I write to the assembly everywhere.
Words matter. The way a word is viewed or defined determines our relationship with it. In modern times, the word "Church" is mostly used in the sense of a religious destination, building, religious institution, or organisation. The original sense in which it was used in biblical times is almost eroded, and as a result, our relationship with the word is different.
The word " church," as translated in English Bibles, comes from the Greek word 'Ekklesia' or Ecclesia, which means an assembly, group, or congregation of people. The word is not just about the gathering but about the commonality of purpose, as used in Acts 19:32 for the mob gathering. Elsewhere in the New Testament, it mostly refers to those who have a commonality of faith in Jesus Christ irrespective of their location or meeting place.
In Romans 16, Paul acknowledges all his fellow workers and those who have helped in his ministry and impacted his life. He sends greetings to Pricilla and Aquila, specifically stating that "They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them." Romans 16:4 In our modern mind, "the churches of the Gentiles" immediately translate to the denominations, organisations and institutions in the gentile nations. However, in Paul's mind, it is all the believers and followers of Jesus in the 'Gentile' i.e. non-Jewish regions, irrespective of where they gather or with whom they gather. This is not just semantics. It is an understanding that informs our behaviour. It informs who you see as part of the Church and, therefore, part of your spiritual assembly or not.
Paul, in the next verse, continues, "Greet also the church that meets at their house." Note the phrasing of the sentence. He did not say greet their Church or greet the Church, he said greet the church that meets in their house. The church, therefore, is not the house, nor is it Priscilla's, nor is it the gathering that makes it the church. Rather in Paul's mind, the church is the people. They do not become the church in Priscilla's house or in any building, they are the church because they share the same purpose and 'life'. "Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ." 1 Corinthians 12:12
Therefore, the church is the believer and follower of Jesus in the workplace or at school. He is the one you meet in the market or playground. They are no less the church in their homes or going about their daily lives as they are when they meet up in Priscilla's house. In the New Testament, the temple or church is not the venue or meeting place, it is the people.
Of course, when they gather together, they form the church as a gathering because, as Jesus Christ (the head of the church) said, "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20NIV. The life that makes the individual parts of the church(body) of Christ comes in person to complete that gathering. It is in this sense that we gather. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:26, "What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up." Therefore, at the gathering - whether at home, in the workplace, in the market, or in any building, we come to deposit our individual blessings to strengthen the other.
This mindset makes every encounter with a member of the body of Christ an opportunity to build up the church. If every one of us sees and takes advantage of the times we see a believer to bring in the presence of Jesus, Jesus will be manifest everywhere we are. The church will be built up - effortlessly.
This is Christ's vision of his people everywhere they are. Make it yours as well; you are the church.
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"Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house." Colossians 4:15 NIV
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