1 Corinthians 1:17

For Christ (the Messiah) sent me out not to baptize but [to evangelize by] preaching the glad tidings (the Gospel), and that not with verbal eloquence, lest the cross of Christ should be deprived of force and emptied of its power and rendered vain (fruitless, void of value, and of no effect). 1 Corinthians 1:17

I will never forget when our Father really brought the Truth of this verse to me. I was in my twenties and was asked to preach at a Baptist Church. It was a church in the inner city of Columbus and the preacher came up to me after I had finished and told me that I would never be successful because I didn’t sing my message. For those who know me I may be dramatic at times but I am definitely not a wear a robe, wipe my forehead with a white hanky, singing a message kind of preacher. The way that our Father has always used me is to teach and according to this guy no one would listen because I wasn’t be theatrical. Well, my feelings were hurt by what he said, so our Father showed me this verse and the Truth,as always, set me free. 

Our Father further strengthened the Truth of verse 17 by having me ask people after they had attended a theatrical message exactly what was preached? It was eye opening because most of the people that our Father had me ask this question to talked about the energy and enthusiasm of the preacher or crowd, but they really didn’t know what was taught. It seemed that they were there for the show, so the message of the Cross was deprived of its power and rendered vain because the attention was directed towards the preacher and not the Truth. So beware of preachers who are all theatrical, our Father tells us that verbal eloquence deprives the message of the Cross. 

This is why I think the way that most current church services are conducted are all wrong. I believe that our Father intended for us to commune. I believe that we should all be able to get together and share our feelings and fellowship in the Spirit. If it is just one person up on a stage and we all have to sit and just listen to them that is really boring. So to compensate the preachers become all theatrical to keep our attention. But if we are all able to talk and fellowship with each other that is fun and that is what Church really is. This kind of fellowship seems to be accomplished far better in homes, in kitchens, around a table, in family rooms, coffee houses, or restaurants. Huge buildings are not needed to truly fellowship and they actually add to the weakening of the message. 

[Remember me] also to the church [that meets] in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was a firstfruit (first convert) to Christ in Asia. Romans 16:5

The churches of Asia send greetings and best wishes. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church [that meets] in their house, send you their hearty greetings in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 16:19

Give my greetings to the brethren at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the assembly (the church) which meets in her house. Colossians 4:15

And to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier [in the Christian warfare], and to the church [assembly that meets] in your house: Philemon 1:2