In the temple, and from house to house
The Reading of Scripture
at One Table,
from House to House
The first-century ekklesia gathered in the temple and broke bread from house to house. YLV Bible Study restores the setting that Scripture itself records — a table set from house to house.
The first ekklesia
In the temple, and from house to house
The first disciples assembled in both settings concurrently. The verse that records the daily life of the first disciples places two settings side by side. They devoted themselves in the temple, and they broke bread from house to house. Neither setting displaced the other; the two were maintained together. The assembling of believers at an appointed time is not a matter of personal preference. The Epistle to the Hebrews states this as an explicit exhortation.
And day by day, devoting themselves with one mind in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they were sharing food with joy and singleness of kardia(heart, soul-domain),
praising God and having charis(grace) with all the people; and the Lord was adding those being saved day by day to the ekklesia(called-out community).
Acts 2:46–47 · Yeshua Literal VersionAnd let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
Hebrews 10:24–25 · Yeshua Literal VersionThe gathering is open to all. It serves those whose shift work leaves no evenings free, those who live two hours from a church building, those who cannot leave a young child or an ill family member, and those who have not yet found a settled place in any congregation. The household table is commended to all. It provides a means by which the Word reaches places it has otherwise been difficult to reach.
The day of meeting
Friday is customary, not required
Friday evening is recommended for a reason, but it is not a requirement.
In Scripture the day begins at sunset. Friday evening is therefore not the close of a wearying week but the first hour of a holy day. For this reason it is recommended.
Scripture, however, nowhere binds a household gathering around the Word to a particular day. The believers in Acts broke bread from house to house day by day. A Tuesday morning or a Wednesday evening is equally suitable. Where Scripture is opened with a sincere heart, the day of the week is not essential.
One requirement is maintained: the gathering is held at the same hour each week. Only what recurs regularly finds a lasting place in a life. Once a day has been chosen, it should not be changed.
Requirements
Three requirements
Nothing further is required.
The promise
Where two or three have gathered in My name
Again I say to you truly that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered in My name, I am there in their midst.Matthew 18:19–20 · Yeshua Literal Version · the words of Yeshua (Jesus)
The second verse opens with “for”, giving the ground of the verse before it. The prayer of two is answered because He is present there. Number is not the condition; a small attendance is therefore no reason for postponement.
Not required
Conditions that need not delay a gathering
- A teacher — to hold that a gathering is impossible without a teacher is to hold that Scripture cannot speak for itself. Scripture speaks for itself.
- Study materials or their cost — the passage being read is itself the material. For further reference, the original-language analysis and the Bible studies are freely available.
- Additional qualification — the reading of Scripture at home with family and neighbours requires no formal process. Participants who belong to a congregation are, however, encouraged to inform their pastor of the gathering and to request prayer.
- A rented venue — the home serves as the venue.
- Complete preparation — a gathering that waits for complete preparation does not begin.
Further guidance
Detailed guidance
Beginning a Gathering
Three steps, with a model invitation that may be used as written.
ReadOrder of the Gathering
The order of the evening and the questions asked after the reading.
ReadGuidance for Host Households
Expectations regarding the home, food and children, and the prevention of host fatigue.
ReadMiqra Qodesh
Why Scripture is read aloud by the saints themselves rather than from a recording. The day the people wept in the square before the Water Gate.
ReadEcclesia
The character of the gathering: not a building, but people.
ReadGet the Bible
Apps · ebooks · audiobooks · original-language analysis. Provided free of charge.
ObtainEstablishing the first gathering
The first gathering is best set within the present week rather than deferred. Any day suited to the household may be chosen. The first step is a single invitation.