The Bible teaches that after the resurrection of Jesus, those who had been saved from the hell they deserve started attending  local assemblies of believers, putting themselves under the authority of the apostles. These apostles would later be replaced by elders, men with the teaching gifts of pastor and evangelist  (Acts 2:41-42, Eph. 4:8, 11-13). God has given these gifted men to the church to equip and train the saints for the work of service. It is the saints' responsibility to submit to these leaders (elders) knowing that these leaders keep watch over their souls (Heb. 13:17). Attending a local assembly does not make a person a Christian, but it is what a Christian should do so that he may grow and mature in the knowledge of his Lord and Savior.

A Christian cannot properly worship God without being part of a local assembly. The local assembly is God’s plan, not man’s (Matt. 16:18). "Home" churches (one or more families--no elder), para-church organizations, religious radio or television programs, and Christian colleges or seminaries are no substitute for the local church. A Christian who refuses to worship in a local church, under the authority of elders (men who are gifted as pastors or evangelists), is violating the Scriptures (Eph. 4:11-12) and is practicing sin. The Bible teaches us that Christians who practice sin will not inherit the kingdom of God and Christ (I Cor. 6:9-10, II Cor. 5:10, Gal. 5:21, Eph. 5:5, Col. 3:23-25). Heaven is a free gift, but inheriting the kingdom is not free. The inheritance is the reward for faithful, hard-working, obedient Christians.

COL  3:23-25 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.

MAT 16:16-19 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it. (Not upon Peter, but upon his confession of faith in Christ). I will give you [apostles] the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”
MAT 18:18-20 “Truly I say to you[apostles], whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. Again I say to you[apostles], that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three [apostles] have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” [This is Jesus' promise to the apostles of special revelation and authority as needed during the completion of the New Testament.]
JOH 21:16 "He said to him again a second time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love Me?'
He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.' He said to him, 'Shepherd My sheep.'"

In the previous verses Jesus makes it clear that it is His church that He is establishing -- with men in authority -- and that His sheep will need men who are (elders) shepherds.

ACT 2:41-42  So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added [to the church] about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
ACT 11:22 "And the news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch."
ACT 11:30 "And this they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders."
ACT 13:1 "Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul."
ACT 14:23 "And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed."

The above verses show that the early church in Jerusalem had leaders who were referred to as apostles and elders (prophets and teachers) and that these authorities appointed other men as elders in all the local assemblies, that is, in "every church."

ACT 15:2 "And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue."
ACT 15:4 "And when they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them."
ACT 15:6  "And the apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter."
ACT 15:22-23 "Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas-- Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren, and they sent this letter by them, 'The apostles and the brethren who are elders, to the brethren in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, greetings.'"
ACT 16:4 "Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the decrees, which had been decided upon by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe."
ACT 20:17  "And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church."
ACT 20:28 "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers [elders], to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood."
ACT 21:18 "And now the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present."

Eph. 4:11-13 "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors -- teachers  for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ." (Apostles and prophets ceased with the completion of the New Testament, I Cor 13:8-10)

We see clearly that God's plan has never been for the saints to equip themselves. The elders are to be the teachers with the gifts of  "evangelist " or "pastor" for the purpose of "equipping" the saints. The letters to Timothy and Titus give us  the qualifications for the "appointment " of these gifted men to the "office of overseer,"-- elders.The following verses give us some of those qualifications,

1 TIM 3:1-7 “It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer [elder], it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. He [the elder] must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children [at home] under control with all dignity. But if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?”  And not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. [No minimum age mentioned. Jesus was thirty when He began His ministry. Paul was a "young man" when converted. The focus here is on spiritual maturity.]
1 TIM 3:14-15  "I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth."
1 TIM 5:17 “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.”
TIT 1:5-11  "For this reason I left you in Crete, that you might set in order what remains, and appoint elders in every city as I directed you, namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe [disciples--believer children, 1 TIM 1:2, TIT 1:4, 1 JOH 2:1, 12, 13, 18], not accused of dissipation or rebellion. For the overseer [elder] must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.”

God, through the apostle Paul, instructs Timothy and Titus to “appoint” qualified men to the “office” of “overseer”--the elder, to establish proper "conduct" and elder leadership in the churches in "every city." These elders would also need to be able to “exhort in sound doctrine and refute those” self-appointed, unqualified teachers who were “upsetting whole families!”

1 TIM 1:3, 6-7 “As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.
TIT 1:10-11 "For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain."

The following verses in Hebrews remind Christians of the high priority they are to place on the weekly worship, teaching, prayer, and witnessing times established by their church, submitting to those elders that God has placed in that position of authority over them.

HEB 10:25 "And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near."
HEB 13:7  Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.
HEB 13:17 "Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you."

The next verses reveal that even though many of the early churches met in homes, there was not just one or two families with no "elder," meeting as a church. The believers of the city  had placed themselves under the authority of the elders established in that city.

ROM 16:1 "I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea;..."
ROM 16:5 "...also greet the church that is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia."
1CO 1:2 "...to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:..."
1CO 4:17 "For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church."
1CO 16:19  "The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house."
COL 4:15-16 "Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house. And when this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea."
1TH 1:1 "Paul and Silvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace."
PHM 1:2 "...and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:..."

1TI 5:17  "Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching."
JAM 5:14 "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;..."
1PE 5:1-2 "...therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;..."
1PE 5:5 "You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

These following verses in the Revelation are from letters directed to the elders or messengers (Gk. angelos) of seven selected churches (It wouldn't make sense for John to write a letter to literal "angels," since it is the elders who are responsible for the churches). In these letters the elders are either rebuked, warned, or praised by Jesus concerning their church,

REV 2:1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:  The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this:"
REV 2:8  "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write:  The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this:"
REV 2:18  "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write:  The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this:"
REV 3:1 "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write:  He who has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars, says this:"
REV 3:7  "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:  He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:"
REV 3:14  "And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write:  The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:"

Do you believe that you will always deserve to be in hell, and that Jesus Christ (God in flesh) died on the cross, suffered in hell, and resurrected in your place to purchase for you the free gift of eternal life, to save you forever from the hell that you deserve? Have you been born again? Do you know for sure you have eternal life? If your answers are "yes," and you want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ in return for the great love which He has shown you, come and worship with us. We will provide the Biblical fellowship, encouragement, training, and leadership you will need to be a faithful Christian.
 

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