What is an assembly?

…where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20)

On the first day of the week…we were gathered together to break bread… (Acts 20:7)

By "assembly" we simply mean a gathering, congregation, or group of Christians. Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ come together for Bible teaching, for fellowship, for worship and remembrance, and for prayer (Acts 2:42). A group that convenes for any of these purposes is an assembly, in the biblical sense of the word.

We can use the word "assembly" instead of "church" to avoid confusing the people of Christ with the place where they meet. Strictly speaking, the church is people, not a building or a place of worship.

Greek is the original language of the New Testament. Our English word "church" or "assembly" is translated from the Greek word ekklēsia. The authors of the Bible almost always use it to refer to the called-out people of God: the assembly, the church.

References

Acts 2:42. "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."