"My temple is not a market place...."?

Question

so why do churches collect money and have sales?

Answer 1

I have asked the same question.

Bringing in the tithes and offerings is acceptable, however it should be done privately. I would like to see the collection plate in the lobby of the church where the offering could be put in as soon as you walk in the door. To me this would be much more Biblical than the passing of the collection plates for show in the Sanctuary.

I think we fail to show reverence in the Sanctuary as we should. I have yet been to a church where there isn't talking going on before the services start.

Answer 2

The people that were selling sacrifices and changing money from one form to another were doing it right inside the santuary (our modern word for it anyway).

Jesus did not get mad at the ones along side the temple or out in the (parking lot)

Collections within the church are not a form of changing money nor selling something. Giving to God was always allowed and that has not changed. We receive nothing in exchange for this type of giving.
A church bake sale held in the fellowship hall would not violate the inner sanctuary either.
Although I know many churches who will not do the bake sales and etc, because they believe it might if nothing else "look bad" to some who do not understand, and the bible tells us if we go ahead and do something that would cause another Christian to stumble in their walk, we are doing wrong, even though we were not doing wrong in the eyes of God to start with. basically, if what you do is going to upset or confuse someone else, just dont do it. This would be out of concern and Love for the other person, not out of wrongness of some sort.

Answer 3

If you study the time and place that Jesus lived and acted in you would see that the money changers were not accepting donations but changing the common currency of the realm(Roman) to temple currency. The roman coins bore pictures of the Emperor as a god or pagan gods and therefore were not clean and therefore could not be used to purchase the animal sacrifice that had to be made at the Temple by the devout. The temple coinage was debased by the addition of common metal to the silver or were simply made out of base metal. Whereas the coins of Rome had to be of a certain level of silver and if they were clipped or altered the counterfeiter would be crucified. But temple coins were traded one to one for Roman coinage Jesus, as a social reformer, picked up on the population's disgust and anger at the Temple for stealing from them in this way. This is why he chased the money changers from the temple. The money collected by most christian churches is "freely" given by biblical precedent or under a tenet of belief incorporated into the churches canon. The raffles of a church cannot be compare to the money changers.

Answer 4

Tithing is biblical. Marketing is not. The gospel is not for sale, it is free to all. If, within the church body, it is agreed to raise money FROM THE CHURCH PARISHIONERS for something for the church, then it is acceptable. It is NOT the same as using the temple as a marketplace and bilking the pilgrims out of their money that they wanted to use as a offering to God for the sake of the unjust making a profit.

Answer 5

Let's be serious. Jesus turned over the tables in the temple because people were cheating others. To pay for anything in the temple, you had to have special temple coins. So if you didn't have them, you had to exchange regular money and the moneychangers used usurious rates, always cheating people.

I've yet to see a bake sale inside a sanctuary. Nothing wrong with raising money for the kids, to send them to camp or whatever. And...please, let's be reasonable, it takes money to run lights, sound, airconditioning, the pastor's salary, if he takes one, all those things. The offering goes to God's work. I'm so sorry so many people are so cynical about this.

Answer 6

We have sales and collect money to pay the light bill and help our community. Churches have expenses too. we get a phone bill just like everyone else. We also have to pay our minister. We send our youth to summer camp. We pay the lady that plays the piano for the choir. We get the carpets cleaned every now and then. This is a stupid question.

Answer 7

Dam fine point. We forget that a church is a focal point and coffee mornings and the odd sale brings people through the doors. Up to them if they come back to worship. It's a fair way of keeping the church in with the people in the area

Answer 8

Unlike Christ, we mortals need a building to come to and worship. We like lights, heat and air conditioning. These things cost money and since the government is not in the business of furnishing money to churches, we have to support our churches. That is why we collect money and have fund raisers to pay for our place of worship. We also collect money to feed the poor and homeless.

Answer 9

Unfortunately, everything has a price. People have to have food, like pastors, a home for the pastor and a paycheck, mortgages on the church, electricity, water, heat. Then theres the shut ins, people from the church visit them, take them food. They donate a lot to charities, give presents to kids and food to low income people at Christmas, like clothes, coats, boots, etc.. Our church financed a trip for the teens to Louisanna this summer to help rebuild. That kind of stuff.

Answer 10

Jesus says if you have done it for the least of my Breather , you have done it for me. Most think to do it at the Church, is the only time Gods Breather need help. and to often it does not get out of the Building except for the For Profiteers