Quote:
Originally Posted by Evangelical
The Word of Truth: A Summary of Christian Doctrine Based on Biblical Revelation By Dale Moody
p. 435
The New Testament also speaks of the church as the one body of Christ composed of all true believers in all places, but it never speaks of a plurality of churches in one city (Col 1:18,24; Ephesians 1:22; 2:14-21;3:6-10;4:4,12; 5:23-33). It comes as a jolt, but it must be said again that the modern concept of a plurality of churches in one city is never found in the New Testament.
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But notice the words "the modern concept" in that last sentence. The Bible, including the NT, was not written with the modern concept in mind. Instead, we see both in original concept (e.g., Acts 19:41) and in example (greetings to specific, and separate, home 'ekklesia' in Rome in chapter 16 of that epistle) that there could be, and in fact were, multiple 'ekklesia' in larger urban areas. Multiple ekklesia meant perforce multiplication, not division. Like the LSM-affiliated churches with Meeting Hall One and Meeting Hall Two.
As the centuries passed, concepts changed, and newer meanings were then read back upon the text. And an opportunity was seen to condemn everyone else but the present reader.