Edification of the Saints

If you don't know the name Tom Wadsworth, you may find yourself coming across it in the future. I'm somewhat reluctant to even mention his name for fear of elevating him as some kind of celebrity, which is certainly not my intent. Yet as I've watched him over the past few months, much of what he says really resonates with me and I would think anyone else associated with the house church movement. Most interestingly, he seldom says much about house churches. His thesis is that what we know as "church" today is not found in the New Testament. As best as I understand it, he believes that the primary purpose of the assembly is for edification of the saints, not for worship. He is able to trace how first century Christianity devolved from the house churches described in the NT into what today reflects the temple system of the OT along with its priests (clergy) and offerings (tithes). He discusses how Paul focuses on edification in 1 Corinthians 14 as the primary purpose of our gatherings, and how the synagogue was never a place where Christians gathered to worship but rather a place where Christians were recruited from among the Jews. He describes Christian gatherings as small meetings where everyone participates and uses the gifts that God has given to them for the benefit of the others in the assembly. He uses the term "one anothering" to say that Scripture has much to say about how we love and support one another. When I listen to this man speak (and he is indeed just a man, not a prophet or other elevated individual), I find his words, tone, and demeanor consistent with what the Bible has to say about our Christian gatherings. While I can't say that I fully agree with all that he has to say, I think that his thesis is well researched and that he is what may referred to as "an honest broker" for his fair treatment of the subject.

For those of you who are interested, Tom has many videos on YouTube. I started my journey with his seven part series on how we got worship wrong (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z84QJzWlRJc&list=PLBymWQLP-rkGoTzyS81-MIi5q63Aq4UgI&index=4). Each video is an hour long, so it's a big time commitment if you decide to watch. But I found it useful as it helped me understand that he's not anti-church. You also get a feel for his knowledge of Scripture and his love for the assembly. If you can't make a big time commitment, maybe try this interview instead - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF98WsWTe4o&list=PLBymWQLP-rkHrPqsD9piTIdqzLpgPiHJY.

I would be very interested if anyone else is familiar with Tom's work or if you've decided to watch some of his videos. I'd like to know what you think.