church in the home

I can't remember where I found this but it makes a good point:

Getting close - The talk that never happened...

One can think of an imaginary conversation between Jesus and the Church, his bride on earth. The topic of the conversation was: Housechurches throughout the ages. ”You may remember that I said, I will build my Church,” Jesus said. ”And because I promised to be always with you until the end of the Age, I also wanted the church to be part of your every-day life, in the places where you live, in your houses.”
There was a murmur of astonishment amongst the disciples.
”Oh,” said Pachomius the founder of the monastic movement, ”what you intended to say was that you wanted us to be part of monastic orders and cells of monks?”
”Not exactly,” said Jesus.
”Ecclesiolae in Ecclesiae? - little churches within the real big church” asked Luther.
”Close!” said Christ, ”but not quite yet what I mean.
”Collegia pietatis - pious Bible reading groups in homes?” asked Ferdinand Christian Spener.
”Prayer groups, or at least community type fellowships?” asked the Moravians in Herrenhut. ”We could also call them Gemeinschaften!”, they added.
”No, I intend housechurches,” Jesus answered.
”Now we know what you mean. Bible study groups, right?!”
”Well, how about evangelistic Biblestudy groups, or how do you feel about LEGS, Lay Evangelistic Group Studies,” asked a movement in the Philippines in the 1970s.
In the latter part of the 20th centuries many voices shouted for attention, almost all at the same time.
”Is it Youth groups?,” they probed. ”Care groups? Sunday school groups? Small groups? Home groups? House groups? Life groups? Or maybe New Life groups? Follow-up groups? Discovery groups? Discipleship groups? Ministry groups? Oikos groups? Serendipity-groups?
”Well, he does not like the word ‘groups’,” someone suggested helpfully. ”Lets try it with cell!”
”Well, how about House Cells, then; or at least Home Cells? Care cells? Life cells? Or just plain Cells?”
No answer.
”Alpha! what he means is Alpha groups!” exclaimed someone. ”He will like the name, and we like the food and the fact that it is only community for a short time. Just what our short-lived society looking for.”
”Base Ecclesial Communities?” asked a movement in the Roman Catholic Church.
”Is it TLC?”
”What is that?” asked Jesus.
”Well, Tiny Little Churches, of course,” was the answer.
”I do not understand the first two words in that slogan. What is so tiny and little about me?”, asked Jesus.
”Well, then, we have found it! Cell church, complete with Assistant Subdivisional Zonal Pastor, type B-Evangelism harvest events and a long list of proven conversation-icebreaker questions,” exclaimed somebody.
”Well,” said Jesus, ”what I really mean is just housechurches, simple unsophisticated housechurches, the church as they meet in ordinary homes. Why is that so difficult to understand for you?”