Oikos is the context of a biblical lifestyle
As we eat meals in neighborhood restaurants, observe cottage industries, and get to know local residents we see the same is still true in the Holy Land today.
Our closest friends here in Jerusalem are a Christian family who trace their ancestry back many centuries in this place. We have been friends for 30 years. Their home is designed almost exactly as the first-century homes we see in archaeological digs: multiple rooms and a kitchen built around a common courtyard where they cook and share life together.
They think of everything in the context of their extended family.
They live in the same buildings or in close proximity to each other. They own a restaurant and everyone in the oikos works as they are able to make it a success. They take their vacations together. They face challenges, mourn losses, and celebrate victories together.
The two brothers we know best married two sisters from another family in Jerusalem. Now the two extended families are deeply connected. Last night we had the privilege of attending the graduation party of one of the sons. Seventy people gathered in an outdoor courtyard for a feast of biblical proportions and spent the night singing, dancing and laughing.
As Pam and I sat back and observed we were struck by the power and blessing of living as an oikos. In our society so many nuclear families are isolated, trying to face the challenges of life and find meaning on their own. There is so much to be gained by relearning what it means to share life and mission with a spiritual family that extends beyond our own nuclear family.
Read the rest of the article here: What is the Context of Biblical Discipleship? – Discipling Culture
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If you’ve spent any length of time on my site, you’ll know our ministry is called Oikos which is Greek for extended family, and much of what we do as a ministry is organic. We meet in homes and do things together, and have lots of moments during the week where we live life on life. We eat together. We play poker every other week. We also study the Bible together. Some of us in our Oikos pray together.
A big reason we do this is because we’re convinced discipleship works best within an extended spiritual family. So we do a lot of things that families do.
It was refreshing to read another post like this from Discipling Culture.
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