Church is an assembly of those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They are all believers who have received salvation, filled with the Holy Spirit.
Universally it is the body of Christ, scattered abroad. Locally, it can meet anywhere, even in homes, because church was never about a building, only believers.
Romans 16:5 says “… greet also the church that meets at their house.” Paul calls the “Church” those meeting in a house, not the house itself.
Jesus intended for His followers to BE the Church, not a passive audience in something called church.
1 Peter 2:4-5 says “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him – you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood,…”
Jesus is the Cornerstone and believers are His “living stones”, His followers are His hands and feet that He uses to build up His Church.
Further evidence that churches were initially made up of only believers was the first century church in the Book of Acts. It was growing rapidly not because non-believers were showing up but because the converted were joining the assembly of believers. Indeed, being part of that congregation could cost them their lives and was not worth the risk for non-believers.
Churches Should Welcome Non-Believers if They Wander in…
According to 1 Corinthians 14:22-25, even though preaching the deep truths of God is meant for believers, no one should be turned away. However, churches should not divert from teaching those “deep truths”, nor from deep discipleship, just because non-believers are present.
