Five Things We Will Learn
- Why the earliest expressions of the church grew through life, not strategy
We will see how relational, Spirit-led gatherings produced disciples and leaders naturally—without programs or centralization. - How a subtle shift toward buildings changed the center of gravity of church life
We will understand how well-intended structures can slowly redirect attention away from living, multiplying relationships. - Why Scripture consistently returns us to the home as the birthplace of spiritual formation
We will rediscover the biblical pattern Jesus and the apostles used to establish and multiply the church. - What distinguishes living spiritual cells from programs or care groups
We will identify the essential ingredients that produce genuine spiritual life, growth, and reproduction. - How recovering spiritual memory can restore vitality to the church today
We will learn why remembering what gave birth to the church is critical to sustaining life, fruitfulness, and faithfulness going forward.
When the Cells Were Alive — and the Day Everything Changed
There was a season in Charles Simpson’s ministry journey when the church expressions he was part of were extraordinarily alive.
Across regions, networks of small, Spirit-led churches were flourishing. Believers met primarily in homes. They shared meals, prayer, Scripture, confession, correction, and encouragement. Disciples were formed relationally. Leaders emerged naturally. Growth came through multiplication, not attraction.
These were not programs.
They were living communities.
People were known. People were sent.
The life of Christ flowed freely through relationships, from house to house and from city to city.
During that season, no one was trying to replace the churches.
There was no intention to centralize life.
Then, one day, someone made a suggestion.
It was said that it might be good to have a building—something like a family life center—where everyone could occasionally gather for larger events: teaching, celebration, and fellowship. The understanding was clear: this would not be the church. The churches would remain in homes. Life would continue as it always had.
It appeared supportive.
It appeared harmless.
It appeared helpful.
Years later, in a personal conversation, Charles Simpson reflected candidly on what followed. With clarity—and a measure of grief shaped by time—he said:
“One day we all walked into that building and we never came back out.
I’ve been trying to get them out of the building ever since.”
He was not condemning buildings.
He was acknowledging a shift.
What had been intended as a gathering place quietly became a center of gravity. Attention drifted—from living, multiplying relationships to maintaining a place. Over time, the organic life that had once flowed so freely became harder to sustain.
This article is not written to criticize motives.
It is written to recover memory.
What gives birth to the church must be carefully guarded—especially when well-intended additions begin to reshape where attention, energy, and life are directed.
To understand why this matters, we must return to the beginning of that journey—before the buildings, before the programs, before the drift—and rediscover what made the church alive in the first place.
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Introduction
It takes healthy cells to make healthy bodies. Cells are the smallest structural and functional units of any organism. They draw life and give life to the whole body as they are nourished and cleansed by the blood.
In the same way, the Lord begins both natural and spiritual life in cells. When healthy, these cells multiply and resource the larger purpose of a living body. The same Lord who created natural bodies has also created His spiritual Body, and there are clear parallel patterns between the two.
This article examines the most basic unit of the Lord’s spiritual Body—and why rediscovering it is essential for a living, growing, and dynamic church.
Foundations Formed in the Home
My father was a missionary in southeastern Louisiana among French-speaking people. He met my mother there, and my earliest years were spent in that environment. Ministry began not in a building, but in a home—my mother’s family home—where a small group gathered to worship and study Scripture.
There were no resources to construct a traditional church building, nor was the surrounding culture particularly receptive. For me, “church” was a small group of people—mostly family—gathered in a home, hungry for the Word of God.
Many of those who gathered had never owned a Bible. Services often stretched late into the night because people genuinely wanted to hear what Scripture said. Though my father ministered for more than sixty years, he never forgot the spiritual hunger and excitement found in those early gatherings.
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The Pattern of the Early Church
Years later, after entering ministry myself, I began reflecting on those formative experiences. Though I pastored in a traditional setting, I repeatedly saw that Jesus ministered primarily in homes.
He healed Peter’s mother-in-law in Peter’s home. He taught in Mary and Martha’s house. He dined with sinners in Matthew’s home. He visited Zacchaeus’ house. He washed feet in the Upper Room where He instituted the New Covenant.
Jesus went from village to village and from house to house preaching the Kingdom of God—His government in the lives of people.
He sent the Twelve, and later the Seventy, two by two, instructing them to find homes that would receive them and to minister there. After Pentecost, the apostles continued this pattern. Jerusalem became filled with small groups of believers who ate together, fellowshipped together, and followed apostolic teaching.
They were persecuted, opposed, beaten, and sometimes killed—but they multiplied through the power of the Holy Spirit. They were alive. They were dynamic.
Jesus did not merely give His disciples a growth strategy; He gave them abundant life—and that life overflowed into the world.
A Personal Awakening
Although I grew up believing the Bible, there came a season where I was preaching truths I was not fully seeing lived out. Out of spiritual hunger, I visited a small group of believers who had been baptized in the Holy Spirit—and there, I too encountered the Holy Spirit.
What followed was a radical transformation. Our church began rediscovering its spiritual foundations. It was an exciting and fruitful season unlike anything I had experienced.
There were challenges, opposition, and mistakes, but small groups began studying Scripture with fresh eyes and seeking the Lord together. Growth and multiplication followed—not because of strategy alone, but because of genuine hunger for God.
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Rediscovering the Lost Secret
In 1966, I encountered a pamphlet titled The Lost Secret of the Early Church. Though accompanied by warnings that such models had failed before, we moved forward anyway. Some groups succeeded. Others did not.
History shows that many good ideas fail in implementation or timing. Yet this pattern worked in the New Testament—and nearly every major revival began in small gatherings of hungry believers praying together.
Revival is rarely born from plans.
It is born from desperation for God.
When Living Cells Become Programs
Over time, expansion brought new challenges. Groups multiplied widely, opposition arose, and eventually more traditional structures were introduced. Gradually, something vital was lost.
Cells became “care groups.” Groups became inward-focused. Teams replaced spiritual multiplication. While these efforts served useful purposes, they were no longer living cells—and growth was no longer reproduction.
As a leader, I take responsibility for that.
Today, after more than six decades of ministry, I still long for the vibrant fellowship of believers gathered around the presence of God, sharing what He is speaking through His Word.
This longing is not a rejection of traditional churches, which serve vital roles in Christ’s Body. Rather, it is a recognition that Scripture consistently calls us back to relational, Spirit-led gatherings where life flows freely.
Essential Ingredients of Living Cells
For any group to succeed, there must be essential ingredients. Success is not defined by size or structure, but by obedience to God and His Word.
Organic Life
Living cells are led by the Holy Spirit, not programs. They share a common life rooted in Christ. The blood of Jesus nourishes and cleanses the Body.
Spirit and Word
The Holy Spirit gives life, while the Word establishes, guides, and defines healthy boundaries. Together they produce Kingdom life.
Prayer
Prayer and Scripture must remain central. Real prayer flows from faith and relationship, not repetition. Jesus’ prayer in John 17 remains a vital model.
True Friendship
Jesus called His disciples “friends.” Covenant relationships—not crowds—formed the foundation of the New Covenant.
A Desire to Edify
The goal of gathering is to build up, not tear down. Truth is spoken in love. Every voice matters. No one dominates.
Outward Focus
Living cells maintain a heart for the lost. Testimonies, prayer, and outreach prevent inward drift.
Multiplication
Healthy cells reproduce. Leadership is developed. New gatherings form naturally as life overflows.
Accountability and Growth
Every cell must remain accountable to spiritual oversight. Without it, unhealthy “wild cells” can form. Periodic evaluation helps identify areas of growth.
There are no perfect cells—because there are no perfect people—but maturity comes as we follow biblical principles together.
A Promise from Jesus
Jesus Himself reminds us:
“Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
(Matthew 18:19–20, NIV)
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Author: Charles Simpson
Editorial Introduction: Greg Lancaster
Original Publisher: CSM Publishing
Republished by: The Torch – Greg Lancaster Ministries
Used with attribution for educational and ministry purposes