Daily writing prompt

If you could permanently ban a word from general usage, which one would it be? Why?

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The word church falls far short of describing the way the early Christians met. If you read the New Testament with an open heart and mind, you’ll see that what we call church services don’t really match up with the way the first Christians met together.

Jesus said, “Shout it from the housetops.” (Matthew 10:27) Biblical faith isn’t merely a programmed religious meeting to hear a sermon once a week. It’s also not just an individual thing. It’s heart-to-heart community. Jesus said: “Where two or three gather in My name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20)

The family that talks to Jesus together walks with Jesus together. Make your house a home where people have frequent group conversations with Jesus. When people talk with and listen to Jesus together, they grow closer together.

A group conversation with God will warm your heart with faith, hope, and love. (1 Corinthians 13:13) It will deepen friendships and strengthen relationships. It will grow your awareness of the awesome presence and power of the living Jesus. (James 4:8)

To talk to Jesus, open your mouth and let the words spontaneously flow from your heart. Why not gather with some Christ-followers, open up your heart, and have a group conversation with Christ?

The early Christians “all joined together constantly in prayer.” (Acts 1:14) They “raised their voices together in prayer to God.” (Acts 4:24) When they prayed together, they did it “earnestly.” (Acts 12:5) When the early Christians gathered to pray together it wasn’t always small groups. Sometimes it was many people talking to Jesus together. (Acts 12:12)

Every house inhabited by Christians needs to be a house of prayer. (Matthew 21:13) Many Bible verses show that the early Christians were house Christians. They didn’t build church buildings but met in homes (Acts 5:42, Romans 16:3-5, 1 Corinthians 16:19, Colossians 4:15, Philemon 1:1-2) to talk to Jesus together.

House Christianity welcomes people home to the openness and informality of heart-to-heart connection with Jesus and with one another. Daily life is where faith is lived and where powerful ministry can be done. House Christianity happens when family and friends freely talk to Jesus together.

Jesus loves it when people gather in small groups of 2 or 3 or more to talk to Him together. Often having group conversations with Jesus is life changing. Find one or two or more people who you can regularly talk to Jesus with. Make your home a place of ongoing group conversations with the risen Jesus.

I believe that the body of Christ should be much more focused on having group conversations with Jesus than on sermon hearing. Sit, walk, kneel, or stand. When you are talking to Jesus with other people, it’s the posture of your heart that matters. When people have an honest, humble, open-hearted group conversation with Jesus, His presence touches them all.

Prayer meetings with Jesus are not the norm nowadays. The pattern in traditional Christianity is more for one person to recite a pre-arranged prayer while the rest of the people present listen. However, in a group conversation with Jesus everybody present takes turns talking to Jesus spontaneously from their heart. There is a huge difference between those two approaches. If you have never experienced the second one, ask one or two people to meet you somewhere and begin to talk to Jesus together. Don’t wait. Do it today. It will change your life.

For a lot more insight into the faith of the first Christians, click this link. It will take you to the Amazon page for my book: “The Joy of Early Christianity.