Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our beloved fellow worker and Apphia our sister and Archippus, our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:
In the greeting section of this letter, Paul referenced the church that met in Philemon’s house. In the early days of the church, they did not own buildings to meet in. Generally, they would meet in homes big enough to accommodate them. There would likely be multiple house churches in a town as the gospel message spread and the number of believers multiplied.
Today, at least in most places in the world, the church meets in buildings dedicated to that purpose. And the number of people is much greater than would fit into a home. That is not necessarily bad, but there is a danger in it.
With smaller gatherings in homes, there is a greater opportunity to share our lives and draw closer together. Much of that is lost in the larger and more formal gatherings on Sunday mornings, where there is limited opportunity to get to know other members well.
The large gatherings are good and have a place. But, as the church, we should also seek to gather in small groups in our homes or other convenient locations. Take advantage of the opportunities offered by large gatherings. But don’t neglect the even greater opportunities to be the church in smaller settings.
The church is not a place, nor is it an event. The church is the body of Christ, the people of God. And wherever we gather, that is where the church is. And Christ is there with us, even when we meet together as the church in our homes (Matt. 18:20).
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