One of the complaints that I have had in response to my writing is that there is no gathering or assembling with Christians if you do away with the church and scheduled religious services. This cannot be further from the truth. It is true that there is no neat cookie-cutter religion that allows for the convenience in the amount, and degree of fellowship present in church membership. The life of New Testament saints did not contain a schedule of 2 or 3 hours a week to be with Christians in a controlled church service environment where communication and participation were limited.
In the absence of the church institution, we are left with individual saints who are not isolated units without some togetherness and sharing among them. Among those living in the same town, they shared the same geographical area and were, naturally, involved in each other’s lives because of their common faith. These were not “local churches.” They were individual units of the body of Jesus who lived in the same town. The smallest and largest authorized unit of work was not the local church. It was the individual saint, which together comprised the saints or the “called-out” in that city. This is the reason you never read of churches (in the plural) in one city. You read of the called-out individuals in a city, which defines a certain class of people. There is just one class of disciples. Jesus taught in Matthew 23:8-12:
“But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Living among this class of people, there are no schools of instructors to which we may go and be taught by master teachers. There is no Father but one and He is our Heavenly Father. No priest exists but one and He’s our High Priest who is, also, our intercessor. Commercializing religion and structuring it as one would a business is not the will of Christ. All that exists are individual saints who have a calling. The calling is not some religious zealot who has decided that God has called him to the ministry. I wonder how many would be called if they didn’t receive a dime for their work. This is not the kind of calling to which I am referring. Every saint has a calling to show forth the excellencies of the Father, to be lights in the world, holding forth the word of life. Every saint has a calling to live lives of holiness and live responsibly in the body of Christ that protects, defends, and strengthens its members. The only way that can be accomplished is by investing much time and energy in one another. This is neither convenient nor easy. It takes more planning, work, time, and money than any church membership would require. For this reason, the revelation of the sons of God would be evident.
The home was the center of activity in the first century. It’s where they might share a meal and remember the Lord Jesus, his death and resurrection. It’s where they shared tasks in caring for one another. For example, if a child lost their parents or a wife her husband, the home was opened to receive them and provide their care. The ekklesia, not the church organization, took care of those needs and provided for each other, lifting burdens too hard to bear alone. No doubt, no one person was the delegated provider or one home the delegated kitchen. Together they shared those burdens as they had burdens of their own to which they were held accountable. Galatians 6:4-5 reads,
“But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden.