Simple assembly

If you read much of what I write here at Seeking the Old Paths, you know I believe there is a need to return to and go by the way the apostles and New Testament churches did things. To be New Testament Christians, we need to ask New Testament questions and give New Testament answers. I find much of the simplicity and simple church ideas of the “house church movement” compelling. Much of modern American Christianity has distressed seeking Christians and gathering churches by complicating things that should be simple. An argument of many in the house church movement is that New Testament churches met exclusively in private homes, and that this is a scriptural mandate. When we ask this New Testament question, what is the New Testament answer?

The New Testament requires assembly, by command and example (Hebrews 10:25). It is quite clear that meeting in homes is a primary example in the scriptures (Acts 1:13, Acts 2:2, Acts 8:3, Acts 12:12, Acts 20:7-12, Romans 16:5, 1 Corinthians 16:19, Colossians 4:15, Philemon, verse 2, 2 John, verse 10). The inspired text compares the church to a house. It is God’s house (Ephesians 2:19, 1 Timothy 3:5, 15, Hebrews 10:21, 1 Peter 2:5, 1 Peter 4:17). This concept and New Testament practice should not be taken lightly. However, is this pattern exclusive? Are any other “worship facilities” – meeting places – suggested in the New Testament?

Acts 2:46 says they (the church at Jerusalem) continued [to meet] daily “with one accord in the temple,” as well as from house to house.[i] Acts 5:12 suggests them meeting at Solomon’s porch. In Ephesus Paul borrowed or rented “the school of Tyrannus”[ii] for meeting with his disciples and discoursing on the things of God (Acts 19:9-10). It appears, then, that though meeting in private homes was the rule, that there were exceptions. These exceptions make it difficult to unconditionally agree with Mario Vega when he writes, “When the church today returns to house to house ministry, it will recover the model of the New Testament church.”

Modern churches in the United States have complicated church meetings and church matters. Many waste huge sums of money on extravagant buildings. However, these kinds of abuses do not support the exclusive use of private houses if there are legitimate exceptions found in the New Testament. It appears there are at least two or three. On the other hand, why do we make the exceptions the rule and the rule the exceptions? That is a legitimate question to ponder!

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[i] Evidently indicating the outer court area of the temple, and this seems to suggest all 3000 could gather together.

[ii] σχολῇ a “place of leisure” where teaching, discourses, or lectures were given.