7B. Homes used by the New Testament Church

Where there was a Christian home, the uses to which it was put were very various. The Acts of the Apostles alone shows us such homes being used for prayer meetings, for an evening of Christian fellowship, for Holy Communion services, for a whole night of prayer, worship and instruction, for impromptu evangelistic gatherings, for planned meetings in order to hear the Christian gospel, for following up enquirers, and for organized instruction.

Paul's Hired House

We find Paul making a most interesting use of his "hired house" in Rome: he was no longer able to go out to preach the gospel, so he invited leading Jews to come to his residence for a full day of talk and discussion. His approach was superb. He took the initiative, and explained the reason for his presence in Rome, before they could produce any garbled accounts that may have reached them from Judea. He was brief, factual, conciliatory and to the point. He offered them hospitality: he showed his understanding of the Scriptures, his loyalty to the hope of Israel, and his deep conviction that in Jesus salvation was to be found. When Paul claimed in his farewell address to the Ephesian elders that he had taught them "in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance to God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ," it was no idle boast.(9)

Aquila and Priscilla's Home

The home of a first century pair, Aquila and Priscilla, is a good example for us. Whether or not they were Christians before they met Paul at Corinth is disputed, but thereafter there could be no doubt about the matter. It was, obviously enough, a worshiping home. As Jews they would have prayed daily in the home together; as Christians they would have done no less. They were regular attendees at the synagogue, and it was here they discovered Apollos, and seeing that they could be of help to this most promising and talented man, they invited him round to their home and instructed him further in the faith.(9)

A Generous Home

Though Luke's description is not completely clear, it would seem probable that Apollos had no knowledge of the risen Lord until they informed him: he had merely been impressed with the preaching of John the Baptist who foretold the coming of one mightier than himself. Theirs [Aquila and Priscilla's] was a generous home, too. They were prepared to have lodgers, like Paul and Apollos: they were prepared to open their home up to the Christian community, with all the inconvenience that must have sometimes involved. A church met in their home in Corinth, Ephesus and Rome. Clearly these people kept open house, and went to the trouble of writing commendatory letters for their visitors upon departure, putting them in touch with Christians elsewhere. They did not forget absent friends either, but were assiduous in sending greetings. There must have been something infectious about their relationship with one another which impressed visitors to the home. Apollos learnt "the way" from his stay in their home; and although already an able expositor of Scripture, we read that he learnt to show from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.(9)

Gifts of Hospitality

The same thing happened to Paul. When he met them [Aquila and Priscilla] he appears to have been somewhat depressed after his comparative lack of success at Athens. Companionship with them revived him: he argued in the synagogue weekly and began to convince both Jews and Greeks. Moreover we read that he became gripped by the Word while he was staying with them. Is this an indication of the family study of the Scriptures in which they engaged? Though much is guesswork as we try to look at the lives of these folk, it is clear enough that they had a warmth of faith in Jesus and love for him that led them to sacrifice privacy, security, finance, and even personal safety (on one occasion they risked their lives for Paul) in order to promulgate the Christian gospel. Homes like this must have been exceedingly effective in the evangelistic outreach of the Church.(9)

A New Religion in the Home

Not only was the conversion of a household the natural or even the necessary way of establishing the new religion in unfamiliar surroundings, but the household remained the soundest basis for the meetings of Christians. In several cases, the preachers were entertained and begged to carry on their activities from that platform. Among the persons to whom greetings are sent in one letter, for instance, there are three sets representing full households (Rom. 16. 5, 4, 15), and two others apparently drawn from the inferior members of households whose heads are by implication not Christians (Rom. 16.10,11). This latter phenomenon suggests some kind of looseness in the groups concerned, though it is still significant that even when detached from their group for religious reasons they remain a coherent body.(3)

Justin Martyr in Martin's Household

We catch sight again of a house church in the interview of Justin by a magistrate.

Judge: 'Where do you have your meetings?'
Justin: 'Wherever we can. ... Our God fills heaven and earth, and is worshipped everywhere.'
Judge: 'Tell me where.'
Justin: 'I live upstairs in the house of Martin, close to the Timiotinian Bath.... And if any one wished to come to me there, I passed on to him the true doctrine.' (2)

Justin could talk to people in the street, and tell those who were interested to come to Martin's house to learn more.(2)

Privacy Intimacy and Stability in the Household

The house as meeting place afforded some privacy, a degree of intimacy, and stability of place. However, it also created the potential for the emergence of factions within the Christian body of a city. It may well be the case that the incipient factions addressed by Paul in I Corinthians 1-4 were based in different households. The household context also set the stage for some conflicts in the allocation of power and in the understanding of roles in the community. The head of the household, by normal expectations of the society, would exercise some authority over the group and would have some legal responsibility for it. (4)

Questions for Discussion

1. What uses did early Christians make of their households? Which of these could be useful in the Household of Faith today?

2. Can Households of Faith avoid factions?

Bibliography

"You are fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household." Ephesians 2.19

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