Passages: Romans 16:3-5 (also 1 Corinthians 16:19, Colossians 4:15, Philemon 2)

Most of us are Western and "Euro-centric" in our understanding of what a local church is. There is nothing wrong with being affected by culture unless it begins to interfere with biblical truth.

CHANGING THE BIBLE WITH OUR CULTURE
We regularly use Western, high-church, even Roman Catholic concepts and terms.
On Sunday morning we go to "___________"
The big room in the church where we worship is the "_____________"
The place to which repentant folks come forward is the "___________"
When a man is ordained to the ministry, he becomes a "____________"
We dress up for church because it is "________ __________"
Pastors are part of the "___________" the rest of us are "__________"
I am studying theology because I am going into the "_______________"
To go into the ministry, you must have a "____________"
Women can do many things in ministry, but they can't "_____________"

THE BOIL-DOWN FORMULA!
There is a huge difference between the essence of the church and the cultural expression of the church. This formula boils down and strips away the culture:

CE - B - P - M - T = EC
which means
___________ ______________ - _____________ - _____________ - ____________ - ________________ = ____________ ___________

So, what is a local church in its essence?
_________ _______ with _______ ________ serving ______ and _________

AN EFFORT AT DEFINING A LOCAL CHURCH
Acts 2:42-47 - A local church is a group of believers, led by one or more qualified shepherds, affirming their relationship to the Lord and each other by:

Regularly gathering for the study of God's Word, fellowship, worship, prayer, and the celebration of the Lord's Supper and baptism,
Regularly gathering in homes for meals, fellowship, ministry to each other,
Living exemplary lives in the community and regularly bringing the good news to the unbelieving world.

THE NEW TESTAMENT DIFFERENCE
New Testament leaders said that the Old Testament system was gone.
Old Covenant
Holy Men - Priests
Holy Place - Temple
Holy Activities - Sacrifices

New Covenant
No holy men - All believers are priests to the Lord. 1 Pet. 2:9
No holy activities - All activities done in the Spirit are spiritual sacrifices (praise, good works, financial support, faith, our bodies). 1 Pet. 2:5, Heb. 13:15-16, Phil. 4:18, 2:17, Rom. 12:1-2.
No holy place - All believers' bodies are now mobile temple of God. 1 Pet. 2:4-5, 1 Cor. 6:19

OLD FASHIONED LOCAL CHURCHES
How important is tradition? Is a 300-year-old tradition significant? The early church had no properties or buildings for 300 years! Where did they meet?
At first, they met in the __________.
Then they men in the _______________.
Then they met in __________. In fact, "the church" in a given city was made up of dozens of _________ - churches. (See our text?)

THE MANGLING OF OUR METHODS
In 318 AD, Christianity was legalized by Rome; in 325 AD Christianity was nationalized. To legitimize Christianity (put it in a form pagans would recognize), the government church reached back into the Old Testament for form and added the money and power of the Roman Empire to it. The Church moved forward . . . to the past!

HOLY MEN - No longer could the leaders of churches be called merely "shepherds" (pastors). They had to be elevated to a position between God and man - priests, clergy. They were given the fine clothing typical of government officials in that era.
HOLY ACTIVITIES - Salvation had to be tied to the church, not just to faith in spiritual truth. Hence, the sacrifices one could see were brought back - not the blood of sheep, but the continual offering of the body and blood of Christ, something only administered by a priest.
HOLY PLACES - The Church had been meeting in homes, in the catacombs, and on hillsides. Back came the concept of buildings as "houses of God." Christians were given pagan temples and government buildings in which to meet. The chief form was the Greco-Roman courtroom. Ever notice how the old courtrooms and traditional churches have the same floor plan?

The Roman Catholic Church existed this way for 1200 years. The Reformation of the 1500's was a reformation of the doctrine of salvation, not a reformation of methodology to any large degree. Europe's big churches maintained much the same form as the Catholic Church … except for the Anabaptists.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY
1. The fastest growing churches in the world today have no buildings (Chinese, Indian churches). Cuban Christians fear Castro's death?
2. Most urban churches are defined by their properties, programs, personalities, and their past - not by their biblical purpose.
3. Church buildings often divert the focus of leadership. What would pastors, elders, and deacons do if they had no buildings, budgets, or ball fields? They would study the Word, pray and minister to people - biblical stuff!
4. Church properties often eat up budgets. Biblical church budgets are people-oriented budgets.
Support of vocational shepherds
Support of church planters
Support of needy churches
Support of needy believers
Support of needy unbelievers

THE HEART OF THE MATTER
When Jesus left planet earth, He left behind people and principles, no properties, programs, schedules, dress codes or liturgies. A biblically oriented church is not driven by properties, personalities or programs. It is relational and people-oriented - evangelizing the lost, discipling believers in Christ, equipping saints to do ministry, and training leaders. All else is incidental and should support that central purpose.