Since 2012, a growing group of believers in North America started to warn of coming persecution to western countries. This message was shared in a variety of ways. One of the responses to this was to compile a book taking principles from underground Churches around the world of how they thrived under pressure and persecution. The volume, Principles for the Gathering of Believers, had in a short time over 50,000 downloads in ebook format and much interest was shown. Some new house churches started through this and other existing groups were encouraged.
We realized that there was a great need especially in the West for such help and training for the body of Christ. We believe that we are not the teachers anymore but the students and should humbly receive spiritual help from underground believers in such countries as China, Iran, etc. The message of preparing to be the underground church now in Canada and America was not popular but every year it is becoming more apparent.
In many ways the Church in the West has abandoned the great commission and has stopped witnessing causing little growth and a lack of health overall. The majority of the world is in darkness as we read this and God is by-passing a Western Church and using those who are “poor in the eyes of the world” (James 2:5) to bring the Gospel to the unreached.
One Chinese underground worker summarizes it for us when he said that if we stopped witnessing we would stop being persecuted. Gospel Fellowships are believers who are committing to follow underground workers in their vibrant witness and sharing of the Good News of Jesus. We are not interested in Church politics, division and doctrinal disputes over non-essentials. When we lose our focus we cease to be a salt and light to the world.
We are not denominational and see the body of Christ as one. Jesus prayed for unity in John 17 of all believers as one. We see brothers and sisters in the Lord as one Church even if they go to different buildings with different names on them.
We meet primarily as house Churches out of conviction that this is how the Early Church met. We also see it in the Book of Acts under persecution it pragmatically worked well for believers back then and does therefore now. Around the world there is a movement of some estimate over 1 million new house Churches in the last 40 years! God is doing a new thing.
An Underground Church are groups of believers that cannot meet together openly in a society. We believe that in North America we need to start to think and act like other Underground Churches around the world because our freedoms as Christians are lessening. Underground does not mean anti-government, rather we are always praying for the leaders of our country. Underground Churches are not in most cases registered as non-profits or seek a building but meet privately in homes to worship God and celebrate the Lord’s Supper. We do not have clergy licences in the Underground Church or pastoral fixed salaries.
We are not offering a listing of individuals or house Churches because of security reasons. Secondly, we are not a denomination or seek to be such, so there is no signup list. All house Churches that are or will be connected with Gospel Fellowships are connected through relationships with believers and through the leading of the Holy Spirit.
If you are desiring to be involved in such a movement of the Holy Spirit you can learn more in the Principles book which outlines basic convictions of underground house Churches. Start a fellowship meeting through prayer and the Holy Spirit’s leading.
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“Christianity was birthed in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and will only continue as we have this empowering from above. God is always looking for the willing vessels that will trust Him afresh for the impossible.” from: Principles for the gathering of Believers under the Headship of Jesus Christ.Since 2012, a growing group of believers in North America started to warn of coming persecution to western countries. This message was shared in a variety of ways. One of the responses to this was to compile a book taking principles from underground Churches around the world of how they thrived under pressure and persecution. The volume, Principles for the Gathering of Believers, had in a short time over 50,000 downloads in ebook format and much interest was shown. Some new house churches started through this and other existing groups were encouraged.