Many of our mistakes in church life come from missing the difference between how we should use sections of the Bible that are primarily history vs. theology. (Yes, there are other categories, like poetry and prophecy, with their own distinctive features--that's another conversation.)
History books and doctrine books should be read differently. There is overlap in them, of course, with events being mentioned in the epistles and teaching points cataloged in the history books. But in general, historical passages describe what happened and are a poor source for determining what ought to have happened.
In histories, we get details on how Sampson thumbed his nose at God's rules for his life, one by one. We aren't spared learning of the adultery and murder plots of King David. Just because it's mentioned in the Bible doesn't mean God's endorsing it. History is crucial to Christianity. We base our faith on a real person who did specific acts. We believe in far more than abstract philosophies.
However, when we're establishing patterns for our lives, habits for our churches, bare history leaves us guessing. This is where theology books come in. They tell us the reasons behind the particulars and help us interpret the histories.
Just because Paul traveled by ship didn't mean all missionaries must. Just because the first church met in homes doesn't mean God prefers homes for church services.
In short, it's sketchy to made a rule for living based on a historical example only. Know the history, but put extra weight on theology books (like the epistles) for deciding controversial issues.
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