Now let us go from Matthew to the book of Acts. We are told in Acts 2, in the early days of the church that the believers in Jerusalem met in houses. They broke bread from house to house (v. 46). Why? Because they had such a large number. In one day they suddenly had an increase of three thousand (2:41), and in another day five thousand (4:4), making a total of over eight thousand believers. It was really difficult for them all to come together in one place. Obviously, it was more convenient for them to meet in their homes. But we must realize that all these home meetings were part of the one church at Jerusalem. What they were doing in their meetings was simply carrying out what the church in Jerusalem intended and decided. They were not isolated from the church; they were not meeting without the church in the locality as their background and standing. This actual and practical situation exactly fits the Lord’s words in Matthew 18. Here and there, in this house and in so many other houses, they were members of that one church, not meeting isolatedly, not meeting separately from the church, but meeting in full relationship with the local church in Jerusalem. All these home meetings were not independent meetings; they were meetings of that one local church. They met in their homes for the Lord’s table (2:46), for preaching the gospel (5:42), and for praying (12:12). When Peter was released from prison, he went to Mary’s house, where many were gathered together praying. That meeting was not the church, but that meeting was a part of the church in Jerusalem. That meeting stood with the church in Jerusalem, and that meeting where the saints were praying was carrying out the decision of that church. It was not an isolated meeting. This is the proper way to meet.
Acts 8:1 tells us that though there were so many meetings in Jerusalem, yet there was but one church, the church at Jerusalem. Then in chapter twenty-one of Acts we see something more. Verse 20 of that chapter says that the number of believers in Jerusalem by that time was in the tens of thousands. (The word thousands in the King James Version should be translated myriads or tens of thousands.) There were not only eight, nine, or ten thousand, but tens of thousands. We do not know how many, but have you noticed, in verse 18 of that same chapter, that there was only one eldership there? This verse tells us that James was one of the elders and that all the elders were present. In all Jerusalem with so many tens of thousands of believers, there was but one church with one eldership. There were myriads of brothers and sisters with many home meetings, yet one church and one eldership.
I received a letter recently from a saint who asked how there could possibly be only one church in a very large city with many saints. I also saw a letter written by a famous preacher who wrote that he would not agree with this matter of one eldership in one city. Brothers and sisters, we do not care what people say; we just care what the Bible says. Have you noted all these verses from the book of Acts? There were myriads of believers and they were meeting in many houses in Jerusalem, but they were still under one group of elders. If you read the book of Acts, you will see that whatever decision was made by this one group of elders was taken by all the believers, because they were all one church. Acts 8:1 says, “the church at Jerusalem.” Why do I stress this matter so much? Because it is so basic to the matter of meeting. The first thing we must care for in the matter of meeting is that our meeting must be a part of the local church. We must meet by taking the stand of the church and by carrying out what the church intends to do. We may have scores of home meetings. I would like to see in the city of Los Angeles more than one hundred home meetings, yet all one church under one eldership.
In the city of Taipei, on the Island of Taiwan, there is an actual example of this at the present time. In that city there is one church, the church at Taipei, with thousands of believers and more than sixty home meetings, yet all under one eldership. All those home meetings are not isolated and independent meetings; they are in full relationship one to another and to the one church there. The first thing we must care for in regard to our meetings is that we meet in this way. By being related to the local church, we are right. This is a basic matter.
From the book of Acts we go on now to 1 Corinthians. If the church has a very large number of believers, it is rather difficult, of course, for the whole church to come together. In that case we need more than one meeting place. But 1 Corinthians 14:23 says, “If therefore the whole church be come together into one place....” In some places the number of brothers and sisters in the church may not be so large. They may have a place where the whole church can come together. Then this kind of meeting, a meeting of the whole church, is the church. Why? Because in verse 23 it says that “the whole church be come together,” and in verse 33 it says, “as in all churches.” When the whole church comes together, that is the meeting and that is also the church—the meeting is the church. That meeting is not only part of the church; that meeting is the church. Brothers and sisters, the proper way to meet is to meet either as a part of the church or as the church; otherwise, our meetings are wrong. The matter of meeting must be absolutely related to the church. If the whole church comes together, then we meet as the church. If it is not possible for the entire church to come together, we must meet in different places, but all the different meetings are just parts of that one church. All the meetings in one city should be constituents of the unique local church in that city. This is the proper way to meet. If our meeting is not definitely and positively related to the church, we are not qualified to meet and we are not in a proper position to meet; we are wrong.
This matter has very much to do with the oneness of the Body. If a few brothers meet here and there in the Lord’s name without caring for the church, the Body of Christ is divided. We must all meet with a proper and positive relationship to the local church. Then our meeting will not be a divisive meeting; it will be a meeting that stands with the church and executes the church’s will. We cannot begin any meeting carelessly. We cannot start any meeting without taking care of the church. Whenever we begin to meet, we must meet for the church: either we meet as the church or as a part of the church. That means that we are absolutely one with the church and that there can be no divisions. It is in this way that our meetings will be kept in the church in oneness. The Lord be merciful to us.