House Church Talk - Re: The Local Church

[goodwordusa at att.net]

Bruce Woodford wrote in part: 
> The Lord Jesus set the pattern in Mark 6:7 and Luke 10:1.  Whenever the 
> apostles failed to obey and went alone, they NEVER saw churches 
established! 
>    See Peter alone at Lydda and Joppa (Acts 9). Some were healed, raised 
> from the dead and some saved. But we never read of a church in either of 
> these places. See Paul alone on Mars Hill in Athens (Acts 17). People were 
> saved, but we never read of a church at Athens.


Hi, Bruce.

While I appreciate your observations of how the Lord often used two or more 
brothers to start churches, I think we would be silly and overly dogmatic to 
go so far as to say that Acts is showing us how the apostles "failed to obey 
and went alone..."

We should not stoop to being so carried away with an idea as to start reading 
that idea back into the Scriptures.  If Scripture does not say that the 
apostles "failed to obey" in going here or in doing that, then we should 
constrain our desire to jump to that conclusion.

The Acts show us God at work in and through the apostles and other believers 
who trusted Him.  Let's give the Lord some credit for knowing how to direct 
and build His own church.

Whenever God is telling His own story thru the Scriptures may all traditions 
and dogma remain seated and silent before Him.

Amen, Bro. Bruce?

Jim