“And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart.”
Acts 2:46
“And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”
Acts 5:42
“And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.”
Acts 12:12
“…how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly from house to house.”
Acts 20:20
“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. …”
Romans 16:3-5; I Corinthians 16:19
“Gaius, host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, greets you; and Quartus. …”
Romans 16:23
“Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house.”
Colossians 4:15
“…and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church that is in your house.”
Philemon 1:2
Justin Martyr [~100-165 AD] was asked by Rusticus the Perfect,“Where do you assemble?” Justin replied, “Where each one chooses and can, or do you fancy that we all meet in the very same place? Not so, because the God of the Christians is not circumscribed by place.”
exampling ekklesia's administrative function…
“Now may The God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one anotheraccording to Christ Jesus,that with one accord you maywith one voice glorifyThe God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ … having becomeof one mind … and day by daycontinuing with one mind”
Small number gathered: those called out, coming together, greeting one another warmly, yet as if never apart. Sharing of psalms, hymns, spiritual songs; singing to one another. Many declarations of the goodness and purpose of God throughout; reports of the powerful works of YaH (the God of Abraham; Father of the King of Kings)! Prophecy; moments of teaching by way of reminder; expressions of the logos (remembering what He has spoken) and rhema (His present word to me). Confirmations of rhema from the Spirit, such as in sending one or more among us as an emissary to another place. Spontaneous prayers (eyes may be upward); various languages with their interpretation where other languages are present. The mind of Christ expressed in one accord: the passion & works of Christ throughout the land; the Love & justice/righteousness of Christ (actions in care, instruction, correction, discipline). A shared meal together and a shared remembrance of Christ with His disciples purposing to give His life for many. [Matthew 16:18; Acts 2:47; 5:11; 8:1-3; 9:31; 11:22; 12:1; 13:1; 16:5; 18:22;Romans 16:1,4,5,16,23; I Corinthians 1:2; 4:17; 6:4; 7:17; 10:32; 11:16; 14:4-35…Galatians 1:2,13,22;Ephesians 1:22; 3:10,21; 5:23-32;Philippians 3:6; 4:15;Colossians 1:24; 4:15-16;I Thessalonians 1:1; 2:24…]
What May A Visitor Witness of sunagoge?
Often more than a few: lead-together;gathering of the scattered not often found together with one another, sharing admonitions and mutual encouragement.[II Thessalonians 2:1; Hebrews 10:24-25]
What Do We Witness When The Holy SpiritGathers a plethos?
A multitude of people drawn together (though they may not know why or how), then as the Spirit moves upon men to herald the evangel of Christ, and to call these to full repentance.[Acts 2; 3 & 4:4; 13:14-48 & 14:1; 17:22-34]
Yashua Messiah, Jesus Christ, did not join me in my life, nor will He join us in our lives. Truly, we have already died and live again as joined with Him into His life. [Romans 7:4]Those who belong to Messiah (Christ) are overcome & empowered by His Spirit to take up community within His "one accord".[Romans 15:5-6]The Spirit and the Word draw His own adopted children [Ephesians 1:5] together with Him (the Head and Cornerstone) in ekklesia: edah + cahal(a people called out,gathered together).[I Corinthians 11:3] When the Head is welcomed to first place among His community of disciples of His new covenant, He is exalted; His own esteem & obey Him; the saints are equipped; the disciples of His Body & Bride are encouraged, and the lost hear the Good News.
Faithful disciples in Messiah (Christ) gather together throughout each new week for teaching, prayer, fellowship… All share the koinonia (common bond) in Christ. All are called to full obedience/submission. In Hisekklesia (edah + cahal), graces (not offices), given by the Holy Spirit as He will, are shared among us for building-up of the Body; the saints. Today, yesterday or tomorrow, His disciples hold nothing as belonging under private will -- not even their own lives. Ekklesia invokes the whole body of Christ as they come together at a physical location, using the gifts the Lord has given them for the common good. (No longer are we part with the makers, spectators or volunteers to a religious system.) Jesus trained His disciples to include a home of peace as a terrestrial base for ministry works. [Luke 10:1-12]
Care is ever taken in how we build upon what Christ has ordered, affected and established. We do not build in ways that would be lesser or contrary to His will, nor in any way that denies Him full authority. We do the things that Jesus did; the things He and His taught, whether we be found together or no.(For we are forever present with one another in spirit.)[Colossians 2:5]
Yashua Messiah, the Christ, Jesus of Nazareth reclaimed community in life, which God had predestined for us, by restoring the communion He desired/desires to have with us: so also we share in His communion with one another. Each disciple withholds nothing that he may abide in the Vine, Master, Yashua [John 15]; his/her body of flesh becoming/being the temple of His God, that he/she will only speak & do the things that the Master, Yashua,says & does.[John 5:19; 8:28-29; I Corinthians 3:16]Thereby & together, we are His ministers.We practice leadership by serving, and not one true believer seeks to be identified as the leader or the teacher-- for these forever belong to Christamong us.[Matthew 23:1-12]We are ever making disciples for Messiah (Christ), as this is how His Body & ekklesia/edah is built.The church(that is ekklesia, edah, cahal) in your house is part of His work of building. The church that lives to Messiah (Christ) alone is alive in Him: holds to Him as their Head.[Colossians 2:9-19]The church that lives to itself or to another is already dead. All of what the Master asks… there is no other priority.
MAY IT NOT BE SO IN ME!
for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me. Then they themselves also will answer, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You? Then He will answer them, saying, Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.
