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A Glimpse Into A First Century Church Meeting

May 19th, 2012 | by Brian Anderson (http://www.thebridgeonline.net/speaker/brian-anderson/) |
Scripture: Acts 20:1-16 () | Series: Acts (http://www.thebridgeonline.net/series/acts/)

In Acts 20 we have the only description of a New Testament church gathering. In this study we
examine the time, location, purpose and activities of this meeting in order to see some very
valuable principles that should guide us as we meet together in the name of our great Redeemer.

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A Glimpse Into A First Century Church Meeting

Acts 20:1-16
Have you ever wondered what it was like to be part of a first century church meeting? Well, this
morning we are going to find out. Here in Acts 20 we are privileged to have a rare glimpse into one
of the gatherings of the early church. But before we get to the meat of this section (20:7-12), I want
to examine vs.1-6, and then 13-16 with you. Having seen those things that led up to this church
meeting, and then what Paul does when he leaves the church meeting in Troas, we will go back
and spend the bulk of our time noticing what church was like in Pauls day. I think the Lord has
some juicy lessons for us in this great section of Scripture.

First of all, lets look at Acts 20:1-6

20:1 Remember Acts 19:21. The riot of Acts 19 has convinced Paul that it is no longer safe for
him to remain in Ephesus. His glorious tenure of 3 years finally came to an end. God had done so
much in those 3 years! People were delivered from demons, healed, thousands of occultists and
idolaters were converted, and churches were planted in many smaller cities surrounding Ephesus.
But it was time for Paul to move on. His plan is to collect an offering from the churches he had
planted to take to the poor brothers in Jerusalem. So, just as at Philippi (16:40), Paul encouraged
the believers to remain true to the Lord, and to continue to obey Jesus Great Commission by
making disciples, and then said farewell.

Although it is not stated in Acts, between Acts 20:1 and 20:2, Paul must have gone to Troas. We
know this by filling in the gaps from 2 Corinthians 2:12. Paul had been at Troas earlier, but he
didnt spend time preaching the gospel there because he received a vision about a man of
Macedonia calling him to come over and help him. However, this time he did stay and preach the
gospel. In fact he says that a door was opened for me in the Lord (2Cor.2:12). His ministry there
must have been very effective, for a church was planted. We will see this church gathered later in
this chapter. Paul had sent Titus to Corinth to finish collecting their offering for the poor saints in
Jerusalem (2Cor.8:6). Paul would have remained in Troas longer, but Titus didnt come, and so
Pauls spirit was not at rest. So, Paul left for Macedonia (Philippi).

20:2 Paul found a thriving, generous, church in Philippi. Here he was reunited with Luke, whom
he had left there to shepherd the new church. Eventually Titus arrived from Corinth with good
news. However, Titus also brought a report that there was a group in Corinth who were hostile to
Paul and were calling his authority into question. So Paul wrote 2 Corinthians and sent Titus back
to Corinth with this letter. It must have been at this time that Paul penetrated into Illyricum
(Rom.15:19). Paul probably also paid a visit to the churches of Thessalonica and Berea. All that is
said is that he gave them much encouragement. This was Pauls role in established churches. In a
new region he would preach the gospel and call men to repentance and faith. In an established
church he would strengthen, encourage and exhort the believers. So, Paul is seeking to bring
these believers to maturity in Christ.

20:3 Paul spent the 3 winter months at Corinth, where he wrote Romans. His initial plan was to
sail from Cenchrea straight over to Antioch of Syria, and from there to proceed to Jerusalem.
However, he caught wind of a plot of the Jews to kill him (probably throwing him overboard when
they got out to sea), and so decided to go back the way he came, and so eventually get to
Jerusalem. It seems that God was always watching out for Paul. In both Acts 9:23-24 and 23:12-
22 the Lord enabled Paul to find out about plots on his life, so that he escaped.

20:4 These men listed here were representatives from their cities, carrying a collection that had
been raised in their own church to Jerusalem.

Sopater from Berea

Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica. Aristarchus traveled to Jerusalem and to Rome
with Paul and was his fellow-prisoner there.

Gaius from Derbe

Timothy from Lystra

Tychicus and Trophimus from Ephesus. Tychicus traveled all the way to Rome and served Paul
by carrying Ephesians and Colossians to those churches.
Luke from Philippian

Paul from Corinth.

So, Corinth, Berea, Thessalonica, Philippi, Lystra, Derbe, and Ephesus were all represented in
this delegate, each carrying money from their home churches. All these delegates bear witness to
the fruitfulness of Pauls Ministry: Churches in Lystra and Derbe were planted on the 1st journey;
churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea were planted on his 2nd journey; and the church in
Ephesus was planted on his 3rd journey.

20:6 Notice we. The last time in Acts there was a we section was in Philippi in
16:10,11,12,13,16. In Acts 16:40 they left Philippi. So Luke stayed behind to help care for the
new converts. Well, here Paul comes to Philippi, picks up Luke who was probably acting as a
delegate for the church of Philippi, and off they sail to Troas, and the we sections pick up again.
They arrived on a Monday and stayed in Troas for 7 days, probably so that they could meet with
the entire church on the Lords Day, which wouldnt take place for another 6 days.

20:7-12 describe the meeting of the church at Troas, which we will return to in just a moment.

20:13-16 here Luke describes the journey after the team left Troas. Paul traveled by land, while
the rest went by ship. Paul, probably wanted some time alone to think and pray. He knew
sufferings awaited him in Jerusalem, and he no doubt wanted to have time alone to talk with the
Lord about this. It would also give him valuable time to meditate on Gods truth as he walked.
Youll notice that the various destinations are given for each day, and they are all about 30 miles
apart. Thats because the winds blew from early morning to late afternoon, and then stopped. So
the ship would sail from early morning to late afternoon, and stay overnight, and then do that again
and again and again.

They didnt stop in Ephesus, but instead docked at Miletus. Paul knew that if they stopped in
Ephesus, he would never get out of there. Remember, that a dramatic supernatural revival had
taken place in Ephesus, with probably thousands being converted. Paul was a very famous
individual in Ephesus. People would be clamoring for his time, and he would find it impossible to
break away. However, Paul needed to be in Jerusalem by Pentecost. Pentecost is only 50 days
from Passover, and at least 18 of those 50 days have already transpired. Even in the ancient
world you had the pressure to make deadlines!

Now, having set the context for this section, lets go back and take a good look at a first century
church meeting in Troas. As we do so, we need to avoid making the mistake of thinking that every
church meeting for all time should look exactly like this one. Lukes account is Descriptive, not
Prescriptive. Luke is just describing what took place not telling us what all church meetings
should be like. We should not be slavish in copying what took place (meeting on the 3rd floor of a
house, meeting in the evening, using oil lamps, listening to a very long sermon) or in omitting what
is not mentioned (prayers, psalms, hymns, and Scripture reading).
1. When Did The Church Gather?

On the first day of the week. Paul arrived in Troas on Monday. He then waited a full 7 days
until he left again, eating up valuable time in his schedule since he needed to be in Jerusalem for
Pentecost. Why did they wait so long? Evidently, it was so that they could be there on the first day
of the week when the church gathered. The way the text reads, it seems it had be come the habit
of the early Christians to meet on the first day of the week. No doubt they met often throughout the
week, but there was an importance about the meeting that took place on the first day. God had
commanded the Jews to cease from all their labor on the 7th day of the week Saturday. So, are
we seeing the early church transfer the Old Testament Jewish sabbath from the 7th day to the 1st
day? No, not at all. Notice that nothing is written concerning these Christians resting on the 1st
day. They simply gathered together on the 1st day. At this time in history, Sunday was a work day.
No doubt, thats why the meeting got started in the evening, not the morning the believers had to
work during the day. Thus, what we are seeing here is not the Christian Sabbath, but simply the
day the Christians gathered.

In fact, from the evidence we have in the New Testament, the Sabbath is not brought over from
the Old Testament into the New Testament as some kind of binding obligation. Colossians 2:16-17
says that we are not to let anyone pass judgment on us regarding the Sabbath, as it is just a
shadow of Christ. Romans 14:5 says that some observe one day above another, while others
observe every day alike. Each one is to be fully convinced in his own mind. Hebrews 4:9-10 says
that thee remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, but it goes on to say that whoever has
entered Gods rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. In other words, the
Sabbath was a picture for New Covenant believers of Christ. Christ is our Sabbath. As we come to
Him, we find rest for our souls, because He has finished the work of redemption for us. All we do,
is rest in His work through faith. There you have the entirety of the NT teaching on the Sabbath.
So, when a 7th Day Adventist tries to lay a trip on you, saying that you must cease from work on
Saturday, and attend church, and that working on Saturday is the mark of the beast, dont listen to
him. Listen to what God says in His Word.

So, if the 1st day of the week did not become a Christian Sabbath, why did the believers meet on
that day? We are not told explicitly, but the implication is that the 1st day held special importance to
them, because it was on this day that Jesus rose from the dead. And so, apparently, in honor of
their Risen Lord, the early church met on the 1st day of the week. In fact, John says in Rev.1:10 I
was in the Spirit on the Lords Day. He was probably referring to the fact that it was a Sunday
when he received this revelation. Since Jesus rose on the 1st day, that day became known as The
Lords Day.

Now, do we have to meet on Sunday? Would it be sinful if we decided to meet on a Saturday, or

Thursday? There is no command in the New Testament concerning meeting on a particular day,
so I dont believe we are bound to meet on a Sunday. However, it works out well, because many
people have that day off of work, and Sunday has become known traditionally as the day the
church meets. So for us, we are happy to continue in the tradition of the early church by meeting
on Sundays.
2. Why Did The Church Gather?

To break bread. Isnt that interesting?! Here we are given the reason the church met, and its
not what we would have expected. Its not to listen to preaching, to sing songs of worship, to pray,
or to evangelize. Its to break bread. To break bread became a catchphrase in the early church for
celebrating the Lords Supper. Sometimes it could refer to just eating a meal, but at other times it
referred to observing the Lords Supper. This shows us how tremendously important the Lords
Supper is, and how precious it ought to be in the life of any church.

What takes place when we observe the Lords Supper? The Lords Supper provides a picture of 3
things: a Past, Present and Future reality. 1St, it pictures the death of Christ for us in the past. We
are rehearsing the Gospel again until Jesus returns (1Cor.11:26). We are declaring that our
salvation is wholly of Him, and nothing of ourselves. We are proclaiming that Jesus purchased our
redemption through His broken body and shed blood. Thus the Lords Supper teaches over and
over, that forgiveness, and heaven are not the result of our performance, obedience, or striving,
but the result of His finished work on our behalf.

Additionally, the Lords Supper pictures the unity of the church. 1 Cor.10:17 says, Because there
is one loaf, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. The single loaf of
bread which we break symbolizes the 1 body of Christ. Each little piece we break off of that 1 loaf,
represents each individual Christian. Thats why we dont have a bunch of crackers all broken up
for the Lords Supper. In that case, the symbolism would be lost. We have 1 loaf of bread which is
broken into many smaller pieces to symbolize that Christ has made all of us one in Him,
regardless of our race, age, or nationality.

Further, the Lords Supper is like a dress rehearsal for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. If you got
married, you probably had a dress rehearsal. Everyone puts on their wedding clothes, and you go
through all the elements of the wedding in advance, so that on the big day you dont make any
major blunders. Well, Luke 22:16-18 says that the Lords Supper will be fulfilled in the kingdom of
God. Now, what kinds of things are fulfilled? Prophecies. The Lords Supper is kind of like a
prophecy that will be realized, or fulfilled when Christ comes back, and we enjoy the Marriage
Supper of the Lamb with Him.

Notice, that the breaking of bread took place on the 1st day of the week. That seems to imply that it
was the regular practice of the church to observe the Lords Supper weekly. Thats why we
observe the Lords Supper every week at The Bridge.

Also, notice that the Lords Supper was eaten in conjunction with a full meal. Those folks at this
church meeting were up all night long. Youre not going to tell me that church folks met for 12
hours and there was no food! Jesus instituted the Lords Supper as part of the Passover meal.
Later in 1 Corinthians 11 it is clear that the Lords Supper was eaten in conjunction with a meal.
Later, because of abuses, the meal was eliminated, but it began the same way that Jesus
instituted it. At The Bridge we like to observe the Lords Supper in our gatherings, and then as
often as possible, we like to enjoy a meal with each other. It was easy to do this when we met at
our home. Now that we are in a building, we want to do this at least twice a month. On the first
Sunday of the month we are going to have a Pot Providence, and on the 3rd Sunday of the month
we are going to have Pizza afterward.

3. Where Did The Church Gather?

In the upper room of the 3rd floor of a house. 20:8-9. It was a common practice in the first
century to have a building for your business, and then to build on top of that building for the private
living quarters of the family. This is apparently what we are seeing here. Homes were the primary
meeting place for the church in the New Testament. Yes, the church temporarily met at the temple
in Jerusalem in the first few years of the church. When Paul planted churches he never gave any
instructions about building a special building. This would have been a poor use of resources. The
gospel was growing so rapidly and so many were coming to faith, that for them to focus their time
and resources on constructing buildings instead of reaching the lost with the gospel would have
been a very unwise move. We see the early church meeting in Aquila and Priscillas home in
Rome (16:3-5) and in Ephesus (1Cor.16:19), in Philemons home (Phil.2), in Nymphas home
(Col.4:15) and in Lydias home (Acts 16:40). In fact, the early Christians worshipped without
constructing special buildings for about 250 years!

Now, does that mean that this is the only place the church met? I dont think so. In Acts 19 Paul
met with the disciples of Ephesus in the School of Tyrannus, probably because there were so
many that they couldnt fit in a home like they did in Corinth. In Acts 20:20 Paul says that he did
not shrink from teaching them in public and from house to house. Where did Paul do his public
teaching? In the lecture hall of Tyrannus probably. Further, in 1Cor.14:23 Paul speaks about the
whole church coming together. There seem to be times when the whole church of the city would
come together, no doubt being too many to meet in a private home. Where did the entire church of
Corinth meet? We are not told. Perhaps at an outdoor location like a park or at the beach in
Cenchrea, or someones yard. So, my conclusion is that Biblically, a church can meet anywhere it
needs to in order to observe the Lords Supper, hear the preaching of the Word, worship, pray,
and fellowship together. At The Bridge, we are going to rent space here, while at the same time
meeting on Wednesdays at an apartment, and on Thursdays in a restaurant. The important thing
is that we dont get focused on where we meet, rather than Who we worship when we meet. Its all
about Jesus, not any building!

4. What Did The Church Do When It Gathered?

Teaching, Eating, Raising the Dead. Weve already looked at eating. Lets look at the other
two.

Teaching: The Greek word for talked in 20:7 carries the idea of an interchange, a reasoning, a
dialogue. Paul wasnt doing all the talking, but was probably answering questions. Notice that he
prolonged his message until midnight. If the church gathered around 7:00, after work, then his
message was 4 or 5 hours long! And you guys think I teach a long time! Not only that, but after
Eutychus falls out of the window and dies, and Paul raises him from the dead, he goes back up to
the upper room and talks with them until daybreak another 5 or 6 hours! Now, it must be
admitted that this was an exceptional case. The apostle Paul was with the church, so for that
reason alone the church would meet longer than usual in order to receiving teaching straight from
an apostle. Additionally, Paul knows he will be leaving on the next day, and he probably will never
be back again, so he wants to cram as much spiritual nourishment into this night as he possibly
can. Everyone understands how important this night is, so they are all willing to give up their sleep.

So, what do we learn from this? That the teaching of the Word of God is extremely important; so
important that Paul would fill an entire night with it when he knows he will leave these precious
people and probably never see them again. This is why at The Bridge we structure our gatherings
to give priority and focus to the teaching and preaching of the Word. Faith comes by hearing and
hearing through the word of Christ. If we desire above all things to build faith in you, we need to
give you the Word. Of course the Word must be properly interpreted before it can be applied. The
two priorities we need to have when interpreting Scripture are context and authorial intent (what
the original author intended when writing to his readers). Thats why we take pains to teach
through books of the Bible, verse-by-verse. In this way, we get the context of the passage every
week, and avoid pulling verses out of their context and misusing them. This is what we see Paul
exhorting Timothy to in 1Tim.4:13-16. There is nothing more effective that we can do as a church
to evangelize the lost and build up the saints than to preach and teach Gods Word.

Raising the Dead: Lets look at the circumstances surrounding this. It is common to come down
hard on Eutychus because he fell asleep as Paul preached, but I think we need to cut him some
slack. In vs.9 he is called a young man and in vs.12 he is called a youth. Probably he was a
teenager. How many teenagers do you know who can sit with rapt attention for a 5 hour sermon?
How many adults for that matter? The many lamps in the room would make the room hot and
stuffy. It appears that perhaps Eutychus was sitting in a window in order to get some fresh, cool
air. Eventually, with the stuffy air, hot temperature, and the hypnotic flickering lamps and Pauls
message going on and on, he fell down from the 3rd story and died.

How does the church handle this? Im sure there was chaos for a while, until Paul took charge.
Paul knew his Old Testament very well, and he knew that both Elijah (1Kings17:21) and Elisha
(2Kings4:32-35) had raised boys to life who had died. They had done it by stretching themselves
upon the child. So, Paul follows their example, and the Lord raises the boy from the dead. I find it
interesting that in all 3 cases, the man of God had to stretch themselves upon the child. Perhaps
there is a lesson the Spirit has tucked away in these accounts, teaching us that there must be
personal contact with the spiritually dead if we want to see them come alive to God. We cant just
preach at them from a distance, but must be like our Lord who ate and drank with tax collectors
and prostitutes. In other words, we must be willing to come into contact with death if we want to
see them made alive. This may be uncomfortable for us, but absolutely necessary. For far too long
I had the fortress mentality. In order that I not fall into sin, I went into my castle away from the
world, and drew up the drawbridge so that I couldnt be polluted by the sin in the world. So,
although I had few enemies endangering my castle, I also didnt see any enemies coming into the
castle to become friends. We need to be out and about amongst sinners, if we want them to find
Christ.

Life Application:

So, what is the Holy Spirit saying to the church today?

1. Hes reminding us of the importance of the Lords Supper and the Teaching of the Word when
we gather. He is pointing out the importance of our mutual fellowship around Christ, which
naturally takes place when we eat together.

2. Hes reminding us of the opportunity to honor Jesus as our Resurrected Lord every Sunday.
How often on a Sunday morning do you intentionally call to mind that this is the day that Jesus
was raised from the dead, and that Hes alive today?

3. Hes reminding us that Where We gather is not nearly so important as What We Do when we
gather. In other words, the Place where we worship is not the point; rather it is the Person whom
we worship. Although we are excited to be in this new building, lets not fixate on that. Lets fixate
on the Person and Work of Jesus Christ!

4. Hes reminding us that because Jesus is Alive, anything can happen when we gather in His
name, including resurrections. Indeed, the greatest miracle of all is when a person who is dead in
sin is made alive together with Jesus Christ, is born again, and receives a new heart.

May God make us the kind of church where Jesus is glorified in our midst. Do you see how
everything in this church meeting reflects the glory of Christ?

They meet on the 1st day of the week in honor of the fact that Jesus rose on the 1st day of the
week.

They meet to break bread to remember that Christs body was broken and his blood was shed for
our redemption.

They taught for hours about Jesus and His gospel

When someone falls down and dies, Jesus raises him from the dead.

Its all about Jesus. May that be true of us. Its all about the Risen Son of God!

______________________________

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16 Responses to A Glimpse Into A First Century Church

Meeting

Judith Jones
July 27, 2013 (http://www.thebridgeonline.net/sermons/a-glimpse-into-a-first-century-
church-meeting/#comment-10738)
Hello. My name is Judith Jones and I live on Vancouver Island, B.C. I found your
insight into the early church meetings very interesting and helpful. I have had a vision
in my heart for many years of the restoration of the simplicity, the supernatural gifts and
power of the early church in the church of Jesus today. My husband and I have had
glimpses of it in the past, and have been part of different churches in the renewal
stream. Recently, I placed the vision on Gods altar, as the burden was becoming too
heavy and only He can bring that vision to pass. Perhaps Ive been mistaken and God
does not intend to completely restore todays church to that model. However, reading
your message gave me hope that perhaps God is bringing His church back to Jesus,
just Jesus and our worship of Him.

Tommy Wall
December 28, 2014 (http://www.thebridgeonline.net/sermons/a-glimpse-into-a-first-
century-church-meeting/#comment-27695)
Thank you for the good word, historical lesson and relevant application.
A friend in Christ
Wish I was able to visit.

Tommy Wall
 December 29, 2014 (http://www.thebridgeonline.net/sermons/a-glimpse-into-a-
first-century-church-meeting/#comment-27733)
Thank for the good word!

Brian Anderson (http://thebridgeonline.net)

August 22, 2015 (http://www.thebridgeonline.net/sermons/a-glimpse-into-
a-first-century-church-meeting/#comment-32109)
I dont have a dogmatic stance on this. For my part, Im happy to not
register with the State. I see no need, as churches are tax-exempt,
whether they are 501(c)(3) or not (at least up until now!)

Gregory
March 30, 2015 (http://www.thebridgeonline.net/sermons/a-glimpse-into-a-first-century-
church-meeting/#comment-29655)
Hello,

Whats your opinion of the Church excepting the 501-C3 which is controlled by the
state and not God?

Anthony Boland
May 13, 2015 (http://www.thebridgeonline.net/sermons/a-glimpse-into-a-first-century-
church-meeting/#comment-30430)
Thank you for the lesson in Christianity. its a shame im atheist

Steve
June 10, 2015 (http://www.thebridgeonline.net/sermons/a-glimpse-into-a-first-century-
church-meeting/#comment-30889)
What about spiritual gifts? Prophecy for one was practiced in the early church, as well
as speaking in tongues and interpreting those tongues.

Brian Anderson (http://thebridgeonline.net)

August 22, 2015 (http://www.thebridgeonline.net/sermons/a-glimpse-into-a-first-
century-church-meeting/#comment-32108)
Yes, I agree. We desire the Holy Spirit to bestow upon the local church those
gifts which it needs to glorify Christ and extend His kingdom in the world.

Pastor Leon
June 12, 2015 (http://www.thebridgeonline.net/sermons/a-glimpse-into-a-first-century-
church-meeting/#comment-30914)
Excellent sermon Bless you!

Exactly what I needed to hear as I am about to start out a Christian fellowship from my
home.

Stay blessed!

Samantha
July 1, 2015 (http://www.thebridgeonline.net/sermons/a-glimpse-into-a-first-century-
church-meeting/#comment-31130)
Wow, what an awesome teaching ! I can not express how blessed I was from this
study. I have read the passages indicated before, but some how this teaching has
caused them to take on a deeper and more profound reality IN me ! How we as the
Modern Church have strayed from the Foundation of the Early Church ! I came across
this teaching, as I was surfing the web after a question came to mind of how often the
early Church met. I am so glad I was led to this very insightful and informative
teaching. So much that you said stirred me. But I must say that the comments about
Gathering in His Name from Matthews 18:20 has taken on a NEW LIFE in me. One
that I can hardly wait to take to my Church. Kingdom Blessings to you and yours.
Angela
July 9, 2015 (http://www.thebridgeonline.net/sermons/a-glimpse-into-a-first-century-
church-meeting/#comment-31200)
Thank you for this insight into the Early Church meetings. I find it especially interesting
that Paul not only spoke to (logos) the Ekklesia, but he also conversed with
(dialegomai) them. This interchange was very important to the growth of the entire
Body of Believers. In our churches today, we do not experience that interchange.
Instead, we sit and passively listen as one man is the only one who gets to share. This
ought not be so, because the Church needs every-member-participating under the
headship of Christ, in order to flourish and grow as God originally intended. Again,
thank you for this contribution to helping the Believers better understand the Lords
design for His Church! -Angela

Pastor Jason Hill (http:/www.gospelcenterchurch.com)

August 8, 2015 (http://www.thebridgeonline.net/sermons/a-glimpse-into-a-first-century-
church-meeting/#comment-31862)
Thank you for sharing your insight into the first century church! God help us to
recapture the vision and fervor they had then!

Jack
August 22, 2015 (http://www.thebridgeonline.net/sermons/a-glimpse-into-a-first-
century-church-meeting/#comment-32104)
Brian, thanks for your thoughts about the early Christian Church. I was wondering what
you thought about the full expression of the Gifts of the Spirit, and the Hebrew Old
Testament influences on the 1st Century Church?

Brian Anderson (http://thebridgeonline.net)

 August 22, 2015 (http://www.thebridgeonline.net/sermons/a-glimpse-into-a-first-
century-church-meeting/#comment-32107)
Hi Jack,

I believe in the full expression of the gifts of the Spirit spoken of in 1 Corinthians
12-14, for church life today. Of course, our God is sovereign in which gifts He
distributes and to whom. We tend to see more of the miraculous gifts being
experienced in areas where the gospel is initially breaking in.

I believe there is definitely an Old Testament influence on the New Testament

Church. In the Jewish synagogue, any male Jew over 30 years of age was
permitted to stand to exhort the assembly. In the New Testament Church, we
find a participatory flavor to the meetings, where each one can exercise a
spiritual gift.

Thanks for your questions?

Guy
October 29, 2015 (http://www.thebridgeonline.net/sermons/a-glimpse-into-a-first-
century-church-meeting/#comment-33022)
Hey Brian,
Thanks for the insight in your article. I have a question. You wrote: This would have
been a poor use of resources. regarding building special church buildings designated
for church meetings. What makes this any less true today? From your article I see you
guys met as a house church and even expressed how moving out of the home-based
gathering has created an inconvenience for breaking bread as a family. Given this, and
that it seems that nothing has changed today from then making designated church
buildings a poor use of resources, what are your thoughts about this? What compels us
in the West to create building centered gatherings?

Grace,
Guy

Brian Anderson (http://thebridgeonline.net)

October 29, 2015 (http://www.thebridgeonline.net/sermons/a-glimpse-into-a-first-
century-church-meeting/#comment-33023)
 Hi Gary,

Great thoughts and questions! Actually, our church went back to meeting in our
home in March of 2015. We find many valuable blessings to meeting this way,
and are able to give most of our income to missions and the poor, which I love.
However, we do not believe this is how every church must meet, and the Lord
could lead us at some point back to a more public facility. Having said that, I do
love the more intimate family gatherings that meeting in homes provides. Lord
bless you as you think through these things!

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