Poll - Gaudy Churches - Spirit of God or Selfishness?

[Soma-Sight]

We all have witnessed the congregations asking for money to make a new Church, improve an old one, renovate or add "special" effects to an existing one.

I remember my Church added "plush" pews so that it did not hurt the rump!

In my humble opinion this is not what Jesus would do with monetary resources that the believers pool together.

I believe he would be accepting of worship in outdoor meetings, in believers homes, or in rented University Gyms, etc.

The Earth is God's and everything in it! He resides over all!

Isaiah 66

1Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?

So with that in mind does it make sense that we should abandon gaudy Churches to help the poor and needy?

Matthew 25:40 King James Version (KJV)

40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.


Is this another example of American materialism at its finest?

A hypothetical situation to ponder!!

Imagine a Church of about 100 people.

Imagine they sell the Church and in addition sell many of there belongings that are not truly essential.

Imagine over a million dollars being generated by this act.

All the money is given to the poor starving to death in foreign countries along with a small missionary group to educate these people in the Word!

Is not this act greater than anything a "building" does for the Spirit?

Imagine how this Church would stand out like a beacon to all the world of a truly Christlike act.

Imagine the blessings God would pour into the hearts of these members!!!


So where do you stand on this issue?

OR?

[/b]

 

[antitox]

I would say that I'm in favor of my rump not hurting if I have to sit there for two and a half hours. I used to attend a church that met in a roller rink and we sat on those metal folding chairs and it got downright irritating. I don't think that money should be spent on cosmetic things and superficial garbage that really isn't important. I last attended a church that took out a loan to redecorate the interior. What a waste. The redecorated/redesigned interior looked worse after they redid it than before. I was really peeved at the pastor over that one because we put ourselves further in debt over something absolutely useless and uncalled for. :smt013 It was really about seeker-sensitive efforts to get people in the door.

 

[Soma-Sight]

Come on people, vote!!!!!!!

 

[Relic]

I'd vote but the choices in the poll are too few.

I do believe a church is essential for the community. and a building is needed for people to meet if they want to worship together and congregate to plan on how they can all participate in helping spread the word and help the poor, etc.

When you live in a part of the world and it's winter. It gets really cold without a building to seat a large number of people. You can only fit so many people in someone's house.
As far as real fancy building.... I don't think they are necessary.

You have to remember. the promise of God to Abraham and his descendants was a promise of prosperity and abundance. Not just in the spiritual sense, but also in this world. Abraham died a very wealthy man.
Look at all the cattle and land he aquired while he was alive. He was wealthy blessed by the Good Lord God.

So, I don't think God intended for us to be barren poor.
Those starving people in other countries are in that predicament because of neglect. It's because of the choices people made to be selfish unto themselves and not be concerned for their neighbor! Not because it was God's will for them to be in that way. God wills for all those that come to him to be blessed. Hence, the command to go spread the good news to all the world. It is up to us to help others learn to become God's own, by sharing the gospel, not by keeping it to ourselves.

If a church is so large that they need a huge building to house the people, then what should they do? Should they all stay home and just use the internet for communication and worship? I would hope it never comes down to that! :o


I think discretion should be used in how a congregation uses their funds.
and never should they decorate anything without the vote of the majority!
Not to say, they should do it in excess. I really don't think it necessary. but some people think. God's blessings are meant to be elaborate and extreme.

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[SyntaxVorlon]

It's a bunch of silly christians trying to cushion their weekly self-deprication session.

Join the Atheists! No more tithes! Spend Sunday morning sleeping!!! :-D

 

[Soma-Sight]

You guys are sick.

Where are the Christians with hearts?

Look at that picture of the bloated babies and tell me that again Syntax.

True Christians are those with heart, the Lukewarm are ones that can pass there eyes over something like that and not consider that lifeforce behind that individual in dire suffering. They would rather "keep warm" and not have to endure the cold snow outdoors on account of the sacrifice of a "luxury Church" right Relic?

Give me the freezing snow anytime if it means one child gets food.

Give me the whip any day if it saves one more soul from this den of wolves.

It is our responsibility as Christians to feed, house, and clothe these people.

If you see the need and dont do anything about it you will hear about it at the White Throne Judgement.

Matthew 6:5 (King James Version)

5And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

 

[Soma-Sight]

Relic,

There are two choices for a reason.

Your padded Church or a childs life.

That simple.

Which one would it be RIGHT NOW if it would really happen?

Which does Christ value more?

Stone and wood, or flesh and blood?

 

[Soma-Sight]

It's a bunch of silly christians trying to cushion their weekly self-deprication session.

Join the Atheists! No more tithes! Spend Sunday morning sleeping!!!

Sloth, Greed, Coldness, Blindness, Ignorance, Evil............

No thanks Syntax I will leave that fool's errand to you.

Wake up dude, you dont have 1300 posts on a Christian site for no reason.

Face it, your heart knows the Truth but sin keeps you from the goal.

Let the Spirit of Truth in your heart.

 

[Petri Paavola]

It's a bunch of silly christians trying to cushion their weekly self-deprication session.

Join the Atheists! No more tithes! Spend Sunday morning sleeping!!! :-D

And burn in hell for ever ........... without repentance......

Here in Finland one drunkard came to faith and said: My old master demand from me 100% my moneys and I have to spend them all to alcohol, but my new Master says, that I can give 10% to Him if I wish to give.

Differences are huge, old master forced to use all the money to alcohol and new Master don't force anything, but helps me to live holy and nice life.

Come on and join to the bunch of winners, who are winner for the sake of redemption and atonement of Calvary.

Losers are wandering without Jesus; so come now, there is still little time to repent before Jesus is coming back and the doors of His wedding cabin will closed and only those who have santificated by the blood of Christ can enter to those weddings, others must go to the fire of hell, which is not nice, but lasts eternally.

 

[evanman]

How do I vote: "None of the above"?

 

[Relic]

You guys are sick.

Where are the Christians with hearts?

Look at that picture of the bloated babies and tell me that again Syntax.

True Christians are those with heart, the Lukewarm are ones that can pass there eyes over something like that and not consider that lifeforce behind that individual in dire suffering. They would rather "keep warm" and not have to endure the cold snow outdoors on account of the sacrifice of a "luxury Church" right Relic?

Give me the freezing snow anytime if it means one child gets food.

Give me the whip any day if it saves one more soul from this den of wolves.

It is our responsibility as Christians to feed, house, and clothe these people.

If you see the need and dont do anything about it you will hear about it at the White Throne Judgement.

Matthew 6:5 (King James Version)

5And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

They would rather "keep warm" and not have to endure the cold snow outdoors on account of the sacrifice of a "luxury Church" right Relic?

Give me the freezing snow anytime if it means one child gets food.

I never said anything about not feeding and helping the needy!

and if you feel so strongly against people having a place to congregate and worship together, and think they should not have a building to meet, or for them to have nice surroundings, then fine enough for you. If that is truly how you feel, then go sell your home, stay outside in the cold without a place of your own to keep you warm and protected from the elements of winter and take all that money to feed a child in need. Then work your behind off to make more money while you are living in freezing cold conditions to give every single penny you make to the poor and needy. That! is what an exaggerated sense of working to the cause of the betterment of others is exemplifying!

If God meant for all of us to give up everything we have and be as poor and without resource as the people we are seeking to help, then how can we even help them? Come on.... think about it! How can the poor money-less, homeless help the same money-less homeless people as they are? There has to be some people in this world that have adequate resources of their own so they can help those in more need than them.

If America was a poor country would we be able to help those, that are poor in this country or help those poor in other countries? Think about that.

God didn't mean for us to all be so poor that we deprive ourselves of the luxuries in life! King David was a man after God's own heart! HE WAS Rich! King Solomon came to realize that not all material goods were meant to be squandered on self. Did he do anything to help others? He was rich beyond compare.

When a nation or a person is rich! YES! then it is their duty to help others that are of less fortune than they are. But when you think we have to sell everything we have to help the poor to the degree of depriving ourselves, then you are mistaken. Wealth is a blessing from God and if those that are blessed with wealth, abuse that and use ONLY for the purpose of keeping it ALL to themselves then, yes, that is a form of greed to the 100th degree.
but if someone is wealthy and they give only a certain percentage of their money to help others in need, then is that pure greed? I say no!

Jesus told that rich man to sell all he had, because Jesus knew he was using his wealth as his source and not God as his source of provision.
Jesus also knew that what wealth is lost to the man of God, will be and can be restored! That man was full lacking in the reliance on God for his ealth And didn't want to take any chances of giving up any of it for anyone. and Jesus knew it! Jesus also knew that that mans wealth could be replaced with even more wealth. both spiritually and materially. Jeus fed 5000 people with one loaf of bread. You thin that isn't building walth back up? Jesus also had a nice robe! Why else would the roman guards gamble with each other to win it? It had value to it! It was a nice robe!


If you think we should give up everything, even the church building for the cause of helping the poor, then something is terribly wrong there.
If that's the case, then maybe you should sell your computer and give that money to the poor?

Please soma sight, don't exaggerate what I said.
That example of exaggerated use of money that showed to you above, is clear in what we should and shouldn't do with our extra resources.

Blessing come in many forms. Some people don't have money to use as their resource to help others. And other people have more than money can ever do! to help others in this world.

There are other ways to help the people of this world. Not everyone is called to do their Godly service in the same area of need. I help where I can. And I don't slack on feeding the poor because I am not selling everything I have to help them.

Lot's of people volunteer to help the needy!

God calls everyone to serve in different ways. If you have money to help out then that is wonderful! Keep helping in that way.

When I have the money I give to others also!


I understand your urgent call to for everyone to help those in need. But you can't blame someone for not selling all they have just to do that.
God wants us to prosper so we can help others and live nicely also, God doesn't want us to deprive ourselves to the point of not being comfortable ourselves. Jesus did that for us! We don't have to live like totally depraved people. We get wealth to share it. That's the whole idea. To share and help others.

Do you think we should sell everything and then be so poor that we have to work all the more harder to build it all back up so that we can give it all away again. And keep repeating that process? NO. We don't have to be so poor that we have nothing left to give anymore and then we have to work our butts off to give more.

And you know what? God sometimes used one person at a time, to help one other person at a time. It may take that one person a lifetime to help just one other person, or it may take a few moments in time. Just one person born to help just one other person. Can you even comprehend that as being helpful or a calling from God? Don't think God calls every single person to save the whole world all in one concentrated area, where there is need. God workd through many different avenues to bring His Glory about!

May God continue to bless you so you can continue to help others.

.

 

[Homeskillet]

I am with evanman!

 

[Featherbop]

IMO, true christians(and their churches) should(and I guess not many apply :-? ) be frugal, non-extravagant, modest, and reasonable. A megachurch is not good for a variety of reasons. Christians should not be garish. You don't want someone coming to church because it is gaudy... :-?

 

[Soma-Sight]

So we gonna get any votes here or do I have to pull teeth?

 

[Featherbop]

So we gonna get any votes here or do I have to pull teeth?

I voted. :-D

 

[Soma-Sight]

Thanks Darck! :D

I value the opinions of veteran members such as yourself.

 

[burtsweep]

When you live in a part of the world and it's winter. It gets really cold without a building to seat a large number of people. You can only fit so many people in someone's house.

That's easy to solve -- meet in more than one home.

I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiments expressed earlier regarding buildings and the improper use of money. I just recently started attending a house church and I must say it is a welcome change to the superficiality of conventional church meetings.

 

[Soma-Sight]

burtsweep,

Awesome to hear that!

It just makes a lot more sense.