The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 1359, titled "How to Function in the Body"  A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE. Copyright 2001 by John MacArthur Jr., All Rights Reserved.

Question

In many cases people are a little bit confused and it comes under this area, "...of admonishing, forsaking not the assembling of yourselves together." What is a proper definition of "local assembly" or "local church"? Some people feel it's five miles, ten miles and they have very definite feelings about that.

Answer

I think any time two Christians...any time Christians get together in a local community they can constitute a church. A church is a place where there are elders, where there are teachers, where there's a congregation. It can be, if you're two Christians on a desert island, that's a church, that's a local assembly. If there's five thousand Christians in a church, that's a church. Very hard to define that because of denominations and different churches. So the important thing to realize is that you are a member of the total body of Christ and you are to attach yourself to a local assembly.

What you're asking is can a guy come from 35 miles away and still be a part of a local assembly? Yes, I don't think that's the issue. I don't think the distance his house is from the assembly is the issue, God can use him there and use his gifts there and use his abilities there as well as anywhere else. There are advantages to being close, obviously, for the sake of ease of involvement.

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur’s Questions and Answers" by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
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