Do We Need All This?
 

Do we really need all this? The church in the first two centuries of Christianity took the world by storm house to house with little to no organization. Here's a commentary article that I found very thought provoking.

THE HOUSE CHURCH
AND PARACHURCH
ORGANIZATIONS

Since the first use of the word church (Gk. ekklesia) in Acts is found here (2:47), we pause to consider the centrality of the church in the thinking of the early Christians.

The church in the Book of Acts and in the rest of the NT was what is often called a house church. The early Christians met in houses rather than in special ecclesiastical buildings. It has been said that religion was loosed from specially sacred places and centered in that universal place of living, the home. Unger says that homes continued to serve as places of Christian assembly for two centuries.

It might be easy for us to think that the use of private homes was forced by economic necessity rather than being the result of spiritual considerations. We have become so accustomed to church buildings and chapels that we think they are God’s ideal.

However, there I strong reason to believe that the first century believers might have been wiser than we are.

First, it is inconsistent with the Christian faith and its emphasis on love to spend thousands of dollars on luxurious buildings when there is such appalling needed throughout the world. In that connection, E. Stanley Jones wrote:

I looked on the Bambino, the child Christ in the Cathedral at Rome, laden with expensive jewels, and then walked out and looked upon the countenances of hungry children and wondered whether Christ, in view of this hunger, was enjoying His jewels, and the thought persisted that if He was, then I could no longer enjoy the thought of Christ. That bejeweled Bambino and the hunger children are a symbol of what we have done in putting around Christ the expensive livery of stately cathedral sand churches while leaving untouched the fundamental wrongs in human society whereby Christ is left hungry in the unemployed and the disposed.

Not only is it inhumane; it is also uneconomical to spend money on expensive buildings that are used for no more than three, four, or five hours during the week. How have we ever allowed ourselves to drift into this unthinking dream world where we are willing to spend so much in order to get so little usage in return?

Our modern building programs have been one of the biggest hindrances to the expansion of the church. Heavy payments on principle and interest cause church leaders to resist any efforts to hive off and form new churches. Any loss of members would jeopardize the income needed to pay for the building and its upkeep. An unborn generation is addled with debt, and any hope of church reproduction is stifled.

It is often argued that we must have impressive buildings in order to attract the unchurched to our services. Aside from being a carnal way of thinking, this completely overlooks the NT pattern. The meetings of the early church were largely for believers. The Christians assembled for the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer (Acts 2:42). The did not do their evangelizing by inviting people to meetings on Sunday but by witnessing to those with whom they came in contact throughout the week. When people did get converted, they were then brought into the fellowship and warmth of the house church to be fed and encouraged.

It is sometimes difficult to get people to attend services in dignified church buildings. There is a strong reaction against formalism. Also there is a fear of being solicited for funds. “All the church wants is your money,” is a common complaint. Yet many of these same people are willing to attend a conversational Bible class in a home. There they do not have to be style-conscious, and they enjoy the informal, unprofessional atmosphere.

Actually the house church is ideal for every culture and every country. And probably of we could look over the entire world, we would see more churches meeting in homes than in any other way.

In contrast to today’s imposing cathedrals, churches, and chapels – as well as a whole host of highly organized denominations, the apostles in the Book of Acts made no attempt to form an organization of any kind for carrying on the work of the Lord. The local church was God’s unit on earth for propagating the faith and the disciples were content to work within that context.

In recent years there has been an organizational explosion in Christendom of such proportions as to make one dizzy. Every time a believer gets a new idea for advancing the cause of Christ, he forms a new mission board, corporations, or institution!

One result is that capable teachers and preachers have been called away from their primary ministries in order to become administrators. If all mission board administrators were serving on the mission field, it would greatly reduce the need for personnel there.

Another result of the proliferation of organizations is that vast sums of money are needed for overhead, and thus diverted from direct gospel outreach. The greater part of every dollar given to many Christian organizations is devoted to the expense of maintaining the organization rather than the primary purpose for which it was founded.

Organizations often hinder the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Jesus told His disciples to teach all the things He had commanded. Many who work for Christian organizations find they are not permitted to teach all the truth of God. They must no teach certain controversial matters for fear they will alienate the constituency to whom they look for financial support.

The multiplication of Christian institutions has too often resulted in factions, jealousy, and rivalry that have done great harm to the testimony of Christ.

Consider the overlapping multiplicity of Christian organizations at work, at home, and abroad. Each competes for limited personnel and for shrinking financial resources. And consider how many of these organizations really owe their origin to purely human rivalry, though public statements usually refer to God’s will (Daily Notes of the Scripture Union).

And it is often true that organizations have a way of perpetuating themselves long after they have outlived their usefulness. The wheels grind on heavily even though the vision of the founders has been lost, and the glory of the once dynamic movement has departed. It was spiritual wisdom, not primitive naiveté, that saved the early Christians from setting up human organizations to carry on the work of the Lord. G. H. Lang writes:

An acute writer, contrasting the apostolic work with the more usual modern missionary methods, has said that “we found missions, the apostles founded churches.” The distinction is sound and pregnant. The apostles founded churches, and the founded nothing else, because for the ends in view nothing else was required or could have been so suitable. In each place where they labored they formed the converts into a local assembly, with elders – always elders, never an elder (Acts 14:23; 15:6, 23; 20:17; Phil. 1:1) – to guide, to rule, to shepherd, men qualified by the Lord and recognized by the saints (I Cor. 16:15; I Thess. 5:12, 13; I Tim. 5:17-19); and with deacons, appointed by the assembly (Acts 6:1-6; Phil 1:1) – in this contrasted with the elders – to attend to the few but very important temporal affairs, and in particular to the distribution of the funds of the assembly….All they (the apostles) did in the way of organizing was to form the disciples gathered into other such assemblies. No other organization than the local assembly appears in the New Testament, nor do we find even the germ of anything further.

To the early Christians and their apostolic leadership, the congregation was the divinely ordained unit on earth through which God chose to work, and they only such unit to which He promised perpetuity was the church.


Believer’s Bible Commentary, Pgs. 1590-1591

Thoughts???

Re: Do We Need All This?
 

Are you taking the world by storm in the house church movement?

I agree with church debt. With threatened economy, more families have needs and donations fall. If the church has a fat mortgage, it comes first and missions come last.

I read about the fancy cathedral in California was insolvent. I have never heard of evictions for non payment of mortgages from brush arbours.

Re: Do We Need All This?
 

Um, if the proliferation of organizations is a problem, how will forming a zillion more very tiny organizations help?

Re: Do We Need All This?
 

I would not say "little to no organization"

Re: Do We Need All This?
 

True. I'd have to say "organizations" and institutional churches as we think of them.

Re: Do We Need All This?
 

Form should follow function. Review I Corinthians 14 when Paul addresses how gatherings are meant to be conducted.

Re: Do We Need All This?
 

well, this probably isnt relevant, but, a good part of the OT, was spend rebuilding and repairing the temple in Jerusalem, which was extravagant in expenses lavished on it.

so, i can't think that God would really object to have nice houses of worship.

on the other hand, why not go back to open air tent meetings where people can see a service in process and drop in w/o feeling pressured.

Re: Do We Need All This?
 

Another thought, the Apostles turned the world upside down quickly and fervently with their doctrine, as it was being preached to people who had never heard of Jesus before. We now live in a world where everyone has heard about Jesus. So can we really say the blueprint for the Apostles used should be ours? Most of our churches are recycling people from other churches, at least in this country. To follow in the Apostles pattern, wouldn't you need to go to places where people are predominately ignorant to the gospel?

Re: Do We Need All This?
 

And we saw how that ended.

Form must follow function. Look at what Paul tells us with regards to how our meetings should be:

I Corinthians 14:29-33
29 Let two or three people prophesy, and let the others evaluate what is said. 30 But if someone is prophesying and another person receives a revelation from the Lord, the one who is speaking must stop. 31 In this way, all who prophesy will have a turn to speak, one after the other, so that everyone will learn and be encouraged. 32 Remember that people who prophesy are in control of their spirit and can take turns. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.

Notice, two or three are to speak the Word of God (prophesy). Others present are to evaluate what’s being said. But if someone is teaching the Word of God and another person sitting there listening receives a revelation from the Lord, the one who is speaking must stop. This way everyone with the gift to speak God’s Word will have a turn to speak, one after the other. This is so that everyone will learn and being encouraged. Remember that everyone who speaks are in control of their own spirits and can take turns. Because God isn’t a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy church.

Do enormous buildings wherein you sit like a spectator allow everyone a chance to discuss and share revelations concerning the Word of God? No. You see…form should follow function. Now, larger gatherings aren’t always bad. But to neglect these smaller gatherings as Paul ordered them is to neglect something that’s actually stated in Scripture.

It’s about fulfilling NT mandates in our churches. Not just listening to a sermon. Here’s a link to help you understand what is called the Simple Church model:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvJR_SIiPl4

Re: Do We Need All This?
 

Also,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10ZIMJU3DhU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2_hi...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hrxi5...eature=related

My church does this. We have one service on Sundays at our campus. Throughout the week we have meetings at our house churches. It's precious and powerful!

Re: Do We Need All This?
 

Oh, I'm not saying it would be unbiblical. Just sayin'.

Re: Do We Need All This?
 

Excellent article. Think of how God's people would be blessed, if we actually did things the way the apostles did...instead of just saying we do.

Re: Do We Need All This?
 

The Apostles regularly went on the sabbath to the Synagogues and preached to the Jews Jesus Christ...when are you guys gonna go do that/?

Re: Do We Need All This?
 

While we obviously have much to learn from the Apostles, I don't think we necessarily have to exactly model the exact way they had church back then. As cultures change, our ways of doing things will change.

Here in America, if our economy keeps crashing, our way of doing church here will probably change once again, by necessity.

Re: Do We Need All This?
 

That was before they broke from Judaism. After they broke from Judaism Christianity EXPLODED. They didn't need buildings, pews, pulpits, sound systems, programs, drama camps, blah, blah, blah. They took the world by being the church. Not by trying to drag people to a building they call a church.

Now, for the record... the church I attend has a massive campus just on the edge of Centerville Ohio. We meet there on Sundays at 9:30am and 11:30am. Throughout the week we attend our house churches. We have roughly 100 house churches in our fellowship and a very active board of elders. We call our Sunday services "gatherings". They are gatherings for worship and for general teaching. However, most "ministry" takes place in the house churches. Each house church is led by an elder who performs about 90% of pastoral care.

My point however is that having seen these things first hand, I know that if we lost our building tomorrow... our fellowship would continue without missing a beat. Most churches would fold if you took their building. In fact, our house church elders have examined what things would look like if we simply formed a network of house churches and perhaps rented space once a month for larger evangelistic gatherings.

It works quite well. The closeness and intimacy within the group is beyond anything I've ever experienced in a traditional church service.

Re: Do We Need All This?
 

if you are holding church in your house, isn't that still taking people to a building? until you preach on the streets, and in the market places, and basically everywhere you go, you probably are not emulating the Apostles.

Re: Do We Need All This?
 

*Sigh*

It's like no one reads I Corinthians 14 and how Paul structured church gatherings. Notice something here,

I Corinthians 14:26-38 (ESV)
26What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. 27If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. 28But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. 29Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. 30If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. 31For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, 32and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 33For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.

As in all the churches of the saints, 34 the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. 35If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.

36Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? 37 If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. 38If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.

Please notice... these smaller, more interractive meetings wherein the entire body discussed Scripture and everyone shared are structured by Paul and these things are considered, "a command of the Lord".

Frankly, if all we do is have a traditional church service without smaller groups where there is body ministry as described here... we're violating a commandment of the Lord. The Lord doesn't command that we have church the way we do today. However, the Lord does command the structure and method Paul describes here. This method includes:

- Everyone being able to bring a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation.
- Gift of tongues coupled with interpretation, two or at most three.
- Two or three anointed teachers speak and guide the meeting.
- If a saint attending has a revelation or something to share, whoever is speaking must stop and give them the floor so that all might be able to prophesy, learn, and be encouraged.
- Those who address the group must realize that their spirits are subject to the anointed teachers guiding the group.
- Women (or anyone for that matter) are not to use the time for socializing.
- Those who think they are spiritual Christians should acknowledge that this order is command from the Lord.

So, if we BELIEVE the Bible, interactive meetings like these isn't an option. It's a command from the Lord.

Now, having a large church building and a traditional Sunday service isn't a sin. It's cultural in the West, that's all. But if all we do is assemble in a building to hear a sermon and listen to bang clang music... we've missed the entire purpose of meeting and entirely missed out on the "body ministry" the Bible commands.

Re: Do We Need All This?
 

*Sigh*

You guys don't get it. The Bible (I Corinthians 14:26-38) illustrates that our meetings should have the following elements and guiding principles:

- Everyone being able to bring a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation.
- Gift of tongues coupled with interpretation, two or at most three.
- Two or three anointed teachers speak and guide the meeting.
- If a saint attending has a revelation or something to share, whoever is speaking must stop and give them the floor so that all might be able to prophesy, learn, and be encouraged.
- Those who address the group must realize that their spirits are subject to the anointed teachers guiding the group.
- Women (or anyone for that matter) are not to use the time for socializing.
- Those who think they are spiritual Christians should acknowledge that this order is command from the Lord.

If our "form of church" will not allow for these kinds of meetings... we are failing to meet as the Apostle Paul admonished us to meet. It doesn't matter if it's in a house, a park, a coffee shop, a library, a book store, a bus stop, a town square, or wherever. The point is that the above elements should be present. They are to be elder guided and interactive meetings where anyone present can address the group by sharing a song, a hymn, a poem, a passage, a testimony, or whatever the Lord leads. If a meeting is too big to facilitate this, it fails to allow for the body ministry Paul admonishes us to have because it is a "command from the Lord" (I Corinthians 14:37).

For example, on any given Sunday when your pastor is speaking... could I ask to speak and share a word that the Lord has placed on my heart? Could you in turn share what passage has been ministering to you and what the Lord put on your heart? If I had a question could I interrupt the pastor's sermon to seek an answer? Could the entire congregation do any of this? Or would the pastor be upset because was interrupted and he didn't get to "preach a sermon"? Would there by too many people to allow for such an open and interactive meeting? Would we be relegated to passive spectators who hopefully learn something? If so... your church is most likely too big to abide by I Corinthians 14:26-38. You need to form home fellowship groups or house churches or something to fulfill this calling of Scripture.

You're exactly right. We've had house church (simple church) gatherings at Tim Horton's in Dayton Ohio, a Tim Horton's in Beavercreek, a coffee shop called Higher Grounds in Tipp City Oh, and several parks. On the 28th of this month my current house church will be gathering at a local park to share the Word with the lost and one another. We'll also have baptisms right in the lake. lol Yes, we take church everywhere! LOL

Re: Do We Need All This?
 

The issue isn't so much the building vs. house. The issue is... is the group meeting too large to fulfill I Corinthians 14:26-38 and disciple believers to reach their world?

Also, we don't teach and lead in these house churches to just gather members. Our elder wants everyone in the house church to become equiped to host and/or lead another house church gathering. He stated that if he still sees the same faces in four years, he's failed the Lord's vision. In four years he stated that every household represented in our current house church should be at least hosting a house church on their own.

A loose and general rule among the elders I know is that we take no more than 12 men and their families. We help them cultivate a relationship with Jesus, teach them doctrine, teach them about their salvation, teach what Christ has done, teach them how to share the gospel, teach them how to study the Bible, teach them how to lead and guide a house church, teach them how to disciple others and train them. The process is targeted to last nearly 3-4 years. Then we SEND them to win the lost and host their own house churches wherein they train others to do the same.

It's ALL about helping people become disciples of Jesus.

Re: Do We Need All This?
 

ok, i understand your point now

Re: Do We Need All This?
 

Spot on
They healed the crippled man on the way into the Synagogue to pray. If I drive to church to pray when there is not a scheduled prayer meeting, half the time someone else is there also.

Re: Do We Need All This?
 

It's a historical fact that after Christianity separated from Judaism the Christians spread like wild fire because they didn't nail themselves down to a specific place of meeting. Throughout the book of Acts and the Epistles, especially after the separation from Judaism, we see the church meeting in homes. The church exploded...just as it is in China and poorer countries where they keep church simple. America and Europe became institutionalized, relegating Christian worship, gathering, and practice to a holy place, on a holy day, led by men of power wearing holy clothing.

So, Coadie, you don't believe that the order of service as presented by Paul in I Corinthians 14 wherein a small group meets and all are given the opportunity to prophesy and interract is a "command from the Lord" as Paul states that it is?

Re: Do We Need All This?
 

Yeah. About a ton.

The Believers Bible Commentary is the product of the Plymouth Brethren sect and thus, reflects the views and opinions that are generally associated with that group: Dispensationalism, Fundamentalism and a sometimes rather harsh view of any sort of hierarchy involving mutual accountability.

Also, while the first century Christian movement did lack a lot of it's own structure in its early years, it benefited from the existence of a whole network of communal structures and associations throughout the Mediterranean world - especially the structure of the Jewish community in diaspora.

Then, as the Christian church grew, it planted its own ecclesiastical structures and hierarchies (See Titus 1:5-7 & etc. for example). Believers within these communities weren't just shuttled off to their own "house" or "mini-mission field." They were integrated with the larger community and served under the supervision of elders and bishops. The Greek word episkopos or "bishop" mean literally, an overseer. "epi" means "over" or above and "skopos" means "to see or look."