THE JESUS HOUSE

By Ken Simmons

(UPDATED and REVISED)

During the 1970s my ministry in Lakeland, Florida involved renting a place we called “The Jesus House .”

After they had almost doubled the rent on The Dove Christian Coffeehouse we closed it down, and we then found an old wood-framed 2-story house. Soon afterward it was the young people that gave the home its name -- they called it The Jesus House. It was not far from one of the more than 60 lakes in the Lakeland area, one of which was only a block away where I baptized dozens of our new converts. This happened not only during the warm summer months, but also during the winter, yet those who wanted to be baptized never seemed to be discouraged by the cold water, such was the excitement about their new life in Christ. ?

During our meetings at The Jesus House young people would fill the place so much so, that often many ended up sitting on the floor, up on the staircase, on the front porch, and even on the window sills, and with the windows open they could hear the messages as some sat out on the lawn due to the crowding inside.

Yes, the young people loved the teaching of the Word. Amazingly, they seemed to understand many of the deep mysteries of God’s kingdom more than most of the adults. The Jesus House was a place that held many young new converts, but it also was a place that held many unforgettable memories.

Allow me to share with you one of those special memories, a night when we had communion. Again, this was a time when the home was packed with young people, many of them new converts, and those on the front porch and those out on the lawn, somehow managed to find a place to sit on the floor inside. It was crowded yet no one seemed to mind.

That night communion was no longer a ritual, because it became a powerful move of the Holy Spirit. As we broke the loaves of unleavened bread and passed them around, and we then shared the cup of wine, old wounds were healed as I washed the feet of all who were there. During this time of foot washing, some could be seen weeping, as they would go over to their friend to ask forgiveness for some unknown but not forgotten old hurt.

Another of the many memories at The Jesus House involved food, fish in particular. One day a friend called and asked if we would like to have some fish. I said, “Sure, we’d love to have some” not knowing what kind, or how many fish he was talking about.

He and a couple of his friends had taken their boat to Lake Parker, the largest of the more than 60 lakes in the surrounding Lakeland area, and they spent that day throwing out a large cast net and gathering a bunch of tilapia. But when he asked if we’d like some fish I had no idea that when he arrived they would be unloading a 35-gallon barrel of fish for us from the back of his pickup.

That night I, along with some of my best helpers, cleaned fish until 4 o’clock the next morning. This meant we were never short of food – fish that is. For the next few weeks at the Jesus House, we often had fish for breakfast, fish for lunch, and fish for dinner. And, occasionally we would find bags of food at the front door, not knowing where it came from or who brought them.

Although money was always tight, and it seemed that God often waited until the 11th hour before money arrived, we always managed to have enough to get by.

Yes, The Jesus House was truly a place of great memories, memories that will last a lifetime.

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