I spoke separately with two people yesterday, each of whom
expressed an opinion about church. One attends Sunday church, and he also meets
with a group of eleven people from diverse Christian traditions. It is in the
smaller group that he experiences true church, mutual trust, love and care. These people respond to one another's needs. A
second opinion came from someone who acknowledges there is a place for the
larger Sunday gathering but admits that he attends intermittently, finding that
the teaching seldom relates to his needs. He does have one individual in whom
he can confide and whose influence perfects him spiritually.
During century one, Christianity had not formalized into
structured subgroups located in church buildings. Christianity experienced
rapid growth and within days and weeks after Pentecost, about 5,000 Jewish
believers in Jesus Christ[i]
were located throughout the Jerusalem area. Affinity clusters congregated
freely in homes. Friends invited friends to debrief, recount their recent
experiences, talk about the risks inherent in their new allegiance, and pray
for one another. Interestingly there were occasional larger public gatherings
of believers and this show of numbers encouraged the believers, impressed the
city and angered the authorities. The designated location was Solomon's
Colonnade.[ii]
No wonder they chose to meet there. Solomon's Colonnade was one
of the last places that Jesus ministered publically. It was there that Peter
and John had recently healed a crippled man. The Colonnade was also called a
porch or portico, first built by Solomon and retained during the rebuild of the
second temple on the temple mount. On a cold winter evening during the "Feast of
Dedication” (Hanukah), Jesus walked into the Colonnade. Jesus had already told
listeners about the sheep and claimed he was the good shepherd and that he
would lay down his life for the sheep. Then people demanded to know whether he
was claiming to be the Christ/Messiah. He asserted that he had already told
them, and further, all his miracles done in his Father's name declare his
identity with God. He boldly stated that he was God's son, and that they didn't
believe because they were not his sheep. They said they would see him put to
death because he was a blasphemer, claiming to be God when he was a mere man. Now here were thousands of followers living in the power of the risen Christ and defying the prohibition to talk about Jesus, because they would rather obey God than humans.Where are you best experiencing Christ’s body life? Would you find it easier to do anything, give anything, for the large gathering, or for the smaller group? What’s your experience?
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