As the\u00a0early church grew and more people were converted, there came a time when\u00a0the Roman government\u00a0legally\u00a0forbade\u00a0communal\u00a0Christian\u00a0worship.\u00a0There were fewer and fewer locations where\u00a0believers could gather, encourage one another,\u00a0and lift their voices in praise.\u00a0Believers\u00a0did not want to\u00a0oppose\u00a0Roman law.\u00a0As the new\u00a0laws\u00a0were enacted,\u00a0Christians\u00a0were\u00a0forced to choose between\u00a0obeying the law of God or\u00a0that of Rome.<\/p>\n
Jesus\u2019 teaching on rendering to Caesar\u00a0the things that are\u00a0Caesar\u2019s was a foundational\u00a0tenet of\u00a0a\u00a0believer\u2019s\u00a0daily\u00a0walk.\u00a0But if a law\u00a0was in\u00a0conflict with God\u2019s\u00a0principles,\u00a0Christians\u00a0were called to\u00a0obey God\u00a0over\u00a0Roman rule. The challenge was this\u00a0act of\u00a0disobedience\u00a0validated\u00a0pagan\u00a0accusations that Christians were\u00a0rebels to the Emperor.<\/p>\n
When\u00a0Rome\u00a0passed a law forbidding unauthorized gatherings, Hebrews 10:25\u00a0put believers in direct opposition to\u00a0Roman rule.\u00a0One of\u00a0the\u00a0ways believers circumvented the law was to worship in the\u00a0catacombs surrounding ancient Rome\u00a0and other cities.<\/p>\n
Over the centuries, Roman catacombs have come to assume the contemporary patina of a well-lit tourist cave.\u00a0The stark reality of life in ancient Rome\u00a0was\u00a0that\u00a0the catacombs were\u00a0not\u00a0pleasant\u00a0\u201cman caves.\u201d\u00a0Early Christians\u00a0believed in burying\u00a0their departed\u00a0loved ones.\u00a0Their burial sites were\u00a0usually\u00a0outside\u00a0city limits. Along with physical burial, Christians would inter their dead in underground\u00a0crypts\u00a0dug out of the soft rock. These\u00a0burial caves would sometimes extend into a series of\u00a0central spaces large enough for a gathering\u00a0of\u00a0believers.<\/p>\n
Pagan Romans generally avoided\u00a0Christian burial grounds. They\u00a0were\u00a0unclean\u00a0along with being\u00a0dark\u00a0and\u00a0malodorous. But,\u00a0they\u00a0provided Christians a place to gather\u00a0and give praise to their God for His divine protection.\u00a0In spite of the unpleasant environment, the church continued to grow\u00a0as\u00a0more and more came\u00a0to know Jesus by candlelight in an underground mausoleum.<\/p>\n
By no stretch of the\u00a0imagination\u00a0can\u00a0staying at home in 2020\u00a0be\u00a0likened\u00a0to\u00a01st<\/sup>\u00a0century Roman persecution.\u00a0Many of us are surrounded by conveniences\u00a0unimaginable to our great-grandparents.\u00a0A few weeks ago,\u00a0people from across the country could watch or listen to\u00a0God-honoring celebrations of Christ\u2019s resurrection at Easter\u00a0from their living rooms.<\/p>\n Reminding\u00a0believers\u00a0to\u00a0assemble is in no way a suggestion\u00a0that we\u00a0oppose\u00a0the wise practices\u00a0in place currently to\u00a0thwart the spread of the COVID-19 virus.\u00a0We have the freedom to practice\u00a0and proclaim\u00a0our faith\u00a0publicly through social media\u00a0and the internet from the safety of our homes.\u00a0Thanks to technology, we can be taught,\u00a0and\u00a0encourage one another\u00a0throughout\u00a0our community,\u00a0our\u00a0state,\u00a0and\u00a0around\u00a0the world.<\/p>\n After two weeks of not meeting, we\u00a0agreed to\u00a0get together\u00a0each Thursday morning\u00a0via video conferencing.\u00a0Thanks to\u00a0jaw-dropping technology,\u00a0diverse equipment,\u00a0a range of\u00a0connectivity,\u00a0and\u00a0new software, we once again are meeting\u00a0and learning.\u00a0A few days ago, we concluded\u00a0our verse by verse study of 1st<\/sup>\u00a0Peter\u00a0with\u00a0some obligatory kidding\u00a0about\u00a0our casual\u00a0\u201cquarantine apparel.\u201d\u00a0Once again, we marveled\u00a0that a book written nearly 2,000 years ago could be so relevant\u00a0to our\u00a0current earthly\u00a0predicament:<\/p>\n Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.<\/em> (1st<\/sup> Peter 4:12-13, NASB)<\/p>\n If the early Christians could\u00a0gratefully worship\u00a0in underground mausoleums,\u00a0can we\u00a0improvise\u00a0creative ways to \u201cassemble\u201d\u00a0if only via technology?\u00a0I recently chatted with a\u00a0Christian friend who listed\u00a0online\u00a0resource after resource that he and his family are digging into\u00a0during this time of quarantine.\u00a0His family wants to dig deep into God\u2019s Word,\u00a0and individually grow in His likeness.\u00a0They believe they have been given a marvelous opportunity\u00a0to do so\u00a0during this time of social distancing.<\/p>\n Assembling together comes in many forms and\u00a0styles.\u00a0The Roman Christians found new ways to gather and encourage one another\u00a0during a time of persecution. We have been blessed with\u00a0a broad array of\u00a0electronic\u00a0aids to use for communication with friends and family.\u00a0One of the couples in my\u00a0Adult Bible\u00a0Fellowship\u00a0is\u00a0in their 80\u2019s. I delight each Sunday to see them electronically appear in our\u00a0fellowship group.\u00a0New\u00a0software\u00a0may be a challenge, but they haven\u2019t let it stop them from\u00a0assembling and encouraging\u00a0those around them.<\/p>\n A\u00a0few decades ago, a\u00a0television commercial\u00a0urged people to \u201creach out and touch someone.\u201d\u00a0It is my hope that everyone reading this blog does likewise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/faith-blog-assets.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/20200424163629\/IMG_0432-225x300.jpg\")
For\u00a0more than a dozen\u00a0years, I\u2019ve\u00a0been\u00a0part of a small-group\u00a0men\u2019s\u00a0Bible study that meets weekly at a local coffee shop.\u00a0Together, we have worked through\u00a0Old and New Testament books,\u00a0as well as\u00a0contemporary books by respected theologians.\u00a0We prepare, present, listen,\u00a0agree,\u00a0and disagree as we\u00a0strive\u00a0to be sincere men of faith. I have come\u00a0to love these early morning \u201ciron sharpening iron\u201d\u00a0(Proverbs 27:17)\u00a0gatherings\u00a0even\u00a0as I have come to love my co-laborers in the Word.<\/p>\n