HOME OR INSTITUTION?

The New Testament Church was not based on an organisation that employed professional staff to run it. It was based in the home where the head was always the husband.

In Genesis God said he would give Adam a helpmeet, not a boss.

The New Testament Church met daily in homes in Acts 2 and ministered to each other in that context. Central to that was eating meals together which ensured that everyone had a meal that day. Giving them a cube of bread and a thimbleful of wine would have been an insult and totally inadequate to someone who had no money to buy food.

There was no youth fellowship or children’s ministry as the family stayed together as a family, and the children learnt the ways of the new covenant from their parents and other adults in the home.

They were totally devoted to each other, making sure that all needs were met and any surplus was given for this purpose. There were no weekly offerings, tithes or salaries paid or buildings to be built. If there was a need, and there was someone who could meet that need, they did.

Because of the above facts, they were able to provide a counter culture that had different values to the world. After all, that was their mission, to establish God’s Kingdom on earth which by its very nature was different to what was already happening.

It would appear that we have lost our way when it comes to our purpose here. First, we are nothing like the New Testament Church. We have institutionalised the body of Christ and made it into a business, run by professional people.

The life of this institution revolves around meetings and programmes that divide families and congregations. Even in one group of people you could have several factions depending on what programme has been provided for them.

Usually what the institution or denomination wants takes precedent over what the word of God says and what God wants. When I was studying the New Testament Church and what we have today, I spoke to many about the discrepancies and was given justification for this solely on the basis of denominational tradition. It seemed that tradition had more authority than the word of God.

Because tradition is based on man made ideas, it is no surprise that the church is seen as irrelevant to most people outside of it. But I guess if you are happy to keep turning over the machinery with no or little visible results, who am I or God to say differently.