It is one thing to talk about love it is a whole another world to experience it. John 3:16 says that God so love the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him would not perish but have everlasting life. What made Christianity so powerful was that God demonstrated his love for people by sending his only begotten son to earth. Love was no longer an idea but a real living person.
The house church leader Frank Viola says that the theology of a house church is rooted in the concept of the trinity. God the father, Jesus the son and the Holy Spirit are involved in a mystical dance of love with one another. They are dependent on one another, they glorify one another, they submit and obey one another, they serve one another and most of all they love one another. God wants this kind of relationship created in his body, his bride, his family the church.
God did not only say that he loved people; He showed it by getting personal. The term in carnation means God with us. John was transformed because he had seen God, he had heard God and he had touched God in the person of Jesus. Love was not just an idea it was a living person.
What people need is not the idea that they are loved; what people need are people to help them experience they are loved. Worship in traditional churches tells people over and over again that they are loved. This is good because it is true. Sadly, large church gatherings offer very little in helping people experience being loved. The very structure of worship and the size prevent that.
The primary reason why a House church’s is superior is that it offers believers the experience of love along with the message of love. Jesus said that all men would know you are my disciples if you love one another. (John 13:34) House churches due to their size and open participation structure allow people to be loved and to love. Healthy house churches gather to encourage one another, admonish one another, speak truth to one another, to confess to one another, forgive one another, to share a common meal together, to pray for one another and most of all to love one another.
If you love someone then you have probably have sat down and ate a meal with them. They have been in your home and you have been in theirs. Sharing a meal and being in someone’s home is one of the greatest ways to get to know someone and to grow in love with them. No wonder then that the early church was so loving, it met almost exclusively in believer’s homes.
The question every believer should ask themselves is, “Does my present church help me to experience love and help me to express love to others?” If it does then stay put. If it doesn’t maybe it is time to visit a house church or better yet help start one.