Question
Please tell me if and where the bible says we shouldn’t eat or have a church play in the church.i believe where they are two or more people you could have church.i thought the church was just a building.
Answer
In 1 Corinthians 11Paul was dealing with the Corinthian’s abuse and misunderstanding of the Lord’s supper. It’s purpose was to unite the brethren around the cross, but they were mixing the Lord’s supper with a common meal and some were being full and others were being left out. Verse 22 “What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.” Paul was saying if you want to feed the physical body do that at home, if you want to feed the spiritual body do that in the assembly through the Lord’s supper.
The church is not a building. The church is made up of individuals and the building is a place these individuals assemble to worship God spiritually. In 1 Cor. 15:9 Paul said he “persecuted the church of God.” He didn’t persecute the building. He persecuted the people that made up the church by putting them in prison and / or killing them. And in persecuting the church, Christians, he was persecuting Christ (Acts 22:7).
When Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 “…I will build my church…” He was not talking about a physical building. Jesus purchased the church “…with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28). He did not purchase a physical building. Jesus died for individuals, not a building. (Ephesians 5:25)
The mission of the church is (Ephesians 4:12) (a) “For the perfecting of the saints”—educating and training its members (b) “For the work of the ministry”—Benevolence (c) “For the edifying of the body of Christ:”—Preaching, teaching the lost. The building a place the members of a local congregation can carry out these three things. Any other use of the building is not authorized such as secular education, recreation, etc.
The word “church” means “the called out” i.e. those individuals that have been called out of the world into a relationship with Christ where He is the head and directs through the Word.
By Danny Stanford
