On Friday morning, November 4,1904, on the eve of the great Welsh revival of 1904, Evan Roberts wrote to Mr. Hartley Aspden, the Editor of the Sunday Companion asking for a cost quotation for printing some “Revival Picture Post-cards” (which never got printed, but you have to love his faith!). At the end of the letter Evan Roberts added this afterthought, “We are on the eve of a great and grand revival, the greatest the world has ever seen. Do not think that the writer is a madman”. What followed was, in fact, the greatest spiritual outpouring of the 20th century which swept the world between 1904 and 1907, transforming the spiritual landscape and giving birth to the worldwide Pentecostal movement which has now celebrated it’s 100th birthday. But to put into perspective what God is about to do, you must place yourself into the shoes of your grandfathers who witnessed the birth of that worldwide outpouring. Why? Because the coming outpouring will be as surprising to us in our day as the Welsh Revival and Azusa street were to our grandfather’s.

The challenge that historically confronts the Church is that the outpouring of the River of God’s Spirit in one generation becomes the institutional swimming pool of the next generation. The wildness of the River becomes trapped, dammed up, & turned into a swimming pool where the agenda of men takes over and men seek to use the remnants of that outpouring to further their own agendas. The result is eventual stagnation and death. Then, in the Providence of God, when the church becomes desperate enough to cry out in repentance and faith, God sends another spiritual outpouring of the River of His Spirit, often by-passing the old dams and swimming pools and seeking (or carving) out new channels through which His River can flow unimpeded. Every great revival in the history of the Church has brought about some new and radical (new and radical by contemporary standards) paradigm of Church. The Evangelical Awakening of the 1700s in England under Wesley gave birth to the Methodist Church. The 2nd Great Awakening on the American Frontier between 1975 and 1811 gave birth to both the Bible Belt and the Methodist Church in America (long, interesting story there about circuit riders and house groups!). The outpouring of 1904 through 1907 gave birth to “the mission halls and the Pentecostals” (to quote J.V. Morgan, a chief critic of the Welsh Revival). Most present day denominations can trace their roots to some great spiritual outpouring. Historic spiritual outpourings change the spiritual landscape of the church and new paradigms are born.

But yesterday’s outpourings are like yesterday’s manna; interesting but unsatisfying. Many current denominations, Pentecostal and otherwise, are still attempting to live on yesterday’s manna - a former outpouring that exists now only in aging swimming pools where fewer and fewer people attend the pool parties, because the River that gave birth to them has long since moved on. But there is good news. The River of God’s Spirit, the River of Ezekiel 47, is about to flow in fresh power the likes of which has not been seen in over 100 years (at least in the West). In the words Evan Roberts, "We are on the eve of a great and grand revival, the greatest the world has ever seen. Do not think that the writer is a madman".

In order to fully grasp the significance of what God is up to, I need to deliver a bit of bad news first by telling you what He is not doing. To sum it up in a sentence: God isn’t blessing our preconceived agendas. To put it slightly differently, God isn’t interested in being the means to our ends. He isn’t coming to bless our programs, build our empires or bless our agendas. Rather, he is demanding that we repent of our agendas and programs and that we yield ourselves to His Kingdom purposes . . . even if we don’t yet know what they are. He knows, and that’s sufficient for the moment.

I have been stunned and grieved recently by the number of local ministries and agendas which God has caused to fall apart. Major churches in disarray, major ministries which have seemingly "dried up," city reaching plans which have fizzled and failed. Some of them are ministries to which God specifically directed me to deliver words of admonishment, repentance or rebuke (yep, that was fun. Lost friends over that one). Others are simply ones which God showed me or warned me He was "dis-mantling". But they all had something in common. They were pursuing an agenda that wasn’t God’s and they were seeking to use "revival" as a means to their own ends. And the Lord told me clearly that He would have none of it - He would rather dis-mantle them than bless them. His message to them was simple - repent. But repentance didn’t fit their agenda. Consequently, they have now entered into a season of "hard repentance" during which their obedience will come at a much higher price.

Yes, I really am going somewhere with this thought. House churches can have agendas, too. Even programs. We can have theological agendas, teaching agendas, control agendas, anti-501C3 agendas and more. Even the "planting of rapidly multiplying house churches" can become an agenda. Even the visions which God has given us regarding ministry can become an agenda to be laid down when He requires it. I experienced this over the past week when the Holy Spirit spoke to me and told me to decline a generous offer to fund a House Church radio outreach. God’s "agenda" in my life right now is more about listening, and humility and costly obedience. Everything else must be laid aside. God owns our visions. We don’t. God is His own agenda!

Our House Churches are to be in small what the Kingdom of God is in large. Our House Churches are to be footholds for the Kingdom of God - places where the King reigns in the hearts of men and women, and where His Kingdom power is displayed and His Kingdom Presence dwells. God’s "agenda" for the house church movement - based upon my limited perspective and understanding - is to create a place where He can manifest His Kingdom Rule, His Kingdom Power and His Kingdom Presence without us and our agendas getting in the way. What can we expect when this takes place? Based upon Matthew 10:7-8 we can expect to see Him heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons and more. Why? Because that’s what happens when the Kingdom of God breaks out. That’s what happened under the ministry of Jesus. It’s what happened under the ministry of the early New Testament house churches. And, I believe, it’s still what God wants to do today as His people seek His Kingdom and His righteousness.

But now comes the critical question: How do we get there? Let me say first of all that there is no "magic formula" that I (or anyone else) can offer you. I am a pilgrim and a sojourner on this journey, not a magician nor his apprentice. I can only share with you what God has been working into my own life and ministry in recent months, in the hopes that amidst the wood, hay and stubble you will find something valuable, even precious.

At the risk of sounding like I am "grinding an agenda" I want to suggest that genuine biblical repentance is one of the keys to entering into God’s Kingdom purposes for ourselves and our House Churches. Why do I say this? Because Jesus Himself linked repentance with entrance into the Kingdom of God: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

(Matthew 3:2; 4:17; Mark 1:14-15). Now, the "unsettling" thing about Jesus’ message of repentance and the Kingdom of God is that He directed it at the "evangelical believers" of His day, the very people whom the Old Testament Scriptures named as God’s chosen people and heirs of the Kingdom! Let that reality sink in for a moment. If God’s chosen people in Jesus’ day were in need of repentance concerning their understanding (or mis-understanding) of the Kingdom of God, what makes us think that His people today are somehow exempt from that same message?

Most of us in the House Church movement are "excited beyond words" that God is moving and doing a "new thing". But as this new move unfolds I believe each of us and our house churches will discover the truth of a time-tested spiritual principle, namely, that we will only receive that measure of blessing which we were willing to humble ourselves before God and seek Him for in genuine repentance and faith. Values in the Kingdom of God (including that manifestation which meets in your House) are inverted values. The last enter first. Servants lead. We never grow spiritually deeper than our deepest wound. We never grow in grace beyond the depth of our deepest humility. And God still opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Repentance always has been, and continues to be, the doorway to the Kingdom, both for the unbeliever seeking entrance, and for the believer seeking depth and intimacy with God. At this point, allow me to make a basic suggestion for you and your House Church. Spend some quality time seeking God in an attitude of repentance. Repent of agendas (and if you think you don’t have any, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal them to you). These can be end-times agendas, teaching agendas, pet doctrinal agendas, social agendas. You know what yours are. If not, wait on God and He’ll tell you. Identify them and repent of them. God may choose to give them back to you at a later time. But let that be His decision, not yours. Keep them outside of your meeting. They make great pot luck conversation-fodder, but poor worship preparation. Repent of anger, bitterness and woundedness left over from bad church experiences. There’s a reason the House Church movement has been regarded as hotbed of wounded and disgruntled Christians. It’s time to confront it, repent of it, get healed and press on. Repent of the religious spirits, controlling spirits and spirits of false authority. Develop the practice of spending prolonged time worshiping, praying and simply waiting on God and inviting His Presence. Learn to practice the Presence of God, individually and as a House Church. Don’t be afraid to simply wait in silence. In House Church, silence in worship is your friend, not your enemy. Remember, two people can’t talk at once - and that includes you and God! The less you talk, the more opportunity He has to speak.

Our House Churches are to be in small what the Kingdom of God is in large. The Kingdom of God is a River of His Power and Presence. And as part of His Kingdom, our House Churches are merely the channels through which He desires to flow. And as that River of His Power and Presence begins to flow, we will see and experience the Kingdom breaking out in healings, deliverances, blessings and more. I know this because I already see it beginning to happen; a cloud no bigger than a man’s hand, the promise of what’s to come. In our little corner of the House Church movement we have sought to practice what I have just described. Recently, we have begun sensing a change taking place. A recent visitor to our Saturday evening meeting commented that in his many years as a Christian he had never experienced the Presence of God as powerfully as he had in our meeting that night. The next week he had a similar experience. Toward the end of the meeting (which went an extra hour-and-a-half) he commented (with tears in his eyes), "This is what church is supposed to be like!" At that same meeting a young woman (also a newcomer) was deeply touched by God and experienced a profound healing in her hands. How do I know? "I haven’t been able to open my hands and fully extend my fingers without pain (due to arthritis) in over six years! I’ve got to call my mom and tell her what’s happened!" Yep, that’s a pretty good sign. I could tell other stories of the evening, but you get the point. When our House Churches meet and the Kingdom of God breaks out with God’s Kingdom Power and Presence, these are the things that happen. Not because we seek them, but because we seek Him, His Kingdom and His righteousness. And as we do so, our House Churches become in small what the Kingdom of God is in large.

I am blessed and encouraged that I am hearing similar (even greater) stories from other House Churches. I recently received a call from Jim Rutz ("MegaShift" and "The Open Church") who shared recent stories out of House Churches in the Colorado Springs area regarding some profound healings (degenerative bone disease & scleroderma) that have taken place. The Kingdom of God is breaking out . . . in house churches! And there’s more to come.

And this leads to my final point in this section (aren’t you relieved?!): The importance of house churches networking together. The coming outpouring is a move of God’s Spirit that will flow "house-to-house," just as it did in Acts 2-4. But are we moving and networking house-to-house? Are we networking and sharing stories of what God is doing in our house churches so that other house churches can be informed and encouraged. Why is this important? Because it is possible that many people, and many house churches, could miss the coming move of God through isolation and unrepentance. What about you? A prophetic friend of mine who has been praying and waiting for this coming move for several years (long story, no time to unpack) said he heard from the Lord, "Many will be touched by it, but few will enter in." That frightens me, and it should concern all of us in the movement. Another prophetic person whom I know and trust had a dream in which she and her husband were in an airport and trying to catch a plane, but he kept getting sidetracked and distracted. When they finally arrived at the departure gate the plane was leaving without them. She woke up in tears. The message was clear; a clear warning to her and to those who have ears to hear: It is possible to miss this coming move. What will your excuse be? I hope it won’t be that you chose not to network with other house churches and thereby chose not to be part of the channel that allows His River to flow house to house.

I shared earlier how God confronted me last week with laying down my own agenda in the form of declining a generous offer to fund a house church radio program. This week, through prayer and prophetic confirmation He encouraged me to proceed with the Parousia Podcasting Project as a way of helping to network house churches by sharing both information about house church AND stories about what God is doing in our movement. I am calling it the "House Church Roundtable". These podcasts will include both individual interviews and group discussions on topics ranging from frequently asked house church questions to individuals sharing stories of how God is moving in their particular house church. The audio files will be available for free download from a website, but they would also be available through podcast aggregators such as iTunes, Podcast Alley, etc.

FAQs - The idea (which is flexible, so please give your input) would be to identify some of the top issues or most frequently asked questions confronting house church, and then to assemble a weekly "roundtable" of house church leaders & practitioners to address them. Each "roundtable" would consist of 4-to-6 people linked via a telephone conference call, discussing that week's topic. Each roundtable would involve different people, and some weeks would simply be an individual interview. Each roundtable will be no more than :30 minutes in length (attention span issues). Over time, the goal would be to accumulate a "resource library" of roundtables discussing every aspect of house church. When people call you with their "What do you do about . . ." questions you can direct them to specific roundtable discussions that might be appropriate and helpful.

House Church Stories - Some podcasts are going to be devoted to sharing house church stories from house churches just like yours. We want to hear people share what God is doing in their midst, both the practical (here’s how we overcame the challenge of . . . .) and the miraculous (here’s what God did in our last meeting!). Stories about creative outreach, and stories of personal healings & growth.

So, where do you come in? I need your help launching this idea. Without the involvement of participants like you in our movement, this project will not succeed. Could you please help me with the following: