Where did the early church meet? Houses or Church

[Withdrawn]

Originally Posted by edjen01

not to be goofy....but does it matter where they met? we don't live in their world...their culture...we don't wear their clothes...eat the same type food...so why would we have a meeting like them?

Honestly? In part:

1. Renting/Owning/Mortgaging a building and auxiliary facilities requires vast amounts of money and does NOTHING to fulfil what Jesus Himself told us to do... preach the gospel, heal the sick, clothe the naked, feed the hungry... The building actually RESTRICTS our ability to do that because up to 60% - 80% of a typical congregation's financial resources (and that's a conservative estimate - many are much higher) are committed to just maintaining the machine.
2. Most "church buildings" are designed according to tradition that perpetuates the notion that it is a sacred place. Instead of it just being a room where people meet to fellowship and worship, it has some mystical aura attached to it. We even require different behavior when entering these "holy" places. I cringe when I hear people refer to a building as "the house of God" or refer to the meeting room as "the sanctuary." NOTHING could be further from the truth!
3. The layout of most "church buildings" actually is counter-productive and anti-biblical. With the platform where the "clergy" perform and the seating area where the "laity" very passively observe the performance, the layout absolutely prevents the "one another" ministry that we are to have with each other. The layout and the liturgy of most gatherings is such that the majority of the fellowship is reduced to passive observers instead of active ministers as we are all called to be.

Just a few thoughts in response to your question.

Be blessed!