Recently Keith has felt the need to write about the times we are in and how Christians should think and prepare for these times.
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2011-
January 2011
Essen, Germany
Over the past months I have been sharing a bit about Signs that we can clearly see today that we are living in the end times. But as most of you know the main emphasis of my work is to House Churches.
When I first visited Germany, some 7 or 8 years ago it was to teach about House Church. Then 4 years ago various leaders invited us to come and continue our teaching ministry, but also model our concept of House Church that had already been successful in the UK, Spain and the USA.
I must say that the past three and a half years living here in Germany have been some of the hardest in my over 35 years of ministry. First we had the move and a time to settle in then, before we really had time to begin to learn the language, Jeanne had a serious accident, which has led to three major operations, culminating last summer in the total replacement of her shoulder. This, together with work difficulties have severely limited the range of our activities here in Germany, and totally limited ministry elsewhere. We have felt that to a large extent we have been “marking time”.
At the beginning of last month I had a significant dream in which the Lord showed me that we were really waiting for His Timing. And then three weeks ago I was woken up in the middle of the night, when God showed me that NOW is the time. I was so excited as He began to unfold His plans, not just for Germany, but in other places too.
Miraculously, the Lord bough me into contact with two internationally known experts in marketing, who began to talk to me about my life and ministry in terms identical to the things God had already shown me. Strangely these men from a secular environment (although they are both Christian), spoke in terms that were familiar to me not just from the dreams of the past weeks, but also from my time in Spain. All that I was hearing seemed to be giving me clear direction. Since then, I have felt an urgency to communicate this with my brothers and sisters, yet have been prevented by all sorts of computer breakdowns, and other problems. The enemy really doesn’t want this message spread. However here we go…
In 2009 my book “Hauskirchen Manifest für Deutchland” was published, but although a thorough over view of House Church and their place in Germany, I feel I failed in one area. In our work in Spain, and in other places, there was one emphasis that seemed to be missing here, and indeed in many other western expressions of House Church. Yet this thing had been pointed out by all of the earliest House Church pioneers. In one word, MULTIPLICATION.
I know of no House Church in Germany that have yet entered into regular multiplication, and if the truth be told, few in other parts of the western world. Most Western House Churches, are formed by folk who are escaping abusive institutional church systems, and who are in need of some healing. Many of these have adopted a “back to roots” way of thinking, seeking to rid themselves of any post new testament tradition. This thinking has led to a general suspicion from many established institutional churches and an increasing isolation of House churches. These isolated places of healing and restoration have become “safe places” away from the sense of anonymity experienced by in larger churches. The resulting comfort and familiarity actually prevents many folk from moving out to take the Gospel to others, because it might actually mean that we will have to change. Thus many House Churches today are very similar to what they were 10 or even 20 years ago. Sadly, many times when I visit areas to speak at House Church Conferences, I find that I am speaking to the same people that I met on previous visits. They have every intention of starting a House Church, or multiplying the one they have, but are unsure that they can deal with the change that it will cost: The need to be open to the needs of others, the need to make new friends with people that perhaps we will find difficult, or the need to spontaneously cope with new folk just turning up on your doorstep. They just haven’t fulfilled their good intentions. The good news is however that there are an increasing number of new house churches that do not find their roots in the disaffected saints from other churches, but are new expressions of people finding Christ.
If we are going to see a real move of God we need to change our message and way of working, into a more Biblical one. Have you ever noticed that Jesus’ approach was much more needs based than we are comfortable with today. He regularly asked people what they wanted. Perhaps we are scared that if we ask folk they will expect us to provide it. That didn’t stop Peter and John when they went to pray at the Temple. The lame man asked them for what they didn’t have. This did not dismay them, but rather instead of giving him what he asked for they gave him what he really needed. And from his response the man went away quite happy. Today we often try to give people what we perceive that they need before we ask them. It’s no use telling someone who is hungry that you must tell them 4 spiritual laws, they are just not interested. But buy them a sandwich and you can sit and talk to them for ages about their spiritual needs. Over and over we see the Lord meeting a real need, and then their spiritual need is revealed. Think of the woman at the well, what did she need? Friendship. What happened when Jesus treated her correctly and not as a pariah? Her deeper spiritual need was revealed, She was looking for love in all the wrong places. Her response led to a whole town finding Jesus.
In my experience in Spain, the USA, UK and even here in Germany, each person that we really help in the name of Jesus, and bring into a safe environment to live out their new life, will bring at least 3 more of their friends to Christ with them. So let us do the maths: I reach out to just one person, he or she brings 3 others, that equals myself, my friend and 3 others, 5 of us. As the three new folk each receive healing and wholeness from God they will each bring 3 others, that’s 9 more making 14. Each of those 9 will bring 3 more, equaling 41, if this goes on with new folk bringing their friends every three month or so this would lead to a group of over 120 in a year, 9,200 in two years, and amazingly very nearly 800,000 people in the third year. Revival by anyones reckoning. You might be amazed at these figures, but they are happening today in places like Iran and Vietnam. Is this not how the early church grew? And we have seen growth, although not at quite this rate, very near it.
You may well read these words and be thinking where do the leaders come from to lead this great mass movement? The answer is as it was in the New Testament, from among these new people. In Biblical times they did not have 3 – 5 years in Seminary, no, they had a living relationship with both the Lord and other brothers and sisters. This is real family life!
I am looking for folk, here in Germany and around the world who are longing to see
this sort move of God. The Lord has told me that NOW is the time! If this moves your
heart, donft wait send me an e-
Many Blessings
Keith Smith
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December 2010
Essen Germany
I am writing to you to share something of the vision motivates our work both year in Germany, and around the world.
Some 35 years ago, an international Christian leader asked me to describe my calling, without even thinking. I said “I am an evangelist to the church, calling his people back to Him.” As I said it, I thought, how stupid I was, after all, evangelists, reach out to the lost. And what I was saying is that I would preach to the choir. Yet over the time since then, I can only say that this has not been the case. First, in the UK, then in Spain, and later in the USA. I have had the privilege to call thousands of individuals into a closer walk with the Lord. And with their brothers and sisters in small communities.
Internationally, we have seen a sharp decline in those attending traditional churches. The New Zealand sociologist, Doctor Alan Jamieson and the American sociologist. George Barna, have both conducted research into why people are leaving church and what their spiritual life is like now. Both are finding that far from leaving God, the majority are leaving the institution but continuing a deepening relationship with God and with fellow believers. Many of these, “out of church Christians.” Say that the reason that they have left the church was to, “protect their faith.” This may seem a strange statement for a Christian to make, but when you consider that statistics prove many of those who have left the church have had leadership roles, it is even stranger. The truth is that the vast majority of what is done in institutional churches leaves the members in a very passive position. With them being observers or passive participants in the worship, rather than full active participants. When I worked in an institutional church, I remember how I and my fellow ministers used to lament that it was very hard to get members of the congregation involved in the work of the church. However, I now realise that everything we were doing was leading to the passivity of the congregation. We were the ministers, we stood in front and told them what to do, we told them how to interpret the Bible, when to stand up and sit down and what to sing. Had members of the congregation really taken to heart the biblical injunction of 1 Cor. 14:26
What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.
I think that the majority of ministers would have suffered from heart failure. Many claim to have open worship, but few have the freedom to allow it in their churches.
Now, please do not get me wrong, I am in no way criticising institutional churches,
as they provide a secure spiritual home to many. But nowadays, when increasing numbers
are seeking God outside the doors of traditional Christendom, I ask, “where are
the shepherds for these people?” I am often criticised by traditional churches because,
within the structure of house church, I give people permission to stay outside the
institution. However, that is just not so. Members of house churches are just as
much part of the local church, as members of any institutional church. Paul, when
writing to the church in any city, addressed the whole Church in that city, and not
the various components of it, leaving his greetings to individual congregations to
the end. A major part of my calling, is to see “city-
So what is my heart? To encourage individuals and small groups to find the reality of Jesus's statement, “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Jesus disciples, after spending three short years with him, went on to plant churches all over the known world. Many have been attending churches for years, and yet have little idea how to serve the people who live next door to them. I encourage individuals and small groups. Not only to plant a church communities where they live, but also to engage in social outreach to their neighbours and communities. I do this through meetings with individuals in an area or small, regional meetings. We maintain contact with these folk via the Internet and telephone, as well as occasional Pastoral visits. One of the things that particularly concerns me about the growing house church movement. Is that until the number of house churches in a particular area reaches a critical mass. So that they can have united meetings, on occasions for teaching worship, etc many churches become very isolated. As they are regarded with suspicion by other churches. So part of our work here will always be to encourage networking.
We also want to encourage people in social outreach. For example, to the homeless,
unemployed, elderly, immigrants, young people and other socially marginalised groups.
Our Lord, in Matthew 25:25-
For some 30 years I have had connections with the world of child protection. I in common with most of you could not bear to see the child suffer. Here in Germany, I have recently had various opportunities to address issue of child abuse,And have set up a small company to help my work in that field. I am in the process of writing a book on child development, and how we can mentor children to become good citizens for the future. I have written about how Germany has suffered four or five generations without fathers. Two generations lost their fathers in the world wars, after the war, many fathers had to leave their homes to find work, then in the 70s during that time of the “economic miracle.” Many parents, finding that economic situation better than it had been during the past century, enjoyed a hedonistic lifestyle, throwing money at the children, rather than giving them time and attention, that they craved. This continues until today, however, in the current economic climate, many young people are wondering if there is a real future for them. This is true, the whole world over, and I believe it is up to us who love Christ, to present Him as a real home to mankind.
We have done much to share the vision of bearing one anothers burdens through “Focused Compassion Therapy” and have held various courses here in Germany to teach people this simple method to bring healing in Spirit, Soul and Body. Here in Germany, as in most of the world there is little possibility of ordinary people being able to access counseling and so through our new small company, we are offering professional level counseling at little or no cost. Normally we ask for an offering.
Many of us, seeing the state of the world today, believe that we are living in the
last days, especially in the light of the world-
We invite you to participate with us in seeing this work progress, both here in Germany, and in the more than 13 countries, where we have friends who cooperate with us.
