One of the keys (as I understand the Bible) to defining “church” is identifiability. You can SEE it gathering together. It is a witness of God’s people before a watching world. It is a gathering of the “saved ones” (primarily), who are “called out” (EKKLESIA) for assignment in Kingdom matters. It is “not to be forsaken” (Hebrews 10:25). In fact, if the forsaking of the assembly is taken in its context, then one could make a case it is a willful sin not to do so (Hebrews 10:26).
Church is not mystical, ethereal, or nebulous. It is tangible. It is real. It is identifiable. A community can say, “There it is”.
Yes, there is a “Universal” Church, but you cannot identify with the church’s universality if you have not connected to its identifiable locality. Your local connection makes valid your claim to universal participation.
Please note, a legitimate suspension of gatherings for wisdom’s sake for a season may be a valid discussion, but by way of principle, the Church is commanded to gather as an identifiable witness. This is foreshadowed in the Old Testament by the various calls of God to gather as His people. It is consistently demonstrated all through the New Testament and the early Church.
I recognize that the underground church of China and North Korea (as well as the old Soviet Union) were valid expressions of Church despite its hiddenness from the general population. The point however remains, these persecuted believers found ways to gather as a group (EKKLESIA) for corporate witness and worship despite the foreboding presence of hostility. If isolation and individualization were the norm or standard operating procedure, then many believers have lost their lives in vain.
Now the question at hand is, has the Church been in challenging contexts to demonstrate that gathering?
Of course…
There have been wars, epidemics, adversity, hostility, diaspora, exile, persecution, famine, tyranny, etc.
All of these contexts have made the command to gather challenging. It may even have caused some creativity in what it means to gather.
The church has gathered in…
Houses
Huts
Under trees
Storefronts
Schools
Catacombs
Roof tops
Porches
Hotels
Foxholes
Battlefields
Aircraft Carriers
County Parks
Picnic shelters
Backyards
Barns
Machine sheds
Basements
Movie Theaters
Auditoriums
And the like…
But the key is…
A Church gathers together…
My point?
If the “NEW” normal is a rejection of bodily/physically gathering…
Then it’s not a “new” normal…
It’s an old error…
It’s time for the Church to assemble…
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