The Bridge is going to begin meeting in homes! Does this mean we are some kind of crazy cult? Actually, the Bible has a lot to say about churches that meet in homes. Listen in to see the good, the bad, and the ugly about house churches.
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The Church Comes Home
1 Corinthians 16:19; 14:26
In our current church situation, it has become evident that we no longer have the people to provide the ministries that we once provided. It would be easy to become depressed and downcast. However, God causes all things to work together for good, to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Even though I am saddened about not worshiping regularly with some of my friends, I’m optimistic about the future. I believe God is going to bring something really good out of all of this. This morning I want to cast a vision for our future as a church. I believe the Lord would have us no longer meet here at City Hall, but rather, meet in homes. This is not only because of a lack of people to staff ministries, but for a host of other reasons. Interestingly, I have been thinking very seriously again about the benefits of home churches over traditional building-centered churches for about the last month. Our current situation just provided the catalyst necessary to move in that direction.
Now, the idea of a church that meets in homes may sound crazy to you at first, but please give me a hearing this morning. Debbie and I have been part of house churches for about 10 years, and there are some very wonderful aspects to this kind of church life that are simply not possible in a larger church that meets in a special building. My goal this morning is first to expose you to the Scriptures that would be relevant for Christians considering meeting in homes. Secondly, I would like to draw out some very practical issues we need to consider pertaining to meeting in homes.
A Biblical Foundation For Meeting In Homes
1. Where Did the Early Church Meet?
You may be surprised to discover that the church met primarily in homes for at least 200 years! Almost every scholar agrees on this. Let’s take a look at the Scriptures.
Romans 16:3-5, “Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia.”
Romans 16:23, “Gaius, host to me and to the whole church, greets you.”
1 Corinthians 16:19, “The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.”
Colossians 4:15, “Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house.”
Philemon 1-2, “Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker, and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house.”
In addition, we have the testimony of the book of Acts. Consider these texts.
Acts 2:46, “Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.” It is true that the believers in Jerusalem met at the temple grounds for a while. However, much of their spiritual fellowship, prayers, and observing of the Lord’s Supper was carried on in homes throughout Jerusalem. In time, they would no longer be able to meet at the temple, because it was destroyed in 70 A.D.
Acts 5:42, “And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”
Acts 8:3, “But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.” I believe that the reason Saul entered house after house is because he was breaking up house church meetings, and imprisoning their leaders, much like what has happened in various parts of China over the last few decades.
Acts 12:12, “Peter went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.”
Acts 16:14-15, 40. In Acts 16 Lydia is converted when the Lord opens her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. What does she immediately do? She urged the missionary team to stay at her home. Later, after a servant girl was delivered, and the jailer and his household were converted, Paul goes back to Lydia’s house. Notice verse 40, “They went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia, and when they saw the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.” The little church at Philippi was already meeting at Lydia’s home.
There is lots of evidence that the early church met in homes, and other than temporarily meeting at Solomon’s Portico in Jerusalem for a while, the Scriptures don’t describe anywhere else that they met. Does that mean it is wrong for a church to meet anywhere other than a home? No, I don’t think so. There is a difference between something being descriptive and prescriptive. When the Bible tells us that the believers were meeting in homes is it describing what took place, or prescribing what must take place? It’s simply describing. No, we don’t have to meet in homes to be Biblical, but there are some very good reasons that we will look at later, why it is a good idea to meet in homes.
2. What Did the Church Do when it Met?
- Men took the lead in Prayer. Notice what Paul tells Timothy in 1Tim.2:1-2,8, “First of al, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity… Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.” In this passage Paul urges the men to pray in every place. In verse 9 he urges the women to adorn themselves modestly and by means of good works. Now, Paul is not forbidding women to pray in church, but rather he is especially encouraging the men to take the lead in prayer when the church gathers.
- Pastors taught the Word of God. In the Pastoral Epistles, Paul urges the Elders to teach and preach the word of God. Let’s just read through some of these texts.
1Tim.2:11-12, “A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.” Now, there are two things an Elder/Pastor/Overseer must do as part of being faithful to his calling. He must teach the Word, and he must exercise in the church through his diligent oversight. A woman is told she must not do either one of these things. That leads me to believe that a woman may not be an Elder/Pastor of a New Testament church. Also, in 1 Timothy 3 when Paul lists the qualifications of an Overseer, he says he must be the “husband of one wife.” Further in the list of qualifications he refers to “he” over and over. Here at the Bridge, we are complementarian, not egalitarian. The egalitarian position believes that women have the right and freedom to function in any role that a man functions in. Now, that sounds very American and is a very popular idea. However, it’s not a Biblical idea. I believe the Bible teaches that men and women are equal in terms of their standing before God, but that He has designed them to function in different roles. The husband is the head of the wife and the family. The mature men become the leaders in the local church. The godly woman is a helper of her husband. I say all of that simply to help you see an accurate picture of what took place in the early church. Male, Biblically-qualified Pastors were teaching the people the word of God.
1Tim.4:11,13,16, “Prescribe and teach these things… Until I come give attention to… exhortation and teaching… Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for thoste who hear you.”
1 Tim. 5:17, “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.”
2 Tim. 4:1-2, “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”
Titus 1:9, “An Elder must hold fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.”
I have read all these passages to show that the New Testament churches were not leaderless groups of believers who just got together to “share” the word with each other. Not so. These churches had leaders who took seriously their job to teach and preach the word.
- Scripture Was Read Publicly. 1 Timothy 4:13 says, “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture…”At this point in time, each believer didn’t have a copy of the Bible like we do now. Probably the Elders had access to the Old Testament Scriptures and some of the New Testament epistles that had been penned. However, the printing press wasn’t even invented until 1450. Thus, the only way anyone could have a copy of the Scriptures is if they were hand copied. Further, a large percentage of people in the first century were illiterate. Thus, it was very important when the church gathered, to read the Scriptures publicly. This might be the only access to the Scriptures some believers would have for the entire week!
4. All Could Contribute to the Meeting. This is a point that is very different from traditional churches today, where the congregation is expected to sit still and be quiet, as the “professionals” do the ministry. Listen to what Paul tells the Corinthian church in 1 Cor. 14:26, “What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.” Notice who is to be involved in ministry in the church meeting – “each one.” All may contribute a psalm, teaching, revelation (prophecy), tongue, or interpretation. The church was not expected to sit passively and quietly for the entire meeting, while they listened to the paid professionals. No, they were encouraged to participate and contribute to the meeting that which was edifying for the whole. You know what that does? It puts a responsibility upon each member of the body to come prepared to build up others. In a house church, if no one comes with something from God for the rest, you’ll have a pretty dead meeting. If God has given us life, then when we meet, we share that life with others. This contribution includes the exercise of spiritual gifts like prophecy and tongues and interpretation, although Paul puts some fairly tight regulations on the use of these gifts in the meetings. I don’t think that Paul is being exhaustive in 1 Cor.14:26 when he lists a psalm, teaching, revelation, tongue and interpretation. Other contributions might be a testimony, an evangelistic experience, and prayer request, a praise report, a short 5-10 minute teaching, or a verse of Scripture that God had illumined to someone’s heart that week.
5. The Lord’s Supper Was Eaten Together. In fact, it was not just eaten, but appears to be the focus of the meeting. Notice some NT texts:
Acts 20:7, “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight.”
1 Cor. 11:33, “So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.”
In 1 Cor. 11:20, this memorial meal is called “The Lord’s Supper.” It’s not “The Lord’s Snack” or “The Lord’s Appetizer.” It is a supper. The early Christians observed it as a full meal. Jesus instituted this ordinance as part of the Passover meal. The early Christians followed His example, and also observed it as such. We know that because in 1 Cor. 11:21 we read that the Lord’s Supper was supposed to satisfy physical hunger, but was instead leading some to become drunk! They weren’t drinking a tiny cup of wine. They weren’t eating a tiny piece of bread. It was a full meal, with the bread and cup as prominent symbolic elements in the meal. That is one thing that I have wished we could have done differently here at The Bridge. The problem is that our meeting location just did not lend itself to being able to observe the Lord’s Supper as a full meal.
Some Practical Implications of Meeting In Homes
- The Pitfalls of House Churches. Debbie and I have spent 10 years of our life in house churches, so we know the pitfalls and mistakes that can be associated with them, and have probably made all of them at one time or another. Here are some of them:
- No Leaders. Oftentimes, those in house churches pride themselves on the fact that they have no leaders, no authority, and no hierarchy. There is often an anti-authority spirit. Instead of anyone bring authoritative preaching or teaching, they just “share” with one another. However, this is contrary to the NT, which teaches that churches should be governed and led by Elders. Authority in the church is not bad or wrong. If there is no recognized leadership and oversight in the church, it would be unbiblical.
- No Membership. In the house churches I was a part of, there was no formal membership. I have come to see the importance and value of knowing who has made a real commitment to a local church. It is invaluable when it comes to shepherding people, church discipline, and being unified together.
- No Statement of Faith. Again, the house churches that I know anything about, poo poo the idea of having a creed or confession or statement of faith. They would say, “No creed but the Bible.” Now, that sounds very noble, but what do you do when two people both say “no creed but the Bible”, but one thinks we are right with God through our deeds of righteousness, and the other believes it is through faith in Christ alone? There must be agreement on the important doctrines of Scripture.
- No Practice of Church Discipline. We have known of couples who separated and then divorced without any Biblical justification, while the church did very little to try to stop it. We weren’t prepared well enough to act in unity, because we hadn’t taken membership and church discipline seriously enough.
- No Planned Evangelism. House churches tend to grow inward. There must be a strong commitment in the leaders from the very beginning to make sure that the church is focused not only on the edification of its members but the evangelization of the world.
I look back on our 10 years in the house church and realize these were mistakes we made. We were wrong! All of those things are rooted in Scripture. This time want to rectify those mistakes.
2. The Benefits of House Churches
- Intimacy. In the NT, churches are likened to extended families, made up of brothers and sisters. Since families live in homes, it is natural for the church to meet in homes. There is something about meeting in someone’s home that breaks down barriers and causes people to draw closer together. I’m sure you have experienced the experience of getting to know someone on a whole different level when they invited you into their home for a meal. That’s similar to what usually takes place in a house church. Fellowship is usually enhanced simply by virtue of being in a relaxed and natural home atmosphere.
- Accountability. Since in a house church there are fewer people, and they usually open up and share more, the potential for really getting to know each person in the church is enhanced. When someone starts to stray or fall away, or get caught in sin, the rest of the church usually knows. Thus accountability is increased.
- A well-tended Flock. Since there are fewer people in a house church, the Pastor is able to invest himself more in each one. Instead of having 200 people to pastor, he may have 20. My plan would be to meet weekly with all the men of the church to study Scripture and talk about how we should apply it together. My goal would be to equip these men to shepherd and disciple their wives and children, so that the whole church is healthy.
- Every Member Ministry. In a house church, it is easy for people to learn how to minister to others, because there is opportunity in every meeting for that to take place. Brothers who have never taught the word before, may take 5-10 minutes to share a Biblical truth, and thus acquire and develop ministry skills. The goal is for every member of the church to be involved in serving and ministry on some level.
- A Wise Use of Resources. Since there would be no rent to pay for a special building, all of the monies saved on buildings and salaries could be funneled into local evangelism or missions.
- The Practice of the Lord’s Supper as Meal. In a special building that you can only rent for a couple of hours it is nearly impossible to follow the example of the early church in having the Lord’s Supper as a meal weekly. However, this becomes natural in a house church setting.
- Ease of Church Multiplication. Each HC is relatively small in number, simple in structure, and reproducible by design. Special care and attention should be given to not impose extra-biblical requirements for being a church such as buildings, pastors with seminary educations, full-time staff or extensive programs. These things are not viewed as unbiblical, just unnecessary for the church to be the church. Thus, the church ought to be able to adapt, spread, and grow more rapidly. How was the early church able to go from 120 people, to multiplied tens of thousands of believers within one generation, throughout the known world? How were they able to multiply churches throughout the world in a single generation? They did it through house churches. Except for meeting at the temple in Jerusalem temporarily, there were no large public buildings that were utilized for church gatherings. Because these churches were small, simple, and reproducible, the apostles were able to plant them all over the known world in a single generation!
- The Multiplication of House Churches. This is where it really gets exciting! What do you do when the house church grows too big to meet in a home? You appoint another Elder, and begin another house church. Then the two home congregations can begin meeting together once a month in a network. The Pastors meet weekly for several hours to challenge and counsel each other, and study Scripture together.
Conclusion
Begin next Sunday, we will begin meeting at our home. All need to bring edible food, and spiritual food to the meeting. The men will begin meeting Tuesday morning at 7:00 a.m. at Panera to work through Scripture together.
Brothers and sisters, although there is some sadness in leaving behind a church structure that we have become familiar with over the last three years, there is also excitement for me in seeing what the Lord will do as we venture out together into this new way of meeting as a church. May He lead us to be effective in reaching others for His kingdom, and building one another up in love and maturity!
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