THE CHURCH IN THY HOUSE (PHILEMON 2)

Dear Members in Christ,

The Church in Thy House (An exhortation from Philemon 2)

When we look into books that document the history of church growth, we often encounter the term “house churches.” What is a “house church,” and do we see a biblical precedence for its development in church history? In today’s article, we shall examine a church that the Apostle Paul addresses in an epistle. When the Apostle Paul wrote to Philemon, a believer in the city of Colosse to send greetings, and to deal with the issue of a runaway slave by the name of Onesimus. The Apostle Paul greets the believers in the opening verses:

“Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer, and to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house.” (Philemon 1, 2)

We note that the greeting is directed to individuals, namely Philemon, Apphia and Archippus - people whom he refers to as fellow-labourers and fellow-soldiers. In addition, the epistle also begins with a greeting to “the church in thy house.” Nowadays, we name our churches often with names of Biblical significance. So we find churches with names like “Calvary,” or “Truth,” or “Gethsemane,” and quite often these church names also identify the locale of the church. For instance, the name “Calvary-Miri BPC” immediately identifies the location of the church. So the “church in thy house” is an obvious reference to a local church in Colosse. An assembly of believers in the house of Philemon was termed “the church” by the Apostle Paul.    

House churches in the early Christian era

Local churches are often given names that are associated with their locale. In places in the Bible, we find churches named by location e.g. Acts 8:1 “the church which is at Jerusalem” or Acts 8:13 “the church at Antioch.” In Paul’s missionary journeys he had planted many churches, and in his epistles, we find that some of these churches are also identified by their location e.g. Romans 1:7 “to all that be in Rome… called to be saints” or in 1 Corinthians 1:2 “the church of God which is at Corinth.” So why is it this church is simply “the church in thy house?”

The answer lies in the way the Gospel work was propagated in the first century. The word “church” in the modern context is often misunderstood to refer to a “bricks and mortar” building. Our contemporary usage of the word “church” usually refers to a dedicated building as a place of Christian worship. However, the Biblical definition of a church is in its substance, and can be seen in the usage of the word “ekklesia.” It is a compound word that begins with a prefix to convey the meaning “out” and a verb expressing the action “call.” So we get the theological meaning of the word “church” which is, literally, a group of people “called out” from the world.  

So, by the Apostle Paul’s greeting to the “church in thy house,” Paul is greeting the believers who gather in Philemon’s house. Most likely these are members of his household, and possibly his close friends or neighbours who have come to know the Gospel of salvation. We know that during the time of the New Testament church, believers gather for worship, prayer, and the breaking of bread as demonstrated in Acts 1:14 and Acts 2:42-47. Therefore, the “house church” functions exactly like a church in our modern context. The difference is only in form, not in function. A “house church” may not have a purpose-built worship hall, it may not have a large membership (unlike an established church), it may not have the façade of a church building, but this is just the external form. The house church functions as a gathering place for the faithful to worship, offer prayers, and fellowship with one another.   

The role of house churches in growing the believer’s spiritual life

The household of Philemon is not the only mention of such a group of believers in the early church. In many of Paul’s epistles, he addresses individuals who have come to the faith, such as Aristobulus and Narcissus in Romans 16:10, 11 and sends greetings to those in their “household.” In 1 Corinthians 1:16, Paul expresses the same greetings to the household of Stephanas, and in 2 Timothy 4:19, the household of Onesiphorus. These individuals had come to believe and have also brought members of their household to the knowledge of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Should this be a lesson for us in our modern-day churches, in the era of “brick and mortar” places of worship, purpose worship halls, buildings, etc.? Firstly, just as the early church has demonstrated, we must share our faith with our closest family and friends. The Lord Jesus uses this analogy that a city set on a hill cannot remain hidden. Our testimony of faith must go towards those closest to us. Who is to know if the Holy Spirit may convict the hearts of our unsaved loved ones by our word and our testimony.

Secondly, the “church in thy house” is an assembly of believers. If you have more than one person under your roof who is a believer in the Lord Jesus, you can gather for fellowship, for prayer, for the singing of praises, for the reading of God’s word. Believing siblings, even cousins and extended family members can gather for fellowship together. Husband and wife and children can sing praises to God and study the bible together. That is not to say that fellowship at home can replace in-person worship as a church, neither does it justify one’s absence from church prayer meetings and fellowship meetings. But fellowship within the “church in thy house” is a way to spiritually encourage the family members. May we be strengthened in our faith, as individuals and households for the glory of God.  Amen.

In Christ,
Dn. Lim Seh Beng