What were first century church meetings like? When did they meet? Where did they meet? Why did they meet? What happened when they met? Find out in this message?
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What Was A First Century Church Meeting Like?
Acts 20:7-12
Have you ever wondered what early church meetings were like? I have. The problem is that the Bible does not give us exhaustive details about this.
When I went to be present at my son’s baptism last month, there was all kinds of ritual and high liturgy taking place. There were priests dressed in elaborate robes, incense, anointing of oil, icons hung on the walls, the kissing of the chalice containing the wine of the Lord’s Supper, the people addressing one another by a new name given at their baptism, addressing the priest as “Father”, people crossing themselves, and many others. Afterwards I was talking with the priest over lunch, and I asked him if he thought that early church meetings looked like this meeting. He said that he thought if the apostle walked into their church meeting he would know exactly what was going on. He believes that all of the rituals going on in their church meeting were present in their seed form in the early church.
I just can’t agree with him on this. I find it impossible to believe that all of the ritual, and ceremony, and liturgy going on at that church meeting was taking place in the meetings of the churches that Paul planted. There is absolutely nothing about any of the things I witnessed that day in my New Testament.
What does the Bible actually say took place in church in the first century? That’s the question I want to explore with you this morning. Why would this be important? It’s important because the apostles were much more qualified to make decisions on church matters than we are today. Therefore, it behooves us to find out if there is anything from the Word of God that will help us decide on matters relating to the church.
So, this morning we are going to ask ourselves several questions related to the gathering of the church.
- When did the church meet?
- Where did the church meet?
- Why did the church meet?
- What did the church do when it met?
1. When Did The Church Meet?
Well, in Acts 20:7 it was on the first day of the week. Now, we don’t know for sure if this was the common practice of the day, but I suspect it was. Notice in verse 6, that Paul and his team stayed in Troas for seven days, or one week. We also know that from verse 11, that right after this meeting was over, Paul and his team left. That means, that they must have arrived on a Monday, and left after the meeting was over on a Sunday. Now, why would they arrive on a Monday, and wait a full week until Sunday to have this meeting? Remember, that Paul had to be in Jerusalem by Pentecost, and he is eating up valuable time by waiting to meet until the first day of the week. It must have been because that was the customary day the church met, and Paul wanted to meet with as many of them as possible. Now, no doubt the church met in different groups throughout the week, but it would appear that their meeting on the first day of the week was the primary meeting.
We know that the Jews met on the seventh day of the week. Why do we find these Christians meeting on a different day? Are we seeing the early church transfer the Old Testament Jewish sabbath from the 7th day to the 1st day? No, not at all. Notice that nothing is written concerning these Christians resting on the 1st day. They simply gathered together on the 1st day. At this time in history, Sunday was a work day. No doubt, that’s why the meeting got started in the evening, not the morning – the believers had to work during the day. Thus, what we are seeing here is not the Christian Sabbath, but simply the day the Christians gathered.
In fact, from the evidence we have in the New Testament, the Sabbath is not brought over from the Old Testament into the New Testament as some kind of binding obligation. Colossians 2:16-17 says that we are not to let anyone pass judgment on us regarding the Sabbath, as it is just a shadow of Christ. Romans 14:5 says that some observe one day above another, while others observe every day alike. Each one is to be fully convinced in his own mind. Hebrews 4:9-10 says that there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, but it goes on to say that whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. In other words, the Sabbath was a picture for New Covenant believers of Christ. Christ is our Sabbath. As we come to Him, we find rest for our souls, because He has finished the work of redemption for us. All we do, is rest in His work through faith. There you have the entirety of the NT teaching on the Sabbath. So, when a 7th Day Adventist tries to lay a trip on you, saying that you must cease from work on Saturday, and attend church, and that working on Saturday is the mark of the beast, don’t listen to him. Listen to what God says in His Word.
So, if the 1st day of the week did not become a Christian Sabbath, why did the believers meet on that day? We are not told explicitly, but the implication is that the 1st day held special importance to them, because it was on this day that Jesus rose from the dead. And so, apparently, in honor of their Risen Lord, the early church met on the 1st day of the week. In fact, John says in Rev.1:10 “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day.” He was probably referring to the fact that it was a Sunday when he received this revelation. Since Jesus rose on the 1st day, that day became known as The Lord’s Day.
Now, do we have to meet on Sunday? Would it be sinful if we decided to meet on a Saturday, or Thursday? There is no command in the New Testament concerning meeting on a particular day, so I don’t believe we are bound to meet on a Sunday. However, it works out well, because many people have that day off of work, and Sunday has become known traditionally as the day the church meets. So for us, we are happy to continue in the tradition of the early church by meeting on Sundays.
2. Where Did The Church Meet?
In the upper room of the 3rd floor of a house. 20:8-9. It was a common practice in the first century to have a building for your business, and then to build on top of that building for the private living quarters of the family. This is apparently what we are seeing here. When we find an “upper room” in Scripture it is a room in someone’s home. That would include the upper room in Elijah’s house where he carried the dead boy before raising him to life. It would include the home where the disciples and Jesus observed the Last Supper. It would include the upper room of someone’s home where the disciples met while they waited for the Spirit to come.
It is true that the early Christians met in an outdoor covered porch area of the temple grounds where they could receive the teaching of the apostles, but the Lord’s Supper, fellowship, prayer and praise took place in homes. When the apostles carried the message of the gospel outside of Jerusalem, we never read of large church gatherings in a public setting again, except for perhaps the School of Tyrannus. So, if the early Christians were not meeting in large church buildings, where were they meeting?
Romans 16:3-5 “Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles; also greet the church that is in their house.”
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.”
Philemon 2 “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”
Colossians 4:15 “Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house”
Acts 16:40 “They went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia, and when they saw the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.”
The common practice throughout the entire New Testament is that the church met in homes. When Paul planted churches he never gave any instructions about building a special building.
Many people say, “Well, yes, the early Christians met in homes, but that is only because of persecution. They couldn’t meet publicly.” However, that argument is not convincing to me. The persecution of the early church was sporadic and localized. It was not constant and universal. There were places in the Roman empire where persecution did not rage, and that persecution could lapse for decades before being stirred up again. So, why do we have no record anywhere of the early church building church buildings to meet in? They surely could have. In fact, the early Christians worshipped without constructing special buildings for about 250 years! I believe it was because they considered the apostolic model of house church gatherings to be the best way to meet.
There is an old axiom that “form follows function.” What that means is that we should select the best form that will allow us to actually do what God has told us to do when the church gathers. What has he told us to do? Every member involvement in the meetings, and the Lord’s Supper as a full meal to name just two. Once the size of the church gets larger than the number of people that can meet in a home, it gets more and more difficult to fulfill those functions. If you have a church of 500 or 1,000 people, how can each one participate in the meeting by using their spiritual gift? How can you facilitate the Lord’s Supper as a full meal? It becomes nearly impossible. The kinds of meetings we find in the New Testament work best in a smaller home environment. I believe that is why the apostles never gave instructions to construct buildings. It would have proved to be counter productive to what the Lord wanted to take place in the meetings.
So, does that mean that it is wrong or sinful to meet as a very large group in a special building? No, the Bible never commands us to meet in homes. It just sets it forth as the apostolic model. However, I would prefer to follow the apostolic model, when possible, than follow my own ideas. There can be special times when it is a blessing for the whole church to come together, and in order to do that they may need to meet in a large outdoor area like the church did in Jerusalem. But the normal, regular, weekly gatherings of the New Testament appear to be in homes.
3. Why Did The Church Meet?
What is recorded in Acts 20:7, “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread…” Interesting! Does that surprise you? Here we are given the purpose of church meetings, and it is not what we would expect. We would have thought the Bible would say that we were gathered together to hear preaching, or to worship the Lord in song, or to evangelize the lost. It doesn’t. The only time the Bible gives the purpose for church meetings it is to break bread. It is given here, and it is given in 1 Corinthians 11:33, “So then, my brethren, when you come together TO EAT…”
“To break bread” became a catchphrase in the early church for observing the Lord’s Supper. Sometimes it could refer to just eating a meal, but at other times it referred to observing the Lord’s Supper. This shows us how tremendously important the Lord’s Supper is, and how precious it ought to be in the life of any church.
What takes place when we observe the Lord’s Supper? The Lord’s Supper provides a picture of 3 things: a Past, Present and Future reality. 1St, it pictures the death of Christ for us in the past. We are rehearsing the Gospel again until Jesus returns (1Cor.11:26). We are declaring that our salvation is wholly of Him, and nothing of ourselves. We are proclaiming that Jesus purchased our redemption through His broken body and shed blood. Thus the Lord’s Supper teaches over and over, that forgiveness, and heaven are not the result of our performance, obedience, or striving, but the result of His finished work on our behalf.
Additionally, the Lord’s Supper pictures the unity of the church. 1 Cor.10:17 says, “Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.” The single loaf of bread which we break symbolizes the 1 body of Christ. Each little piece we break off of that 1 loaf, represents each individual Christian. That’s why we don’t have a bunch of crackers all broken up for the Lord’s Supper. In that case, the symbolism would be lost. We have 1 loaf of bread which is broken into many smaller pieces to symbolize that Christ has made all of us one in Him, regardless of our race, age, or nationality.
Further, the Lord’s Supper is like a dress rehearsal for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. If you got married, you probably had a dress rehearsal. Everyone puts on their wedding clothes, and you go through all the elements of the wedding in advance, so that on the big day you don’t make any major blunders. Well, Luke 22:16-18 says that the Lord’s Supper will be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. Now, what kinds of things are fulfilled? Prophecies. The Lord’s Supper is kind of like a prophecy that will be realized, or fulfilled when Christ comes back, and we enjoy the Marriage Supper of the Lamb with Him.
Notice, that the breaking of bread took place on the 1st day of the week. That seems to imply that it was the regular practice of the church to observe the Lord’s Supper weekly. That’s why we observe the Lord’s Supper every week at The Bridge.
Also, notice that the Lord’s Supper was eaten in conjunction with a full meal. Those folks at this church meeting were up all night long. You’re not going to tell me that church folks met for 12 hours and there was no food! Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper as part of the Passover meal. Later in 1 Corinthians 11 it is clear that the Lord’s Supper was eaten in conjunction with a meal. Later, because of abuses in church history, the meal was eliminated, but it began the same way that Jesus instituted it. At The Bridge we like to observe the Lord’s Supper in our gatherings, and then as often as possible, we like to enjoy a meal with each other. That’s why we like to go straight from eating and drinking the bread and the cup to enjoying a fellowship meal together.
4. What Did the Church Do When It Met?
In other words, what were the activities of the church?
1) We know that there was Bible teaching from gifted leaders in the church. Timothy is an example of one such gifted leader. Paul writes to him and says in 1 Timothy 4:13, “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and teaching.” We are told that Elders or Overseers must be able to teach (1Tim.3:2). We read of some Elders that they “work hard at preaching and teaching” (1Tim.5:17). We read in Titus 1:9 that Elders 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.” Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:1 and told him to “preach the Word.”
Therefore, one of the things we should have in our regular church meetings is the preaching/teaching of the Word of God by gifted leaders.
2) The ministry of spiritual gifts by all. 1 Corinthians 14:26 says, “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 the “each one” of this passage. When Paul describes an early church meeting, he doesn’t speak of the Pastor who ministers to everyone else while the rest listen passively. He speaks of every member of the body using their spiritual gifts to minister to one another.
What spiritual gifts does Paul mention? A psalm. Evidently this person has either put an Old Testament psalm to music and sings it for everyone or teaches it to everyone. So, if you are gifted in music, you can bring a psalm to the meeting. The only qualification is that your contribution must be done for edification. This is not a time to show off. This is a time to build up others.
Paul also mentions a teaching. Now notice that he is telling the entire church that they might bring a teaching. This would be in addition to the teaching of a gifted leader. The teaching of the Word is something that Paul limits to the men of the church (1Tim.2:9-15). Perhaps one of you men have been reading something in the word and you have studied a passage that has ministered to you. Well, during our Sharing Time, bring a short teaching on what you have learned! Just the other day, we were spending time with the Lankins, and Oleg was sharing that he has watched hundreds of videos on Biblical Creation. I told him he should be sharing the things he has been learning. It would be edifying for the whole church!
Paul also mentions “a revelation, a tongue, an interpretation.” By revelation he probably means a word of prophecy. So prophecy, tongues, and interpretation of tongues was permitted when the church gathers. Now, right after this, Paul gives some rules for the exercise of prophecy and tongues. He says that two or three should speak, each in turn, and there must be one to interpret. He says that two or three prophets should speak and the others should pass judgment. I take that to mean they should discern whether that message was from the Lord or not. Now, here at The Bridge, we have never had an utterance in tongues at our weekly gathering, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t happen. Paul tells the church “do not forbid to speak in tongues.” If a person does bring a tongue, it will conform to what Paul says about it in 1 Corinthians 14. It will not be a message to men, but a message to God. It will be either praise or payer, and the interpretation will be the same.
The same is true of a word of prophecy. You might be in one of our gatherings, and have the sense that God wants you to speak a message spontaneously. You haven’t prepared this in advance. It is not a Bible teaching. It is an inspired spontaneous message. Well, go ahead and tell us what you believe the Lord wants you to say. It is our job, then, to discern whether that message has really come from the Lord or not.
Do you see that in the early church, the participation of everyone was expected? Today, in most churches, the only way someone can participate in the meetings is by giving money or singing. In fact, “going to church” today is often like going to a concert or to the movies. It is a show to watch but you would never be expected to get on the stage. Or to use another analogy, church today is often like going to see the Giants play baseball. We go to observe, but we would never get out on the field and play in the game. But not so, in the early church.
William Barclay, a Scottish Bible commentator has written, “The really notable thing about an early Church service must have been that almost everyone came feeling that he had both the privilege and obligation of contributing something to it.”
Ernest Scott, a church historian has written, “The exercise of the spiritual gifts was thus the characteristic element in the primitive worship… room was allowed in the service for the participation of all who were present… every member was expected to contribute something of his own to the common worship.”
Admittedly, this is very different from the vast majority of church meetings being held here in America. I think we need to get back to having church meetings like we see in the Bible.
A common objection to having church meetings like they did in the first century is that you are going to open up the meetings to chaos and heresy. Now, things could get a little chaotic, and false teaching can come in. But that’s why there are Elders. It is their job to provide leadership. If the church meeting starts to get out of hand, they need to step in and guide it in a more edifying direction.
The church also sang unto the Lord when it met. Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Chris richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Their songs taught and admonished one another, but they were directed to God.
Another activity of the church was eating together. We’ve already spoken of the Lord’s Supper being a full meal, so I won’t belabor that point any longer.
Another activity of the church was prayer. Acts 2:42 says, “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Teaching, spiritual gifts, singing, prayer and eating. Those are the Biblical activities of the church when it gathers.
Conclusion
Brothers and sisters, we have intentionally sought to design our church gatherings to be patterned after the early church. Of course someone will object and say, “If you have small house church gatherings, what do you do when you grow too large to fit in a house?” My answer is, “You start a new house church!” And when that happens, you don’t lose contact with the first church. You are a family of churches, so you continue to be in contact and communication. If the Lord blesses us with more new house churches, I believe we should work hard to be in unity together, which will necessitate having gatherings where more than one house church comes together on occasion.
The purpose of this teaching is to give you a Biblical reason for why we do what we do here at The Bridge.
I hope you will come each Sunday, prepared to contribute to the spiritual feast! Please be in prayer throughout the week, that the Lord would give you something to edify the rest!
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