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You won't likethis one

Are church buildings Idols?


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You want biblical reasoning for building being sinful? Why not just examine what the early church did?

Lets look at the scriptures.

1 Corinthians 14:
Orderly Worship
The title “Orderly Worship†is included in many bibles, it is not in argument that this section of text deals with how to have an orderly meeting. And in many other placed Paul makes it clear that he teaches the same things in all the churches, not one thing for another and so on. And one of the things Paul did and taught was house church, given all he even planted where house churches.

26 What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.

A Church meeting was interactive and participatory, not a show like we have today. And a few “Amens†from the crowd does not fit the bill as being interactive. Look at what this says EVERYONE HAS… he is not saying it is wrong, he is saying it is right as long as they are to the strengthening of the church (people, not a building or organization)

In modern church the worship leader plans the music, the pastor brings a word of instruction, and only authorized and approved people may ever speak. Already we are not doing what they did.


27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, twoâ€â€or at the most threeâ€â€should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God. 29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said.

What is important here is that TWO or THREE speak, given the context of a small group meeting that can be a majority of the people there. Be it tongues or teaching Paul teaches two or three speak. Notice nothing at all about any leaders or a pastor. This is written to the brothers, the brothers are the ones doing the speaking. Some are leaders some are not, no where in scripture is there every a leader or pastor doing the preaching to the church.

30 And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop.
Oh yes, my favorite. The word of God says that it is OK to stand up and speak WHILE a teacher is teaching, as long as it is in love and respect of course. But today if you did that in a modern church during the pastors sermon you would be seen as WRONG. May be even asked to leave. But never the less the word of God says that the first should STOP and who is the first? Does not say, could be any brother as we already know EVERYONE brings something. Still no mention of any leaders or pastor.
31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.

Who can? ALL CAN !! Each one in turn so everyone is instructed, the word of God says that good instruction is when more the one are able to share, as long as it is kept in order. Still nothing about a leader of any kind, this is still talking about the brothers in general.

As in all the congregations of the saints, 34 women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. 35 If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.
Here is one that gets so many people riled up. I am not going to get into the woman and silence thing, I just want to point out that Paul makes this every familiar statement “As in all the congregations of the saints.†What he taught here he also taught else where, and this includes what we are to be doing in church meetings. Why exclude this when he himself took the time to write a letter about it.

36 Did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? 37 If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord's command. 38 If he ignores this, he himself will be ignored

The question then is not “Are we doing what they did†clearly we are not. No one with any common sense would argue that point. The question is not “Well, isn’t OK that we are not doing as they did?†no the true question we need to ask “Why would we want to do it any other way?†Who said we had the right or that it was Gods will we change things as we have, to add as much as we have. If we say the bible is Gods word and we follow it, then why not here as well.

Paul says this is not his own opinion he says this is the command of the Lord and I can not find any place where the Lord says Ok now do it your own way.

The bible does show us what we are to do in a meeting.

There are some other places we can look at, but the bottom line here is that you can not do what the bible teaches us to do in a church building, we HAVE TO change to fit the building and to me that is a problem. What else are we willing to change to fit?
 
Well, what it looks like is you are making a good argument for REFORMING the churches of today. The arguments you have given still do not declare a church building is a sinâ€â€as I just said all they do is possibly suggest for reform…that is all! I’m still waiting for biblical proof that church buildings are sinful…not whether or not churches need to be reformed.
 
Reform, not at all. The House Churches have been around all this time, there has never been a time when they wheren't here. While all the Catholic and Prodestant junk was happening, off in the background unseen for the most part where the House Churches.

As for this sinful thing, I have no idea what you are saying.

If the fact that the bible does not support the modern church system is not enough, then I do not know what else to say. In the end Gods word should be all that matters.

By the way, the building refers not only to the actual building but the system that comes along with it. Such a Pastors, Staff, the tithe and so on. All of those thing run contrary to the bibles teachings.

Anyways, I don't know what you are looking with this sinful thing. Bottom line is that we can not obey the word of God for church meeting in one, so why even do it?

Did you know that the ONLY reason ever given in the NT for church meeting was to eat the Lords Supper, which was a full meal not a cracker?

We can not do that in a large building, and so it was changed to fit the place. Why? Who said it was OK to change it from a meal to a cracker? The early chuch would be shocked to see what we call the Lords Supper.

This is another example of why meeting at homes is the best bet, there we can do what we are told to do.

In the large building we must shift, adjust and minimize to make it fit the place.
 
One more thing, if you think the churches need to be reformed that means you feel they have fallen away from the biblical teaching in some way, then isn't that sin?

How can you not think the church has sinned and at the same time think there is a need to reform?
 

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