Gathering of Jesus and is disciples is pattern for the early church.
As the church moved into the gentile world, borrowed Greek and Roman models of meeting in the homes of the wealthy patron - 1 Corinthians 16:19
First church was led by the apostles and then elders, usually older respected by the community
Bible does not specify how to organize, where to assemble or what methods should be used
Believers seem to be able to adapt to circumstances and usemodifed models used by other types of assoications
We are not left without guidance
They treasured the community and took pains to preserve it
There is a focus on the essentials and limits to the extremes and getting distracted
Church history (like Israel) can written as a tug of war the tendency to drift away and returning to the essentials