Biblical Basis and Early Church Examples of Small Group Practice in the Church

Acts 2:46: "And they broke bread at home and ate their meals with glad and single hearts."

Acts 5:42: "Day by day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus as the Christ."

Acts 16:31-34: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household... He and all his household rejoiced in their faith in God."

Acts 20:20: "I did not shrink from declaring anything profitable to you, but taught you publicly and from house to house."

 

Category

Biblical Basis/Example

Meaning & Definition

Spiritual Effect

Early Church Practice

Modern Small Group Application

Related Scriptures & Exposition

House Churches

Church in Priscilla and Aquila's house

Church gatherings based on households, embodying the family nature of the church

Building intimate relationships, facilitating pastoral care, promoting life fellowship

Establishing churches in homes, hosting saints, perfecting co-workers

Opening homes as meeting places for life sharing and truth pursuit

Rom 16:5 "Greet also the church in their house"; 1 Cor 16:19; Philemon 2

Breaking of Bread

Early church breaking bread daily

Commemorating the Lord's death, expressing the unity of the Lord's body

Maintaining fellowship with the Lord, strengthening mutual connection among saints

Breaking bread daily at home with glad hearts, sharing meals

Love feasts and breaking bread in small groups, remembering the Lord's death

Acts 2:46 "Breaking bread from house to house with glad and sincere hearts"; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor 11:23-26

Prayer Gatherings

Prayer meeting in the upper room

United prayer, demonstrating body coordination

Releasing spiritual authority, accomplishing God's will

120 people praying together in upper room for ten days, receiving the outpouring of the Holy Spirit

Small group prayer meetings, interceding for various needs

Acts 1:14 "All continued with one accord in prayer"; Acts 2:42; Acts 4:24-31

Word Teaching

Apostles teaching in every house

Apostolic teaching, perfecting and building up of saints

Truth transmission, life growth and maturity

Apostles daily teaching and preaching Jesus in temple and homes

Word sharing and truth pursuit in small groups, mutual perfecting

Acts 5:42 "Daily in the temple and in every house they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ"; Acts 20:20

Mutual Love

Having all things in common, caring for one another

Life connection and practical care among saints

Witnessing Christ, attracting people to the Lord

Believers having all things common, caring for each other, finding favor with people

Mutual support and care in small group life, practicing body life

John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another"; Acts 2:44-47; Gal 6:2

Gospel Expansion

Lydia's household testimony

Whole household believing, home becoming gospel base

Gospel spreading, church establishment and multiplication

Lydia, seller of purple fabric, household baptized, hosting apostles

Inviting friends and relatives to small groups, whole family gospel testimony

Acts 16:14-15 "The Lord opened her heart to heed what Paul spoke...she and her household were baptized"

Testimony in Trials

Philippian jailer's household

Showing Lord's grace in trials, whole household believing

Witnessing Lord's love in adversity, strengthening saints' faith

Prison keeper and household baptized, hosting Paul and Silas at home

Small groups as refuge in trials, mutual comfort and support

Acts 16:31-34 "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household...he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household"

Gentile Gospel

Cornelius' household gathering

Breaking racial barriers, gospel to all nations

Gentiles first receiving gospel, church internationalization

Roman centurion gathering relatives and close friends at home to hear the word

Small groups open to different ethnic groups, practicing inclusiveness and acceptance

Acts 10:24-48 "Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends...the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word"

Body Coordination

Each exercising gifts in service

Function of members, reality of body life

Healthy church growth, saints' life maturity

Early church members serving according to gifts, coordinating with each other

Each functioning in small groups, mutual perfecting and building

1 Cor 12:12-27 "For as the body is one and has many members...God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased"

Life Supply

Apostles perfecting saints

Life feeding and perfecting, saints growing to maturity

Reaching the measure of the stature of Christ, building up Christ's body

Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor-teachers perfecting saints

Experienced saints in small groups perfecting new believers and weak ones

Eph 4:11-16 "For the perfecting of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ...grows up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ"

Truth Pursuit

Bereans searching Scriptures

Diligently searching Scriptures, understanding God's word

Truth equipment, life transformation and renewal

Daily searching Scriptures to see whether these things were so

Bible study in small groups, sharing light and experiences

Acts 17:11 "These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily"; 2 Tim 2:15

Meeting Frequency

Daily gathering without ceasing

Persistent continuous gathering, not forsaking assembling

Maintaining spiritual fervor, mutual encouragement and building

Early church gathering daily in temple and homes

Regular small group meetings, establishing stable gathering habits

Heb 10:24-25 "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together...but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching"

Church Governance

Elders shepherding in every house

Close care, shepherding house by house

Saints receiving appropriate care, healthy church development

Elders governing God's church, shepherding flocks everywhere

Small group responsible brothers and sisters bearing shepherding responsibility

Acts 20:20 "How I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house"

 

This message consists of four main parts:

1.  The New Testament Basis for Small Group Meetings - Explained from five aspects: home gatherings, breaking bread, prayer, teaching, and mutual love.

2.  Specific Examples of Small Group Meetings in the Early Church - Including the Jerusalem Church, Priscilla and Aquila, and Lydia's home.

3.  Spiritual Principles and Key Points for Small Group Meetings - Principles of Body Coordination, Life Supply, and Gospel Burden.

4.  Detailed Explanation of Related Scriptures - Providing More Detailed Biblical Basis

 

This table demonstrates that small group meetings not only have a solid biblical basis but also offer rich examples of their practice in the early church. The book of Acts shows that the early church met both in the temple and in homes, combining large and small gatherings. This provides the biblical basis for the practice of small groups today.