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God sent His Son in the fullness of time to redeem mankind (Galatians 4:4). Jesus coming into this world was not incidental in any way. He came when conditions were right for His mission of bringing people back to the Father and the building of His Church.
The first century was an excellent time in history for this to take place for a variety of reasons. Peace was prevalent as Rome ruled the world. Roads were maintained throughout the empire and the one universal language of Greek opened the way for everyone to hear the Gospel. All of these conditions came together to provide the opportunity for the Church to explode with growth.
Visualize "church" - Today it's totally different than church was in the New Testament during the first century when it was first established. Why? Today we possess a building mentality. This "edifice complex" causes us to feel that activities at a church building are Christian and all others are suspect. It was no accident that the home was the major avenue of Christian ministry in the first century. Christianity spread from one household to another. A study of Scripture reveals the homes' significant role in this biblically based methodology.
According to Acts 2:42-47, as the church was actively involved in one another's lives, four purposes were accomplished: 1) Evangelism, 2) Edification, 3) Devotion, and 4) Fellowship.
As Paul addressed the elders of the church in Ephesus (Acts 20:20) he said, You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. In Acts as the church developed, two places were consistently used for their gatherings. (Acts 5:39-42, 8:3, 20:20.)
We should remember that Gentiles couldn't enter the Temple, but when they came into the church they were ministered to within the house churches. Today, we need both the large assembly where we all meet together and the small groups that meet in homes where we minister to one another.
In fact, Christianity in the first century New Testament church recognized the wisdom of using the home and overcame these four barriers:
It wasn't until the 4th Century in the era of Constantine that Christians left their home settings to worship in one place. At that time, tradition had now fully taken shape with the church building as the primary structural expression of Christianity. Home groups and church buildings both need to be used to facilitate our mission of reconciling men back to God.
In looking at the history of the first century church it is obvious that these house gatherings complimented the large group gatherings and did not compete with them.
New groups will be forming in October. If you'd like to be involved in West-Ark's Small Group Ministry, signup on the list in the foyer.
If you'd like to be a Small Group Leader/Facilitator or Co-Leader/Co-Facilitator, you're invited to a training session next Sunday, September 23, 3-7 p.m.
Questions? See Larry Roper, Blake Frost, or Ted Edwards for more information.
See you in Bible Class!
The New Testament has clear references to the church's connection to the home: Acts 2:41-46, 5:42, 12:12, 20:20; Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:14-15; Philemon 2.
Link to Ted Edwards Home Page