2007-07-10 09:03:52 · 19 answers · asked by Emperor Insania Says Bye! 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The true church is still the "body of Christ".
The real church is not a building with a pipe organ inside with a steeple with a cross on top.
The real church is anywhere that two or three Christians have gathered together in the Name of Jesus.
So if there are three Christians traveling together in a Volkwagen, that Volkswagen has become a "church".
Pastor Art
2007-07-10 09:16:05 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's not that the meaning has changed, but that there are now 2 different meanings, one for a building, one for the body of Christ. When Christians originally met, there was no place they could call a "church", because they met in houses, catacombs, rooms upstairs, and in secret. And you didn't always meet in the same place because that would be noticed, arrested, and probably killed in some gruesome way- including the women and children. Now that Christians have the freedom to meet in a building specifically designated for churches, people refer to it as "the church".
Church can also mean a church service. Many people with the thinking, "Yeah I believe in God, I go to church, and so I guess I'm a Christian" church is merely that thing on Sundays. It takes a good deal of time, particularly for new Christians and second generation Christians to realize that church is more than a building or a service.
My church services are held in a middle school, although we are in the process of buying a building. Not having a building helps the church body to realize how much more than a building a church actually is, and it helps to make the church (people) grow together as a church.
2007-07-10 16:29:34 · answer #2 · answered by Angeliss 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pastor Billy says: when did the question become either or? Answer the 16th century Reformation or sometime even more recent. The Christian church is both the living stones meaning those believers who form the metaphorical body of Christ and also the solid stones which form the bricks and mortar of places of Christian worship erected by ancient Christians.
It is my opinion this canned cliche of, "the church is not a building" has mainly and often been employed by Protestant Christians as they lack antiquity or history extending back to Christ and the apostles.
This cliche is taught as it encourages a denial of 1600 years of Christianity. The real question should be if all those ancient Christian buildings are Catholic/Orthodox than why aren't I also Catholic?
2007-07-10 16:20:12 · answer #3 · answered by Pastor Billy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It hasn't. The church is not a building but those who congregate in the building to praise and worship God. If there were no buildings in the world the church of Christ would still remain intact.
2007-07-10 16:10:29 · answer #4 · answered by Um..yeah 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When the Romans stopped persecuting Christians, it was no longer necessary for the Christians to hide their services from public view. They were allowed to build buildings to hold their services in. In the 12th century, it became increasingly popular to build as many churches as possible with tall steeples so that travelers could look at your city and see how religious you were based on how many churches you had. Thus the beginning of appearance becoming more important than substance.
2007-07-12 01:34:05 · answer #5 · answered by Matt 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It didn't. The Church - the true Church founded by Jesus Christ, not manmade imitations - is still the body of Christ, and will be until the end of time.
2007-07-10 16:12:45 · answer #6 · answered by PaulCyp 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
when it became so popular that emperor Constantine made Christian the "official" religion.
And in case you don't know, it's about to go back to bein about the body of Christ because the church is about to experience some serious persecution.
2007-07-10 16:08:43 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The Body of Christ was made manifest in the "Upper Room" where the desciples met. This may happen in a house if it is ok'd by the Bishop but, it is with his people together.
2007-07-10 16:08:18 · answer #8 · answered by Midge 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jesus came to preach against the church, the church took him and crucified him.His followers became rebellous the church saw it then they took the name Jesus ,plastered it to their churches and still carried on with the same bs that was before christ.But Jesus said that everyone that believe in him will recieve the holy spirit and will see through the false christian churches and the holy spirit will guide them in truth so that they dont have to follow the false shepherds anymore. the god of the church is the devil .and the devil of the church is the father of jesus .GOD is love The church preach hate
2007-07-10 16:12:59 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Church is not a building. It's the people coming together to worship and learn. The people itself is the church. They could study anywhere they want.
2007-07-10 16:08:14 · answer #10 · answered by samswebsite 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋