Setting Ourselves to Minister to the Saints

[This message was transcribed and edited from a conference given by Chuck Debelak in Detroit, Michigan, in October 2000. Mr. Debelak has not reviewed this document in its edited form.]

Continued from "The Family Atmosphere"

B. In Philippi, as an example, Lydia was the first one to open her home to the apostle Paul (Acts 16:14-15, 40). Then, the jailer (Acts 16:33-34), after he was baptized, brought the apostles into his house and set a table before them.

You see again how God needs the homes. "And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple-dyed goods from the city of Thyatira who worshipped God, was listening, whose heart the Lord opened to give heed to the things being spoken by Paul. 15 And when she was baptized, as well as her household, she entreated us, saying, If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and abide. And she constrained us." And also verse 40, "And they went out from the prison and entered the house of Lydia; and when they saw the brothers, they exhorted them and went forth." The Lord used a home for the basis for His work.

Acts 16:33-34 shows the situation after the Philippian jailer was saved, "And he took them with him in that very hour of the night and washed their wounds. And he was baptized immediately, he and all his household. 34 And he brought them up into his house and set a table before them; and he exulted because he had believed in God with all his household." Again we see that God begins with a home because a home is the basis where people experience Christ.

C. In Corinth, the household of Stephanas, the firstfruits of Achaia, set themselves to minister to the saints - 1 Corinthians 16:15

Now I exhort you, brothers: You know the household of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and they have set themselves to minister to the saints.

Here was a family that realized that God works through the home. They had the realization that the home is God's base to reach people, so they "set themselves." Our home and the way we set it up, the way we arrange things, the way we spend our money, we "set" so that we can minister to the saints. They understood that this is how God works. Often, we look at our physical buildings or meeting places and consider this the real meeting. But God would argue, "Listen, most of the things I would like to tell people will occur around your dinner table. They will happen in your home." We do need a meeting facility in order to gather together in a larger corporate way, but God needs mostly people who would "set" themselves. They set themselves to struggle in their family life. They set themselves to struggle in their marriage life. They set themselves to struggle in raising their kids to experience the Lord. What does God want to bring people, the saints and outsiders, to? He wants to bring them into a home where Christ will be ministered.

What is so good about a home? You cannot have an official meeting in a home. In fact, the Bible never tells us to have meetings. We gather according to the Spirit's leading. You cannot have a meeting when you eat together. You mouth is full half of the time. You can't have formal meetings. Often when we try to have a formal meeting in the home it is a big failure. We try to take the pattern of a larger meeting and replicate it in the home. That is not a home meeting. A home meeting is my wife and I with our children. It's good to have kids messing up our home meeting. Some groups have "children's service" in their home! This is a shame. We don't kick our kids out when the guests come. On the contrary, the way we are with our children is a testimony of Christ. The atmosphere in our home affords the Lord a way to minister to the saints. To minister what? Whatever and however the Lord leads us in human virtues.

While we are eating, the Lord may lead us to keep quiet and not say anything "spiritual." While we are eating, the Lord may lead us to be warm toward the others or to take an interest in their life. At another time the Lord may lead us to minister a verse to someone or to bring up a hymn to someone. In other words, in the atmosphere of the home I experience most of my Christ and this eventually testifies Christ to others. When I'm at home, I experience Christ and then I bring people into my personal experience of Christ. I don't lead a dual life: "Honey, you take care of the kids, I'm going to the meeting to be spiritual." We are not against going to gatherings, but can we see that our former attitude and church life is not quite right?

No "Meetings," but meeting the needs

The principle in the Bible is that God used homes. What was going on in those homes all the time? Mom and dad, husband and wife, were experiencing Christ in human virtues. Now we bring people to our home and we don't need any thought of "what material is the church using this week." Or "what material should we cover tonight?" No. We are out of that realm and we remain in the same realm we are in with our spouse, the same realm we are in with our children: "Lord Jesus, some people are coming over, tonight. How do we minister to them?" We eat together in simplicity of heart. We do not have meetings, but we meet according to the Lord's leading concerning the needs of the saints. If the Lord can gain this kind of avenue with a group of believers in a locality, this becomes a channel for Him to reach people in different ways and different times. What a blessing! The Lord views a family like this or a group of families like this as a vessel that He can add others into, a vessel He can bring others into. This is the church God desires. There is no greater joy in the whole world than experiencing Christ in our marriage life, experiencing Christ in raising our children, and also in opening our home to bring others to experience Christ with us. We may invite saints or unbelievers, but we operate in the same way as we operate in our daily home life. In the same way we experience Christ with our family, we also seek Him to experience Him in His virtues with the saints or with the unbelievers who are visiting.

The issue of such a living may be expressed in many ways. Surely many of us have at times shepherded or discipled someone by NOT being too spiritual. They just needed to talk and have us listen. When they finish, they say, "Oh, thank you. I feel so refreshed." But we didn't do anything! The Lord led us to be long-suffering. The Lord led us to bear that person during the evening. Another time we may speak only one word. Sometimes we only share on a practical level. But what really got ministered is the grace of God to that person.

No pressure

This is the church life according to the New Testament and this is not a pressured life. Sometimes we get "caught" doing things or activities. To truly see the thought laid out in this message would cause us to say, "Sometimes my wife and I feel that we just don't have enough evenings in the week to have people over!" At the same time, I also take care of my wife not to overdo. It's not that hard … just look into her eyes and you can see it on her face. Sometimes I offer to cook for her to relieve any pressure. Instead of pressure it becomes relaxing. Sometimes we are full of anxiety because we are waiting to cram our "verses" into somebody who comes to our house. They may begin to open their heart in a genuine way, but we don't listen because we are "looking" for the opportunity to "preach our message" to them. But if our family has set themselves to minister to the saints, then when the saints come over we are before the Lord and checking with Him what to do, what to say and when to do or say it.

None of us are that spiritual. We are not that good of a father. In fact, we're bad at it. But we're seeking the Lord and therefore, His presence is with us. With the same seeking spirit that we have with our own family we look forward to having people over. We are not pressured but are just seeking the Lord's move; His timing; His way. We cherish people and nourish them according to the Lord's leading. With this kind of life and living, we can't get enough of it! The whole principle is not "to do things" but to experience the flow of the divine life issuing in human virtues.

continue with "Love Feast as the Center of the Church Life"