Microchurches.
“And they will be called righteous oaks,
planted by the Lord to glorify Him.”
~ Isaiah 61
Our dream is to see an equipped and empowered follower of Jesus on every street and a Microchurch in every network of relationships so that every person has repeated opportunities to respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Church; Redefined // Church; Empowered & Sent Out
What if the church could be stripped back and released to flourish in the places that its’ people are called to live, work, and exist in?
What if church wasn’t defined by a service, a leader, or even a building… but by a group of believers living as a true spiritual family unified around the call of Jesus on our lives - to make disciples.
Our Microchurches are simply that: Small churches gathered around a common mission or calling - community forged in the camaraderie of living life on mission together, all under the Lordship and in adoration of Jesus.
1. WORSHIP - JESUS IS LORD.
Alan Hirsch describes this as Christianity’s ThreeWord-Worldview. By that, he means that we, as followers of Jesus, should see the world through the lens of “Jesus is Lord.”
When we utter the phrase “Jesus is Lord,” we are saying, “Jesus, every part of who I am fully surrenders to you. This is not merely symbolic. You give direction. You have full authority over my decisions. You have full authority over my spouse, kids, where we live, where we eat, how we spend the resources we have, how we open our home, how we serve at work, if we live for you, or if we die for you.
We are beginning here with this idea, exploring for a few moments the phrase “Jesus is Lord,” because everything flows from this singular idea. Everything ties to our radical commitment to “Jesus is Lord.”
We are fascinated with all that He is. Everything we are and everything we do is founded in Him, by Him and for Him.
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
COLOSSIANS 3:15-17
2. COMMUNITY - SPIRITUAL FAMILY.
The people of God are, as His living stones, being constantly shaped, hewn and built together into a spiritual house - a home truly suitable to house the manifest glory of The Lord (1 Peter 2:4,9).
As His holy and royal priesthood, we have been designed to carry and give away the wholistic gospel of Jesus, including all of the healing, salvation and transformation on offer through Him.
After all, what God is building is never a structure or an institution but a family - a family of whom every person should have the opportunity to belong to, as He has already planted in humankind an anchor to Him (Ecc. 3:11, Eph 3:14).
In order to do this, it demands a deeper level of covenantal living together as Microchurches; as spiritual family. More than connecting once per week, we must choose to share in everything together - the highs and the lows. That level of openness and vulnerability creates a unity that opens the door to the favour and the breakthrough of The Lord working through us.
Every promise, blessing and exhortation of our Lord is given in the context of spiritual family (1 Cor. 12, Romans 12:1-2). In modern times, the world says to live distinctly separate as hyper-individualism takes hold, but God says that we are meant to belong and live together, and that it is only possible to truly live out the life Jesus has made possible if we do it together. We take our cue from the early Church and their way of life, as found in Acts 2.
“I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
“But you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children.”
“Love must be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good. Show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer. Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality.”
JOHN 13:34-35; ROMANS 8:15-16; ROMANS 12:8-12
3. MISSION - EMPOWERED PEOPLE OF GOD.
As followers of Jesus, and children of God we are afforded a high level of spiritual authority during our time here on earth. It makes sense that we are given this since Jesus commanded us to do what He did, live like Him, and go spread the gospel and make disciples of all nations.
To even consider doing any of these things from a purely natural, material and worldly perspective would simply be impossible! But, thankfully, Jesus new this so promised (John 14, Acts 1:8) that He would send the Holy Spirit to us who would work in and through us as counselor, director, revealer of God’s heart (Romans 8), and bringer of God’s power for us and through us to those who are lost.
The super-abundant life Jesus calls us to is only possible if we choose to fully embrace the supernatural help He offers to us - and that demands a consistent and passionate hunger and reliance on being CLOSE to Him always.
Jesus always had a supernatural response to every situation and challenge he faced (Matt 4:23), so we should posture ourselves to learn from him and copy his responses. Jesus also gave us the wild promise that not only would we do the same as Him, but even greater things (John 14:12)… not because of us, but as a testament to HIM working and living IN us.
Supernatural signs and wonders serve as a signpost to the kingdom of heaven, and are an extravagant display of God’s great love for all people - indeed, they are simply God’s love at work in powerful ways (1 Cor. 1:4-5, 14:1).
“Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
“You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people for His possession,
so that you may proclaim the praises of the One
who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
MATTHEW 28:18-20 & 1 PETER 2:9
WHY MICROCHURCH?
Some of our community members give their say…
“The picture of church I see in the Bible is of communities of believers sharing life together in a radical and missional way... I often wondered what would happen if we stripped away the services, programmes, buildings, committees… What if we put all our time and effort into doing life together as believers and inviting others into our lives?”
“The more I get to know Jesus, the more I want to follow his example - to run towards those in pain and need with reckless compassion and practical love.”
“For the sake of the lost, believers need to fully respond to the Great Commission in teams where they won’t either become spectators
amongst many or become isolated, alone and overburdened.”
“I want to see the ‘church’ break out of it’s walls (both literal & figurative) and embrace a simpler yet more potent existence that prioritises mission and empowers God’s people to be the ‘Church’ (God’s sent ones) where they are.”