House Church Houston

12/16/2025

It seems as though modern church culture is completely addicted to leadership that consistently dominates the body with activities that stifles and handicaps the members of the body who are not credentialed leaders. Almost the entire church is required to sit quietly and submissively as passive observers; while the few and highly esteemed credentialed leaders totally control the airtime and direct the agenda.

The passive, non-participating observers whole heartedly cooperate while they slowly die on the vine. Although in a healthy human body - hands, feet, organs, all body parts, would become feeble and wither if they were not exercising and functioning regularly. Yet we are content for only the pastor and the worship leader dominate our gatherings.

It has become the norm in church gatherings for the Spirit to be quenched and men with strong personalities to be exalted and even worshiped - and we love it. The modern church agrees with control and being controlled. Safety and passive "obedience" are more highly esteemed than freedom, the diversity of gifts, spontaneity, and the very life of the Spirit of Jesus flowing among us through each individual part.

It is all we know. We have never really known what it truly means to be free and to fully function in our gifts in church life. We have never ever, not even once, been in an assembly with a level playing field. With only Jesus being the Head and every other member being equal, bowing down at the feet of Jesus together.

Todays church scoffs at and belittles the simple, the broken, and the humble organic church gatherings that might meet in a house or a living room. Such meetings are judged as "not a real church", or even as impoverished and lacking. Why? Because this kind of meeting is completely void of a dominating celebrity. Instead, we prefer to be r***d while willingly being muzzled at the same time, and then have to pay for this violation with membership dues - while we call it "going to church and being fed".

Where are the church leaders and overseers who have learned to walk BEHIND the sheep? Where is the leadership who gently and quietly leads by facilitating? Where are the leaders who actually promote the New Testament diagram for a meeting of the church? 1 Cor. 14:26 "What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification."

The church today is stuck. She is stuck in a delusion that pastors are "the authority". Like medical doctors in the world of health care, pastors have become like gods throughout Christendom. Catholic priests or protestant pastors (which is your preference) - anything but the priesthood of the believer. 1Sa 8:19 Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, "No, but there shall be a king over us."

10/07/2025

Why does it matter how we meet or where we gather as the church? It matters because the corporate experience of Jesus is just as important as the individual experience of Jesus.

For example, what if someone were teaching that in order for God to hear your prayer, you had to give $100 to your local church leader? Would you be ok with that? Is that what the Bible teaches?

When you infringe on the individual faith of people, the specifics matter. Yet the corporate experience and expression of the church is equally as important.

09/23/2025

https://youtu.be/wxFUlXnR0DY?si=JB1PWAm3uks_oMqN

Where is the joy and peace found in the Christian life? This discussion is a brief overview regarding body, soul and spirit and the importance of learning to...

09/17/2025

https://youtu.be/-8Rb4Vs6Aw4

The first video in a series of talks that will plunge into the depths of the true characteristics of Jesus, church, marriage, work, relationships, your purpo...

05/08/2025

We become so accustomed to living from our own soul that to live from our spirit is a foreign concept. We depend on ourselves and trust in ourselves on a moment by moment basis. It’s all we’ve known. To live from your own soul apart from Christ is as common and as easy as lifting your hand, batting an eye, or walking across the room. It is natural. It is the way most people, Christian or not, live all of the time. Living from the soul is all most people have
ever known and will ever know. Living life from your soul while adding to it a Christian lifestyle with biblical concepts and truth is of little or no value. To live this way is actually somewhat miserable. It is also extremely unappealing to the non-Christian world to observe a Christian full of opinions but with no power.

-from the book "From the Head to the Heart"

09/06/2024

The hallmark of a cult is not bad doctrine. If that were the case, then every group on the planet would be a cult because no group has perfect doctrine. The hallmarks of a cult are: shut up, follow the leader, and pay money for doing so. The members are controlled and required to fund the organization in order for it to continue as is according to the vision of the leadership.

Members in a group must have a healthy ongoing invitation to introduce change. Cults don’t allow for members to have a voice and for group consensus to be reached.

There are some really interesting documentaries currently available these days that go into great depth regarding various cults and fringe religions. Whether it be the gurus of the East or other cultish groups here in the West, they all have some of the same things in common:

All of the members are looking to one personality for leadership.

The members of the group are, for the most part, castrated and stifled. They are not permitted to contribute in a way that allows the group to arrive at consensus. There is not an equal playing field, but only the leader is permitted final authority. Only the leader is allowed primary speaking privileges without interruption during his or her teachings.

If these abusive dynamics were not enough - the members of the group are all required to PAY for it. They must donate their own money and give it to the leadership for their livelihood and for the organization to keep running.

The members of these cultish groups actually LIKE paying for the abuse they are receiving because first, they don’t realize they are being abused. Secondly, they think paying for this “service” is the right thing to do.

But at the same time, some members may notice that “certain things just don’t seem right”. But they don’t dare discuss their concerns with the leadership or with each other out of fear of making waves or being shunned. The very common (but held secret) attitude of “it’s just the way things are” allows for the spiritual r**e to continue.

These damaging and codependent factories are not limited to eastern gurus and fringe religions. It is also extremely common in modern day churches.

Does this mean that the hearts of the leaders are bad? Not always. Probably not usually. Many cult leaders probably believe they are doing the right thing. What about the hearts of the members? Most members of cults are probably trying to better themselves with great intentions and sincere hearts. Members of cults probably wouldn’t say “I am in a cult”. This is especially true if participation in such a group has been generational or even historically geographical such as places like India. If you were raised in India as a Hindu, you probably wouldn’t see anything wrong with following a guru.

The Lord Jesus can and will use anything to love and grow His people. Many people have been cult members and have escaped and have found the truth of Jesus. I personally have been involved in many toxic relationships and Christ was still meeting with me in the middle of it (as best I can tell). In retrospect, He even used the damage of those relationships to grow me for the long term.

But instead of trusting in our culture, our traditional way of meeting, or trusting someone else’s credentials, shouldn’t we ask ourselves:

“Am I participating in the true Biblical model for church? What does scripture say about leadership? What does the New Testament teach regarding money and paying leaders?” What does the Bible say about what a church meeting should look like?”

Is it possible, is it even a remote possibility at all, that you are in a cult and you don’t know it?

09/03/2024

For the last 35 years I've met only in house churches. My point is not that this is some amazing thing on my part, but I have made an observation: Out of all of the people I've met with in house church in all these years (and there have been many people), only a very, very small handful have participated in house church because of a revelation from Jesus of what the church truly is and out of a love for the bride of Christ and as a friend of the Bridegroom.
Most house church people I have met choose to meet in homes because they have been rejected from traditional church, or they don't fit in anywhere else, or they don't want to tithe (not that tithing is new testament), or they have problems with authority, or they have extremely narrow doctrines that don't allow them to meet with any other Christians. They are lovers of debate and controversy, spiritually abused, victims of trauma, rebels, and people with father problems - all of these types flock to the house churches. So what is the point?
Most don't stick with house church and bail after a while because they have no conviction. They meet in homes out of a reaction to something else. And when they are ready yet again to seek their own desires - they split.
To truly see the church as she is in this new testament age we are in, produces a deep desire to become a co-laborer with Christ - as He builds His temple out of living stones, a spiritual house not made with hands, a dwelling place for God in the Spirit.
The building that God is doing has very little to do with child care in the meetings, compatible relationships at church, great speakers, or whether or not someone believes the same doctrines you do.
Rather, true new testament church life is hard work. It is love. It is dying. It is suffering with, it is confrontation, it is receiving rebuke. It is learning what it means to "be knit" with one another. It is clear communication all of the time and not judging secretly and then disappearing because it suits you. Lord, help us all.

09/01/2024

The vast majority of Christians have zero interest in house church. It is usually very counter productive when house church people make house church “a cause” or a mission to get others to see about church what has been revealed to them. I recommend you completely give up on trying to get others to “see what you see”. Only God can grant revelation. Instead, simply answer questions and be available to the hungry hearts.

02/27/2024

“House church” is not really the point. It’s really about “not” everything else that is unnecessary and a hindrance that chokes the flow of the life of the Spirit. If we make house church a thing to be focused on, replicated or modeled after, we will miss Christ in the process.

For example, if we say that the common accepted way to have a successful marriage is to talk together 4 times a week only at 6 pm, eat together only on Monday and Wednesday, and sleep in the same bed only once a week - we would hopefully all reject such an artificial form.

However, if we replaced all that with the true and “correct way” of having a good marriage by deciding to actually to only eat, meet, and sleep in the living room - we would still entirely miss the point.

If “where” or even “HOW” we meet becomes the focus, we will miss the heart, the passion, and the spontaneity that should flow from the life within.

The problem with the traditional institutionalized church meeting is that it is almost everything “not” of what cooperates with free flowing spontaneity. Even correction and protection from error in the church should come from free flowing spontaneity of the Spirit.

House church is not the answer nor a replacement model for traditional church. It just so happens that when we allow for free flowing spontaneity according to the natural flow of the gifts and functions in the body of Christ, we frequently wind up in the living room.

01/03/2024

Have you ever talked to the Lord in prayer but didn't get a sense that He was listening? Or, have you ever thought you might be hearing the voice of the Lord, but you weren't quite sure if it was truly Him you were hearing? Perhaps you have a difficult time discerning the difference between your own voice in your head and the voice of God.

There are many activities Christians can engage in. We may listen to teachings, study our Bibles, and learn new things about the Lord however, there is often a spiritual disconnect. Many times, Christians engage in Christian activities, but are not connecting with God in the process.

God is Spirit. He is the Holy Spirit. In our attempts to fellowship
with God who is Spirit, we are much more successful in this activity if we learn to know Him and be with Him from our spirit, instead of from our brains only. We must learn to commune with the Lord, spirit to Spirit.

In order to remedy this, we must first understand that there is more to our human anatomy than just thoughts and feelings.

We must realize that we are also spirit. Spirit is deeper than thoughts and feelings. As we learn to identify and separate what is Spirit from thought and feelings, we can much easier discern the voice of the Lord and learn to commune with the living God.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the DIVISION OF SOUL AND SPIRIT, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.