GOD PRESERVES HIS SERVANTS

Posted on by

After 52 years of ministry, skydiving 98-year-old preacher, Roy Jernigan wants people to see Jesus in his life. I can relate to Roy’s testimony. I am 86 and I know God still has more for me to do specifically to alert the church to God’s soon-coming Millennial Kingdom on this earth. Checkout http://www.millennialkingdom.net

Asked to comment on the state of the American Church today:

Jernigan quickly explained that the main driver of his faith is the Bible without the trappings of denominational restrictions.

Jernigan has certainly got this right. The denominational church is not the church Jesus established as outlined in the Book of Acts. Jesus calls us all to be disciples who make more disciples. We all like the denominational church model as it removes this essential facet of the church. It is the pastor’s responsibility to grow the church so we can get on with our lives doing what we want to do.

“I’m not a denominational man. I don’t criticize the denominations but think about this: we have all kinds of denominations — Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, you name it, and every one of them has a different doctrine,” he explained. “They can’t all be right. And so, consequently, I don’t claim a denomination. I claim to be a Christian. And as a Christian, I follow the New Testament teachings on the Apostle Paul.”

And Jernigan’s nondenominational approach to ministry aligns with the direction of the American Church today. Data from the 2020 U.S. Religion Census show that in the last 10 years, the number of American Christian adherents in nondenominational churches nearly doubled in number and surpassed America’s largest Protestant denomination, Southern Baptist, by several million adherents.

Other recent studies also show that while America remains a highly religious nation, with seven in 10 claiming affiliation with some kind of organized religion, for the first time in nearly 80 years, fewer than half now say they have formal membership in a specific house of worship. Church attendance has also continued to decline in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.

While he admits that being a Christian today is much harder than it was 50 years ago when fewer distractions were competing for people’s attention, Jernigan believes that the model of many church ministries today is partly to blame for people deserting the pews.

“I’ll be honest with you, one of the biggest problems that pastors have today is trying to build a church on their own,” Jernigan told CP.

“Today, preachers have gotten themselves into such a rut by building big buildings with stained glass windows and everything. And the people have deserted them because they get tired of being bled to death [financially]. And hear the preacher say, ‘you got to give, you got to give, you got to give.’ My conviction is you don’t have to hound Christians to give. If they are saved, they love the Lord, they will give,” he said.

Jernigan also criticized preachers who treat their ministry as a business. “I think it’s the wrong approach. Commercial? You don’t commercialize God. I believe this is a gross mistake, that people, you see so much of this today, trying to commercialize and put things into a peaceful (more like bless me) type of thing rather than teaching the Bible,” he said. “I do believe if preachers would come down off the high horse, and quit preaching, what I call cotton candy messages, that’s all fluff and no substance, I believe there’d be a great difference in the world today.”

And as the church continues to compete for the attention of society today, Jernigan is worried that current social trends might lead to a point in society where Jesus is “completely rejected.”

“Today, there is much more to pull a person away than there was in my day,” he said. “It is much more difficult. And it does appear to me that as the time approaches (Jesus return to put things right), that things are going full circle to the extent that Christ … is going to be completely rejected.”

He urged Christians who left institutional churches but still want to maintain their Christian faith to keep reading the Bible and praying to God for direction.

“My heart goes out to so many people, it really does,” he said. “There are a lot of people out there that are hungry, and they’re thirsting for the Word of God, but they don’t have anyone to give it to them.” You be one of those Christians that does do what Jesus called us to do i.e. bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the lost.

DOING CHURCH RIGHT

Posted on by

If you do church right, some of the unchurched will love you and some will hate you

This article by Michael Brown addresses the traditional church model but it applies to some degree to the House Church model. However, it is unlikely that a hostile pagan will ever want to attend a house church meeting.

Jesus Himself exhorted us, “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Or, in the words of Peter, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Peter 2:12).

Let us be known for our good works, for our kindness and compassion, for helping the poor and the needy, for standing for righteousness, and for opposing injustice. By all means, let us live this out for the glory and honor of God and for the good of a hurting world.

But let us not deceive ourselves. The same world that hated Jesus will hate us also. The same humanity that chose darkness over the light in Jesus’ day will gravitate to the darkness today. Do not be deceived.

As Jesus said to His disciples, “Students are not greater than their teacher, and slaves are not greater than their master. Students are to be like their teachers, and slaves are to be like their masters. And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons, the members of my household will be called even worse names!” (Matthew 10:24–25)

And this: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also” (John 15:18–20).

That means that some people will love us because they see our lives, because they are drawn to Jesus, and because they too have opened their hearts to Him. Others will hate us, repelled by our godly lives, turned off by our moral standards, and dead set against receiving Jesus as Lord. No matter how gracious we are, they will brand us as bigots and haters and worse.

On a practical level, that means that the young, drug-addicted, non-believing couple living together out of wedlock should feel welcomed and loved when they walk into one of our services. They should encounter people who have joy, who are thrilled to see new faces, and who treat them as if they were family.

At the same time, if the Gospel is being preached and the Holy Spirit is moving, at some point they will become conscious of their sin and will be called to repent and receive mercy and grace through the cross.

If they can continue to come week in and week out, never feeling uncomfortable, never feeling conviction, never encountering both the holiness of God and the love of God, then something is wrong with those meetings.

As Jesus also said, the Holy Spirit has come to “convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8). The Holy Spirit will make us uneasy in our sin. The Holy Spirit will invade our hiding places. The Holy Spirit will reveal what is wrong so that we can be made right.

Again, on a practical level, that means that a gay couple attending our meetings should be greeted just like a couple living together out of wedlock — with love and grace and with hospitality. But if they continue to attend our gatherings, if we are preaching the Word, giving place to the Spirit in our worship, and living godly lives ourselves, they will recognize that God is not pleased with their union. They will be confronted with grace and truth and will have to decide how they will respond. Will it be with contrition and confession or with disobedience and defiance?

This reminds me of what an ex-gay Christian said when he was asked if you could be gay and Christian (meaning, practicing and/or affirming homosexuality and following Jesus at the same time). He responded, “Not for long!”

In light of this, I have to question what a pastor is teaching when a wealthy strip club owner could be a long time, tithing member of his church without either coming under church discipline or Holy Spirit conviction. Something very fundamental is wrong with this picture. (For the record, this is a real-life example. The church claimed to be a Bible-believing, evangelical congregation.)

So, let us do our best to have churches and communities that the unchurched will love, but not at the expense of speaking the truth, with both clarity and compassion. And let us remember that if we are true to Jesus, true to the Word, and true to the Spirit, some will love us and others will hate us. It is inevitable and unavoidable.

Article “If you do church right, some of the unchurched will love you and some will hate you” by Michael Bronw in Christian Post Wednesday, Feb. 8th, 2023.

CHURCH AS GOD INTENDED

Posted on by

Church as Jesus intended as described in the Book of Acts.

1) All believers were baptized.
2) All believers were added to the church.
3) All believers did all four church functions.
4) All church meetings were held in homes.

5) All people in the city heard the gospel.

The four church functions as described in Acts 2.

1) God’s Word
2) Fellowship
3) Breaking of Bread
4) Prayer

In N.T. churches everyone participated in all four church functions.

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Acts 2:4

Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Romans 14:19

“I (Paul) myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.” Romans 15:14

The leadership of the church is a man just as leadership in the home is a man. Paul made that abundantly clear.

“But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God… For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.” 1 Corinthians 11:3, 8-9

“Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God.” 1 Corinthians 11:11-12

“If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.” 1 Corinthians 11:16

The house church meeting must be orderly:

“What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.” 1 Corinthians 14:26

“If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God.” 1 Corinthians 14:27-28

“Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said.” 1 Corinthians 14:28

“If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged.” 1 Corinthians 14:30

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25

“See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or do not subtract from it.” Deuteronomy 12:32

“Do not go beyond what is written.” 1 Corinthians 4:6

What do traditional churches add that is not in the N.T.? What do traditional churches subtract that is not in the N.T.?

Do you need to have elders before you can or should function as a church? Remember Paul’s first missionary journey? For almost two years none of those churches had any elders (Acts 14:21-23). At the birth of the church, after “3,000” and then “5,000” were saved and new believers “added daily” to the church in Jerusalem, the vast majority of their house churches would not have had spiritual leaders meeting with them.

“When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” Acts 14:21-23

There were two categories of leaders in the N.T. church and in fact in the O.T. there were only two categories of leaders: National Leaders = priests, and City Leaders = elders/judges.

Two categories in the N.T. church: National leaders = apostles, and City leaders = elders/overseers. The Apostles ruled over God’s people in cities, and their elders. And elders would rule over God’s people in one city.

Does God have apostles for today? Many traditional Christians do not believe God has apostles for today and were only for the beginning foundation of the church. However, we believe there are many N.T. Scriptures confirming that God has apostles for today. So why is this so important? If God has apostles for today and traditional Christians think and teach otherwise, they would again be “canceling out the Word of God”

The word “apostle” in Greek is “apostolos” – it simply means, “one sent forth”. The Latin word apostle is “missionary”.

1. Jesus the Apostle – “sent forth” by God the Father (John 17:3; Heb. 3:1).

2. The 12 apostles – “sent forth” by God the Son (Luke 6:13; Acts 1:22).

3. Today’s apostles – “sent forth” by God the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:4). Paul & Barnabas (Acts 14:14), Andronicus & Junias (Rom. 16:7), Two unnamed brothers (2Cor. 8:23), Epaphroditus (Phil. 2:25), Paul, Silas & Timothy (1Thes. 2:6), Multitude of apostles (Acts 15:6, 12).

“And he (Jesus) gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,” Ephesians 4:11-13

The N.T. says (Ephesians 4:11-13): “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God…”

All of this information and more is found in Jim McCottrell’s book Church Revolution Today. You can get it on http://www.jimsbookstore.com

CHURCH AS GOD INTENDED

Posted on by

Warning Against Idleness

“Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.“ 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Sadly, in many of the institutional churches, there are many who walk in idleness and are busybodies. This is more difficult in the church that Paul and the disciples established as described in the Book of Acts.

They Had Everything in Common

“Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power, the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” Acts 4:32-37

A Healthy Fear of the Lord

In those days there was a healthy fear of the Lord within the church as the Holy Spirit judged dishonesty harshly. As the story of Ananias and Sapphira demonstrates.
​”But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.
After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.” Acts 5:1-11

Many Signs and Wonders Done

“Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles.” Acts 5:12. Not just the twelve but all apostles (sent ones). “And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. Acts 6:12

House Churches

All New Testament churches only met in believers’ homes. None of the apostles, no church leaders, or Christians ever even mentioned meeting in or constructing any kind of church building. House churches were the only pattern for meeting in the New Testament. The New Testament home church pattern was the only church model for all Christians for over 300 years! Even after that time Christians themselves never started constructing church buildings. Rather, after 325 AD, Roman Emperor Constantine 1st and his mother, Helena, started driving out the mystic pagans from their large pagan temples and started having all the Christians meet in these temples! Constantine and Helena also began building additional large temples and started having believers meet in them all over the known world.

LOVED MAN VS. WILD AND RUNNING WILD WITH BEAR GRYLLS

Posted on by

Bear Grylls is the first to admit he’s something of an unconventional Christian. The survivalist and TV host is unabashedly open about his faith and how it serves as his foundation for living an empowered life. But he doesn’t want to sanitize his message to make it inoffensive to a religious audience, and frankly, he doesn’t have much time for Western church culture. 

“I think Jesus would really struggle with 99% of churches nowadays,” the 48-year-old British adventurer told The Christian Post.

“Our job in life is to stay close to Christ and drop the religious, drop the fluff, drop the church if you need to because that means so many different things to different people anyway. Keep the bit of church which is about community and friends and honesty and faith and love. All the masks, performances, music and worship bands and all of that sort of stuff — I don’t think Christ would recognize a lot of that.”

He expressed his distaste for what he called “religious language,” sanitizing messages in such a way where people “can’t be honest, can’t express doubt and can’t fail.” The Church, he said, is “the place to have doubts and questions.”

“Look at the early Church. It was a roomful of people eating and drinking and doubting and struggling and arguing,” he said. 

But the Church today, he said, has gotten away from that. 

“Probably most of the people in the congregation have substance abuse, and probably most of their congregations struggle with porn and all that sort of stuff,” he said. “What a relief it is when a pastor can stand up and go, ‘Welcome to the hospital, folks. Here we go. I’m just standing alongside you on the road, failing our way through, but reaching out of desperation for life and love and redemption. Let’s look outwards, and love other people, and we’re in it together.’”

It’s this kind of honest, zero-fluff approach to life that has made Grylls a worldwide sensation and one of the most recognized faces of survival and outdoor adventure. A former British Special Forces soldier and Everest mountaineer, he starred in Discovery’s “Man vs. Wild” and hosted “Running Wild with Bear Grylls” on the National Geographic Channel Series.

He’s embarked on countless dangerous expeditions, scaled Mount Everest, eaten snakes and spiders, and even survived a free-fall parachuting accident in Africa. His books, which range from survival skills handbooks to fiction, have also sold over 15 million copies worldwide. 

I think Bear Grylls has faith that will stand strong in the face of the prophesied increasing persecution that will come prior to Jesus’ return first to rapture the Saints but also to pour out His wrath upon an unrepentant world.

“Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.” So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.” Revelation 16:1-2

Extract of an article in Christian Post Jan. 14th “Bear Grylls says faith is ‘key part of survivor’s toolbox,’ laments ‘fluff’ permeating Western Church”

IS THIS THE CHURCH GOD INTENDED?

Posted on by

The catholic church like most institutional churches is not the church God intended, as described in the Book of Acts. It is very different, there were no buildings and no paid clergy. In fact, all members of the church were to be disciples that made disciples.

Look at what is unfolding in the catholic church. It involves the recently deceased Australian Cardinal Pell who incidentally I respected for what he tried to achieve when he was Archbishop of Sydney.

The following post was taken from an article in BBC News entitled “Late Cardinal George Pell called Pope a ‘catastrophe’ in an anonymous memo“

Cardinal George Pell has ripped into Pope Francis from the grave, with an explosive secret memo scathing of his “catastrophic” papacy, detailing that the Vatican is losing as much as 35 million euros a year and that the Pope has used his power to interfere in judicial proceedings.

Cardinal Pell not only penned a column directly challenging Francis’ credibility about the process surrounding the adoption of the Catholic Church’s synod for The Spectator magazine, but he is also now revealed to be the author of a hard-hitting series of blogs to Vatican insiders and a bombshell secret letter that was distributed last March to cardinals.

The previously anonymous cardinals’ letter ridicules Francis’ tenure as being “a disaster”, “a catastrophe” in which “decisions (were) made for political correctness” and claiming the political influence of Pope Francis and the Vatican was“negligible”.

It also alleges a widespread practice of wire-tapping inside the Vatican and claims that the extent of losses on an infamous corrupt investment, the Sloane Avenue building in London, is as much as 217 million euros.

He said this was in addition to the $230 million lost by the Vatican in the Banco Ambrosiano scandal in the 1980s, and because of inefficiency and corruption, he said the Vatican has lost at least another 100 million euros in the last 25-30 years.

As well, he warned the Vatican finances were “serious” with financial deficits almost always every year of at least 20m euros which has escalated in the last three years to 30-35 million euros a year. In addition, the Vatican faces a large pension fund deficit that is projected to be around 800 million euros in 2030.

On the eve of the funeral, it emerged that Cardinal Pell, 81 was a secret contributor to the Vatican blog Settimo Cielo as well as the author of the cardinals’ letter. The Vatican journalist Sandro Magister had regular dialogue with Cardinal Pell, whom he said used the pseudonym “Demos” for the blog and had asked for him to distribute the cardinal’s letter, which he wanted to become public.

The Australian Newspaper has seen the contributions made by Demos, which say the centrality of Christ in teaching is weakened and Christ is removed from the centre. He also details the extent of the Vatican’s financial woes, which are much worse than many believed.

“Commentators from every school, though for different reasons, with the possible exception of one, agree that this pontificate is a disaster in many or more respects, a catastrophe,’’ he wrote.

“Previously the motto was: “Roma locuta. Cause finite est” [Rome has spoken, the cause is over]. Today it is: “Roma loquitur. Confusio augetur” [Rome speaks, confusion grows]’’.

He added that the Christocentric legacy of St. John Paul II in faith and morals is the object of systematic attacks.

In a blow to Francis’ papacy, “Demos” wrote that the political influence of Pope Francis and the Vatican is negligible. “Intellectually, papal writings show a decline from the levels of St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict. Decisions and policies are often “politically correct”, but there have been serious failures to uphold human rights in Venezuela, Hong Kong, mainland China and now the Russian invasion.

The Bible tells us that in the last days, there will be a great falling away as the church compromises with the world. We have seen it with many of the denominational churches approving gay marriage, homosexual pastors, and Jesus is no longer central to Christianity. They no longer believe and teach the following Scripture.

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

Now it is being revealed that the catholic church is going down the same path as these other institutional churches.

“This know also, that in the last days, perilous times shall come” 2 Timothy 3:1

“Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,” 2 Thessalonians 2:3

This Pauline perspective and prophecy of apostasy in the last days is not merely Paul’s, for it had been foretold by the Holy Spirit. 

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith…” 2 Timothy. 4:1-3

KENYA HOUSE CHURCH MISSION TRIP TO URIRI

Posted on by

This report from Pastor Charles is very encouraging. The pictures make it come alive and show that spontaneous prayer dominated the meetings.

Pictures 1, 2 & 3 show marketplace evangelism at Uriri. Believers are moved to spontaneous prayers after hearing the gospel message on salvation and repentance.

Picture 4, In the home of our host Mr Bonface Ayoro, Pastor Charles preaching on being prepared for Jesus second coming.

Picture 5. Mr Jackson Okumu and his three wives are being prayed for salvation, repentance, and healing – one of his wives, Mrs Dorsila Okumu was healed of a tumour.  This was her testimony: “I started to feel a lump in my lower abdomen, and I had to seek medical attention. I was diagnosed as having a tumour. My doctor told me I had to be operated on as soon as possible because it had grown so large. I was so troubled in my heart and had no peace at all. Today, I’m glad Dr Jesus performed his own operation, and now I don’t need an operation! She expressed her excitement, the tumour is gone! I can no longer feel it in my body!”

Picture 6. Mrs. Susana Odhiambo (left and arms raised) – a 35 years old woman working in the education department, she wanted to accept Jesus as her Saviour and Lord and was delivered from demonic depression by Pastor Saoke in the process.

Picture 7. Pastor Saoke shared the gospel message of salvation with a young gentleman who had attended our gospel meeting.

Picture 8. Mr. William – a motorbike driver had broken his right leg in an accident five months ago and that leg had not healed properly. His range of movement was limited and it was very painful. Naturally, this disability impacted his ability to do work. Upon hearing our gospel message of salvation, he surrendered his life to Jesus and his leg was healed, the pain was gone. Mr. William later testified: “Wonderfully, Jesus has done what the doctors were not able to do. I’m healed! I thank my Lord, He is my saviour forever.”

Picture 9. Shows people at the marketplace meetings in prayer. Spontaneous prayer was the feature of the Mission and confirmed that the Holy Spirit was leading the way.

Pictures 10 & 11. A roadside meeting showing Mrs Hannah a 30-year-old woman who had been an alcoholic gave her testimony of repentance, healing and salvation. She has a dark grey skirt and an orange top, standing in picture 10 and on her knees in picture 11.

Mrs. Susana Odhiambo (left with arms raised)

OUTCOME: A new House church was established in Urir with 15 believers. Mr Bonface Ayoro will lead the new house church. Pastor Harisson Ojiji will act as a mentor to help him oversee the church.

Testimony from Mr Bonface Ayoro: “May God bless you for your commitment to serving the Lord and your efforts in making Disciples for Jesus. I have been listening to you and your ministry since 2019. I now feel I am a part of the Kenya House movement. I count it a privilege to be a part of the work our Heavenly Father is doing through you and your ministry partners. I was part of the religious institutional church model for over 15 years. It does not make disciples of Christ. I look forward to being part of the KHC movement to make more disciples for the Kingdom of God.

I have been blessed to be part of growing and ministering to the KHC movement for over four years now. If you feel called to help then please send me an email at ron@bakb.com.au or you can donate on the Home Page.

TEST ALL THINGS BY GOD’S WORD

Posted on by

For Christians, all of life is the enterprise through which we glorify God and enjoy Him forever. The means by which we do that is simple: we must know who this God is and how we can enjoy Him forever. This is only derived from a robust understanding and application of Scripture and understanding the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Thus, when we are faced with whatever progressive ideals might creep in, the principle is one whereby we test all things according to Scripture empowered by the Holy Spirit.

I am convinced many within the broader church have been pressed into the mold of a system of thought the broader culture adopts (i.e. progressivism), and the foremost institution this has been accomplished through is education. Generations of children have come and gone through this institution, which with the adoption of evolution has rejected any involvement of God in science and now education, as a result, society is largely secular. God’s values have been jettisoned and the progressives now dominate our educational establishments and parliament.

How do we solve this dilemma? The answer is surprisingly simple but unflatteringly naïve to the world, and even many professing Christians. The Word of God must be re-established as the foundation for all of life. Everything else is subservient to it and must align with it. In other words, we live consistently to the message we proclaim, from the seemingly mundane choices we make in entertainment, to how we spend our money, raise and teach our children, and how we do church, which means getting back to church as outlined in the Book of Acts, house churches that make disciples, and more. Only then will we be salt and light in the world. Only then will the Holy Spirit truly lead believers and the fruit of the spirit will be evident in their lives: love, joy, peace patience, faith, gentleness, goodness, kindness, and self-control. The ministry gifts, all nine will be evident including miracles, words of knowledge, and discerning of spirits.

The Gospel will then be unstoppable. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14

KENYA HOUSE CHURCH MISSION TRIP

Posted on by

Report by Pastor Charles Otieno Owino on the Kenya House Church (KHC) Mission trip this month to Giribe Lwala in the Homa Bay County near Lake Victoria. It is the County next to Migori County where Pastor Charles is located.

KENYA HOUSE CHURCH MISSION TRIP TO GIRIBE LWALA:

Purpose of visit: Discipleship

Host: Mr Kennedy Onyango.

Arrival Date: Nov 9th/2022, Departure: Nov 15th.

The KHC team are delighted with how God protected them on this Mission Trip, no equipment failures and the response from so many people was positive. God was present the entire time with several healing miracles and other signs. Pictures truly tell the story and Charles has given a brief description of each one. The pictures are not in order the events occured but I hope this is understood from the descriptions given.

1. Pastor Nyarumba ( in the red T-shirt) is baptizing Mr Cleophas Odhiambo( in the white shirt). Mr Cleophas is a new disciple at Olassi house church. He was a former assistant chief of the county who was interdicted for abuse of office (corruption), and also for being deeply involved in alcoholic drinking. This baptism was carried out when the team visited Olassi on their return trip from Giribe Lwala,

2. Pastor Jacob ministered the gospel message of salvation and repentance at an evangelism meeting in one of the homes our team visited- among them was Shem Nyabuto, a former drug addict (with dreadlocks). He accepted the gospel message of salvation and repentance and gave his heart to Jesus, and accepted Him as his personal Saviour.

3. House fellowship meeting at the home of Mr Kennedy Onyango. Mrs Millicent Girago ( with a baby in her hands). She had a strong pain in her back, and the problem persisted for many years even after visiting many doctors and local herbalists. After receiving prayer, she was instantly healed and the pain was completely gone.

4. Pastor Osogo baptized Mrs Jane Odhiambo, the wife of the former assistant chief of the county. During the KHC trip to Olassi last month this woman at first didn’t believe our Gospel message, but on this trip visiting this house church, we taught her the word of God, she believed and was baptized. This baptism was carried out when the team visited Olassi on their return trip from Giribe Lwala,

5. Believers are in a moment of prayer on our arrival at Giribe Lwala. The opening prayers were at the home of Mr Kennedy (in a tie & brown suit).

6. Evangelism Ministry at the home of Mr Paul Ondiek. Pastor Saoke ministers the gospel message to the 10 adult members of this family. They believed the gospel message of healing and salvation and accepted Jesus as their personal saviour.

7. Pastor Charles ( in a white shirt) ministers the gospel message of end time events of Jesus’ soon return at the home of Mr Kennedy Onyango.

8. Pastor Julius Makacha ministers the gospel message of the coming Millennial Kingdom at an evangelism meeting at one of the homes.

9. Pastor Melkio ministers the gospel message on the role of women in the church at Giribe Lwala house Church.

10. Pastor Charles prayed for some women (on their knees) at the home of Mr Kennedy. And among them is Mrs Dorothy Ouma ( in a dotted white & black dress) This woman’s life was ruined by alcoholic drinks to such an extent that she couldn’t provide for her family. After hearing the gospel message she repented and accepted Jesus as her personal saviour.

11. Pastor Charles with hands raised praying at the home Mr David Garrison. His son (wearing a white shirt & kneeling ) was deaf and dumb, after hearing the gospel message his ears were opened, and he was able to hear and speak little but by using signs.

12. Pastor Kennedy addressed the Giribe Lwala house, church believers, at the close of our mission trip at Giribe Lwala.

A new house church of 10 people was newly founded at Giribe Lwala. This new house church will be under the care of elder Kennedy Onyango. 

On the way home, we arrived at the Olassi house church of our host Elder Walter Ogwati in the evening to do baptisms of the new believers the following day. In the evening, we had house fellowship with believers in their home. It was in preparation for the baptism the next day.

Today, at 11:am, we walked down to a new dam to baptize the newly converted believers of this house church, and among them is the wife of the former assistant Chief and her husband (included in the pictures). It was well attended. Later this afternoon, we shall pack our luggage for our trip back home in the evening.

May you kindly put us in your prayers for a successful remaining part of our mission here and also for a safe travelling back home.

As previously reported I have been supporting the KHC movement for four years now even including a trip to Migori to hold a three-day training session with 21 of the KHC leaders in April of this year. The picture shown is me delivering a PowerPoint presentation on Israel’s History and Purpose at this meeting. The image on the screen is of the Israel Feast Days.

As can be seen, the meeting is in a tin shed. We had no power so we had to hire a generator and I purchased the screen. I am hoping that some of my followers will be prompted by God to join me in financially supporting the growth of the Kenya House Church Movement. I have seen it grow from six house churches to twenty-two. If this is something you would like to do email me at ron@bakb.com.au.

CHURCH AS GOD INTENDED

Posted on by

In the Book of Acts, we find that all New Testament believers always had church in their homes. It was only in their homes that they gathered to do what we call “church”: praise God with the Psalms, celebrate the Lord’s Supper, fellowship, share the Word of God, and pray together.

I have listed all of the scriptures so the church God intended to establish is obvious. Also, we only need to look at the church in nations where Christians are persecuted and it is obvious that believers are once again meeting in homes. This will be the way forward for the church as we approach the last days before Jesus returns.

“Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem — a Sabbath day’s journey away. When they arrived, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying.” Acts 1:12-13

“And day by day, attending the Jewish temple together (evangelize) and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.“ Acts 2:46-47

“And daily in the Jewish temple (evangelize), and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” Acts 5:42

“As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.” Acts 8:3

“And when he (Peter) had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.” Acts 12:12

“And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.” Acts 16:40

“And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together.” Acts 20:7-8

“And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house,” Acts 20:20

“Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus … greet also the church in their house.” Romans 16:3,5

“Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus.” Romans 16:10-11