Meeting from house to house...

Long before Sunday worship lead by professionally trained pastors in formal church buildings, the followers of Jesus gathered in homes to eat, pray, learn together and support one another.  The Book of Acts is the record of those early gatherings.  Acts begins in a house in Jerusalem and ends in a house in Rome.  The first Christians gathered from house to house.

Normally when we hear the word "church" we automatically think "building." But by the end of the first century the church had grown to about 25,000 believers without breaking ground for a single church building.  And that was only the beginning.  By 200 AD, millions of people throughout the Roman Empire had become followers of Jesus, still without a single church building or seminary trained pastor to preach or visit the sick.  

How did this happen?  The believers gathered from house to house to eat, pray, study together and support one another.  Read it for yourself in the Book of Acts:

The Believers Form a Community

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper, and to prayer.A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity — all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47)

What could this kind of church look like today?  In this video, Tony and Felicity Dale provide a glimpse by inviting us into several house churches and introducing us to the people who gather from house to house.
https://vimeo.com/4678782