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KHCN - Kauai House Church Network

How God uses your “Oikos”

7/31/2021

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In their book “Lost and Found”, Ed Stetzer, Ritchie Stanley and Jason Hayes, share some interesting facts on a survey they did. They found that:
  • Younger unchurched people would prefer to read an inspirational book than seek inspirational help from a church. And only 1 in 6 would actually go to church to seek spiritual guidance. However, 9 out of 10 young adults have at least one Christian among their close friends.
  • What’s more is, 9 out of 10 of these young adults said they would be willing to listen to someone’s beliefs. While 3 out of 5 said they would study the Bible with a friend if they were asked. 
  • Research shows us that the unchurched today do not see organized church as a place to find spiritual guidance. So why don’t we spend more effort to reach the 91% who are in close relationships with Christians who will probably never go to a church?
The kingdom of God has always flown best on the wings of relationships. In a big church setting, I once asked: Did you come to know Christ in an anonymous fashion, void of any relational witness, say you were flipping through the channels on TV or your radio and the gospel was presented, and you accepted Christ? Or, did a close friend, relative, coworker or classmate share Jesus with you? Chances are 95% of people have accepted Christ through a close relationship. Why is it then, when we consider ways to reach out to the lost, we always plan big church events rather than using the natural relationships that God has helped us establish?
 
Every Christian has a circle of friends around them, that’s their “oikos.” We need to be focused on, praying for, ministering, serving and leading (not following) them. We need to be setting a standard that will attract them. God has placed them in our lives for a reason. Every Christian then, becomes a minister. 
 
This is why “oikos” is so important. 

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OIKOS SUNDAY

7/24/2021

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I’ve been talking about oikos in our previous newsletters. If you haven’t been reading them then you may not understand what I am talking about or what we will be doing. But please keep reading.
 
This Sunday we’re changing things up! In an effort to implement the “oikos” strategy, we will not be having our Brennecke beach service or Depoe zoom church. Instead, each family will hold their own time of worship… just for this Sunday (7/25). Then next week Sunday (8/1), we will all gather for a big celebration service on the beach. 
 
Oikos is a household gathering. The early church and many churches today in foreign (persecuted) countries are meeting in small household gatherings. This was and still is the most practical way to do church. From time to time, KHCN will implement these “Oikos Sundays” to get back to our roots; to create a worship environment that is simple, raw and organic. It’s back to the basics. No light shows, liturgy, bands or hype, just the Holy Spirit’s fire igniting each of us to experience something new. The goal of KHCN is and has always been to create church community in homes; micro-communities in homes where “two or three are gathered in His name,” sharing God’s love and His word, singing and sharing praises with one another. This gets every person active, leading and participating rather than simply spectating.  
 
Remember what happened during the pandemic? The global church became paralyzed! Church as we knew it was closed for business. People did not know how to worship God on their own. For us, with no buildings to begin with, it was business as usual. Picture living in a persecuted nation. What would happen if our religious freedom was all of a sudden taken away? What would happen if our pastors or leaders were taken? Would our church remain, or would it die off? The pastor and leaders in the church are not the head. Jesus is. You don’t need me, and you don’t need buildings or bands, all you need is the Spirit of God leading your steps to worship Him up-close, undistracted and unrestrained. That’s what Oikos Sunday is all about.  
 
You don’t need a leader/shepherd for this. Every household already has a leader/shepherd. The head of the household (which in biblical standards is the father/husband) will be the leader. Like in Bible times, when a husband was saved, the entire household was saved. The husband has a strong influence on those living in that sphere. If a household has no father or husband, then the mother will lead the household. Men, this is a call for you to lead your household and not only your family but your neighbors, friends and extended family, all who are open to hearing about Jesus within your circle of influence. 
 
A person living alone can invite a friend or contact someone they know in the church and invite them. Or a group may invite the person they know who lives alone in the church. It’s about looking after one another while creating community (oikos). Yes, you could simply go to a church service at one of the churches down the road, but where’s the fun in that? Again, we are prone to just kick back and be entertained. And this is not a “get out of church for free” pass. The model I am suggesting carries an expectation on your part but also makes everyone leaders and able to share and experience all the goodness of God on an extremely personal level. Take some time to plan, prepare and invite people. Be sure not to forget those in the church. 
 
Have fun with this and allow God to do something new and amazing. Then as we gather next week, we will share all the great things He showed us. 

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ECO-FRIENDLY

7/17/2021

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RECAP - Oikos is all about relationships. Oikos is found throughout the Bible. Our English word eco comes from the Greek word oikos. Eco-logy is the study of relational systems between living things and their environment. An eco-friendly environment seeks to be non-harmful and beneficial to building relations with that around it. 
 
Relationships are built on trust (eco-friendly). In the animal world you don’t see lions playing with lambs or snakes playing with rats. There are no friendly relations between predators and prey. It’s a dog eat dog world for the animal kingdom. The same goes for our human relationships. If a person feels threatened, they will retreat and not associate with those certain individuals. Trust is hard to come by these days. The older we get it seems the less we trust. Yes, it’s a dog eat dog world for humans as well.
 
Churches are built on relationships. As mentioned in last week’s post on relationships, there are four types. You see these four types in the church. Acquaintances, casual friend, close friend and best friend. The size of the church and its “eco-system” (or oikos-system) will greatly impact relationships. Mega churches are filled with acquaintances. That’s why they try to incorporate small groups for people to get to know one another. I once visited a mega church in California. The church had a corporate worship in a huge auditorium then they broke into small groups, or should I say, “smaller” groups. Their small groups were made up of 10 groups of 300 people each (yes, they had 10 huge classrooms and more on their campus). Within that group of 300 they had 30 round tables that sat 10 people each. The “round table” was the small group setting where people could get to know one another. Small groups are the typical design for building relationships within the church. That’s a great structure the problem is you need 100 acres, a $100M facility and a $5M budget to host this style of gatherings. That’s a lot of work and money to create oikos.
 
That’s where house churches come in. For one, we have built-in relationships when we create church in the home. Then add surrounding neighbors, friends and family and you have an instant oikos. These are people who know each other, are around each other and associate with one another quite regularly. Secondly, there is no overhead cost. Thirdly, you can start one today. You don’t need a massive facility, acreage or budget. All you need to start a gathering is the Holy Spirit. And you have that right? There you go. I’m just trying to throw out the vision here. How did Jesus start His church? He called 12 guys, taught them then sent them out. It grew to 72 then He sent them out. At the beginning of Acts, they had 120 then at Peter’s first message on the day of Pentecost 3000. By Acts 5, they had 5000+. The church was persecuted from day one and started as a grass roots, underground, organic movement and it worked! Fast forward to 300 AD when the Roman emperor Constantine was saved, and Christianity became the main religion. All of a sudden Christians were given buildings, privileges and prestige. Everyone wanted to be a Christian. But now the oikos (relational connections) was lost. We have followed this pattern of “church” ever since. 
 
Let’s remember, church has nothing to do with buildings, budgets or butts. Its all about relationship. How have you been connecting with your church group and those in your sphere of influence? God has given everyone a unique oikos. Are you eco-friendly?

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​THE INNER CIRCLE

7/10/2021

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Last week I introduced the word oikos (like the Greek yogurt). Oikos is a Greek word meaning house or household. But it’s not talking about a building. It’s talking about the relational aspect of those living within a household, group or community. Oikos is where we get our English word eco. Ecology or eco-friendly is talking about relational systems.
 
Four Types of Relationships
When talking about human relationships, there are four types (everyone has these): Acquaintance; Casual friend; Close friend; Best friend.
  1. Acquaintance – This is a person you just met or know but are not really good friends with. We can gain new acquaintances daily without realizing it and even more if we are looking for it. Acquaintance starts simply with a smile or small talk. 
  2. Casual friend – Casual friendships have a relational element involved. This could be the people you work with that you see, talk to, and are around every day. It could be the people in your classroom, church, sports team, etc. But even in these settings you may see more acquaintance type of relationships than casual friendships. 
  3. Close friend – These are the people you have something in common with. “Commonality” is the difference between close and casual. Yes, you can be on the same team (that’s commonality), but not everyone on the team is a close friend. In the church, we all have Jesus in common and we’re learning to love and care for each other, but even here, not everyone is a close friend. A “kindred spirit” is a person whose interests and attitudes are similar to yours. Kindred spirits (or close friends) are people who know you and understand you. You find it relaxing, enjoyable and empowering to be with these people. 
  4. Best friend – Best friends are the people you have much in common with and have learned to share the deeper secrets with. There is no need for bragging, lying or acting like you’re someone else; your best friend will know when you’re doing so. A best friend is hard to find. Because we have been hurt and abandoned in the past it is hard to reestablish best friendships over and over. As you get older its harder to find best friends that’s why spouses are usually best friends. 
Oikos = Trust
Relationships don’t just happen. Trust plays a huge part in relational development. The closer you get in relationships the more trust is needed. That’s why relationships grow through time. We need to understand that even in the church, relational development takes time. Not everyone will be in your inner circle nor will you be in everyone’s inner circle. And that may change through time. But just as Jesus had His inner circle of Peter, James and John, I wonder how that made the others feel? I wonder if the three had a chip on their shoulder because of that. All of this is part of understanding oikos. Oikos has a lot to do with church and making disciples. 
 
We will be hearing more about oikos in the weeks ahead.

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​IT'S ALL GREEK TO ME

7/3/2021

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Last week we talked about the Hawaiian word Ohana. Ohana means family. “Family” in Hawaii is not just speaking about blood relatives. It goes well beyond that into our circle of influence and relationships. The word “household” is used often in the New Testament and is closely related to our “Ohana” concept. The Bible speaks a lot about family. In fact, if we were to sum up all the commandments, we would see that everything points us to relationships. Remember the two greatest commandments (Matthew 22:37-40)? 
 
The Greek word for “household” is Oikos. This is where we get our English word ecology from… Eco (oikos – “house”) – Ology (study of). Ecology is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Our English Bible translations will use a few different words in the place of oikos: home, house, household, family. Quite often oikos can extend to our relationship with friends, workers or neighbors. In the same way the word “church” is not speaking about a building, oikos is not speaking of a house (i.e., structure, dwelling, building), but rather speaks about the relational aspect of the people we are close to. On one occasion, Jesus was teaching His disciples and His mother and brothers were waiting outside. Someone told Jesus your mother and brothers are outside. He looked at the people sitting around Him and said you are my mothers and brothers and sisters… In other words, you are my oikos. (Mark 3:31-35).
 
Stay with me! Don't let all this Greek frighten you off! The concept of oikos is extremely important to understand when it comes to evangelism. 
 
Michael Green, one of our leading evangelists of our day, in his book, “Evangelism in the Early Church”, observes how the New Testament church enthusiastically clung to the oikos principle as its primary strategy to advance the gospel. Early Christians quickly understood that when the message of faith was heard and demonstrated by friends and family, receptiveness to the gospel increased rapidly. That’s why hospitality, integrity and being people of peace is so vitally important for the Christian. These traits build oikos and it’s usually the people we are in association with that “see our good works” and begin to praise our Father in heaven (Mt 5:16).
 
Your oikos usually consists of up to 15 people. These are people you speak to on a regular basis and have a comfortable relationship with (co-workers, neighbors, friends, family). These are the ones who hear you, watch your actions and see Jesus working in your life. They are the ones, more than the stranger on the street, that will be open to hearing how Jesus has impacted your life. These people know you and have grown to trust you. 
 
In the same way the early church understood and used the oikos concept to spread the good news of Jesus, it would be good for us to take some time tolook into this as well. 
 
More on oikos next week. Some verses to check out: Lk 8:39, 19:9; Jn 4:53; Acts 11:14, 16:15, 31-34, 18:8; 1 Co 1:11, 16

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          "They devoted themselves to the study of God's word, hanging out and praying together. They were in awe because of the miracles God was doing." 
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