For centuries, the concept of "church" within the Christian community has had a strong association with the image of a building with double-doors out front and a steeple on top. In any idyllic painting of a warm Christian village, such an image is central.
What is worth serious consideration is what image was prevalent in the first century, the image God intentionally painted and preserved in the Book of ACTS. That divinely authored book is the historical record of the rise and expansion of the Christian church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The Book of ACTS gives insight as to how, over approximately 40 years, the church achieved tremendous growth and outreach. The epistles addressed to the "church", the "called out according to God's purpose", corroborate what the Book of ACTS testifies to.
That testimony is simple, and repetitive. The believers of the first century, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, met in homes - in a family-centered setting, where they prayed together, where they were nourished with Christ-centered doctrine together, where they broke bread together, and fellowshipped with gladness and singleness of heart. Such a setting cannot be improved upon.
The two teachings below are offered for your consideration, so that you can do what the hearers of the Word in Berea did according to Acts 17:11 "Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so."
And if you care to partake of "church in the home" local to the Raleigh NC area, please call (919) 387-8633 to verify the time and place.
