Home Sabbath Gathering

Yahweh is RESTORING His WAY today.  At the end of this age.
He is bringing people back to “The Way”. 
To the faith once delivered to the saints.
We now realize that The Way became perverted, and counterfeited. We see this in the modern, hierarchical form of man led government in groups and “churches”.
Sabbath gatherings were meant to be held in homes. 
Not buildings or “churches”

In this study I talk about Home Sabbath Gatherings.
What they look like. 
How this matches the Biblical pattern. 
Followed by a Step by Step Home Sabbath Gathering Guide. 
Then a Home Sabbath Gathering Host Checklist.
Ending with How To find Sabbath Keepers in Your Area.

Learn more about Elders and Church Governance, CLICK HERE
Learn More About House Churches in the Bible, CLICK HERE
Why Christ Hates Modern “Church” Government, CLICK HERE

🏠 What a Modern Home Sabbath Gathering Looks Like

(Not a production. Not a stage. Not spectators.)

👥 Size

Usually 5–20 people
Family + friends + a few believers

🛋 Setting

• Living room or dining table
• Bibles open
• Simple food or snacks
• Kids present
• Informal but respectful

No platform, no pulpit, no “front.”

⏰ Flow of the Gathering

1️⃣ Welcome & Fellowship
Conversation, prayer requests, checking on each other.

2️⃣ Opening Prayer
Short, sincere.

3️⃣ Scripture Sharing
Instead of one sermon:

• One person shares a passage
• Others add insight
• Questions asked
• Discussion happens

(1 Cor 14:26 — “Each one has…”)

4️⃣ Mutual Edification
People:

• Encourage
• Confess struggles
• Pray for one another
• Offer counsel

This is where the “one another” life happens.

5️⃣ Prayer Time
Not one man praying for all — many voices.

6️⃣ Shared Meal
Very common in early Christianity (Acts 2:46).

📖 How This Matches the Biblical Pattern

Biblical Model	Home Gathering Today
Meet in homes (Rom 16:5)	Living room gathering
Participatory (1 Cor 14:26)	Multiple people speak
One-another focus (100+ NT commands)	Mutual care & sharing
No clergy/laity split	All are brothers/sisters
Edification priority	Discussion & encouragement
Prayer by many	Shared prayer
Meals included	Fellowship food

🆚 How This Differs From Institutional Services

Institutional Model	Home Model
Stage-centered	Relationship-centered
One speaker	Many contributors
Audience mindset	Family mindset
Program-driven	Spirit-led & relational
Performance worship	Participatory life
Time-limited	Natural flow
People watch	People engage

🎯 Core Difference

Institutional: Vertical focus — “worship service”
Home model: Horizontal focus — “building one another”

Both worship God, but the function of the gathering is different.

✨ Spiritually, what changes?

In a home:

• Shy believers grow
• Gifts emerge
• Burdens get shared
• Accountability is real
• No one hides in a crowd

📌 Summary

A modern home Sabbath gathering is not about rejecting worship — it’s about restoring the New Testament pattern of shared spiritual life, where:

👉 Christ is present
👉 Everyone ministers
👉 The body builds itself up

———————

🏠 STEP-BY-STEP HOME SABBATH GATHERING GUIDE

🌅 BEFORE THE GATHERING

✔ Choose a comfortable home
✔ Arrange chairs in a circle (no “front”)
✔ Have Bibles ready
✔ Simple food/snacks prepared
✔ Pray beforehand for unity and edification

🕊 STEP 1 — WELCOME & CONNECTION (15–20 min)

Purpose: Warm the room, build relationships

• Greet everyone personally
• Ask how the week went
• Share prayer needs
• Kids included

📖 “Bear one another’s burdens” — Gal 6:2

🙏 STEP 2 — OPENING PRAYER (5 min)

Short and sincere.
Ask God to guide, teach, and help everyone grow.

No long speeches — this is a conversation with God.

📖 STEP 3 — SCRIPTURE SHARING (30–45 min)

This is not one long sermon.

How it works:

1. One person reads a passage
2. They share what stood out
3. Others add thoughts or related scriptures
4. Questions are welcome

📖 “Each one has a psalm, teaching, revelation…” — 1 Cor 14:26

💬 STEP 4 — MUTUAL EDIFICATION (20–30 min)

This is the heart of the gathering.

People may:

• Encourage one another
• Confess struggles
• Ask for prayer
• Offer counsel from Scripture
• Share testimonies

📖 “One another” commands:

• Encourage — 1 Thess 5:11
• Comfort — 2 Cor 1:4
• Exhort — Heb 3:13
• Pray — James 5:16

🙌 STEP 5 — GROUP PRAYER (15–20 min)

Not one person praying for all.

Different people pray briefly:

• For needs shared
• For one another
• For growth and faith

This builds unity and spiritual participation.

🍞 STEP 6 — FELLOWSHIP MEAL (Optional but Biblical)

Acts 2:46 shows believers eating together.

Food:

• Simple
• Shared
• Unhurried

This is where deeper bonding happens.

💞 STEP 7 — CLOSING ENCOURAGEMENT

Before leaving:

• Remind each other of hope
• Pray briefly again
• Plan next gathering

📖 “Consider how to stir up love and good works” — Heb 10:24–25

⚖️ KEY PRINCIPLES

DO	AVOID
Participation	One-man show
Warmth	Formal ceremony
Scripture focus	Entertainment
Mutual care	Spectator mindset
Simplicity	Performance

🎯 GOAL OF THE GATHERING

Not:
❌ “Did we have a good service?”

But:
✔ “Was anyone strengthened?”
✔ “Did burdens get lighter?”
✔ “Did Christ become more real?”

✨ SIMPLE STRUCTURE SUMMARY

Welcome → Prayer → Scripture → Sharing → Prayer → Fellowship

————————————

🏠 HOME SABBATH GATHERING — HOST CHECKLIST

🕊 HEART PREPARATION (Before Anything Else)

☐ Pray for humility and love
☐ Ask God to help you serve, not control
☐ Be ready to listen, not dominate

📖 “Serve one another in love.” — Gal 5:13

🏡 HOUSE PREPARATION

☐ Living area clean and comfortable
☐ Chairs arranged in a circle (no “front”)
☐ Bibles available
☐ Good lighting
☐ Temperature comfortable
☐ Kids have space

🍞 FOOD (Optional but Helpful)

☐ Simple snacks or meal ready
☐ Drinks available
☐ Nothing fancy — keep it stress-free

👥 PEOPLE CARE

☐ Greet each person warmly
☐ Introduce new people
☐ Notice anyone quiet or struggling
☐ Encourage shy people to share (gently)

📖 GATHERING FLOW

☐ Opening prayer (short)
☐ Scripture passage ready (or ask who has one)
☐ Keep discussion balanced (no one dominates)
☐ Invite participation
☐ Allow silence when needed
☐ Keep tone respectful

💬 EDIFICATION TIME

☐ Ask for prayer needs
☐ Encourage “one another” sharing
☐ Watch for emotional moments — respond gently
☐ Keep focus on Christ and Scripture

🙏 PRAYER TIME

☐ Invite several to pray (short prayers)
☐ Pray for those who shared
☐ Pray for unity and growth

🍽 FELLOWSHIP

☐ Make sure everyone is included
☐ No cliques
☐ Help conversations stay kind and uplifting

🧭 GUARDRAILS (Very Important)

☐ No debates turning harsh
☐ No political arguments
☐ No gossip
☐ No one taking over as “authority”

📖 “Let all things be done for edification.” — 1 Cor 14:26

🌅 ENDING

☐ Closing prayer
☐ Thank everyone for coming
☐ Mention next gathering
☐ Follow up later with anyone who shared needs

🎯 HOST GOAL

Not:
❌ “Did I lead well?”

But:
✔ “Did people leave strengthened?”
✔ “Did love increase?”
✔ “Did Christ feel present?”

———————

How to go about finding Sabbath keepers to meet with 

in your area

This is a really important step — and a wise one. Faith grows best in real-life fellowship, not just study alone.

Here’s a safe, practical way to find Sabbath keepers near you.

🔍 1️⃣ Search by Belief, Not Just Name

Different groups keep the 7th-day Sabbath, but they vary a lot. Search phrases like:

• “Sabbath keeping church near me”
• “Saturday Bible fellowship”
• “home Sabbath fellowship”
• “Torah observant fellowship”
• “Church of God Sabbath”

Look at what they believe, not just the title.

🌐 2️⃣ Use Online Fellowship Finders

Some networks list local gatherings:

• Sabbath-keeping Church of God fellowships
• Hebrew roots / Torah-observant groups
• Messianic fellowships (some keep Sabbath biblically)

Understanding the Souls Under the Alter

We know the dead are asleep in the grave until the resurrection. I’ve posted a study about that (CLICK HERE) and (HERE) and (HERE)

Here is a great 7 part series on Life After Death

But many have asked how do we explain Revelation 6:9 the “souls of those who had been slain, that are under the alter”?

 Revelation 6:9 looks like a contradiction at first glance, but it isn’t once we let Scripture interpret Scripture and remember Revelation is a symbolic book.

Let’s walk through it carefully.

At end of the study I present a section on How early Christians understood Revelation 6:9.
After that I have a Side-by-Side Comparison “What it sounds like” vs. “What Scripture means”

The foundational truth (established elsewhere)

Before touching Revelation, Scripture is explicit:

• Ecclesiastes 9:5 – “The dead know not any thing”
• Psalm 146:4 – Thoughts perish at death
• John 11:11–14 – Jesus calls death “sleep”
• Acts 2:29, 34 – David is dead and not in heaven
• 1 Thessalonians 4:16 – Dead rise at the resurrection, not before

So whatever Revelation 6:9 means, it cannot mean conscious souls talking in heaven—otherwise Scripture contradicts itself.

Revelation 6:9 (the text)

“I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God…
And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord…?”

Key questions:

• What does “soul” mean?
• What altar?
• Are they literally speaking?

1. “Soul” does NOT mean an immortal ghost

In Scripture, soul often means life or person, not a conscious entity.

• Genesis 2:7 – Man became a living soul
• Ezekiel 18:4 – “The soul that sinneth, it shall die”
• Leviticus 17:11 – “The life [soul] is in the blood”

So “souls slain” = people who were killed.

2. The altar points to blood, not heaven

In the Temple system:

• Sacrificial blood was poured at the base of the altar (Leviticus 4:7)
• Blood represented life poured out

So “souls under the altar” is temple imagery meaning:
👉 Their lives were poured out as a sacrifice

This is courtroom / sanctuary symbolism, not a literal location.

3. “They cried out” = figurative language

The Bible often shows blood crying out symbolically:

• Genesis 4:10 – Abel’s blood “crieth unto me from the ground”

Abel wasn’t literally speaking.
His blood cried out for justice.

Same idea here:

• The martyrs’ deaths “cry out” for God to act
• It’s a legal appeal, not conscious speech

4. Revelation is full of symbols

If Revelation 6:9 is literal, then consistency demands:

• literal lambs with seven eyes (Rev 5:6)
• literal bowls of wrath
• literal dragons and beasts

But Revelation tells us it is signified (symbolized):

• Revelation 1:1 – “He sent and signified it…”

So the scene is symbolic, just like:

• seals
• trumpets
• vials

5. They are told to “rest yet for a little season”

This actually confirms soul sleep, not denies it.

• Revelation 6:11 – “They should rest yet for a little season”
• Compare with Daniel 12:13 – “Thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days”

Rest = death
Standing again = resurrection

They are not active—they are waiting.

Putting it all together

Revelation 6:9 does NOT teach conscious souls in heaven.

It teaches:

• martyrs truly died
• their lives were poured out like blood at the altar
• their deaths cry out symbolically for justice
• they remain at rest until the resurrection

No contradiction. Perfect harmony.

One-sentence explanation you can use

“The souls under the altar are symbolic of the lives of martyred believers, whose shed blood cries out for justice—just as Abel’s blood did—while they themselves rest in death until the resurrection.”

———————

1. How early Christians understood Revelation 6:9

A. Early Christians did not read Revelation literally

The earliest believers understood Revelation as:

• symbolic
• prophetic
• sanctuary-based imagery

This wasn’t controversial—it was standard.

They already believed:

• the dead are unconscious
• resurrection happens at Christ’s return
• judgment and vindication are future events

So Revelation 6:9 was never read as conscious souls talking in heaven.

B. “Souls under the altar” = martyrdom imagery

Early Christian writers connected this passage to:

• Abel’s blood crying from the ground (Genesis 4:10)
• sacrificial blood poured at the base of the altar
• legal appeals for justice

They understood the “cry” as:
👉 a metaphor for God remembering unjust deaths

Not literal speech.

C. Early Christian belief about the dead

Very important context:

Early Christians overwhelmingly taught:

• death = sleep
• no reward or punishment until resurrection

Examples from early teaching summaries (1st–3rd century):

• The dead “rest” until the last day
• Souls do not receive reward immediately
• Martyrs wait for resurrection like all others

📌 That means Revelation 6:9 could not have meant conscious martyrs in heaven, or it would contradict what they already believed everywhere else.

D. Revelation 6:11 sealed their understanding

“They should rest yet for a little season…”

Early Christians understood this as:

• death = rest
• resurrection = awakening
• justice = future, not immediate

This matched:

• Daniel 12:13
• John 5:28–29
• 1 Thessalonians 4:16

No tension. No debate.

--------------------

2. Side-by-Side Comparison

“What it sounds like” vs. “What Scripture means”

What It Sounds Like	What Scripture Actually Means
Souls are alive in heaven	“Soul” means life / person, not a conscious spirit (Gen 2:7; Ezek 18:4)
The dead are talking	Symbolic “cry” like Abel’s blood crying for justice (Gen 4:10)
Martyrs are awake and aware	The dead are asleep / resting (Rev 6:11; John 11:11–14)
Heaven is the location	Sanctuary imagery: blood at the altar (Lev 4:7)
Justice is happening now	Justice is future, after resurrection (Rev 20:4–6)
This overrides clear texts	Revelation is symbolic and cannot contradict plain Scripture

One key insight most people miss

If Revelation 6:9 taught conscious souls:

• it would contradict Ecclesiastes, Psalms, Gospels, Acts, Paul, and Revelation itself
• it would require Revelation (symbolic) to override dozens of literal passages

Early Christians never read Scripture that way.

They let:

• clear passages interpret symbolic ones
• not the other way around

Simple summary statement (early Christian view)

“The martyrs rest in death, but their blood—like Abel’s—cries out symbolically for God’s justice until the resurrection.”

That understanding:

• preserves soul sleep
• fits sanctuary imagery
• matches early Christian belief
• keeps Scripture in harmony