What is the boundary of the Local Church?

[Evangelical]

Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah

Hudson Taylor (the Evangelist to China) goes to China and meets with two other evangelists who were sent by the board. These three are in a foreign land where there are no other Christians. Yet they come together on the Lord's day and celebrate the Lord's table together. Following this they discuss a very important doctrinal issue critical to the work. Prior to Hudson Taylor arriving Evangelists dressed in Western garb, Hudson want to dress in Chinese garb and even keep his hair the same.

So two questions for Evangelical to focus his powers of logic on:

1. Does this meeting of three constitute a church meeting in that city?

2. Can they resolve this doctrinal issue or have they violated some secret NT rule?

Well this is a hypothetical which you have biased towards your view by assuming that only 3 Christians exist in the whole country. I believe that if you have a well established scriptural principle that 2 or 3 can constitute a church then you should not have to resort to such methods.

It is a church meeting in the sense that they are members of the church, but 3 people cannot claim to be a local church anymore than Peter, James and John could declare they were a church. I do not recall the other apostles ever referring to Peter James and John as a church.

[ZNPaaneah]

Originally Posted by Evangelical

Well this is a hypothetical which you have biased towards your view by assuming that only 3 Christians exist in the whole country. I believe that if you have a well established scriptural principle that 2 or 3 can constitute a church then you should not have to resort to such methods.

It is a church meeting in the sense that they are members of the church, but 3 people cannot claim to be a local church anymore than Peter, James and John could declare they were a church. I do not recall the other apostles ever referring to Peter James and John as a church.

This isn't hypothetical, read Hudson Taylor's biography. Ohio has already referenced a similar story from Watchman Nee's biography. This is far more the rule.

When I went to Odessa the church had been started by a small Bible study of three brothers with two wives -- 5.

[Evangelical]

Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah

This isn't hypothetical, read Hudson Taylor's biography. Ohio has already referenced a similar story from Watchman Nee's biography. This is far more the rule.

When I went to Odessa the church had been started by a small Bible study of three brothers with two wives -- 5.

That's nonsense because there were more than 5 or even 12 believers in China at the time of Hudson Taylor. If there is in their locality more than two or three believers other than those 5 you mentioned, then they are only part of the church.

[ZNPaaneah]

Originally Posted by Evangelical

That's nonsense because there were more than 5 or even 12 believers in China at the time of Hudson Taylor. If there is in their locality more than two or three believers other than those 5 you mentioned, then they are only part of the church.

Well that has been my point. If you are meeting "in the name of Jesus" you are within the walls of the NJ and are one with all the other believers in the NJ regardless of whether or not they are present in your meeting.

The first meetings of Hudson Taylor after he got off the boat was literally a handful, primarily the two or three evangelists who had been sent and been unsuccessful up to that time.

I suppose WN's biography is nonsense, might want to inform LSM of this discovery.