   Today, if you asked most people in the church, they would tell you that they are a Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, and so on. Then they would probably proceed to tell you that they go to church at a particular location. Is this what the church really is?
   Let’s begin by looking at the scriptures wherein the church is mentioned (we cannot list them all, but we will list those pertinent to our discussion).
  MAT 16:18 MAT 18:17 ACT 2:47
  ACT 5:11 ACT 7:38 ACT 8:1
  ACT 8:3 ACT 11:22 ACT 11:26
  ACT 12:1 ACT 12:5 ACT 13:1
  ACT 14:23 ACT 14:27 ACT 15:34
  ACT 15:22 ACT 18:22 ACT 20:17
  ACT 20:28 ROM 16:1 ROM 16:5
  ROM 16:23 1CO 1:2 1CO 4:17
  1CO 6:4 1CO 10:32 1CO 11:18
  1CO 11:22 1CO 12:28 1CO 14:4-5
  1CO 14:12 1CO 14:19 1CO 14:23
1CO 14:28 1CO 14:35 1CO 15:9
   As you can see, there are lots of references to the church in the New Testament. As you begin to research, you will find that most of the references are to the church as being the people making up The Church.
   “ROM 16:5: Likewise greets the church that is in their house. Salute my well-beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ”.
   If The Church was a meeting place, how could the church be inside of their house?
1CO 16:19 2CO 1:1 GAL 1:13
  EPH 1:22 EPH 3:10 EPH 3:21
  EPH 5:23-25 EPH 5:27 EPH 5:29
  EPH 5:32 PHI 3:6 PHI 4:15
  COL 1:18 COL 1:24 COL 4:15-16
  1TH 1:1 2TH 1:1 1TI 3:5 1TI 3:15
  1TI 5:16 PHM 1:2 HEB 2:12 HEB 12:23

THE BUILDING IS NOT THE CHURCH!
THE CHURCH MEETS IN THE BUILDING
   There are also scriptures, such as this one in First Corinthians, where it seems to refer to the church as a building. 1CO 11:18 “For first of all, when ye come together as the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it”. My feelings are that this verse is still referring to the Church as a gathering of the people rather than a building.
   It is true that you can come together in a building (church), but it is also true that you can come together in the (meeting of God’s people) as the church.
   One thing that adds to this belief of the church being God’s people would be this scripture: ACT 14:27 “And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles”. You cannot gather a building together but you can gather people together.

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