Years ago near Brushy Knob, Missouri, my cousin pointed out churches. One was near my great-great-grandmother’s house. A few miles down the road, he said, “And this was where Grandma went to church in a horse and buggy.” Instinctively, I wondered and asked, “Why didn’t she go to the one by her house?” Cousin Jim said, “Because nobody was going to tell Grandma how to do church.”
What if the only church you had was the one in your house? First century churches often gathered in homes. In Jerusalem at John Mark’s mother’s house, the church gathered for prayer. Lydia, a leader in the church at Philippi offered her home. Paul sometimes writes about the church in Priscilla and Aquila’s house (Romans 16:5). Here he greets the house church of Philemon, Apphia and Archippus.
Paul writes the letter to Philemon to get him to welcome home his runaway slave Onesimus, no longer a slave but as a brother in Christ. Addressing it to multiple members gives Philemon accountability. The letter is not only to him but to a sister and brother who worship with him. Church attendance is lagging across our country these days. What is the benefit of going to church with other believers? There is acceptance there in the grace of Christ. Also in the church we find accountability. Philemon might not have wanted to forgive Onesimus, but in the body of Christ, he realized he was being watched and encouraged by others. Paul concludes by saying, “Prepare a guest room in the house for me.” Paul was going to church, at Philemon’s house. How is the church in your house? Are you actively loving Jesus at your place? The rest of the congregation in your house is watching.
