Christians are not called to a monastic lifestyle of isolation but to be a member of a living body of Believers with Jesus Christ as the Head. Jesus highlighted that fact when He told His disciples,
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:14-16
To motivate us to carry out this mission, we are given the Great Commission. Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” 1 It is important that we remember that we are not being asked to do this in our own strength or ability. After His resurrection, Jesus told His disciples,
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
Here, we see that Jesus specified four areas of evangelical expansion.
- “Jerusalem” represents our close community of acquaintances,
- “and in all Judea” represents a larger surrounding region where we might feel comfortable,
- “and Samaria,” represents a region where we might not feel comfortable,
- “and to the end of the earth” represents that place that puts us out of our comfort zone.
Koinonia House hopes to help you along your way as you travel this venture of faith. The term “Koinonia” is a New Testament Greek word that is most often translated to mean “communication,” “fellowship,” or “communion.” Thus, we aim to build you up in your most holy faith by offering materials and experiences that equip “the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, until we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” 2
The central feature of our fellowship is our love for Jesus and the study of the Word of God to discover the Will of God so that we might be able to reflect the Light of God. Therefore, we offer the following as a way of partnering with you.
Your Jerusalem
Let’s start with Koinonia within your inner circle. Start a Home Group. The default assumption for most when they think a Home Group is to provide a mini-church service in your home. You generally would look to fill it with people who already attend the same congregation as you. Although this can be very useful, this is not what I am suggesting.
The Invitation. If we define “your Jerusalem” as your surrounding community of friends and neighbors, then it will cause you to look at those nearby acquaintances as potential attendees. Now, some people would rather travel to the deepest, darkest corner of the earth to preach the Gospel than simply reach out to those who are nearest to them. I find that if you seek them out with love and compassion, you never know what hearts might be opened to a kind invitation to simply enjoy some Biblical koinonia with a neighbor. I believe this is the “Light” Jesus was talking about. Once you open the door, let the Holy Spirit do the rest. I appreciate that most of us feel very vulnerable in a venture such as this, but here is where you need to trust in the guidance, protection, and provision of the Holy Spirit.
The Agenda. The next aspect of this type of activity is to determine the content and control of this local get together. Some might only be comfortable with inviting people to come and view a video presentation by a Bible teacher. Again, although this might sound like an easy solution, it really does not provide an environment of friendly fellowship. Therefore, make it Bible-only centered.
Jesus offers us the presence and power of the Holy Spirit to lead us into truth.3 By this, we gain access to the thoughts and intentions of the Author of the Bible. Suppose we feel that we lack the necessary wisdom to apply the knowledge we are being given. In that case, the apostle James reminds us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5
In this type of fellowship, the idea is simple. You begin with prayer. You choose a book of the Bible. Then, each person takes their turn to read one verse at a time in the round. This is an occasion to allow the text alone to reveal the context and, thereby, its primary meaning. Then, you encourage a discussion among the readers about what verse or verses spoke to them personally. I would also suggest that you avoid sermonizing from the text or mentioning the commentary of a favorite teacher. This is when you just allow the simple reading of the Bible to be enough.
In preparation for this type of fellowship, I recommend that each participant read the upcoming book at least once a day during the preceding week. This allows each person to be familiar with the text, and it allows the Holy Spirit to prepare their hearts and minds for the shared experience of discovery from the Word of God.
Your Judea
Koinonia in your wider community is the next objective. Recently we have been co-laboring with others to sponsor Koinonia Connection meetings. These events are intended to be live, relationship-building experiences. Here is where we see like-minded people gather and enjoy meaningful fellowship. I have even witnessed life-long friendships being developed as the attendees enjoy Koinonia together.
Our Part. For most, this sounds like a difficult task that is better left to those who are experienced promoters. Nothing could be further from the truth. Koinonia House provides all transportation, lodging, and meals for the invited speaker(s). If applicable, we will pay for the cost of a rented venue. We provide venue-specific promotional materials in print-ready digital format. National advertising is through the various K-House social media outlets.
Your Part. We simply ask the local partner(s) to pray that attendees will be blessed at this event by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the Koinonia of the Holy Spirit as per 2 Corinthians 13:14. We look for the partner(s) to help us provide a meeting space with a means of presenting our materials. We trust that the partner(s) will promote the event locally and assist us with facilitating it. In the end, we are inviting you to step out of the church pew and venture into your community with the purpose of seeing Jesus lifted up and His Church built up.
Your uttermost ends of the world
Koinonia in Israel (B.A.S.E. Tour). I once heard a famous Bible teacher say, “Spending a week in Israel is like spending a year in Bible College.” Before I went to Israel, I thought that was a preposterous statement. Having now gone many times, I would have to expand that superlative to highlight the fact that going to Israel can be life changing in so man ways. Not only does it help give the Biblical narratives a physical context, it also shows the historic and archaeological accuracy of the Biblical record.
Our Experience. After more than forty years of hosting tours to Israel, Koinonia House has developed many strong relationships with key people that allow us to gain access to sites and experiences that are far beyond the normal package tours being offered by others. In 2015, we merged our tour experience with that of the B.A.S.E. Institute. This organization is directed by its president Robert (Bob) Cornuke. Bob’s experience in exploration and discovery is unrivaled. For a short list of his accomplishments, please check out his website: baseinstitute.org. Between our highly qualified Israeli guides, Bob’s exciting insights, and my Biblical perspectives, we provide a well-rounded immersion experience where the pages of the Bible go from a two-dimensional black-and-white portrait to a three-dimensional full-color depiction of the Biblical record.
Your Experience. Our biggest promoters are those who have been with us in the past. This is especially true if they have been on tours to the Holy Land with other tourist-based organizations. It has been said that a satisfied customer is a repeat customer. This is certainly true for us. It is very common for those who have joined us for the first experience in Israel to end their time with us by asking, “When can we do this again.” Some have told us things like, “Being with you on this tour is like drinking from a fire hydrant.” Now, just to make sure that you don’t think from that previous statement that we pack our days with so many sites that they all run together, those comments come from our participants who recognize the amount and level of Biblical insight they are given on a daily basis. Time and time again the feedback is that it was an incredibly enriching experience.
There is one more aspect of this adventure that normally surprises the first-timer. Because you are with a group of like-minded
people with similar objectives, you will find yourself in a micro-bubble of Koinonia House-type people who are all very excited about learning and sharing the same things. Therefore, there is a common connection that takes place. For the duration of the tour (normally 10-12 days), you are literally in an intimate family-type environment where lasting relationships can forged and continued long after the tour comes to an end.
Finally, and most importantly, those who have spent the time, money, and effort to join us in this faraway place are forever changed. Reading your Bible will never be the same. When you talk about the Bible, you will express your understanding from personal experience, not mere secondary insight from the commentaries of others. Your witness to others will be literally firsthand as you describe what you have seen and your heart experienced. Don’t be surprised when you get home that you find yourself seeking more ministry opportunities in your “Jerusalem and Judea.”
To get a sense of what it is like to be on one of our tours, watch the video below, or go to our Events Page, watch the videos, view some of our photos, and see if they don’t inspire you with excitement to join us on a K-House B.A.S.E tour to Israel.
