2. “If you assume that where the church gathers is simply a matter of convenience, you are tragically mistaken.” Pagan Christianity?

3. Jesus said the location of worship is irrelevant, Jn. 4:19-24  Building, home, hillside, pasture  Important: spirit & truth!  Refuse to submit to man, Mt. 15:7-9

5. “The Christian faith was born in the believers’ homes…”  Born at Temple, Acts 2:1-4  Continued at Temple, Acts 2:46; 3:1; 5:20, 25

6. Jerusalem church: “…met in homes all throughout the city (Acts 2:46)....each home gathering did not see itself as a separate church…but as part of one church…”

7. Jerusalem church:  Pure assumption  Examine Acts 2:46 ­Daily in temple: spiritual ­Breaking bread house to house: social ­Gladness: emotional

8. “Organic church” = House church: “grows too large to gather in single home it will typically multiply into separate home meetings …still see itself as one church… If home groups need to congregate together for special occasions, they often rent or borrow a large space…”

9. “Organic Church” = House Church  How can elders oversee a diffused church? Acts 20:28  Large buildings okay for “special occasions” but not for weekly worship? Matt. 7:3-5  How is the contribution handled?

10. The Church Building “They limit the involvement of and fellowship between members” “The church building impedes our understanding And experience that the church is Christ’s…body

11. The Church Building  Who says?  What is Bible fellowship in worship?  Lack of teaching impedes understanding Heb. 5:11-14  False teaching impedes understanding Eph. 5:6

12. The Church Building  Who says?  What is Bible fellowship in worship?  Lack of teaching impedes understanding Heb. 5:11-14  False teaching impedes understanding Eph. 5:6

13. The Church Building “We so easily forget that early Christians turned the world upside down without them…” “There does not exist a shred of biblical support for the church building.”

14. The Church Building  Generic authority, Heb. 10:24, 25  Church at Jerusalem, Acts 2:40-46  Church at Corinth, 1 Cor. 11:20-34  Church at Ephesus, Acts 19:8-10  James 2:2 Assembly = Synagogue (Greek)

15. The Church Building “When you build a stadium… only a limited number of folks get to play. Everyone else may be cheering from the stands, But few of them are exercising their muscles… Our participation is mostly vicarious…” Radical Restoration

16. The Church Building  Thus, everyone must participate at all times  Mostly “vicarious” at Corinth? 1 Cor. 14:26-31 ­Assume 50 members ­Two, at most three to speak ­49 silent all the time ­47 never get to speak

17. The Church Building “…is far less warm, personal, and friendly…”

18. The Church Building  According to who?  Subjective opinion; no Bible  Similar to Col. 2:16-23

19. “Primitive Church” “What all of this suggests is that the primitive church had an intimate, informality and a degree of mutual participation largely foreign to our own experience.”

20. “Primitive Church”  “All of this” = author’s speculation  “Informality” = “hippie goes to church”

21. Typical Churches “The larger the gathering, the less personal, interactive and truly participatory it’s likely to be”

22. Typical Churches  Like Acts 2:40-42?  How much “mutual participation” took place at Corinth? 1 Cor. 14

23. The Audience “Most of the time today We are a listening audience sitting in an auditorium By contrast we hear Paul saying to…Corinth ‘When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or word of instruction…”

24. The Audience  Paul is arguing against Everyone with their own hymn… 1 Cor. 14:26-33, 40  Faith comes by hearing, Rom. 10:17

25. “Unscheduled” Prayer “…for prayers to be lifted up by whatever brother feels moved to do so.”

26. “Unscheduled” Prayer  “Feels moved” = spirit w/o truth, Jn. 4  “In turn,” 1 Cor. 14:27-31  How do you prevent a non-Christian from taking the lead?

27. Arrangement Of Audience “The pews…are arranged in rows, all facing toward the pulpit. The pulpit sits on an elevated platform…”

28. Arrangement Of Audience  Assembly at Temple face the teacher?  Ezra stood on a pulpit, Neh. 8:4  In a false house church… ­Who gets the big recliner? ­Who gets the folding chair? ­What if someone sits behind the couch?

29. Jesus said the location of worship is irrelevant, Jn. 4:19-24  Building, home, hillside, pasture  Important: spirit & truth!  Refuse to submit to man, Mt. 15:7-9