Q&A: Are church buildings a sign of a Babylonian mindset, and should the saints only meet in homes?

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=168 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="129a11c3.png"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Welcome to the Heart4God Website!"><U><B><IMG SRC="4b55a500.png" border=0 width="90" height="80" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Writings of Joseph Herrin"><U><B>Writings by Date</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id212.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Writings of Joseph Herrin Organized "><U><B>Writings by Topic</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.heart4god.ws/Audio/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.heart4god.ws/Audio/index.htm"><U><B>Audio Files</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id690.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Videos"><U><B>Videos</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id323.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Writings of Others"><U><B>Other Authors</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id324.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id339.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Questions and Answers"><U><B>Q&A</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id328.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Heart4God Email List"><U><B>Heart4God E-mail List</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com"><U><B>Parables Blog</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id306.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="File Downloads"><U><B><IMG SRC="2b264140.png" border=0 width="100" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <bR> <div> <B>Q&A: Are church buildings a sign of a Babylonian mindset, and should the saints only meet in homes?</B></div> <div> <IMG SRC="c2827160.png" border=0 width="807" height="22" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> The following is taken from a correspondence with some saints who were meeting with believers in a home setting.</div> <bR> <div> Revelation 18:4, "Come out of her My people, lest you particpate in her sins and partake of her plagues". </div> <bR> <div> I believe that you understand that "coming out" holds much meaning beyond any relationship to a building. I have met and conversed with some, however, who I believe were not clearly understanding the will and mind of Christ in these things. They were so focused upon avoiding buildings and ministry titles and paying ministers, thinking these to be the great and deadly sins of the hour, that they were condemning things God had not condemned and failing to come to a proper understanding of what it was that God really wanted them to come out of.</div> <bR> <div> I can understand how some saints today have developed a great aversion to buildings and ministry titles and the practice of paying ministers, for these things have become so corrupted that they have had a tremendous negative impact upon the church today. I cringe when I go into a church building and I see banners proclaiming, or hear ministers asserting, that the building is the house of God, the temple of God, etc.. What a grievous error this is, for the house God is building is made of living stones, not of wood and brick and glass and mortar. To see churches employ slogans in some building project such as "Let us work together to build the house of God", is a great tragedy. I know of one church here locally that had architectural drawings of their new church building drawn up, a multi-million dollar project, and they placed these drawings at the front of the "sanctuary" where the saints would see the vision of what the ministers wanted to accomplish and they would be devoted to seeing it accomplished. </div> <bR> <div> How much better would it be if the ministers had placed a true vision of what Yahshua wants to build before the body, and kept them focused on it week after week. What if they had presented a vision of the people growing in spiritual maturity, in devotion to God, and in conformity to Christ? What if they had presented a vision of a church of living stones being knit and fashioned together according to the blueprints of the One true Architect of the church that they might labor as "wise master builders" laboring upon the foundation laid by Christ, rather than substituting some carnal plans of man's devising? </div> <bR> <div> I know you have seen all of these same sort of tragic occurrences and that they also grieve your spirit. Some ministers I know have also seen the tragic fixation of the church upon buildings and that which goes on inside the buildings, and they have taken stances against them, which at times are quite extreme. Some have gone too far in believing that buildings are evil, rather than identifying the real evil as man's false understanding of the role of the building, and their worship of the building. I think this error is best illustrated by comparison to other things the Father has given to us that serve some utilitarian function. </div> <bR> <div> Consider money for a moment. Great abominations occur because men worship money and view it with a covetous and idolatrous eye! The Scriptures state that "the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil", and surely we see this clearly in our world and in the church. How many preachers have failed to preach truth because they were in debt and needed money and were afraid that if they preached the truth that they would lose their position, or the offerings would suffer? I have heard of some ministers who openly confessed that their concern for money kept them from speaking truth. These are hirelings at worst, and wicked and disobedient servants at best. </div> <bR> <div> But can we look at the abuses of money, the false worship of it, and its tremendous negative effect upon the saints and declare that money is evil? The Scriptures never state that money is evil, but only that the love of money leads to all kinds of evil. Money when it is properly employed can be used in many wonderful ways. Widows have been provided for when the saints have properly utilized money. Orphans have been fed and clothed. The gospel has been printed and missionaries sent out and provisioned when the church used money under the guidance of the Spirit of God. Yahshua was provided for through the financial means of the women who traveled with Him and the disciples. Paul lauds the saints when they revived their concern for him and sent a financial gift. He also encouraged the saints to take up a collection for the Jewish believers in Jerusalem who were in need. Money can be a great instrument when it is regarded properly and submitted to the leading of the Spirit. </div> <bR> <div> In discussing this same matter with other saints I have used cars as an example. Some people worship their cars and spend far too much time and attention and money upon them. Their cars have become idols to them and are not just viewed as an utilitarian item that serves a useful function. The solution is not to ban the use of all cars, but rather to gain the mind of Christ in regard to their proper role and function. </div> <bR> <div> This is true of buildings which the church uses, also. Some are declaring today that all church buildings are evil and that the saints should only meet in homes. They state that all who meet in a building designated as a place for the saints to gather are part of Babylon, and they should repent and come out of the building. Yet, like money and cars, buildings serve a very utilitarian purpose, and, when submitted to the leading of the Spirit and viewed with the mind of Christ, they can be used with remarkable positive effect. We read in Scripture of a variety of buildings being used by the church and the apostles as they labored as servants of Christ.</div> <bR> <div> Many who support a house church only doctrine would seek to convince others that the only acceptable type of gathering is in a house, but the Scriptures nowhere give any instruction about WHERE the saints are to gather, and I am convinced that, had it been as important as some assert that it is, the apostles would have left us some instruction in the matter. Not only did they leave no instruction concerning the necessity to meet in homes, as opposed to rented halls, or some building that was especially set aside for the assembly of the church, but they reveal by their own words and examples that buildings other than homes were often used as meeting places. Let me share some Scriptures that reveal this to be so.</div> <bR> <div> Acts 2:46-47<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> Day by day continuing with one mind <I><B>in the temple</B></I>, and breaking bread <I><B>from house to house</B></I>, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.</div> <bR> <div> This Scripture speaks of the very earliest church, the church in Jerusalem. If we want to look for precedence among the early church, we can look no further back than this. The Temple had meeting rooms and gathering places where the citizens of Jerusalem, and those who came from far away, would gather to receive religious instruction. We read where Christ often taught in the Temple, and His apostles continued this practice. They did not feel it was evil to gather the saints together in a building, or a location, that was something other than a house. We do not read of them paying to use the Temple for this purpose, however, and as some Christians object to the practice of paying to use a building to gather in, we must look elsewhere for examples that relate to this objection. Before we do, let me mention a couple other Scriptures first.</div> <bR> <div> Many Christians have it in their minds that Christ always preached and taught out of doors, or in someone's house. They do not realize that He also regularly taught in the synagogues, which were buildings constructed for the specific purpose of holding religious meetings, much as our church buildings today.</div> <bR> <div> Matthew 4:23<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> Yahshua was going throughout all Galilee, <I><B>teaching in their synagogues</B></I> and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.</div> <bR> <div> Matthew 9:35<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> Yahshua was going through all the cities and villages, <I><B>teaching in their synagogues</B></I> and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.</div> <bR> <div> Mark 1:39<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> And <I><B>He went into their synagogues</B></I> throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.</div> <bR> <div> Luke 4:15<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> And <I><B>He began teaching in their synagogues</B></I> and was praised by all.</div> <bR> <div> Luke 4:44<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> So <I><B>He kept on preaching in the synagogues</B></I> of Judea.</div> <bR> <div> Luke 13:10<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> And <I><B>He was teaching in one of the synagogues</B></I> on the Sabbath.</div> <bR> <div> John 18:20<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> Yahshua answered him, "I have spoken openly to the world; <I><B>I always taught in synagogues and in the temple</B></I>, where all the Jews come together; and I spoke nothing in secret."</div> <bR> <div> Those who espouse a "home only" doctrine often overlook the fact that Christ taught in buildings that were built for the single purpose of conducting religious meetings. If God had meant to indicate to mankind that constructing, renting, or using buildings for public gatherings of the saints was some great error, would not His Son have avoided teaching in such places? Many have falsely envisioned Yahshua as following the pattern of John the Baptist who avoided cities and buildings and did his teaching exclusively in the wilderness. As we have read, this was not the case, for Christ spoke in the synagogues very regularly. We also read where the apostles continued this practice.</div> <bR> <div> Acts 9:19-20</div> <div> Now for several days [Paul] was with the disciples who were at Damascus, and immediately<I><B> he began to proclaim Yahshua in the synagogues</B></I>, saying, "He is the Son of God."</div> <bR> <div> Acts 13:5<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> When they reached Salamis, <I><B>they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues</B></I> of the Jews; and they also had John as their helper.</div> <bR> <div> Paul also reveals in a discourse recorded in the book of Acts that he looked for the early Christians in the synagogues, and finding them there he would persecute them.</div> <bR> <div> Acts 26:11<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> "<I><B>And as I punished them often in all the synagogues</B></I>, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities."</div> <bR> <div> Many have made bold, sweeping statements that deny that the early believers ever met in buildings other than homes. Following is one such statement made by the thologian Lawrence O. Richards:</div> <bR> <div> "We know a little of the form of the local NT ekklesia. Early believers did not meet in public buildings for at least the first 120 years of the Christian era. The typical meeting of the church was in a home" [New International Encyclopedia of Bible Words. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1991, p. 167].</div> <bR> <div> It is incredible that a "theologian" would make such a statement considering all the Scriptural evidence to the contrary. It was the practice of Yahshua, His apostles, and the early church that was first formed of Jewish members, to gather in the synagogues. The synagogues were most certainly "public buildings", and were very distinct from residential homes.</div> <bR> <div> In examining the preceding verses we see that it was the practice of the very earliest believers to meet in buildings other than homes for the express purpose of prayer, teaching, preaching and the like. It wasn't long, however, until the Christians, who were first viewed as a Jewish sect, were excluded from the synagogues. We understand then that they did not discontinue the practice of meeting in synagogues because of any doctrinal prohibition against meeting in buildings other than homes, but simply because these buildings were no longer open to them. This forced the saints to meet in homes, or to find other suitable buildings in which they could meet, and this they did. We read of one very clear example of this from the life of Paul.</div> <bR> <div> Acts 19:8-10<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly <I><B>for three months</B></I>, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.</div> <bR> <div> We see that Paul taught first in the Synagogue at Ephesus, but when some there began resisting his teaching and making it difficult for him to continue, he sought out another suitable building. We are not told whether Paul rented this building, but it is very possible that he did. We read elsewhere of Paul renting a building.</div> <bR> <div> Acts 28:30-31<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.</div> <bR> <div> In an article called "Church House, or House Church?" Roger Upton makes the following statement:</div> <bR> <div> There simply is no scriptural basis for the church meeting in a specially constructed religious building. It is a fact of scripture and a fact of history that the early church met in the private homes of its members.</div> <bR> <div> I can think of no better definition for a synagogue than "a specially constructed religious building", and we find both Christ and His apostles seeking out these buildings in order to teach the message of the kingdom of God. We find the saints in Christ continuing to meet in these synagogues so that Paul prior to his conversion would go and hunt them and seek to "punish them often in all the synagogues." We have also read of Paul using the School of Tyrannus for two full years to conduct teaching and preaching.</div> <bR> <div> There is no doubt the early church also met in homes. We have many verses which reveal that meetings in homes were common.</div> <bR> <div> Romans 16:3-5<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Yahshua, who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles; also greet <I><B>the church that is in their house.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Colossians 4:15<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> Salute ye those in Laodicea — brethren, and Nymphas, and <I><B>the assembly in his house...</B></I></div> <div> (Young's Literal Translation)</div> <bR> <div> Philemon 2<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> And to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and <I><B>to the church in your house...</B></I></div> <bR> <div> It was undoubtedly a common practice for the saints to gather in homes. This was especially practical in places where the number of Christians was not too great. Some homes were spacious enough to hold a hundred or more people (we read of 120 gathered in an upper room on the day of Pentecost, and this was most likely a room over a house). Yet the number of believers quickly exceeded the capacity of a single home to accommodate all saints from a local area. We read where three thousand souls were added to the church in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, and later we read of five thousand. There was most likely no upper room in any home in Jerusalem that could accomodate such numbers, but we read of the church gathering in large numbers in public venues such as Solomon's Portico.</div> <bR> <div> Acts 5:12<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon's portico.</div> <bR> <div> We find then that the early church would seek to utilize any available place that was suitable to the gathering of the number of people present. For smaller numbers of people homes were quite suitable. Yet for larger numbers, the Temple, synagogues, Solomon's Portico, the School of Tyrannus, rented quarters, or whatever else was suitable would be made use of. Never is a word of prohibition ever mentioned against the practice of meeting in structures that are not homes, and never is a prohibition mentioned against meeting in buildings especially constructed, or acquired, to be used for religious gatherings.</div> <bR> <div> The early church fathers also continued to follow the same example seen in Christ and the apostles as we read of buildings being used as centers for religious teaching in places such as Alexandria, where both Clement and Origen taught, and in Caesarea, where Origen later relocated.</div> <bR> <div> There is some circumstantial evidence that would indicate that some of the larger city churches met in locations other than people's homes. One can imagine that if they experienced growth similar to that seen in Jerusalem, that no single home could contain all the believers at once. That they all gathered at one time is indicated in passages such as the following:</div> <bR> <div> I Corinthians 14:23<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> Therefore if the whole church assembles together and all speak in tongues, and ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad?</div> <bR> <div> This verse not only mentions the whole church assembling together, but it also mentions ungifted men or unbelievers entering. This would tend to indicate that the assembly is taking place in a public location, and not in the privacy of someone's home. Corinth was a thriving metropolitan city, and public forums were not uncommon. Even as Jerusalem had its Solomon's Portico, so too did Corinth have such venues for large numbers to gather together.</div> <bR> <div> When Paul writes to certain churches, such as the church in Corinth, there is no mention of the church meeting in anyone's home. That the church was having gatherings of large numbers of saints is indicated in numerous places. Paul's letters to the church in Corinth are filled with instructions on how to conduct large meetings in an orderly fashion. Because it was a large body, the excesses of the body were leading to confusion in the assembly. Paul therefore gives instructions about the practice of giving prophecies, about speaking in tongues, and about women speaking in the assembly. All these things were intended to bring back some order to their meetings which were becoming chaotic.</div> <bR> <div> Having such a large number of believers present in one place would lead to the conclusion that they did not meet together in a house, but rather in some larger venue that could accomodate great numbers. Paul in writing to the saints at Corinth also uses the word house, or home, in contrast to the word church (literally ekklesia). By contrasting these two, rather than comparing them, there is reason to believe that this particular church was not meeting all together in a home.</div> <bR> <div> I Corinthians 14:35<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands <I><B>at home</B></I>; for it is improper for a woman to speak<I><B> in church</B></I> [literally ekklesia - a called out assembly].</div> <bR> <div> Notice that home, and the assembly of believers are contrasted here.</div> <bR> <div> I Corinthians 11:20-22<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> Therefore <I><B>when you meet together</B></I>, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper, for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk. What! <I><B>Do you not have houses</B></I> in which to eat and drink? Or <I><B>do you despise the church of God</B></I> and shame those who have nothing?</div> <bR> <div> Here the contrast is brought a bit further. Paul contrasts the gathering of believers to partake of the Lord's Supper with houses. The phrase "Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink" would indicate that this church is not meeting in a house, though this is not conclusive.</div> <bR> <div> There are many things that indicate that the Church in Corinth was a large assembly. In the opening chapters of the book we read of divisions that had been developing among them. Some were stating a preference for Paul, others for Apollos, some for Cephas, and others for Christ. There is little doubt that a large number of Christians were caught up in this carnal behavior, and to have this many divisions among them would indicate that it was indeed a large fellowship of believers.</div> <bR> <div> This conclusion that the Corinthian church met in a building other than a home is not conclusive, however, for we are never told where they actually met. Those who are convinced that meeting in buildings other than homes is an evil practice would try to convince others that they most definitely met in a home. Some suggest that Gaius' home may have been where they gathered based upon the following statement:</div> <bR> <div> Romans 16:23<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> Gaius, host to me and to the whole church, greets you.</div> <bR> <div> It is generally understood that Paul wrote the epistle to the Romans while in Corinth, and so some take this statement to imply that the entire church of Corinth met in Gaius' home. This is a lot to infer from one short remark, and it requies interpreting certain phrases to be understood in a sense that is difficult to arrive at from the context. Paul states that Gaius is not only a host to him, but to the whole church. Why should we understand Paul to mean only the church in Corinth since Paul is writing to the church in Rome as well? Is it not more likely that the phrase "the whole church" means exactly this, the whole church no matter where it is found? Could not Paul be saying that Gaius is a host to all those who are the called out assembly of Christ?</div> <bR> <div> This seems likely since at this time Gaius is hosting not only Paul, but most likely he is also host to those others mentioned who are traveling with Paul; Timothy, Lucius, Jason, Sosipater, and Tertius. Timothy was a Greek, while Lucius, Jason and Sosipater are identified as "my kinsmen", which would make them Jews. So Gaius is a host to the whole church, having opened his heart wide to all those who are chosen in Christ, and not just to Paul.</div> <bR> <div> We see that neither view is able to state with any real authority that the church in Corinth met in a home, or in another type of building. We need some further proof to make a real authoritative judgment, and I am not aware at this time of such proof. But why should we seek to prove this matter one way or another at all, for the Scriptures clearly reveal that the early church met both in homes and in other types of buildings? The Scriptures reveal no prohibition from Christ, and no apostolic doctrine or tradition that would impinge upon the saints' choice of where they should meet. So why has this matter become an issue?</div> <bR> <div> Many, especially those from among the home church movement, have noted the excesses of those who construct elaborate buildings as a meeting place for the saints. There is much that is a gross violation of the will and desire of Yahweh in this gilding of temples that stand as monuments to men. There is much vanity and pride in the race to see who can build the most grandiose structures with the highest steeple, the most beautiful stained glass, the plushest of adornments in pews and carpeting, the grandest chandeliers, and whatever else stands as a source of man's tendency to revel in ease and luxury. I do not disagree that many of these things are constructed in a spirit of Babylon wherein Nebuchadnezzar boasted, "Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?" With similar thoughts do many ministers and their congregations look at the monuments they have constructed.</div> <bR> <div> There will be great judgment for many saints who have labored to build that which perishes, while neglecting to care for those in need whose souls are eternal. In my own early Christian walk I encountered the spectacle of men building such monuments while neglecting those whom the Lord sent to their door who were in need. When I was about twenty years old I was returning from Oregon to my parents' home in Georgia when I encountered unexpected trouble along the way. I had to have my van towed into town and a tire replaced, and this ate up most of the money I had on hand for gasoline. I found myself in the middle of the country, still over a thousand miles from home, with no money to finish my trip.</div> <bR> <div> I got off the Interstate at some town whose name I no longer remember, and I drove with a near empty tank to a church in town. I went in to talk to the minister about my predicament and to ask for some assistance. I was told that the church contributed to a fund for people coming off the Interstate with problems, and the fund was administered by the local police department. I was directed to go there. I drove there only to be told that the churches in town gave so little money to this fund that it was always depleted the very first week of every month and there was nothing available for me.</div> <bR> <div> I then returned to this church to speak to the minister again. I was told that the head pastor was out of town, and the assistant pastor with whom I was speaking could not make any decisions without the head pastor's consent. In our conversation this minister had mentioned to me how proud they were of the new building they had just constructed that had cost them millions of dollars. It was indeed an impressive building, and I had walked through a portion of it where some teenagers were practicing for a play in what was evidently a new multi-functional family life building that had a basketball court, bleachers and such things. I was speaking to this minister in the hallway and the youth overheard our conversation. This pastor turned me away a second time without offering me a dime of assistance.</div> <bR> <div> I turned to walk away, not knowing what I would do next, when some of the youth approached me. They said they had overheard me speaking with the pastor, and they were embarrassed that he would not help me. These teenagers dug into their own pockets and gathered together enough money to buy enough gas for me to complete my trip. I coasted into my parents' driveway on little more than fumes.</div> <bR> <div> I understand well the misplaced priorities of churches that build monuments to themselves while neglecting those things that are truly important, such as manifesting love for the brethren, as in helping a young brother in Christ to get home safely. Many are those who will be singled out as those who turned their back on Christ when He came to them. When He was thirsty they gave Him nothing to drink. When He was hungry they gave Him nothing to eat. When He was naked, they did not clothe Him. When He was in prison they did not visit. As often as they did these things unto the least of His brethren, they did the same unto Him.</div> <bR> <div> I think many of those who have chosen to meet in home churches have done so out of pure motives. Yet there is a tendency to overreact to abuses and to begin condemning the righteous along with the unrighteous. Not all saints who meet in buildings are manifesting a heart of idolatry, careless ease, or pride. A building is neither righteous or unrighteous. It is merely an utilitarian structure that serves a useful purpose.</div> <bR> <div> I am convinced that God does not mind at all for His children to meet in a building specially set aside for the purpose of gathering His elect together. What He dislikes is the attitude that would make idols out of the buildings. Our attitude should be as Paul described:</div> <bR> <div> I Corinthians 7:29-31<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> But this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened, so that from now on... those who buy, should be as though they did not possess; and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it; for the form of this world is passing away.</div> <bR> <div> In our usage and accumulation of the world's goods we should have contentment as our overriding attribute. As Paul stated in another place:</div> <bR> <div> I Timothy 6:7-8<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.</div> <bR> <div> As the church considers the usage of buildings, it should equally be content. If covering is provided for the saints to gather out of the elements, and if the arrangements are suitable for the needs being served, then it is not necessary to indulge in unnecessary signs of pride, or to seek excessive comfort. Why build a meeting room with fifty feet high ceilings when ten feet is more than adequate? Why purchase expensive stained glass when regular glass would serve even better? Why purchase the most elaborate and expensive chandeliers when many more practical solutions are available? We should remember that the Temple of God is not the church buildings that stand on every street corner, but it is the bodies of men and women in whom the Spirit of God dwells.</div> <bR> <div> It is not necessary to decry the use of all buildings simply because some have abused them and made idols out of them. We should all desire to judge with righteous judgment, and I find neither the Spirit nor the Word condemning the meeting of the saints in a structure that is something other than a person's home. In truth, many homes of the saints are as much monuments to man and idolatrous acquisitions as are many of the most ostentations church buildings. Many saints would have much more to contribute to the gospel of Christ and the needs of the saints if they built less, and spent less, for self.</div> <bR> <div> Just recently I was reading of a minister's trip to Africa to teach in some of the churches there. There is great poverty, but great generosity among the saints in Africa. One pastor sold his car in order to help build a suitable meeting place for the saints. Below is a picture of this African church building that will seat 500.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="85d20ac0.jpg" border=0 width="288" height="172" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> This building is a simple wooden frame with yellow tarpaulin for the walls. The benches were recently donated to them. It would be very difficult to find a home that would accomodate this many believers in this area of Africa.</div> <bR> <div> Let us not in our zeal to avoid the abuses of this hour end up condemning those whose hearts are pure before God. I had one man call me a Papist for sharing the above Scriptures with him. This man was a missionary to Haiti or the Dominican Republic, and he had seen many abuses, where money that could have been used to support missionaries and feed and minister to the poor was poured into elaborate gilded buildings. He had become bitter, and condemned the use of any and all buildings other than homes. He also condemned those who would not agree with his extreme views. </div> <bR> <div> But a building is simply that, something that is built for a purpose and utilized to meet man's need for shelter and to create a suitable environment for people to meet in, and for teaching and other activities to be conducted. Because some, even a majority, hold a wrong mindset about the role of buildings, even to worshiping them and getting into competition with other churches to see who can build the largest, most ornate, tallest, etc., it does not make buildings evil, but only the abuse of buildings evil. </div> <bR> <div> Nor does it make a saint more saintly to come out of buildings. Consider for a moment a person who is covetous, lazy, lustful, idolatrous, carnal, or any way failing in conformity to Christ; they do not become transformed if you take them out of a building designated as a place for saints to gather and place them in someone's house. They become no more loving, patient, joyful, peaceful, self-controlled, longsuffering, faithful, etc., by virtue of being transplanted. I have experience of saints who have abandoned church buildings to meet in homes and it was difficult to discern any difference in their lives, or even in the way their meetings were conducted. </div> <bR> <div> I share these things for your own consideration. Leaving a building to meet in homes is not equivalent to leaving Babylon. Coming out of Babylon involves many things, but in the end it boils down to returning to a purity of devotion to Christ, coming out of deception to return to Truth. To come out of Babylon we must abandon our other loves, all that competes with a love for Christ. </div> <bR> <div> There are many telltale signs of our love and devotion to Christ, and our love and devotion to the world, mammon, ease and pleasure. Leaving a gilded building, and the embrace of others who would encourage us to focus on buildings with steeples and stained glass, chandeliers and ornate adornment, to meet in much simpler structures that are viewed for their utility rather than their grandeur, can definitely be one part of coming out of Babylon. </div> <bR> <div> But what of the houses the saints are meeting in? Do they not reveal their focus as much as a church building reveals the focus of those who meet within it? What do these houses speak about those who live in them? Are they also gilded and filled with the treasures of the world? Do they reveal a mind that has spent itself in endless labor to acquire worldly goods and to impress others, even to going into debt in this pursuit, neglecting children and the Lord in order to work more to gain more of the world's goods? Or are the houses simple and humble and practical, revealing a heart that is not captivated by the baubles of this world, but which is instead devoted to Christ in purity and simplicity? These things will more surely reveal whether a people have come out of Babylon than whether they meet in a home or in a church building. </div> <bR> <div> Are the people generous, and excelling in their hospitality, fulfilling the admonition of the apostle: </div> <bR> <div> I John 3:17-19<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him...<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Or are the people unable to give to others because they are spending all they have, and more, on their own desires? Are they living beyond their means in a house that is more than they need, driving cars that cost more than was necessary or prudent to spend, having a house filled with furnishings and treasures that have consumed the money the Lord gave to them to be stewards of, and with which they were to minister to others and help those in need. </div> <bR> <div> Ephesians 4:28<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. </div> <bR> <div> Romans 12:13<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> Contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. </div> <bR> <div> II Corinthians 9:12-14<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all, while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. </div> <bR> <div> I Timothy 6:18<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <div> Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share...<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> It is hard in our society to really grasp what Paul is speaking of in these words. What does it mean to excel in generosity? Is it giving out of our excess, or giving until it hurts? Paul speaks of the excellent attitude manifested by the saints in Macedonia: </div> <bR> <div> II Corinthians 8:1-4</div> <div> Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints...</div> <bR> <div> What a remarkable spirit was manifested in the early church in the days when they were truly devoted to Christ with a simplicity and purity of devotion. It was revealed in their giving attitude toward others. We are told that none considered their possessions to be their own, but freely shared with all. They were selling property and laying the money at the apostle's feet for distribution as it was needed by all. </div> <bR> <div> These are signs of whether one has come out of Babylon, or whether they are still in it. If a saint is devoted to Christ in purity then they will not cling to other things, but will hold all things loosely, and will not find it difficult to part with temporal things in order to prove their love of Christ as they manifest a love for the brethren.</div> <bR> <div> Have the saints been transformed like Zacchaeus, or do they still cling to their goods while professing discipleship to Christ? In a very materialistic society we have much to contend with, and finding those who have truly rejected the values of this world to embrace the values of the kingdom of God where true love is proven by laying one's life down for others, is like looking for a needle in a haystack, for such ones are rare indeed. </div> <bR> <div> May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days, </div> <bR> <div> Joseph</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>