkable:
“I’m leaving this with you. Go wait.”
He instructed them to wait for the Holy Spirit—to receive the same dunamis power that rested on His life after His water baptism. Just as the Spirit descended on Him after John baptized Him, the disciples were told to wait for that same empowerment.
And they did.
The book of Acts—called Acts because it records the Acts of the Church—begins right there. The church didn’t start in a cathedral. It started in a house.
They were sitting. They were waiting. And suddenly, the Holy Spirit came—and the church was launched.
The Church Under Persecution: From House to House
As persecution intensified, especially after Stephen was stoned, Saul began hunting the church. He didn’t look for buildings. He went house to house, dragging believers out, forcing denials of faith—before his own dramatic conversion.
We read about Priscilla and Aquila and “the church that meets in their house.” Paul himself went from house to house.
The New Testament was written in the context of homes because the church was persecuted.
That means something important:
Everything God says about His church applies—no matter where it meets.
One Church, One Standard
There are not two versions of the church.
God does not have one set of expectations for a church that meets in a house and another for a megachurch – a church that meets in a large metal building. Whether you’re meeting under a tree, in a stucco building with LED screens, or in a living room, the church is the church is the church.
The building never defines the church. Obedience to God’s Word does.
Related:
- TCOJ 24: Antioch: The Spirit-Filled, Spirit-Led Church
- TCOJ 25: Antioch – One Body, Many Parts, Different Gifts (pt 1)
- TCOJ 36: Antioch – One Body, Many Parts, Different Gifts, Apostles (pt 2)
- TCOJ 37: Antioch – One Body, Many Parts, Different Gifts (pt 3) Eight Gifts Placed by God
- TCOJ 38: Antioch – One Body, Many Parts, Different Gifts (Pt 4) 7 Grace Gifts to the Body
- House of Peace, Person of Peace Temple Courts, Houses of Peace, and Houses of Chaos
Church Size, Labels, and Reality
We use labels today:
- Megachurch (often defined as 1,000+ weekly attendees)
- Community church (often defined as less than 1000 attendees)
- Smaller congregations—often 99 people or fewer
Most churches actually fall into that smaller category.
The average congregation sees about 65 people gather each week.
Even many well-known ministries began in homes. Rick Joyner of MorningStar Ministries tarted with gatherings in his own house, and Benny Hinn of Benny Hinn Ministries start in a home. Virtually all of them start in a house: Eagle Brook Church, Life.Church, North Point Community Church, Calvary Albuquerque, The Meeting House, Saddleback Church, Yoido Full Gospel Church, Chinese House Church Networks, No Place Left, and various Calvary Chapel branches. However, most never outgrow that model—or at least the average church remains smaller gathering of about 65 members that can fit in a house.
But again—the issue was never the house. The issue was biblical order.
Related:
The Call to Perpetual Church Planting
When God began speaking to me personally, it was about this question:
How do we bring the gospel to the next generation—and stay in a constant state of church planting?
Peter Wagner famously said that the fastest and most effective way to win souls is through new church plants.
Why?
Because new life attracts new life. Churches often stagnate—not because people don’t love God—but because they shift into maintenance mode. Growth becomes transfer growth rather than kingdom growth.
God’s design is multiplication.
“The best way to stay in the fasting flow of soul-winning is church planting. The fastest way to plant new churches is to win new souls, and the fastest way to win new souls is to follow the commands of Jesus—including the Luke 10 Prayer Walk.”
You can learn more about perpetual growth in the commands of Jesus in the message “Multiply!”
Waiting on God—and Then Watching Him Move
When I stepped out in obedience to the call of the Lord…
I was prepared to wait—five years, ten years, however long it took. I set a time, space, and place to obey and simply to pray.
Within one week, God began sending people who had never come to me before.
Miracles started happening.
People—not just leaders—began hearing God, dreaming dreams, receiving direction. New church plants began forming organically.
And suddenly, responsibility came with it. Read more about Our Story!
You can’t just do “whatever.” Without biblical structure, things mutate.
Walking Under Covering and Spiritual Fatherhood
At that time, I was blessed to have a spiritual father Ken Sumrall. I have always walked under covering—and I don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want that.
The Lord spoke clearly to me:
“I’m going to teach you something for the next three years that I will use for the next thirty.”
So we went to school.
We honored what God had done, embraced what He was doing, and stayed anchored to His Word.
Related:
- The Father’s Role in Shaping the Identity of His Children Including His Adult Children: The Power of Approval
- We Have Not Many Father’s | Spiritual Fatherhood as a Biblical Model
- Healed from the Orphan Spirit: How Family-Sized Churches Restore the Heart of Sonship
Power Without Hype
There was no hype. No manipulation.
If it takes hype to bring people in, it wasn’t God—it was you.
Jesus never hyped anything. Paul said he deliberately toned things down so that faith would rest on the power of God, not human charisma.
We watched deliverance happen during worship. People with evil intentions were stopped by God’s presence alone.
Everything Scripture says is real—it’s real.
The Key Insight: House Church vs. Church in a House
Then came a defining moment.
Jack Hollis, an apostolic brother of mine, said something that clarified everything:
“There is a big difference between a house church and a church in a house.”
That was it.
The building doesn’t define the church. But biblical structure does.
A church must be shepherded. Pastors must be pastored. Leaders must be rightly related. Apostolic connection matters.
Otherwise, it’s not freedom—it’s fragmentation.
God’s Design: Family, Covering, and Training
This is why God showed us the need for Vine Fellowship Network—not churches competing with churches, but apostolic hubs that equip, launch, cover, and strengthen pastors and church plants.
Families have fathers.
Churches need spiritual fathers—not control, but care.
That’s why we have: Vine Fellowship Network (VFN)
Not to replace the local church—but to serve it, strengthen it, and help it multiply.
One Church. One Blueprint.
Whether a church gathers 1,000 people or 20 people, the calling is the same.
God’s Spirit never contradicts God’s Word.
There is a massive difference between chasing worldly success and walking in biblical obedience.
And there is a massive difference between a house church and a church in a house.
If you’re hungry for more…
If you’re called to plant, shepherd, or be rightly related…
If you want to be part of a biblical church-planting movement—
Maybe Vine Fellowship Network is for you.