Public Activities of the Worshiping Community

Although the church had no legitimate status in the Roman world, it was able to evangelize and expand by means of public proclamation or preaching, especially through the medium of the synagogue. Preaching The early church could not conduct public worship on the scale to which North American Christians are accustomed. Especially in the Jewish homeland, the church's situation was similar to that of today's believers in Muslim countries, where any public expression of Christian faith is considered highly provocative and even illegal. The cultural pluralism of Greek-speaking areas afforded a less restrictive atmosphere, but because it lacked buildings of its own the infant church was largely limited to gathering in private homes. Nevertheless, unbelievers did attend the Christian assemblies (1 Cor. 14:23). The unbeliever's first exposure to the gospel, however, was more likely to come from the preaching of the apostles or evangelists of the faith. Preaching (krugma) was a public act…