What is the boundary of the Local Church?

ZNPaaneah · 02-10-2018, 06:45 AM

Quote:

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 · 02-10-2018, 06:53 AM

Quote:

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 · 02-10-2018, 06:57 AM

Quote:

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.