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Featured auditiorium or sanctuary?

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by nodak, Jul 20, 2015.

  1. nodak

    nodak Active Member
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    I don't want to hijack the coffee thread, but when I was a kid it was stressed to us Baptists had auditoriums, not sanctuaries, and they were for the purpose of preaching, not worshipping.

    The people were the church, our heart was the altar, and we worshipped Him hopefully in Spirit and in truth.

    I find it confusing to say the least when Baptists call the hall the sanctuary, to worship in, and call the invitation an altar call.

    My thoughts tend to go where they should not--seeing modern Baptists as a weird cross between Pentecostals and Catholics adoring the leftovers from the last communion elements in the previous Mass.

    Bad me, I know.

    Your thoughts?
     
  2. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    Anything done for the purpose of glorifying God is worship. That includes preaching.
     
  3. JohnDeereFan

    JohnDeereFan Well-Known Member
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    I'm not sure what you mean by "...for the purpose of preaching, not worshipping" when preaching is worship.

    But we have a sanctuary, not an auditorium.

    Not sure why that's confusing to you, but it's a sanctuary in our church and we don't have an altar call (altars are for sacrifices and Christ has already made our sacrifice. Besides, the Finneyists and Arminians ruined it.)

    Can't speak for all Baptists, but we're about as far from either group as you can get.
     
  4. Baptist Believer

    Baptist Believer Well-Known Member
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    Neither auditorium nor sanctuary.

    Auditoriums are where people go to hear. He don't want people just "auditing" the gospel, but living it.

    Sanctuaries are habitats. God does not live in buildings made with hands.

    I prefer worship center. It is a place set aside where worship occurs. And yes, the preaching event is a form of worship.
     
  5. JamesL

    JamesL Well-Known Member
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    For my entire life, the meeting place has been revered as a modern-day temple by everyone I've ever known.

    Going to meet God and worship there.
    Putting on our "Sunday best" to meet God
    Setting aside a "holy" part of the building, the sanctuary
    Altars and tithes
    Sunday Sabbath, no work.

    The vast majority of believers I've met, have ZERO understanding that WE are the New Covenant temple. The Spirit of Christ dwells in us.

    If you haven't already met Him in your pajamas, you won't find him in your favorite suit
     
  6. JohnDeereFan

    JohnDeereFan Well-Known Member
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    We don't consider it a temple. We just consider it a place where something very important that we are to treat reverently takes place.

    And...?

    I realize I'm from a different generation, but, back before everybody thought everything was about them, we believed that the way you dress for someone or some thing is how you express your attitude toward that person or thing.

    Now, people just show up in whatever they want because they don't see church as any different than going to a rock concert or a baseball game.

    It's sad, but it's their loss.

    P.S. This is the part where you self righteously call me a Pharisee and tell us how God is like your best bud and doesn't care how you worship Him.

    Or perhaps you'll want to make the popular straw man argument, "Oh, so I guess poor people who don't have a fancy suit to wear aren't welcome in your church" and pretend as though you don't know I'm talking about people who can dress for church, but won't, and not those who want to, but can't.

    Or maybe you'll go way out on a limb and try to apply 1 Samuel 16:7 to this.
     
  7. Baptist Believer

    Baptist Believer Well-Known Member
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    Love that! Is it original with you?
     
  8. JonC

    JonC Moderator
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    :thumbs::thumbs:

    We have always referred to it as the sanctuary as well. It is not that men have built a temple that is holy and sanctified and to be worshiped/revered. The ground upon which Moses stood was mere dirt. Nothing special at all. Except for the Divine Presence and purpose of that meeting. The sanctuary in a Church is holy (set aside) by the Body of Christ for the purpose of worship. It is holy because of it's purpose (although the space itself is merely a room). What "sticks and bricks" people ignore is the stewardship, the setting aside of what is typically common for an uncommon purpose.
     
  9. JamesL

    JamesL Well-Known Member
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    I suppose it is, lol.

    It just seems to sum up my bewilderment with the NT temple crowd
     
  10. preachinjesus

    preachinjesus Well-Known Member
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    Sounds like you grew up in a Sandy Creek tradition of Baptist heritage. :) That's entirely a good thing, I grew up in the Charleston tradition.

    Where I serve now, a Baptist church to be sure, we have a worship center. It is where we go to conduct our worship services and always send our people out worshipping and honoring God in their lives. In fact we have visible reminders for them that the worship center is neither their only place for worship nor is it a boundary unto itself.

    We call it a worship center, in part, to help direct guests. Our worship is secluded there but worship happens there as well as in many other parts of our facility, and were we live.
     
  11. JamesL

    JamesL Well-Known Member
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    Is there any New Testament instruction for setting a place aside for that purpose?

    Jesus told the woman at the well...
    “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.... But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers."

    People today are trying to worship the Father in man-made buildings
     
  12. JamesL

    JamesL Well-Known Member
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    Your fallacy is in thinking you're going to go meet God somewhere. But that's OLD Testament worship. Doesn't matter how many generations have erroneously confused OT and NT, it is incumbent upon you to see if it bears out in scripture

    If you belong to Christ, you don't have to go anywhere. He's IN you. So...do you wear a suit to bed? He can see you there.

    Do you shower with a suit on? He's in your body, His temple. Jesus told the apostles..."He is WITH you, and will be IN you.
     
  13. JonC

    JonC Moderator
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    People today are worshiping God in man-made building.. There are churches meeting within those walls.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  14. JohnDeereFan

    JohnDeereFan Well-Known Member
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    I think your reading comprehension is a little off. I never said anything about "meeting God".

    You mean like in the New Testament when the Church gathered together for worship?

    Christians for 2,000 years have believed we're to gather together.

    Nobody said it's about God seeing us.

    And you think that's analogous to the gathering together of the Body of Christ for worship?

    Do your parents know you're on the computer?
     
  15. nodak

    nodak Active Member
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    Yep, ya'll are illustrating real clearly my confusion.

    I grew up believing Baptists believed the purpose of the building was just a place for the preaching of the gospel that sinners might find salvation.

    Worshipping God is to take place always in our lives. He does not inhabit a building in some way He does not inhabit everywhere else, unlike the beliefs of the RCC. We do not experience closeness with Him somehow more when gathered than when alone with Him, unlike the Pentecostals. Preaching is the vehicle (foolishness of preaching) He uses to draw sinners to Himself. Certainly my sitting and listening to another speak is not worship.

    I, too, marvel that we forget even in the OT there was a time when we were reminded any altar we might make could be spoiled by man making an effort to shape the stones.

    Wonder what He makes of our brick temples and 501c3's today?
     
  16. JohnDeereFan

    JohnDeereFan Well-Known Member
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    No. The building is for the ecclesia.

    As far as I know, nobody has claimed that He does.

    Has anyone claimed we do?

    That's evangelism. Evangelism is done outside the church.

    That's unfortunate that you feel that way.

    Don't know. I wonder what He makes of people who take the gathering of the Body of Christ so lightly.
     
  17. HeDied4U

    HeDied4U Well-Known Member
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    I like it. :thumbs: :thumbs:
     
  18. rsr

    rsr <b> 7,000 posts club</b>
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    It's a meeting hall. Worship center is OK, if that's what we really do there -- meet to worship communally, as opposed to individually.

    We picked up the "sanctuary" from Catholics, Lutherans and Anglicans, I guess. I've heard it called that all my life and never felt comfortable with it.

    OTOH, if by "sanctuary" we mean somewhere that we can find sanctuary from the hubbub of the world, as opposed to a holy place, I can buy that, although such sanctuary may be in a Sunday school room choir room or fellowship hall.
     
  19. JonC

    JonC Moderator
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    To the Jews, the Temple was the place where heaven and earth were joined. it was the place where you went to meet with God; it was the place of sacrifice, of atonement, and where you went to celebrate the presence of God. To the Jews, the Temple was where God had promised to make His home.

    Our use of "sanctuary" does not refer to this type of place. God dwells within the church. That does not mean that the church does not set aside a place to meet for corporate worship, and it certainly does not mean that this place must remain "common." It is a sacred (i.e., not common) place simply because it is set aside for the church to gather, for edification, for praise....for worship. No one is making the building more than it is (except perhaps those who believe that we cannot worship within buildings).
     
  20. rsr

    rsr <b> 7,000 posts club</b>
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    But words have meanings, and I see no reason to use "sanctuary" as a label for the meeting hall, lest we attempt to imbue it with a sacred character that it does not have.

    We have steadfastly called the Lord's Supper and baptism ordinances, not sacraments, to maintain our understanding of their function within the church. Personally, I would far prefer to call them sacraments -- given their holy nature -- than to sanctify a mere place.
     
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