Are Church Buildings Right Or Wrong? What Does the Bible Say?

[@revolutionofordinaries]

What are your thoughts on this topic? Would love to discuss in the comments. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@smalliehound]

@revolutionofordinaries First, I agree 100% that there's no condemnation for anyone currently caught up in the westernized version of Christianity. God is still moving even within the current man made structures. It's certainly not an us vs. them scenario. God longs for them to see past the system and see His Son. I believe God was very intentional about when, where, how, and why He birthed the church. Although we're free in Christ to assemble as Holy Spirit leads, it seems His heart is towards communities of believers who live Christ together in very small, intimate gatherings where each one is known and heard. Each expression of Christ from every member of His body is of utmost importance. In His wisdom He knows that it's not possible (or desired) to accomplish this with us if the size of the group reaches a certain level. And I'm sure that number may vary for every assembly. I'd leave that decision up to the Holy Spirit as to when it's time to multiply (not split). The first clue may be when it seems time to rent a bigger space. Most assemblies, even in the west, actually start out in someone's home. Praying together, praising God, and building intimate relationships with one another and Christ. Most of those folks look back years later and long for those early days without all the trappings they now experience in maintaining a "church." I would contend therein lies His wisdom. Just some thoughts. Thanks

[@A_Ilia]

Hey Matt, good points. Here is what to consider. I live in Lithuania, it was a former Soviet Union and the country is mostly Catholic. Most people live in flats or apartments. The culture here is that it is not common to invite people to your apartment if you they are not your good friends. But if you try to invite people to a building where saints are meeting they will likely come. Concerning a home church, imagine you invite a family of three or five (husband wife and kids), the kids will need to be entertained somehow. Then you invite other neighbors and some more people and then you noticed that you run out of space, so you decide to rent a facility for meetings and more people come over some time. So, eventually you have a church building with budget, kids classes and etc. :)

[@revolutionofordinaries]

Is it possible to incorporate the kids into the life of the church? That is what we are doing and it works really well...they fully participate in what we do.

[@barryfreeman4706]

House/micro church over here… we have reached a few who would never go into a “church” building with a steeple, but are now devoted to ( Acts 2:42) learning what the Apostles taught, fellowship, breaking bread and praying together each week on Tuesday night. Jesus said to make disciples, not build buildings… (buildings are okay, but cost a lot…)😊

[@revolutionofordinaries]

Love everything you wrote here Barry!

[@housechurchguy]

This is such great wisdom for someone considering house churches vs traditional churches 👍🏼

[@revolutionofordinaries]

Thank you so much HCG!

[@smalliehound]

I'm not seeing this as a personal conviction type issue as you described. Paul instructing about eating and drinking and such is not applicable in the same manner as towards the building of temples to have so called "worship services" for Christians. One of the main things that set the early followers of Jesus from Nazareth apart from the Jews and pagans was the fact that they didn’t need big temples, altars, sacrifices or priests. The early church fathers wrote some pretty heavy rebukes of the culture around them who ridiculed and taunted them as not serving a real God. Because, after all, what God doesn’t deserve a beautiful temple, right. Unfortunately, it only took a short period of time before that biblical stance changed and paved the way for the construction of massive cathedrals. And here we are today worshipping Christ through the old covenent shadow. It's no coincidence that all of the issues that you pointed out plague the modern "church" with their buildings and staffs. It's not His vision. So, i think the construction of buildings "temples" for which Christians are to use in "worship" to their God may be a bigger deal in His mind than it is in ours.

[@revolutionofordinaries]

It is all in how it is viewed and used. If you need a large space to gather you are not automatically doing anything that you are talking about. I don't think we need to condemn everyone who is doing this for having a building and making this a divisive issue. The division on this matter can be worse than anything we are trying to push back on.

[@studiodemichel]

♥️✝️♥️

[@revolutionofordinaries]

Thank you and God bless you! Michel.

[@Underground_seminary]

While scripture is mostly meant to be descriptive rather the prescriptive, here's one possibly applicable example of congregational God's will discernment: Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said... Note: if the Holy Spirit isn't still communicating, then why are you worshipping a puny god?

[@revolutionofordinaries]

This is a good place to start a discussion on our fundamental assumptions regarding what God is or isn't doing. I missed this verse my entire life until maybe 5+ years ago.

[@FA-God-s-Words-Matter]

I think there is no such thing as God called this or that church. He would not go against his own words. Read Acts 7:47-52. God is clearly not in favor of making a house of God. I don't believe that the Bible is in favor of churchianity at all. That is how denominations start which is also against the scriptures. 1 Corinthians 1:10-13

[@revolutionofordinaries]

There is a big difference in making a "house of God" and needing a large place to worship for a large number of people. Making a house of God is, imo, a view of that space in an idolatrous way but that isn't 100% the case for any and everyone who has a building. Many are doing it very very well...using their space for the community, etc.

[@maryannwrayTruthbeTold]

I agree with what you are saying. However, most of the churches that we have been part of over a 48 year period were not used to serve people as much as they were to exalt a man in his gift and create an air of exclusivity that they were the best church and no one else had the revelation that they had sadly.

[@revolutionofordinaries]

Sounds super fleshly...that should be called out wherever it is present. And that would probably happen in a home too just with less people if you took away the building.