You said Stevens church is the same as a home church. But this is not true. Steven Anderson church is not a home church but a business church. Jesus got mad when the people made the house of god into a house of merchandise. But what steven is doing is something you will rarely find if you find at all. He say we are not following bible by having a home church but he do not have his own special little building for his special little church. His so called church is surrounded by business and share the space of yep you guessed it a business. This makes his house of worship also a house of merchandise which jesus called a den of thieves. So technically steven Anderson church should be called Faithful Thieves Baptist church of Merchandise.
Hi Billy
I may have misunderstood what you were meaning in one part of what you wrote. Did you know that a building now can never be called a house of God under the new covenant? All of the "church temples" with stained glass windows and steeples etc that we see everyday in our cities are quite a violation of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.
When Jesus gave up the ghost the use of a temple building made by the hands of men as a place where men would come face to face with God was a thing of the past. This was shown by the veil of the temple being rent in two from the top to the bottom.
Matthew 27 Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)
50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53 and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.Hebrews 9 Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)
1 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. 2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. 3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all ...6 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. 7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people ...11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.Hence the Spirit of God no longer dwells in a building but now dwells in us who are the members of His church and the true believers in Christ.
Romans 8 Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.In the "churches" I have been a part of here they often referred to their building as the house of God and I got rather sick of having to try to correct them. They were also going on all the time about the new building they were planning etc and as Chris points out there is nothing wrong with having a building .... but there is when it is paid for by extortion money and making merchandise of people as you mention in your posting. I used to comment that I would rather get together with five honest people in a broken down rusty tin shed than spend time with them in some flashy new building. They didn't like me a whole lot.
Anyway, all I was pointing out is that it's OK for a church to meet in a business building but it is what they do and say and how they interact with eachother in that business building that is important. As for temples, it is important not to try to rebuild what God has torn down and is to never be instituted again.
