Pastor Brad DeLong - House to House

i want to preach about from the word of the lord today and at least two places in the book of acts we hear this concept of what we're going to be practicing later today the first is in acts chapter 2 and verse 46 after the day of pentecost which was when the spirit of god was first poured out it says so continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart praising god having favor with all the people and the lord added to the church daily those who are being saved they broke bread from house to house they were with one accord in the temple and broke bread from house to house a couple chapters later we find that they continue the same pattern acts 5 and verse 42 says that after they were put on trial they were disciplined by the the sanhedrin the ruling body of that day that daily in the temple and in every house they did not cease teaching and preaching jesus as the christ they carry this truth this gospel this spirit and the accompanying power and presence of god with them everywhere they went even outside the temple and from house to house and that last phrase is the one i want to borrow from

my title today although i may take a little different kind of approach as i presented to you this morning with that in mind i want to preach to you from that phrase in this title house to house house to house i need you to pray with me we need god's help today he's going to help us and speak to his church would you lift your voice with me and let's pray in the name of jesus we thank you for what you're going to do across our city today and we thank you for what you're going to do in this house we acknowledge you and ask for your help lord we need it today we need it every day we're asking that your word would strengthen us and speak to us encourage us and let there be a shift in our mindset in perspective today by your word and your spirit in jesus name we pray in jesus name and you may be seated thank you god does some of his best work within the walls in the confines of a house and home dating all the way back to the old testament we often find that a house a home a dwelling place would fall in the center of god's miraculous plan or would be the location for the supernatural to occur this was the case with one of the most celebrated miracles in judaic history the miracle of the passover

when the people of god applied the blood of a sacrificial lamb to the doorposts of their homes and they gather together inside to await the deliverance of god from the oppression of the egyptian people it's this pivotal moment in the history of israel and the people of god found themselves in their homes with their families witnessing the miraculous power of god and his deliverance from egypt all of them watching from their proverbial living rooms this was a defining moment in the history and the story of israel and it would not be the last time that a home a house a dwelling place would be central to a miraculous story it was just a short time later that the same god who delivered them that day would declare himself to the people of israel that he was one lord and he would commission them to remember who he was to remember his oneness over and over again in their homes deuteronomy 6 tells us what he said verse 6 says and these words which i command you today will be in your heart you'll teach them diligently to your children you'll talk about them when you sit in your house when you walk by the way when you lie down in your house when you rise up you'll bind them as a sign on your

hand they'll be as frontlets between your eyes you'll write them on the doorposts of your house you'll write them on the gates of your house your very home and its structural support will be a reminder of your god in your conversation and your interactions within your home will be pointed towards and focused on the one god whom you serve the home was always a part of god's plan the house and the abiding family within it were always a fixture in his will and his way of blessing humanity in restoring relationship with fallen mankind it was a house where elijah saw the widow's boy raised back to life again it was a home where the ark of the covenant was placed and obed edom's family was blessed it was the potter's house where jeremiah received a word and direction from god for the people of israel and it was likely in the confines of a humble family gathering where many scholars believe the messiah himself the word made flesh was born into the world where he would eventually die for the sins of the world some traditions i know paint him in a stable because of the wording of the manger others say that they did indeed stay with their family just not in the guest quarters not in the end

but they stayed in a family house either way with at least his mother and his earthly father present his birthplace the location of one of the single greatest events that has occurred on our planet it did not happen in a palace it did not happen in a synagogue it did not happen in the holy of holies it happened in a dwelling place in an abode in a place where family was gathered and most certainly in a place that would have been deemed as humble and not even maybe even unholy jesus christ does some of his best work in a house this is not to mention his own house the temple of solomon and others where his glory would reside but perhaps even more so we find the glory and power of god his presence and his supernatural power it was also displayed and experienced within the confines of a home in a house this is reinforced by the fact that of his 35 to 40 notable miracles he did in the gospels only three of them ever happened in a synagogue or in a temple the rest of them happened on the streets in the city out in the field out amongst the people at least six of them happened in a home and in a house three of them happened in a church house the rest happened outside the church house three

happened in a synagogue and double that amount or at least one six of his recorded miracles happen at home and in the house and while i'm thankful for every miracle that happens in this house a house that we need one that i'll talk about in a few minutes i am so thankful today for the miracles that can happen in my house the miracles that can happen in your house i'm thankful for the supernatural displays of god's glory that happen in this house but i am more and more thankful for when god's glory and presence show up in my house and show up in my family show up in my neighborhood god can restore broken hearts and forgive sins in this house today but i want to remind someone he is not and he's never been limited to this house and miraculous displays of his glory in this place he can do it in my house he can heal cancer in your house god can fill some with the holy ghost in my living room and he can wash away someone's sins in your swim and pull he does some of his best work within the walls of a house and even outside the walls of this house in fact these are just a few things that can happen in a house in which jesus resides or one that he shows up and in john 4 the nobleman's son

was healed from a terminal illness in his house in mark 1 peter's mother-in-law was healed of a debilitating fever in peter's house in mark 2 a paralytic man walked out of that house with his legs and his body healed his sins forgiven in matthew 9. jairus daughter was raised to life again in the middle of their family house and in acts 10 cornelius's entire family his whole family experienced salvation in the middle of their family home after the word of god was preached and the glory of god was poured out on them excuse me these are just a fraction of the things that can happen in the house and it just got me wondering today what can happen in your house and what can happen in my house it's gotten me wondering what families are going to hear the word of god in their living room like cornelius did and receive the outpouring of the holy ghost right there in their home what neighbors and loved ones in our field are going to experience the glory of god have their sins forgiven and washed away in their living room or their backyard kitty poor what friend or unsaved loved one is going to feel the power and the glory of god for the first time sitting at my table sitting at your table sitting

in a connect group as the presence of god moves in that place like it does here and like it did in cornelius's house i've seen what can happen in this house and i thank god for it but i'm just wondering what can happen in my house what more can happen in my house what can happen in your house in your neighborhood in your school district what can happen in the house truth is this morning we've already seen glimpses of it even before this day the launch of our connect groups just reminds us that god's work in the family home is not limited to the pages of scripture but even beyond the biblical narrative we have personally seen what god can do in our homes what god can do in our living rooms it was last year i believe sister michelle mcclure's mother received the holy ghost watching our live stream sitting in her home i heard another testimony of someone who hadn't been to church in quite a while and they prayed back through to the holy ghost and began speaking in other tongues sitting in their home watching our live stream others were relieved of pain we we heard testimonies all throughout covet like this of the glory of god phone in our homes in our living rooms and god just started

to break our mold and break our box about what can really happen in our house in our dwelling places healings take place in hope my sister-in-law would you raise your hand michelle just wave at him he was healed sitting on her couch her two-year-old or one-year-old came and prayed over her and god healed her body right then and there we heard testimonies of others relieved of pain watching services i heard a story a while ago from our bishop david k bernard was sitting in his home at his dining room table he felt the effects of a stroke come over his body he started to lose function in his body but he took his hand put it on his own head and said in the name of jesus and that stroke stopped and it was thwarted and there were no more side effects no long-term effects that happened at his dining room table what could happen in our house when the glory of god brews what can happen in your living room with your family when god decides to show up in your hell what can happen who can be healed who can be forgiven who can be washed to their sins in your house i when peter wright shared this story we were teaching a bible study a young man his name is patrick we're talking about forgiveness

repentance of sins if you've never repented of your sins and asked for god to forgive you you can have that happen today and he's faithful and just to forgive you of your sins and cleanse you of all unrighteousness you can be baptized in the name of jesus and be washed of all of your sins we started to talk to patrick talking about repentance of sins baptism forgiveness the glory of god came in that room patrick who wasn't used to this didn't go up in this starting to feel something you could tell on his face he said can we stop can we pray right now now i want to do what you're talking about right now i want to repent of my sins right now i said okay he stood up to his feet started to pray repent of his sins god forgave him of his sins a couple of weeks later we baptized him in the name of jesus and all of his sins were washed away and my prayer and my hope is that that won't be the last time someone repents of their sins standing in my living room that won't be the last time someone feels the glory of god in the middle of my house and your it won't be the last time someone's sins are forgiven standing in your dining room or your home your foyer it will not be the last time the presence

of god fills a living room where believers are gathered together but if we learn anything from our months of quarantine and covet it's that god really does do some of his best work in the house and he is not finished yet i believe god's ready to move in some homes like he did in corneliuses in jair god's ready to bring some people back to spiritual life sitting at your dining room table as the lights come on the word of god begins to stir in their hearts he's ready to pour out his power in his glory in the middle of a connect group and watch it spill out into the neighborhood spill out into the streets spill out in the neighbor's homes he's ready to move in your house in my house if you believe it and you want it i wonder if we could just pause here for 20 seconds or so lift our hands and ask him god i want you to move in my house like you move in this house i want you to do in my house what you've done here you can heal someone you could touch an unsaved loved one's life oh you can bring peace to my home the same peace i feel in this house i pray there'd be revival at apc and let it start in my house let it start on my street we want it we need it we asked for it today jesus name

jesus state god's ready to move in the house i talked to one of our connect group leaders recently he said he's just been praying god just blow my mind with what you want to do in our group blow my mind with what you want to do in this ministry i believe he's going to do it i believe he's going to do something powerful in our homes groups across our city i want to circle back to something i mentioned a little earlier on the message today i do want to reiterate this morning for those who may be wondering or those who may be wavering on this point that whatever god does intend to do in my house and in your house whatever his plans are for the places in the houses outside of this place in this temple i want to be clear today it does not negate the fact that we still need this temple and this gathering place no matter what he does or doesn't do in our homes we still need this body of believers gathering together of the church family as well in fact the writer of hebrews tells us we need it he says that we need to gather together so much the more hebrews 10 says let's hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for he who promised is faithful and he is and let's consider one another

in order to stir up love and good works not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some but exhorting one another and so much the more he says as you see the day approaching this is part of the reason why the disciples continued daily in the temple and in every house and just because they could access the power of god in their homes that did not stop them from consistently meeting together in the temple and from going to the synagogue regularly even after being beaten by the sanhedrin for preaching in the temple they still continue to go in there daily to meet with one another and to meet with others in fact even jesus himself made it a practice to go to the synagogue as was his custom luke 4 says so we have to continue in the temple if you allow me to equate the two the temple and the gathering of the body together we must continue to gather with one another we have to continue to be faithful to assemble with one another exhort one another provoke one another to good works so much the more he says as the day of the lord approaches we need to continue to make the house of god and faithfulness to this gathering and to one another a priority because what happens

in my house it does not displace what happens in this house it just enhances what happens in this house and vice versa what happens in my home does not supplant or replace what happens in his house nor does it supersede what happens in the lord house but instead the two ought to go hand in hand together i need to continue in the temple and from house to house i need to meet with god in his house and i need to meet with him in my own house i need to encounter him in the holy place and i need to experience his glory in the middle of my own place i need him in this house and i need him in my house and not just one or the other this is where the rubber really meets the road today because for many access to god and encounters with his spirit and his glory have been relegated solely to the confines of his house in his temple and they rarely ever make it beyond that point and into the homes and the houses of the temple worshipers themselves but what i'm preaching today is you ought to encounter god in this house every single week and then you ought to take him home with you when you go home to your house every single you want to encounter god in the temple and you ought to meet with him in

your home as well you want to experience his power here and you ought to take it with you when you go out there we're going to continue in the temple and take what happens in the temple out of this place and into the field hear me today what happens in this house it ought to spill out into your house in my house every time we leave this building every time in fact it's one of my prayers every sunday before we gather together lord let what happens here spit out of this place into our homes into our neighborhoods our schools our families our field let what happens in this house have an impact beyond this house let what happens here affect what happens out there in my home and in my neighborhood i cannot leave the power of pentecost at the doors of his house it does not die when i step out on the parking lot or i get in my car to go home but what happens in this temple ought to spill into the field and into my house in my home it ought to be transferred and it ought to be experienced from house to house the fact of the matter is pentecost cannot be contained in just one house neither has it ever been instead when you recognize the pattern of pentecost that it always seemed to spill out

beyond the place where it originated and when you recognize this pentecostal movement started in a house in the first place it starts to make a little more sense that this experience cannot be contained in just one church house alone instead it was designed in purpose to be transferable from house to house whether a family house to another one or whether from this house to my house and yours in fact acts 1 tells us the place pentecost originally fell was actually the dwelling place of the disciples themselves acts 1 13 says and when they had entered they went up into the upper room where they were staying set it was their home it was their residence it was more than likely a room built on top of a house for guests and for travelers it was also a place outside the grounds and the confines of the temple and the holy place this was the setting for the initial outpouring of the holy ghost and the birthplace of the church a home a family a boat a house an upper room this church started in a house a place where god does some of his best work it started with a group of people praying in a home and in a humble setting and it spilled out into the neighborhood and it spilled out into the street

something happened in a home and it affected an entire neighborhood in a city on that day in the days to come let me just pause here and say what i'm feeling to our connect group leaders this morning i remind our leaders specifically that you never know what can happen when a group of believers meet in a house to pray and to unite and study the word of god together when the spirit fell that day that house became the beginnings of a global church in a global family that group of people gathered together in that home they were the church of the living god in and of themselves but assist strong our north american missions director said this you are no less a church with three or four people in your home than you are in a church building with three or four hundred in attendance because where two or three are gathered together in my name there i am in the midst of them so wherever you are gathered together you are the church and you can be the church right then and there in the bible says the gates of hell themselves will not prevail against you there's some gates in your neighborhood and there's some things that work in your neighborhood but when that connect group starts prayer starts

it the holy ghost begins to move some things in your neighborhood are going to start shaking and moving and there's going to be doors opening and chains falling in your neighborhoods you'll be the church wherever you're gathered whether in the temple in your home and know that the god of heaven himself is parked and planted in the midst of your gathering the same god who fills this place will fill your house the same god who's healed bodies at this altar can heal someone in the middle of prayer time in a connect group and the same god who poured out pentecost in that house on that day can pour it out in your house and in your neighborhood and your family and while we must continue in the temple and nothing can replace the body the whole body gather together i'm looking forward to what god is going to do in each and every house represented here today we simply cannot discredit what god can do in the middle of a home in the middle of a house you see this church started in a house in acts 2 spilled out into the neighborhood at the end of the chapter 3 000 people were added to the church that day alone and i love what happened next the next couple chapters tell us this pentecostal experience

one that started in a family home and house actually ended up spilling into the temple and another 5 000 plus people heard the word and believe so what happened in the home affected five thousand plus in the temple and in the church as pentecost transferred from the family house to the church what if what happens in my house influences what happens at church and then it's not always the other way around what if what happened at church is actually a reflection of what's already happening in our homes and not the inverse solely now i'm a firm believer that what happens here should affect what happens out there but i bring this up to say we cannot diminish or discredit the impact and the power of what can happen in our homes in our living rooms and our families instead i implore someone today you ought to allow pentecost to happen in your home and let it spill out into the neighborhood and why don't you let it spill over into the church why don't we just get this at home and bring it with us to church like the apostles and the disciples why don't i get in god's glory sit in my living room and bring that power of god with me to church to help some i could get a word for someone at home

and bring it to church and what would happen if what was poured out in our homes started affecting influencing what happens in our church and not always to the inverse what if i could bring pentecost from my house to this house what if revival broke out at my house my family felt the effect of the power of god what if it broke out of my connect group and it made its way to another one and another one in another neighborhood and then we came back together and the place couldn't be contained especially when you realize that this church was born and continued in a house multiple houses where the church was born you start to erase the line between the church house and the family house and you start to realize that the church building is not the only place where spirituality ought to be practiced and experienced but if i do some simple math today and i take note of the fact that i may only be at church for services two or three days out of the week it tells me plainly that i ought to experience pentecost in the glory of god more in my home and my house than i do in this one i'm in my house seven days a week and while i would and i should experience the power of god and receive his word

every time i come here simple math tells me i should be partaking in both of those more often in my house than i do in this one it should not be out of the norm for me to have more intimate moments in the presence of god in my home than i do here instead i need to continue in both the temple and the house i need both but if the only time i worship god freely is once in a while in this house i am missing out on what god wants to do in my house and my the only time i get a word from god and the only time i hear his voice is in this house how much of his word am i missing today if the only place i experience pentecost is here am i missing an opportunity for pentecost there this morning with that in mind i just feel god breaking the box and the mold and letting us know not only does he plan to meet with us in this house every time we and he does but i believe god is yearning and desiring to meet with someone to pour out pentecost to do some of his best work in my house and yours as we continue in the temple and from house to house god is going to meet with us in both and not just one or the other and we're going to see a transfer of his power and his glory is healing his deliverance from

house to house and from house to house he's going to move from house to house musicians you can come i know that what i'm talking about today directly pertains to our connect groups and our launch this morning but it's bigger than that i'd like us not to shovel this over to the connect group leaders and say here you go there's more houses than theirs represented here this morning today i really feel like i'm speaking to homes and families that are in turmoil and brokenness and you need an infusion of pentecost and the power of god in your homes again speaking of homes that have been devoid of regular prayer in the presence of god homes that god has called into healing and restoration i'm talking to parents and individuals who have started to make an effort to make god the centerpiece of your home but you've faced hurdles and struggles and resistance and i want to pause here and say to this group in particular david came back from worshiping god with the assembly he came to bless his home and his wife rebuked him and made fun of him felt the word for someone this week make it as easy on your spouse who you're living with to honor god in your home as you can look how dignified you were

david saw how you worshipped i know how you are at home she was barren i feel god encouraging someone let your spouse walk in what they feel like they need to do let that loved one do what they need to do don't discourage them even if their convictions and their commitments affect your own honor god in your home we need him in our home i'm talking to families singles and spouses who are making that attempt and you've been discouraged in the process and lastly i'm talking to individuals and families who simply want to honor god in their homes as much as they honor him in this house he's calling us to continue in the temple and in the house and i pray that i'm not so proficient when i go to the temple that i neglect the house oh god help me not to be faithful here but neglect my family and your presence and your glory there because you want to do something in my house and in every house that's here today god's calling us a temple in the house i wonder if you're staying with me this morning the majority of the application of this message will happen tonight in the days to come but if you fall into any of these groups i just mentioned you want peace in your home and your family you need

healing in your home you need strength and encouragement to continue in the home in the temple you just want to honor god and your family i will invite you to come and pray but i'm going to invite you if your family's here grab your family and bring them with you you're doing this together if you want to honor god in your home and that may catch everyone would you just begin to come right now grab grab someone nearby or if you're living by yourself that's okay come right now and begin to lift your hands and lift your voices and let's ask for god's help lord we need peace in our homes we need healing in our homes oh god my home's been in turmoil my home's been struggling my home's in trouble and we're asking for your help today we want to honor you in our homes as much as we do in this house i wonder if some families will lift their voices right now some spouses and some husbands and moms and dads would grab their kids and begin to pray or if you're here by yourself and feel like you want to link up with someone else would you pray oh god help us to continue in the temple and help us to continue at home oh jesus i don't want to neglect one or the other but i need your help i need your

help we need you in our homes we want something to happen in our homes we want pentecost in our homes we want the glory of god in our homes we wanted to spill into our neighbors in our neighborhood