back to articles HOUSE CHURCH PROPHECY BY RICK JOYNER (The Harvest, Morninstar Pub., 1989, pages 92-94) "There will be world-wide "house church" and "Christian community" movements which will help prepare the saints for both the persecution and the harvest. These actually were begun in the l960's, but often floundered and failed. The reason for many of the failures was the same as for the discipleship and other movements-they were built upon a doctrine instead of a commission... As the intensity of this next move of God picks up, Christian communities will be birthed with people hardly realizing it. The focus of these will not be "community life," but doing all things for the sake of the gospel. The community will just be a means of becoming more efficient in the labours of the harvest. Life in the communities will be both more wonderful and more difficult than expected, but more importantly, they will serve God's purposes. Some communities will serve as refuges for persecuted Christians and Jews...We have been told that it is "through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). In His will tribulations are not obstacles, they are gateways into His kingdom. We're entering days when everyone will have tribulation; those who count it joy will have great joy, and a peace that will cause a world in turmoil to marvel and seek their God. As saints gather spontaneously in one another's houses and community centers, home churches will be born. A great anointing will be upon these home meetings and some of the greatest visitations of the Lord will take place in them. Leaders and ministries will be raised up through them just as Stephen was in the first church. Some will even send out apostolic teams. Large congregations will be giving themselves to making home meetings the very center of church life. Even without knowing it, most of these are being prepared for the time when all large meetings will be banned, or the targets of violence and persecution. Every congregation which is not effectively "equipping the saints for the work of service" will find itself being scattered and disbanded. The church will not continue to be a big sheep pen where they are just fed and entertained. In the eyes of the Spirit no congregation is seen by its buildings or other works, but by the maturity of its individual members. Every ministry which has buried its talent for equipping the saints is about to have it taken away and given to those who are using theirs efficiently. The rise and fall of many will be because of this one issue. The Lord is about to curse every "tree" which is not bearing fruit. Fruit bears the seed for reproduction. If a ministry is not reproducing itself it is not bearing fruit. Those who allow the people to depend too much on them, will be judged. The Lord will not continue tolerating self-serving and self-promoting leadership. The church will soon need a thousand times the ministry it now has. This ministry must be prepared for service now. True discipleship will be restored to effectively prepare a great army of leaders. As the congregations are scattered by persecution, the people will be scattered abroad like seed, multiplying their fruitfulness. When a leader is removed a host will arise to take his place. Every attack against the church will result in an advance for the gospel. Preparation for this resilience is being made now, and will increase in earnest until the body of Ghrist takes on the seriousness and determination of an army marching to battle" (pages 92-95, Rick Joyner, “The Harvest”, Morningstar Pub., 1989) One other quote for you, much shorter, is by C. Peter Wagner in Larry Kreider's recently-published book, "Planting Housechurch Networks" where he says "House churches' future and greatest chance is that they are closer to the market than any other church form"!