Sep. 15, 2024

The Church in Monessen (15 September 2024)

Introduction - Last week I introduced a new idea to our church, that is, that the only church God recognizes is the church in an entire city or city-region. This does not mean that he disregards small groups of Christians, for Jesus taught that He visits and inhabits them.  In fact, He even used the word church to refer to them:

Matthew 18:20 “…For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” NLT

Romans 16:5 Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus. 4In fact, they once risked their lives for me. I am thankful to them, and so are all the Gentile churches. 5Also give my greetings to the church that meets in their home.  NLT

It is also evident that God saw the church in a city as one unit.  This is evident from the characteristics of the noun church.  In the Greek language it is a singular word.  It is notable that God spoke sweeping commendations or gave rebukes to the seven churches of Asia Minor in Revelation 2 and 3 as a result of His assessment of their character and achievements:  Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.  These were mostly prosperous towns in what is now present day Turkey.  They were on a Roman mail route, so they were hubs of commerce and travel.  It is a certainty that by the time the Apostle John wrote the Revelation, the Christian populations had grown to noticeable sizes.  There was a notable riot in Ephesus against Christians which filled a large theater. These letters of John were not written to a handful of believers in a few house-churches.  They were major report cards to the entire church in each city.  

The application to our church is this:  God wants us to develop a consciousness of, and a burden for, the entire city of Monessen and its environs. Our church is not only the Orchard Christian Fellowship, but the church in Monessen.  God has a report card for it just like he did for Ephesus and the remaining seven churches of Asia Minor.  The church in Jerusalem, (not named in Revelation) the earliest and first of all the churches, had a swirling, abundant, fellowship which thrived amongst a minimum of 3,000 people.  

Acts 2:42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity — 47all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. NLT

Conclusion - God will be pleased if we have fellowship with people from other churches.  Feel free to visit other churches and make friends with their people, participating in their fundraisers, dinners, concerts, etc. This is probably what the writer of Hebrews was talking about:

Hebrews 10:24 - Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. NLT