In New Testament times, the Jews would meet in synagogues on Saturdays—the Sabbath day. Unlike the temple and the tabernacle, there are no God-given instructions on how to build a synagogue. Their origin is somewhat of a mystery, though most consider them to have begun after the exile for the public reading of the Scripture with a goal of understanding it (cf. Neh. 8:8). The Lord Himself had a habit of attending as He traveled to various cities: “He taught in their synagogues … And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read” (Lk. 4:15–16).

In Acts, the truth of the gospel would be presented to the Jews first. When they rejected it, the message would transition from the synagogues to the houses of individuals: “And [Paul] reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath … But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them … ‘From now on I will go to the Gentiles.’ And he departed from there and entered the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue” (Acts 18:4–7).

Believers had already begun to meet together in homes to break bread (Acts 2:46), and this pattern continued. We read of at least three groups gathering in houses: those in Priscilla and Aquila’s home (Rom. 16:3–5; 1 Cor. 16:19); those in Nymphas’ home (Col. 4:15); and those in Philemon’s home (Phile. 1:2). Worship was not to be on a “mountain, nor in Jerusalem,” the Lord said, but “in spirit and truth” (John 4:21, 24).

We do not have to meet in houses; we simply need to recognize that it is about Christ, not physical buildings. We are gathered around Him—He being the center—because nothing else is of any consequence compared to His presence with us. May we see no one but Jesus only while we gather around Him.