Houses of Fire - a strategy to bring in the harvest

People are more open to spiritual things than they have ever been. Fear continues to run rampant. People have had to face their own mortality. The future is uncertain. Nobody knows when or how the COVID-19 pandemic will end.  After spending several hundred hours on the streets in the past few months, I can attest to the fact that there is an openness and a willingness to talk about important issues that I have never seen.

 

All although I was praying with many people and watched God break into the lives of dozens and dozens of people's lives, and I have endlessly given them my contact information for follow up, the vast majority haven't heeded those invitations.  I have gone back to visit them and their appreciation for prayer and counsel remains. Many have been healed and testify that they are still healed, still pain-free. I knew that God was really emphasizing house church meetings (and still is, going forward!) and I even began inviting these unbelievers to house meetings. But again very little response.

 

But what I needed was a "new wineskin" and God sovereignly led me to Acts 10 to help me "see" what He wanted me to do.  I had never spent much time in Acts 10, but one day when I was asked what my text was for a meeting I was leading that night, I said I would be in Acts 10!  I had intended to say Acts 20 and 21, but somehow I was now scheduled to be teaching out of a passage that was not at all what I had planned.  That morning we had gone out onto the streets and just happened to begin our outreach in a small town called "Cornelius" in a business (which had been a house) with an unbeliever where God moved powerfully.

 

And as I began to prepare for the night's message, I "saw" why God had led me to Acts 10, and how "Cornelius" was going to reveal a key in terms of how to take open people, who we have been praying with and sharing with on the streets, to the next stage in their spiritual journies. 

 

Out of Acts 10 has come a message that I have entitled "Houses of Fire". I have now preached on it several times and every time I get into the passage I am seeing more and more of how Peter's interaction with a God-seeker named Cornelius is a critical strategy for us today.

 

Below is the text of Acts 10 and I will make some comments after each section that constitute the insights that I have seen emerge.

 

10:1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, 2 a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. 3 About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” 4 And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5 And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. 

 

*THE FIRST QUESTION IS, "WHO IS CALLING WHO?" - The 'lost' are calling for the saved! People are prepared right now. We are meeting hungry people who are much like Cornelius and his family/relatives. Expect divine appointments in these days. 

 

*HOUSES, HOUSES - Notice that ALL of what transpires in Acts 10 is happening in HOMES. At a time when many churches are still not gathering normally, God is emphasizing the importance of home meetings. For both believers and for seekers/unbelievers!  

 

6 He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” 7 When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, 8 and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

 

*FIRST TIME OBEDIENCE - Notice that the unbeliever, Cornelius, obeys immediately!  I believe we can expect something different from people who are hungering for God in this hour. 

 

9 The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. 10 And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance 11 and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” 15 And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” 16 This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven. 17 Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's house, stood at the gate 18 and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. 19 And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. 20 Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.” 

 

*ROLE OF SUPERNATURAL - New Wineskins often require it. i.e. Muslims most often come to Christ through supernatural means. Cornelius had an angelic visitation and Peter fell into a trance.  God is using supernatural encounters to get people's attention. We have seen the Holy Spirit work powerfully in the past few months - powerful healings, people being overwhelmed by the presence of God (often crying), prophetic revelation has been given (the Lord has revealed many things via word of knowledge and also people's names!)

 

*BELIEVER CAN BE STUCK - Peter had to have 3 encounters + 1 Holy Spirit “says” - WE can be STUCK in our ways, methods, expectations. Peter had no clue that God wanted to break into the lives of Gentiles with the Gospel.  Even after God had spoken multiple times to him, he was still "perplexed".  We can be so dense sometimes as believers! Thankfully God is gracious enough to keep speaking until we hear Him! Many Christians right now don't realize how open people are, how fearful people are, and how WE have solutions to their struggles.  The Gospel is the answer in this hour.  I was stuck.  I didn't know how God wanted me to take unbelievers to the next level, the next stage.  But thankfully, He has begun to reveal some things that I have never seen before!

 

21 And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?” 22 And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.” 23 So he invited them in to be his guests. The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. 24 And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” 27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. 28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.” 30 And Cornelius said, “Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour,  and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. 32 Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

 

*LOST want to hear "ALL" that God is saying! - We can't be watering anything down and/or avoiding the difficult subjects.  A watered-down Gospel has gotten us into this mess.  "Seeker Sensitive Christianity" hasn't produced the fruit that people had hoped for.  I love it that the Lord highlighted how radical Cornelius' commitment was to hear ALL of what God wanted to say! Let us take note. We haven't done anybody any favors by not letting them know what God has commanded, what constitutes holiness and obedience.  The "Hyper-Grace" (cheap grace, obedience-less Christianity) message hasn't produced disciples but has led many into apostasy.  

 

34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), 37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed:  38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree,  40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

 

*Preaching, not “listening” – many in the Church today seem to be advocating our need to be "listening" to people who are angry, fearful, hate-filled.  That type of "listening" is actually DEFILING many Christians and poisoning them.  Peter was asked to speak and he PREACHED.  He was Apostle, with an Apostolic mandate and in the house of Cornelius, Peter engaged in "Apostolic preaching"!  Sure, he began by "listening" to what God had been doing in Cornelius' life, so there is a place for "listening" - let us however just make sure that what we listen to doesn't end up defiling us!

 

44 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 47 “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

 

*Meetings in HOMES!!  The Church BEGAN in HOMES.  Jesus NEVER ONCE did a Church service in a Church!  I love church meetings, but we are living in days where the Church HAS TO get back into people's homes!  This type of crisis (COVID-19) will happen again.  When?  Who knows!  But the Scriptures speak about storms and plagues that are yet future.  The Church, by and large, was NOT READY for this shaking.  With very few exceptions, most believers were unprepared. Most pastors and Christian leaders were unsure of what to do.  Even now, after months, there are Christian leaders that are not clear on how they should proceed, when they should open their doors, etc. etc.  This is not acceptable.  The Church must be better prepared for what the future holds.  And as one pastor of a large church told me, "we have been a church WITH house groups, but we must become a church OF house groups".  I felt he was speaking prophetically.  That the center of the life of the church shifts from the big meeting to the house meetings.  

 

And I realize that there are 2 different expressions of house meetings that the Lord is emphasizing.  This was confusing for me initially as I was conflating the 2 different types.  

Type 1. For believers - this was my point that we are to transition from a church WITH house groups to a church OF house groups).  Every Church needs to make this transition.  When the next crisis comes, whatever it may be, we can be ready with our house church units so that we are not devasted as many churches have been in these months.

 

Type 2. For the harvest/lost - This is the key insight for me from Acts 10 - starting house meetings, the "Houses of Fire", in the homes of unbelievers!  Have them invite their friends.  And expect that the same radical outpouring of the Holy Spirit that occurred in the house of Cornelius will be happening in the houses of the people we are meeting on the streets.

 

Now I am clear - there are 2 distinct types of House meetings that God wants to be birthing in this hour.  One for believers and one for unbelievers/seekers!

 

I've already been offering the unbelievers and seekers that I am meeting, the ones who have been healed and have been prophesied over while we are with them on the streets, the ones who have encountered God...I am now asking them..."When can we come to your house?"  I am telling them to invite their friends and promise them that God is going to meet them in a powerful way.  

 

This blog will be documenting the "House of Fire" that will be born in the coming weeks and months.

 

...for such a time as this!