Acts:11:26And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
See All... [1]: And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

The word church here is "ekklesia" in the Greek, which means the “called out ones.” Now, you can tell immediately that church doesn’t mean a building. As you read through the book of Acts, it talks about people meeting in homes. When persecution breaks out, the last thing you do is build a big building on a street corner! Believers will typically meet underground. But are those gatherings still considered the church? Of course! They are the “called out ones.” They are the ones who have become a new creation. They are the ones who are born again. They are the ones who are separated unto Christ. They are the ones called out to live, speak, and behave differently from the world.

Through the years, we have shown you some of the foolishness that goes on inside the walls of the visible church. But if you really think it through, they wouldn’t pull those stunts if they were just in the business of growing and equipping saints. They perform those antics to entertain lost people and make them feel comfortable. But is that what church is really for?

Maybe the real key is that we are supposed to be going out to where lost folk are instead of asking them to join us at church. Outreach vs. invite. But if we view the church as the training ground for believers, then resolving this issue becomes simple. We are supposed to get equipped at church and then go out into the world to let our lights shine brightly before men!

—Mark Cahill (born March 16, 1962, American author, speaker, and evangelist).