HOME CLEANSING & BLESSING

Before the home is blessed the house must be cleansed of all that is offensive to God. This should be done as a family group. In some cases, after all the items have been collected, the family may want to invite the assembly members to a destruction party. None of the items should be given away or allow others to use them. If at all possible they should be burned. Some items must be destroyed while others require wisdom from God as to their destruction. Seek advice when in doubt.

IDOLS: Destroy every item that has any slight association with idolatry. This includes images, jewelry, jade objects, clothing, display objects, art pieces, masks, talismans, charms, books, literature, and objects that solicit fear or demand reverence of anything besides the true and living God.

GAMES: All games dealing with the occult, and with the forces of darkness must be destroyed, especially "Dungeons and Dragons" and "Ouija Boards." There are many TV and computer games along these lines that must be included in the destruction. Floppy disks should be destroyed, not erased and reused. And be sure the materials are deleted from where the computer saves deleted files.

PORNOGRAPHY: This includes all pornographic books, novels, magazines, videos, computer materials, and television. If a person cannot overcome his desire to watch trash TV, then he must get rid of the TV. What society calls pornography is not the same as God's definition of it. All the soap programs, most talk shows, and many of the other programs are pornographic according to Christ's standards. Also many magazines advocate an immoral lifestyle and antichristian principles so Christians must not subscribe to them or read them. All such materials must be destroyed in the house cleansing.

DOLLS: Troll dolls and Cabbage Patch dolls, from the Orient, have a connection with the occult and have caused problems for many people, so they must be destroyed. Cabbage Patch look alike dolls produced in the US as craft items should also be destroyed because they are a mockery of mankind who was created in the image of God. Dolls that are "sexually correct" are not proper toys for children, so they should also be destroyed.

MUSIC: The beat used in Rock Music is the same as used by the worshippers of demons to call up the evil spirits. This music is the music of rebellion, sensuality, and Satan worship. Putting Christian words to such music does not make it acceptable. "Christian Rock" is evidence of loving the world because imitation is the greatest sign of loving admiration. "Don't love the world, neither the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the Father's love isn't in him.". 1 John 2:15. Some music falls in a gray area. To be safe we need to make a chasm between the world's music and the music acceptable to God.

DRUGS: Our bodies are the home of the Holy Spirit so we must never harm our bodies but keep them pure and undefiled. Therefore, the use of any drugs that are harmful is forbidden to Christians. This includes alcohol and tobacco. Some may argue that Jesus drank wine, but we will not get into an argument whether He drank fermented wine or only sweet unfermented wine. Regardless, the wine the people drank at the time of Jesus was diluted with three parts water to one part wine.

In the house cleansing all hard liquor should be poured out as an offering to God. All tobacco products, marijuana, and all illegal drugs must be burned and their use discontinued. Some drugs, such as valium, may fall into a gray area. We believe that if a Christian is living a Christ like life, such drugs are not needed. Each person must decide for themselves, but they must remember that they are the temple of the Holy Spirit and must not do anything to harm their body and must destroy all that is harmful.

FALSE TEACHINGS: Get rid of all books and materials that advocate humanism and evolution. There are many good books which present the truth about the creation and where we came from and where we are going. We do not need materials about false philosophies in our homes.

Also, all books and materials advocating false religious teachings should be destroyed. A mature Christian who is able to use these materials in working with those following false teaching may have a reason to own some of these materials. But most Christian should not have the books and materials published by the cults, or others who are not true to the Bible.

Some people have images or Mary, Jesus, and the saints. Since the tendency is to use them as "good-luck-charms" and such use takes away from the glory due Christ, we should destroy all such items. All images and pictures which prevent a person from knowing the true Jesus should be destroy and replaced with framed Scripture verses.

NOTE: When Israel was preparing to enter the promise land the people were told, "The engraved images of their gods shall you burn with fire: you shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it to you, lest you be snared therein; for it is an abomination to Yahweh your God. You shall not bring an abomination into your house, and become a devoted thing like it: you shall utterly detest it, and you shall utterly abhor it; for it is a devoted thing." Deuteronomy 7:25,26. We should follow the same principle when anything of value, such as gold or silver, is left over after the destruction party. It should not be used for our own purposes as it is sanctified by fire and should be given to God for His purposes.

NOTE: Sometimes a family member will have a stash of pornography or liquor or drugs that is unknown to the other members of the family. In such cases the family member should confess his sins, ask forgiveness from his family and from God and add all of the hidden materials to the items being destroyed.
BLESSING THE HOME

The home blessing may take place immediately after the destruction party or held later. It depends upon the situation in the family and how much the members need to reveal their hidden iniquities to each other.

The service itself should be a simple affair but very meaningful. This is a good time to be an example to others of the family's dedication to Christ as Lord, so if possible the family's relatives, friends, and assembly members should be present.

1. First start with a time of worship through hymns, testimonies of God's blessings, and prayer. This will naturally flow into -

2. A time of thanksgiving. The father gives thanks for each member of the family, God's goodness upon the various members of the household, His faithfulness to the family, God's watch care and protection, and His abundant bestowal of health and strength, both physical and spiritual. The father of the house is able to lift up the entire gathering of God's people to heartfelt thanks and gratitude.

3. The assembly elder assisting in the house blessing reads Psalm 127 and 128 and then blesses the members of the household. First he blesses the parents then the children.