From House To House

This morning I want to address the topic of “doing church.” and I’m going to begin by asking the question, “Where are Christians supposed to assemble together for worship and fellowship?” In Acts 17:24, Paul declared, “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.” I think it’s important for us to realize that a church building is not the only place where we encounter God’s presence.

In the Old Testament we learn that the Lord abided in the tabernacle and in the temple; but all of that changed when Jesus died to make us holy before God (2 Corinthians 5:21). When the veil of the temple was torn in two (Matthew 27:51) we were granted full access to God’s throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). In fact, believers are now God’s temple, as we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit, according to 1 Corinthians 3:16.

However, this does not exempt us from assembling together for worship and fellowship. Hebrews 10:25 exhorts us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some. We are supposed to meet together as brothers and sisters in Christ.; but how many people does it take to constitute a church? In Matthew 18:20, Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” So, based on what Jesus said, any time that fellow believers meet together for fellowship and worship, no matter what the size or number of that gathering, it constitutes a church.

What I’m hoping to show us is that, based on the New Testament understanding of a church, and based on the ministry of some of the early apostles, is that believers did not always gather in a church building or a temple. In fact, we’re going to see that much of the time they met in one another’s homes. So, based on a phrase that we’re going to encounter in the Word this morning, I have entitled our message, “From House to House.” I’m going to begin by sharing Acts 20:17-21!

Paul Taught from House to House (Acts 20:17-21)

17 From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. 18 And when they had come to him, he said to them: “You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, 19 serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews; 20 how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, 21 testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Right here we find the apostle Paul addressing the elders of the church at Ephesus concerning his ministry efforts; and in verses 20-21 he spoke of his declaration of the gospel, and about how he preached both “publicly” and “from house to house” the message of repentance toward God and faith in Christ.

The part I want to emphasize is how Paul said that he preached “from house to house.” In the time of the apostles, or the early church, there were no mega-churches like you see today. Now, some might say that the New Testament church began as a mega-church, based on Acts 2:40-47. First off, I must point out that the assembly of people that we read about at Pentecost was a gathering of multiple nationalities who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate; so, there were a lot of people in town. Secondly, the three thousand souls added to the church, did not continue to meet together as a large gathering of three thousand. The church was broken up into small groups that met at various locations.

New Testament References to Meeting in Houses

The New Testament shares what was apparently the favorite gathering spot for the early church. That location was in believer’s homes, or houses. Allow me to share just four Scriptures as an example:(1)

Acts 5:42 – “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they [Peter and the apostles] did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”

Acts 20:28-31 – “Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.”

1 Corinthians 16:19 – “The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla 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 Nymphas and the church that is in his house.”