The Exodus and the House Church

By Michael Clark

In the early days of the Church in the first century there was explosive growth. Under the leadership and guidance of the Holy Spirit and humble, broken men and women, the Church grew and multiplied until its impact upon the Roman empire was felt right into the very houses of its emperors and leaders. Of these humble believers who poured out their blood as if it was an honor in the service of their savior it was once said, "these are they who turn the world upside down." (Acts 17:6). For three hundred years these humble saints met together as families in their humble homes.

But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them. (Exodus 1:7, NKJV).

I was born into the kingdom during a move of the Holy Spirit that was sweeping the nation of America in the early ‘70s. This phenomenon was known as the Jesus Revolution and it seemed to spring up almost over night everywhere, finally spreading to Europe and parts of Asia. It was an exciting time to be a Christian as we saw "signs follow those who believed." It was like reliving the book of Acts itself. Thousands of young people came to Christ, demons were cast out, and people were healed of serious drug addictions and diseases as we laid hands on them and prayed.

Almost overnight, "Christian houses" started popping up and they all seemed to be given Bible names. In Spokane we had the house of Abraham (where single brothers lived), the house of Sarah (for the single girls), the house of David (where our band lived), and the house of Manna (where we gathered for meals and Bible study).

We found these believers' houses and Christian coffee houses everywhere we went across the country and in Europe by 1974. It was "just Jesus," doing it all, not any organization or by any pamphlet, but the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Everywhere the Church was meeting and eating together in homes. And the meetings were alive and dynamic with everyone able to contribute and be part of the family. Imagine our excitement as we discovered while feeding on the Bible that this was how the early church got started and met, too! (see Acts chapters 1-6).

In the following years Christian home meetings started becoming more and more popular. Institutional Churches, wanting to share in this dynamic life that we were experiencing, started opening up their own "coffee houses," sponsoring house church meetings, and sending their people out on the streets to "witness."

The only trouble was that often their "coffee houses" were in the church basement, their home meetings were a mini-Sunday service dominated by the pastor, and their people on the streets were there without the youthful zeal that we knew as we shared our new found love for Jesus with the lost. What the Holy Spirit sovereignly did among America's once drug-sick youth culture could not be cloned by dead traditional Churches. As time went on, many of the "Jesus People" either joined these institutions or created ones of their own, and soon the light went out. By 1976 the Jesus Movement had lost almost all signs of life. The new wine of the Holy Spirit had turned into vinegar in the old wine skins. As Don McClain sang in his popular song "Bye, Bye, American Pie" it seemed that we had seen "the day the music died."

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