I strongly believe in the assembling in the house of God. I wouldn't trade my church family for any other. Amazing people. They are my encouragement and I am theirs and we all lean on God for total support. We need that and I do believe that until someone has a church family they will not understand its importance.
And how does God feel about the church as a building? We know that the body of believers is the church, so it's flexible, but does he want us to just hang out at home in small groups or even watch tv evangelists and make that our church? Or is He actually interested in us coming under one roof? When He talks in scripture about the different roles of the church, and gifts, it would be hard for me to think those functions would best be suited in any other base of operation than the church building as we know it. Again, not to be exclusive in Gods ability to take the church out into the fields as well. For this is His will as well. To go into the world and preach the gospel.
But as I read things like Malachi 3:10- referencing money and tithing to be brought into the "storeroom" or "storage house in the temple", or "The house of treasury"--Basically the church house or church as we currently know it: facility wise. It seems to reason that God approves the church building body of christ, not to limit it, but to approve it, and will it.
Hebrews 10:24-25; goes on to say, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another-and all the more as we see the day approaching." So, not only does He approve it, He prefers it, and gives us even a timeline to it..."as we see the day approaching" meaning until He comes to earth again.
So not only is there vivid support of meeting as a group under one roof, but also until He comes back for His saints. God says where two or more are gathered there I am also, a context of prayer, so can I have a church from my basement? Well, I see the different gifts being worked in a better more practical way in the foundation of the facilities we currently house. Can we still have the church or body of believers be flexible in movement and effectiveness, absolutely. It doesn't have to be an either or . But what's God's best for us in all considerations, and purposes? So, for me my church doesn't just have value it is my preference because it is God's preference unless He calls me to a different purpose.
But God calls us all still to go out and make disciples from that base of operations.
