Tag: Fellowship

Are You A Mary or A Martha? A Biblical Lesson

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In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the busyness of life. From work commitments to family responsibilities, the constant demands can leave us feeling drained, disconnected, and spiritually depleted. Often, these responsibilities are good and necessary things, but the enemy uses the very busyness that seems productive to draw us away from our true source of strength: God. In the middle of all the tasks, we can easily neglect what is most important—spending time with God, nurturing our spiritual growth, and maintaining a close relationship with Him.

The Bible provides a powerful example of how busyness can distract us from what is truly “needful,” and we can learn valuable lessons from the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42. In this encounter, Jesus gently rebukes Martha for allowing her busyness to overshadow the one thing that was most important—sitting at His feet and learning from Him. Through this passage and others, we see the danger of becoming so consumed by the demands of life that we miss out on the relationship with God that is meant to sustain us.

The Story of Martha and Mary: A Cautionary Tale

In Luke 10:38-42, we read about a visit Jesus made to the home of Martha and her sister Mary. While Martha was busy preparing and serving, Mary chose to sit at Jesus’ feet, listening to His teaching. When Martha became frustrated and asked Jesus to tell her sister to help her, Jesus responded, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken from her.”

Jesus’ response is not a condemnation of Martha’s service, but rather a reminder that, in the midst of her good work, she was neglecting the most important thing—being present with Jesus and learning from Him. Jesus makes it clear that there is a time for service and action, but there is also a time to pause, listen, and be with Him. Mary’s choice to sit and listen to Jesus was a reflection of the deeper need for spiritual nourishment, something that can’t be satisfied by busyness alone.

This story speaks to the dangers of being overwhelmed by tasks—good tasks, to be sure—but tasks that can draw us away from God if we aren’t careful. Just as Martha allowed her work to pull her away from Jesus, so too can we become distracted by the demands of life, losing sight of the one thing that is truly necessary: our relationship with God.

The Subtle Trap of Busyness

It is not the responsibilities themselves that are inherently bad, but how we manage them and allow them to shape our lives. The enemy often uses busyness as a tool to pull us away from God, causing us to neglect our spiritual health. As we get caught up in the demands of life, we may inadvertently forsake moments that should be spent with God, thinking that we are too busy to slow down.

This busyness, when unchecked, leads to several spiritual dangers:

1. Distraction from Prayer: One of the first casualties of busyness is often our prayer life. When we’re overwhelmed by responsibilities, prayer can quickly fall to the bottom of our to-do list. We may go days, even weeks, without truly communing with God, thinking we’ll catch up later. But time with God is a vital part of spiritual life, and without it, we can become spiritually malnourished.

2. Neglect of Spiritual Growth: In the hustle and bustle of life, Bible study and reflection can often be pushed aside. Without regular time spent in God’s Word, we risk stunting our spiritual growth and becoming disconnected from the truth that sustains us.

3. Excessive Worry and Anxiety: As we try to juggle everything in our busy lives, worry begins to creep in. We worry about work, finances, relationships, and responsibilities. But Jesus reminds us in Matthew 6:25-34 that worry adds nothing to our lives. Instead, we are called to seek first God’s kingdom, trusting that He will provide for all our needs. When we allow ourselves to become consumed with worry, we lose sight of the peace that only comes from resting in God’s presence.

4. Isolation from Fellowship: Busyness can also lead to a lack of meaningful connections with other believers. The isolation that comes from neglecting fellowship with the church body leaves us vulnerable to spiritual fatigue, as we miss the encouragement, accountability, and strength that come from sharing our faith with others.

The Call to Prioritize God

The teachings of Jesus make it clear that while our responsibilities are important, they should never take priority over our relationship with God. Jesus called us to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37), and this requires intentional time spent in His presence. Jesus’ gentle rebuke of Martha was a reminder that, although serving others is important, it must be balanced with sitting at His feet and seeking His guidance.

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus invites all who are weary and burdened to come to Him for rest: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” This invitation is not just for physical rest, but spiritual rest as well. We find rest in His presence, where He replenishes our souls and gives us the strength to continue our work in a way that honors Him.

To truly live out our calling as followers of Christ, we must be intentional about carving out time to rest, pray, study, and worship. This time allows us to reconnect with God, recharge spiritually, and refocus on the mission He has given us. When we make God our priority, everything else will fall into place.

Practical Steps for Balancing Life’s Demands

While life will always have its demands, we can make intentional choices to prioritize God and prevent ourselves from becoming overwhelmed by the busyness. Here are some practical ways to restore balance:

1. Set aside daily time for prayer and Bible study: Like Mary, we must be intentional about setting aside time each day to sit at Jesus’ feet, whether through prayer, Bible reading, or reflection. This time is essential for nourishing our souls.

2. Establish boundaries in our schedules: It’s important to recognize when our schedules are becoming too full and set limits on our time. We can’t do everything, and that’s okay. By creating boundaries, we can ensure that we have time for God and our spiritual health.

3. Practice mindfulness: Be present in the moment. Whether we are at work, with family, or in prayer, it is important to focus on the task at hand and give it our full attention. This helps us avoid distractions and ensures that we are not spreading ourselves too thin.

4. Trust God to provide: When we put God first and trust in His provision, we don’t have to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. Philippians 4:6-7 encourages us to bring our worries to God in prayer, trusting that He will give us peace.

5. Rest in God: Regularly take time to rest—not just physically, but spiritually. True rest is found in God’s presence, and it is vital for maintaining our strength and focus.

Conclusion: Embracing What is Needful

In a world full of distractions and demands, we must remember the lesson that Jesus taught Martha: the most important thing is to prioritize our relationship with God. Our work and responsibilities will always be there, but our time with God is irreplaceable. As we learn to balance the demands of life with time spent in God’s presence, we find not only rest and peace but also the strength to fulfill our purpose in this world.

The enemy wants us to be so busy that we miss out on the peace and joy that comes from walking closely with God. But by intentionally setting aside time for prayer, study, and worship, we can resist the distractions of life and choose what is truly needful—just as Mary did, sitting at the feet of Jesus, learning from Him and growing in His grace.

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**Photo by Cottonbro at Pexels

How to Start a House Group Fellowship

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The really good news is that, to start a house church, you can lay down the burdens of planning how to cope with buildings, programs, and outreach strategies. You don’t have to be an impressive leader (though you probably will have some leadership gifts). To start a house church, you simply need to open your home to friends and neighbours and take things one step at a time.

Pray First!

The first step to starting a house church is to pray. House-church ministry must be birthed in prayer. Though it is a simple step, without prayer and God’s leading, we invite trouble. Starting a house church cannot be just a good idea; it must be a God idea. If you feel that you are called to start a house church, gather a few like-minded people together and begin to pray so that you can receive a strategy from God. Many house churches have false starts that are directly linked to a lack of prayer.

Taking time to pray gives God the opportunity to work in our hearts and purify our motives. When house churches start up because of a reaction to something we don’t like about the established church, the house church’s identity is built from rebellion and discord. Healthy house churches, on the contrary, must begin with God’s leading and a desire to reach those who don’t know Jesus. What a person sows, the Bible teaches us, he also reaps. Therefore, if you begin a house church because of an offense toward an existing church or leader, you will sow the seeds of fault-finding and pride in the church you are creating.

Along with prayer, it is also important to look to the local Christian community’s leaders for spiritual guidance and advice as you launch a new church. From day one of the Lancaster Micro-Church Network, we have cultivated relationships with established believers in our local community and beyond to answer questions and explain to them the concept of micro-church. A wise Bible teacher once said, “Lone rangers get shot out of the saddle.” We agree. Healthy house-church movements are not exclusive groups who refuse to be accountable. Vibrant micro-church networks are spiritually connected to leadership in the Body of Christ.

Know Whom You Are Called to Reach

Every micro-church should know whom they are called to reach. Here’s a great suggestion from Tony and Felicity Dale, who together started a successful network of house churches in Texas:

Draw together people from your circle of influence. We had a number of business associates who were not Christian, but whom we had come to know pretty well over a period of months or years. We asked a dozen of them to join us in a study of business principles while enjoying pizza in our home, using the book of proverbs as our textbook.
There were no rules to our discussion; everybody’s opinion was valid and there was no such thing as a wrong answer. Gradually we introduced prayer and worship and over the course of a year, every one of them became a Christian. They formed the nucleus of our original house church.

When the first micro-church in the Lancaster Micro-Church Network started in our (Larry’s) home a few years ago, we asked God for pre-Christians or new believers to join us—we also asked for labourers to help in the endeavour. However, we ran into some immediate problems. First of all, lots of believers wanted to come and check it out. Some of these Christians were looking for the latest Christian fad. They liked the idea that the micro-church met on a Wednesday, not a Sunday, and that it met in a living room, not a sanctuary.

But we were not starting something new for the sake of starting something new! Since we had a mandate from the Lord to reach new believers, we asked inquiring Christians not to come to our meetings. Having too many older Christians in the group would make the pre-Christians feel uncomfortable.

Jim Petersen, in his book Church Without Walls, clearly describes what can happen if a “migratory flock from neighbouring churches” invades a new church simply because they are curious:

I have a friend who was a part of a team that set out to start a church. The congregation was divided into house churches, each of which was assigned an elder who helped shepherd the members of that house church. Centralised activities were kept at a minimum for the sake of keeping people free to minister to their families and unbelieving friends.

The weekly meetings were dynamic. I will never forget the first one I visited. People of all sorts were there, from men in business suits to ponytails. Many were new believers. The Bible teaching was down to earth, aimed at people’s needs. I loved it.

So did most everyone else who visited. The word got around and soon the migratory flock from neighbouring churches came pouring in. Their needs consumed the energies of the leaders of this young church. Their wants gradually set the agenda. The inertia of the traditions of these migrants engulfed this very creative effort and shaped it accordingly.

So what’s the problem, we ask? The problem is that the vision that original team had for taking the church into society through the efforts of every believer was frustrated.

My wife and I knew that the vision the Lord had given to us to reach a new generation had to be safeguarded in the early days of our new micro-church network, and the young leaders of our network wisely set clear perimeters. They asked God to bring pre-Christians, new believers, and labourers—and the Lord honoured their request.

The Size of the House Church Matters

Quite soon, my wife and I had a second problem in our home-based micro-church. The pre-Christians attending invited their friends, and within 6 months of starting, we had 50 people in our living room on a given night. It was way too large!

It is wise to keep the number of people to between 6 and 12. From my experience, groups less than 6 strong tend to dwindle and be lacklustre because of the decreased number of relationships and interactions possible. However, groups over 12 tend to lose intimacy and every-member participation. It is perhaps not surprising, then, that rapid church planting movements today reproduce small house churches numbering between 10 and 30 people.

Frequency of Meeting

House churches should meet at least once a week to maintain a sense of connectedness. Again, though, we must emphasise the importance of flexibility. Some micro-churches meet at the same location every week, while others move the meeting place by rotating turns in members’ houses. Some groups meet more frequently, others less often. Some house churches meet during the week, others on weekends.

It is crucial that meeting together is an expression of the members’ desire to build community together—not just a religious duty to add more meetings to their already busy lives. If gathering together is done around food and for the purpose of fellow-shipping, it is more natural. Choose times that are convenient for everyone involved and then make an effort to connect with the other members (even just by phone or e-mail) outside of official meeting times. Building a spiritual family takes more than an hour or two one night a week!

Meeting Components

One thing is certain about house-church meetings: they should not be a smaller scale duplicate of a typical Sunday morning meeting. A house-church gathering should not look like an “escaped meeting captured by a living-room,” as one young man described house churches that do little more than replicate and repeat the traditional church service format: worship, teaching, prayer.

Instead, we have learned that there are often four basic components to a micro-church gathering: eating, meeting, small groups, and “the meeting after the meeting.

Although eating (usually a meal) is one of the elements of a house-church gathering, sometimes there may not be food. One week the house church may help someone trim their shrubs and have a time of prayer afterwards, and the next week they may come together for a whole smorgasbord of worship, prayer, teaching, and fellowship. Every week should be fresh and informal as people meet to discuss the life of Jesus and life with Jesus.

—Larry Kreider and Floyd McClung; excerpted from their book Starting a House Church (Regal Publishers, 2007) / Picture by Fauxes at pexels / By Small Groups