Comments on: Do We Have Authority for a Church Building? http://www.plainbibleteaching.com/2008/07/01/do-we-have-authority-for-a-church-building/ Just another WordPress weblog Fri, 04 May 2012 18:21:37 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: Andy Sochor http://www.plainbibleteaching.com/2008/07/01/do-we-have-authority-for-a-church-building/comment-page-1/#comment-159 Andy Sochor Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:40:18 +0000 http://www.plainbibleteaching.com/wordpress/?p=1101#comment-159 Your claim of a uniform pattern is based on an assumption. We don't know that all of the assembly locations were freely provided to congregations. Some certainly were (homes of the disciples). But for others, like the meeting place in Troas (Acts 20:7-8), we have no way of knowing whether they were bought, rented, or used without charge. Again, the instruction to assemble necessarily requires a place to assemble. There is no uniform pattern that can be established in the New Testament that would prohibit a congregation from owning or renting a facility in which to meet. Granted, good judgment should be used. Do some congregations spend too much money on a building? Sure. Do some congregations own or rent a building when they could meet in the home of one of the members? Probably. But that does not justify the blanket statement that congregations cannot pay for a place to assemble. Your claim of a uniform pattern is based on an assumption. We don’t know that all of the assembly locations were freely provided to congregations. Some certainly were (homes of the disciples). But for others, like the meeting place in Troas (Acts 20:7-8), we have no way of knowing whether they were bought, rented, or used without charge.

Again, the instruction to assemble necessarily requires a place to assemble. There is no uniform pattern that can be established in the New Testament that would prohibit a congregation from owning or renting a facility in which to meet.

Granted, good judgment should be used. Do some congregations spend too much money on a building? Sure. Do some congregations own or rent a building when they could meet in the home of one of the members? Probably. But that does not justify the blanket statement that congregations cannot pay for a place to assemble.

]]> By: Read It Again http://www.plainbibleteaching.com/2008/07/01/do-we-have-authority-for-a-church-building/comment-page-1/#comment-158 Read It Again Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:31:12 +0000 http://www.plainbibleteaching.com/wordpress/?p=1101#comment-158 "Notice there is no uniform pattern that the churches in the first century followed in regards to the type of place they assembled." There is a uniform pattern to the places they assembled: None of the assembling places described in Scripture were bought or rented by the assembled. Each was a freely provided place, either by virtue of being public (Solomon's Porch, seashore, etc.), or by being a space freely donated by the owners (the school of Tyrannus, the home of Prisca & Aquila, etc.). I can find plenty of examples of preaching "publicly and from house to house" (Acts 20:20), but I cannot find a single example that would justify discarding this pattern in favor of expending money to create a special house of worship never needed or requested by God. “Notice there is no uniform pattern that the churches in the first century followed in regards to the type of place they assembled.”

There is a uniform pattern to the places they assembled: None of the assembling places described in Scripture were bought or rented by the assembled. Each was a freely provided place, either by virtue of being public (Solomon’s Porch, seashore, etc.), or by being a space freely donated by the owners (the school of Tyrannus, the home of Prisca & Aquila, etc.).

I can find plenty of examples of preaching “publicly and from house to house” (Acts 20:20), but I cannot find a single example that would justify discarding this pattern in favor of expending money to create a special house of worship never needed or requested by God.

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