Neil Cole—author of "The Organic Church"—has a series of videos where he lays out the case for this thing that the Lord is doing through the group of Christians to which he belongs. In one particular video, Neil explains the notion of what I am referring to as the Oikos Church.
Oikos?
In this video, Neil Cole describes what he calls "the organic church movement" at a very fundamental level. In his description, he' uses the Greek word "οἶκος". Up next are some thoughts to help us understand this word.
The Greek word "oikos" (οἶκος) translates to "house" or "household" in English. Here are some of a range of definitions and contexts in which it is used:
- House: Refers to a physical dwelling or residence.
- Household: Refers to a family unit living together, including family members, servants, and slaves.
- Family: Signifies a broader sense of family connections, lineage, and kinship.
- Economy: Can refer to both the management of a household and the broader management of resources, trade, and finance.
- Ecology: In a more modern context, "oikos" can also refer to the study of the environment and the interrelationships between organisms and their surroundings.
- Hegemony: In ancient Greek society, "oikos" played a role in the concept of hegemony, representing the dominance and control of one city-state (polis) over other neighboring city-states.
The idea of oikos is to see human relationships as organically formed. In the sense of family and friends, they form where they are needed and wanted. They are driven by love, protection, help, needs, and the meeting of those needs. Sometimes they are good and sometimes very destructive and harmful. Nevertheless, they are mostly not artificially derived, but form naturally for their own reasons.
Jesus knows and uses Oikos
In the New Testament, Jesus uses the term "oikos" during His instructions to the disciples when sending them out on a mission. Specifically, in Matthew 10:11-14 and Luke 10:1-12, Jesus tells the disciples to enter into a town and find a worthy "oikos." He instructs them to stay in that household (oikia), extend their peace, and let their words of teaching and healing be received within that household. If they are not welcomed, Jesus instructs them to shake off the dust from their feet and move on to the next town.
Here's the specific passage from Matthew 10:11-14 (New International Version):
Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy [ἄξιός - receptive] person and stay at their house until you leave. As you enter the home [οἰκίαν - organic relational hub], give it your greeting [ἀσπάσασθε - pay your respects to it]. If the home [οἰκία - related people] is deserving, let your peace [εἰρήνη - peace or prosperity] rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home [οἰκίας] or town and shake the dust off your feet.
Before you digest the words above, put on a first century mind and consume these words through the minds of the men who wrote the words and the mind of Christ who said them in that time for those people. Once you've done that, then you can translate it properly into the 21st century and ask the Lord what He wants today in this time with this people around you.
The first century backstory
Targeting the oikos was one of the last parts of Jesus' commands to the twelve, but it is what comes before that lays the groundwork. Let's take a look:
1 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. 2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles
5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. 9 Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food.
Before giving them instructions about entering towns and villages, Jesus gives them: 1) Authority over unclean (dead Nephilim) spirits (demons) to cast them out and 2) Heal every disease and affliction. The order is important.
First century Jews knew the backstory of the Nephilim, the damage they did, and held that many (if not all) disease was directly or indirectly attributed to the unseen realm working of demons and devils. Therefore, to address the issue, the first step (in their minds) was to deal with the demons first and then healing of people second. Jesus is giving direct credibility to this assessment and the disciples know it.
Now that they are endowed with power over demons and can heal any and all diseases in those they meet, Jesus gives the next layer of instruction: Go into the towns and villages of the Jews (not the Gentiles or even the Samaritans). Once there, do two things: 1) Preach that the Kingdom of Heaven has come, and 2) Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. Preach first; demonstrate second.
With the preaching, healing, raising, cleansing, and casting-out accomplished as a demonstration of the Kingdom of Heaven—start looking for someone who is "worthy"—that is—believes the message validated by the demonstration of the power of Jesus upon them. Once that person was found, then they were to seek out the oikos—the natural organic connections of that person: Faith, trust, and relationships already formed (oikos) became the injection points for the Person of Jesus Christ.
Jesus led the way
Sleuths of the New Testament scripture will see that Jesus started His public ministry about year before He started calling disciples to "Follow Me". What is amazing is that Jesus followed the very same model of entering a town, preaching and demonstrating the Kingdom of Heaven, and then seeking a "worthy person" and their oikos (natural web of relationships). The future disciples were a part of this time.
The Greek phrase that Jesus consistently used when He said "Follow Me" is "ἀκολούθει μοι" (akolouthei moi). It can be found in various instances throughout the Gospels when Jesus called individuals to become His disciples, such as in Matthew 4:19, Mark 1:17, and John 1:43.
The phrase "Follow Me" was commonly used by Rabbis to initiate their disciples. It was a customary way of inviting someone to become a student or follower of a particular Rabbi. By inviting them to "Follow Me," the Rabbi was asking the person to leave their current life and commitments behind and dedicate themselves to studying and imitating the Rabbi's teachings and way of life.
In the case of Jesus, His use of this phrase was significant because it meant more than just becoming His student. By inviting individuals to "Follow Me," Jesus was asking them to become His disciples and follow Him as the Messiah, recognizing Him as the Son of God and submitting to His authority in their lives. It carried a deeper spiritual and transformative meaning beyond the common practice of Rabbi-disciple relationships in that cultural context.
And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
It is during this time that Jesus is lovingly giving of Himself and His power as God to the needs of the people. He is forming the relationships within the existing oikos of those He meets. He is finding the worthy people (those believing and receiving), entering their relationship network, and preparing for the next step, which is "Follow Me!"
The (later on) disciples would have already seen this work and method of Jesus in action in their own lives, although they may not have recognized it as such from the start. They were not a part of a program or a clinical method. They were part of an organically grown process of God, who was injecting His light, life, love, compassion, and power into the darkness. He was proclaiming the arrival of the kingdom, driving out the devils from within it, and then working His works among those He loved and came to rescue. In Matthew 10, we now see Jesus passing this demonstrative mantle on to His disciples.
Wading pool
Matthew 10 and the sending of the twelve was their first steps into the wading pool of the ministry of Jesus in the world. These were the training wheels on a bike that Jesus intended for them to rise and ride like adults after His resurrection and ascension back to God. It was this model that Jesus taught them and the model living in the backdrop of Matthew 28!
And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'
The training wheels were off. They were now the Rabbi. They had learned not only what Jesus taught, but to be in close relationship with Him and from them demonstrate the Spirit of Christ in them in the way He had instructed them—taking Him in them to where people were. Going directly to sinners where sinners lived, worked, ate, drank, and sinned. Unafraid that the darkness would make them unclean, but that their cleanness in Christ would push out into the unclean, making the unclean clean by His power in each of them.
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. ...
29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet. ...
12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. 13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed. ...
7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
The first few chapters of the Acts of the Apostles at Jerusalem is utterly stunning when taken in and understood in this first century context and model of outreach by the Lord Jesus, Himself! If we scan over the matter starting with how Jesus reached into the people of Judea by preaching the Kingdom of Heaven, backing it up with demonstrative power, and then meeting people right where they lived (oikos)—the entire thing is breathtaking to behold.
The disciples—now Apostles—are doing exactly as the Lord Jesus both demonstrated, taught, and commanded them to do. The outcome is powerful—so powerful in fact that Jerusalem is being overwhelmed by The Way. And take special notice of how Luke words his story: "... And more than ever believers were added to the Lord," This focus on Jesus in everything is critical to see.
Conclusion
The point ought to be very clear by now. The Lord is still interested in the OIKOS! Brick and mortar was never His thing. Sure, He can use it, but there is a danger lurking in it—that danger is that the Gospel is being held in a place where sinners don't go. And instead of taking Jesus and His message to sinners where they are, we literally cut them off from access to the Lord by "going to church" where they are not.
Sure—we go to the building, but by doing so, we isolate the Spirit of Christ in us from sinners. Even worse—when we do meet sinners where they are, we shut up. We clam up. We close up. We behave like them. We're not Christ among them. We are hardly different than they. So—what's the solution?
I want to suggest to you that the solution is to both obey the Word of the Lord and also the very actions of the Lord as He demonstrated how He reaches people with Himself—BY GOING TO THEM and ministering the Kingdom of Heaven in Word and demonstrations of His power directly where they live! Stop "inviting them to `church'" in some out-of-oikos place and environment. Take the Light into the darkness. Take Healing into the sick. Take the Word of God to where it presently not. Stop believing that sinners need to come to you. GO TO THEM! Or rather—take Jesus in you to them!
Hear the Word of the Lord with regard to the Judgment:
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Prior to the passage above, Jesus is talking about money, investing, bankers, and so on. What's the point? By going to the oikos, where sinners live (hungry, thirsty, strangers, prisoners, et al)—we are investing in treasures in the heavenly realms. We literally convert our time and money through Jesus in us—taking us and ours to Him in them where they are—into heavenly treasure that is eternal. NOT doing this results in loss. It's time to rise up and say and do as the Lord commanded so long ago and is still commanding to this very day!