House Churches. The Early Church model for Discipleship

I. Introduction

What would it be like to attend a Church service in the 1st century? What would be expected of you? What would your mentality be regarding your responsibilities to other members of your Church group? Would you know with clarity which ‘good works God had prepared for you to do’ prior to your salvation (Ephesians 2:10), and would you be doing those works? Would you know without doubt which spiritual gifts the Lord had given to you and be committed to use those gifts for the building up of the Body of Christ? 

In this article we will examine how the early Church operated, what Scripture has to say regarding individual roles in the Body of Christ, and ask the question of whether or not we are really discipling people in the Church today?

II. What does Paul mean by ‘Everyone’?

We often use the description 'Body of Christ' to speak of the Church, but do we really understand what this concept means in terms of our individual roles, and are we actively fulfilling those roles? In 1st Corinthians 14 Paul writes his conclusions from the previous two chapters about spiritual gifts and gifts of service.

What shall we say brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. (1 Corinthians 14:26)

'Everyone'? 

What does Paul mean by the word 'everyone'? Doesn't he mean the same person every week or a visiting guest speaker? No, he means 'everyone'. Does this include women? Yes, this includes women under the authority of the elders. If you have questions about the role of women, please watch my two videos entitled ‘Let the Women be Silent’

 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC2Mwtt4maY) and ‘Women in Authority’

 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC2Mwtt4maY) 

When Paul writes 'everyone', he means 'every' adult has something to contribute to the church service when we come together to worship the Lord. He mentions hymns, a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or interpretation, but no doubt there were also gifts of service such as the preparation of food, caring for children, etc.

Remember that the Early Church had no New Testament Scriptures for about the first 20-30 years, so the Lord used the gifts of tongues and interpretation of tongues to teach. But notice that speaking in tongues was never a number of people repeating indiscernible gibberish over and over again, indeed Paul is very specific about the use of this spiritual gift.

Now brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction. (1 Corinthians 14:6)

 Paul goes on to say that, 

In the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others that ten thousand words in a tongue. Brothers, stop thinking like children'. (14:19-20)

Spiritual gifts are given for building up each other in the faith. In countries such as China, where Christians are persecuted and have no Bibles, the gift of tongues and interpretation of tongues are common, however, we should not consider the repetitive babblings of many Pentecostals to be using the gifts Paul writes of.  

But for those of us blessed to own a Bible, how often does the average Christian bring a hymn, song, poem, word of instruction from something the Lord put on their heart, or revelation that came to them while reading their Bible during the week, or testimony of something the Lord has done in their life? 

Some churches try to have an open time for these things, but in reality, they are rare. Most churches have a very similar format. Someone welcomes everybody, there is a time of songs and worship, a sermon, perhaps communion, reminder to give tithes and offerings or a plate handed round, church notices, a song to finish, and the service closes. In this scenario perhaps 2-5% of people are involved. Where is the concept of discipleship and ‘everyone’ if only a small percentage of people are using their gifts?

Paul wrote, concerning spiritual gifts that, 'all of them must be done for the strengthening of the church' (14:26). No one person can achieve this, it takes 'everyone', so when Paul says 'everyone', that is exactly what he means. In small house churches of say 10-25 people, churches with no paid pastors or church staff, not only is what Paul writes achievable, but necessary. In this sense, we might ask; Are most churches healthy or paralyzed? Imagine a human body in which only the mouth worked. This person would be able to eat, speak, breathe, pray and sing, but wouldn't be able to see, hear, touch, walk, run, visit or other activities.

This is a good analogy of the one-man ministry. The pastor is a mouth, but the rest of the body is paralyzed and lifeless. This analogy is very close to Paul's criticism of the Corinthian church, the Body of Christ in Corinth. Consider these verses;

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free - and we were given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 

And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? (1st Corinthians 12:12-17)

Paul's point in these verses is obvious. If you are baptized into the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit, born again, then you are a part of this one body. No pastor/teacher can be a mouth, hand, eye, ear or foot at the same time! The hand represents a gift of service, practical help such as making meals, helping the sick to clean their home, doing acts of loving service to others. The ear is the one who listens to others, the one who has empathy and compassion, the shoulder that we sometimes need to cry on, to rest on. The eye is the one that sees another's pain, sees the lonely and depressed, the one who sees what the busy pastor seldom sees, the one who calls and prays with you when you thought that no one sees your pain. The foot is the one that goes to the lost, for 'how beautiful are the feet of those that bring good news' (Romans 10:15). 

No matter which part we are, we are part of the Body of Christ, and without all of us, the body cannot function as God intended it to function. Most churches don't need any more mouths, but are desperately lacking in eyes, ears, hands and feet. Paul continues:

But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. (1st Corinthians 12:18-20)

It is God who has arranged each individual part exactly as He wants them to be, 'every one of them'. For many churches, there is just the pastor, a mouth. To this Paul asks, 'where is the rest of the body', because the body is more than a single part. But individual Christians may think that their part, whatever that may be, is not really very important, indeed they may have a part of the body which is almost completely hidden. Paul also has an answer to this.

The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensible, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it... (1st Corinthians 12:21-24)

The very thing that Paul is stating here is what the vast majority of Christians think, namely, 'the Church doesn't need me, I have nothing to offer because I'm not the pastor, or a great musician, I have no theological training'. The mouth needs theological training, the musician needs practice, but Paul says that every part is 'indispensible', and that the unseen members have special honor. Some will have a gift of helping, of compassion, of empathy, will feel a call to pray for others, a most vital and hidden gift, or to encourage, the list goes on and on. 

Every person's gift or service, whatever it is, is absolutely 'indispensible', it is necessary for the proper functioning of the Church. If God has given us such gifts and works of service, then we have a responsibility to Him to use them, and we are accountable to Him if we neglect this service. We have been given this gift or service from the Lord Himself and each one of us will answer to Him as to how we used it. Our gifts or service are given for the Church, for 'the common good' of members of the Church.

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:4-7)

Every member of the Body of Christ has their role to play, every member is absolutely vital in order for a local church to be healthy and effective, both for the ongoing discipleship of every member, and bringing non-christians to Christ. If a person is not using their gifts, service, or works for Christ, they may be bringing suffering and dishonor to the entire Body of Christ. 

Note these words:

But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. (1 Corinthians 12: 24-26)

We have this human idea that the people on the stage in traditional churches are the ones with the greatest honor, and that these few people are the important ones. This is absolutely opposite to what Paul is saying here. The parts that are hidden are those that lacked honor or praise because they are unseen, such as those who discipline themselves to pray every day. People look at the 'face' of the church, not the 'feet' of the church. Women apply make-up, creams, and jewellery to the face, neck and ears, men trim their hair and beards, but our feet get little or no attention as people always look at our faces. The pastor and musicians may be the face of the Body of Christ, but God has given 'greater honor to the parts that lacked it', because these parts seldom receive the praise of men.

Every member is an indispensible part of the Body of Christ, and if the church is to be a healthy, loving, Spirit-filled church, then we must accept responsibility for our gift or service, and understand that we are accountable to the Lord to use what He has given for building up the Church and bringing lost souls out of spiritual darkness. This paradigm cannot be established and practiced in the traditional way that most churches are operating today, for they have little or no concept of Paul's statement that,

...in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. (Romans 12:5)

III. Equal Concern for Each Other

The New Testament instructions for the Church are absolutely laden with words and phrases such as 'devotion, support, building-up, encouragement, commitment, honor,' etc. All of these could be summed up in Paul's words from 1st Corinthians 12:25 about having 'equal concern for each other'. The underlying issue here is fundamentally about love in action, agape love. 

That love can never be fully realized if there is not an attitude of accountability and responsibility. If we believe that the pastor and church staff are the only ones who must take responsibility and be accountable, then we are attending church with a spectator mentality and will have virtually no idea about our personal responsibilities and accountability to the Body of Christ. Yet this is exactly the kind of thinking that the vast majority of Churches have applied in the last 1700 years. 

When the Roman Emperor Constantine declared the empire to be Christian in the early 4th century, persecution ended, pagan temples were converted into church buildings, house churches ended, and the priests took over. In Roman Catholicism and Orthodox Churches it is the professional priests or nuns who do Church work. Everyone else just attends when they feel obliged, and goes about their lives earning money, accumulating wealth and property, or just trying to survive in the world.

And this unbiblical paradigm did not change at the time of the Protestant Reformation. No, rather, the preacher or teacher became the ‘pastor’ with all authority, and the one-man-ministry model became the norm. Everyone else was expected to keep their mouths shut except to sing a hymn, and if one did not have a denominational theological training, they had no right to ever step up to the hallowed ground of the pulpit. 1700 years and millions of so-called Christians, who never used or exercised their spiritual gifts and never fulfilled the works God had prepared in advance for them to do. And this spectator mentality is firmly established in the vast majority of evangelical Protestant Churches today. 

So what about accountability and responsibility of and for individual discipleship?

IV. Accountability and Responsibility - The Fruits of Commitment

In a house church people get to know each other as a real family. In a traditional church of say 100 or more, you can sneak in the back, sit depressed and silent, listen to a sermon you may agree or disagree on, but cannot comment on, and go home as depressed and sad as you were when you arrived. Often, the first few rows of pews are full of people who are in-love with Christ and passionate, people who are using their gifts in some ministry or other, and as you move back through the rows towards the back, the passion is cooler, and often, in the back, almost no passion at all. 

If you are a member of a house church, and stay at home due to unconfessed sin, depression, or whatever, you will be missed, you will be called or visited, because your little family know you as a brother or sister. Practical love thrives in a house church because members see each other as a committed family; they know each other and understand that they are responsible for and accountable to each other. Obviously, this family paradigm cannot exist without commitment. In the Early Church there was no concept of leaving one house church and going to another if you disagreed on something. Christians had a mindset of committed family, a family far more intimate than their blood relatives, for this was an eternal family.

32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had...34 there were no needy persons among them...(Acts 4:32-34)

This type of thinking is almost absent in churches today. In a house church of 15-25 people you know the needs of every person. When your financial offerings are not being used to pay a pastor, church staff, building maintenance, rent, etc, then a church can use their funds to support the poor, the sick, those in financial need, and live in a committed, responsible and accountable relationship as a true family. Paul’s words from Romans 12:5 are a living reality for a house church ...in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. (Romans 12:5)

V. Nowhere to Hide

There is an incredibly different dynamic between sitting in a pew facing forward, or in a circle of 15-20 people. You cannot hide in a circle. When you worship together, facing each other, or share communion, there is nowhere to hide. If you are full of joy, others see it, if depressed or suffering, others see it. In a house church we are forced to recognize and share each other's joy or pain, we learn to love in reality, to encourage, and we experience the witness of the Spirit between each of us. 

As Paul said, we learn to have 'equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it' (1st Corinthians 12:25-26). It's almost impossible to be a goat amongst the sheep in a house church, for if you have no real relationship with Christ, that soon becomes apparent. But some may ask, ‘can I not have this same thing in a weekly Bible Study’?

Many churches have tried to emulate something of the Early Church model by initiating small group meetings or weekly Bible study groups. Although well-intentioned, and helpful for those who want to learn and discuss the Bible together, these groups can never replace or truly imitate the house church model for the following reasons.

1. Commitment. None of these groups are compulsory in churches, therefore, there is no concept of commitment to be involved, they are entirely voluntary. A house church, on the other hand, is a total commitment to a group of people who see this group as their Church family. 

2. Small groups and Bible studies are usually led by a teacher or teachers who have training, or led by the pastor. In this sense, unless others are given the opportunity to use their gifts as well, individuals may grow in knowledge but not in practical application.

3. Such groups are still operating under the paradigm of the paid church staff, and therefore, participants do not get to practice the Body of Christ commandments of devotion, accountability, and responsibility as previously discussed.

4. A house church is a fully functioning Church which includes, prayer, worship, communion, teaching, discussion, testimonies, a meal together, support and encouragement.

And finally, sharing a meal together was an essential part of the Early Church and theologians call it 'table fellowship'. How often in Scripture do we see Jesus eating with His disciples, even preparing the meal Himself, or feeding crowds of people?  When Christians share a meal together after worship, bible study, prayer and testimonies, it is like a small foreshadow of the wedding feast of the Lamb, a beautiful experience of what we will share for eternity. The love and fellowship of sharing a meal is not the same as a cup of tea at the end of a service, it is practicing what families do, people who belong to each other and the Lord. 

Thank you for reading this article to the end. I understand that you may have many questions, most of which I hope to answer in subsequent articles, but please feel free to ask questions or leave a comment on my YouTube channel. In the next article we will look at the Early Churches structure of authority and how we can change the current paradigm which dominates Churches today. God bless.

Steve Copland