CHURCH BEGINS AT HOME – Part 2

The Training Ground of Christianity

The statement “the foundation of society is the home” holds just as true for the Church. Strong homes create strong societies, and they build healthy, thriving churches. The home is the true cradle of mankind, the very heart of the Church. After God created man, He created the home. His intention for marriage—the divine union between a man and a woman, bonded in love and complementing one another—was to be the foundation of society, the cement that holds everything together.

The Home: God’s Training Ground for Life

The home is God’s training ground for life. This is where we spend our formative years, where we are shaped and prepared for all of life’s challenges. The psalmist captures this divine plan perfectly in Psalms 68:6:
“God setteth the solitary in families.”
The Message Bible says, “God makes homes for the homeless…” and the NIV states, “God sets the lonely in families.”

Ronny Wade describes the home as, “The father’s kingdom, the mother’s world, and the child’s paradise. Homes are the vestibules of heaven.” Indeed, the home is meant to be an extension of heaven on earth. The saying “There’s no place like home” rings true because home is where we grow, learn, and experience the love that shapes us for life.

A Few Thoughts on Home

Over the years, I’ve come across some beautiful quotes about home, and I’d like to share them with you:

• “Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to.”
• “East or West, North or South, home is the best.”
• “Where we love is home—home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.”

One of my personal favorites is:
“In this home… We do second chances. We do real. We do mistakes. We do I’m sorrys. We do loud really well. We do hugs. We do together best of all.”

While these quotes may be anonymous, T.S. Eliot’s famous words resonate deeply: “Home is where one starts from.” God Himself started with a home for His only begotten Son—Jesus was born and raised in a family. This shows that God values family as the foundational training ground for His people.

Home: The Foundation for Christ-Like Living

Home is where we nurture and grow the best qualities of Christ in our lives. It’s where we are blessed, and it’s where we learn to be a blessing. Home is divine in origin, and it is the place where we honor God and advance His will.

The home is the oldest and most influential institution in society. Homes that align with God’s divine plan can have a profound impact on the Church and society. When homes deviate from God’s design, however, they can cause great harm to individuals, communities, and churches. The state of our churches today often reflects the state of our homes and families.

God’s Assignment for the Home

As I mentioned earlier, the home is God’s training ground for raising a godly community that will impact both the Church and society. Dennis MacCallum beautifully summarizes this idea when he says:

“If the local church is to truly develop the spiritual gifts of its members and mobilize the power of the Holy Spirit to work through a trained and experienced laity, it will need to organize smaller groups where these can be fostered.”

This highlights the importance of small groups or house churches, a place where relationships are nurtured, and spiritual growth happens organically. More about this later.

God’s assignment for the home is clear: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6). The home is the place where children—and adults—are prepared to fulfill God’s plans, purposes, and destiny. It is through the home that we are equipped to walk the path that leads to God’s calling for our lives.

The Power of Parenting

While much attention is given to the Messiah’s ministry, not enough credit is given to His earthly parents, Mary and Joseph. The influence of their parenting played a critical role in shaping the Messiah’s upbringing. We see this in Matthew 1:18-20, which tells the story of how Joseph, though initially troubled by Mary’s pregnancy, chose to trust God’s plan. This passage implies that God took notice of the righteous way in which Mary and Joseph raised Jesus:

“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.’” (Matthew 1:18-20, NIV)

These were no ordinary parents. God chose the best for His Son, and they raised Him well to fulfill His heavenly assignment. The home is indeed God’s academy for raising the men and women He uses to advance His kingdom on earth.

Just as charity begins at home, so must we begin building Christ’s Church from home. God is calling us back to our Jerusalems. We cannot win the world if we are losing the battle on the homefront. As the prophet Elijah said to Elisha, “Go back again… What have I done to you?” (1 Kings 19:20).

Let us take the gospel of the Kingdom of God back to our homes.

~ Tony Osuobeni