{"id":24204,"date":"2010-08-08T11:34:00","date_gmt":"2010-08-08T16:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=24204"},"modified":"2020-07-27T11:50:21","modified_gmt":"2020-07-27T16:50:21","slug":"do-you-sell-everything-you-have-why-do-you-have-an-air-conditioned-building","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-you-sell-everything-you-have-why-do-you-have-an-air-conditioned-building\/","title":{"rendered":"Do you sell everything you have? Why do you have an air-conditioned building?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t

Question:<\/h2>\n
“Quite simply, we are a church that follows after the pattern of the New Testament.”
\n—from\u00a0the church website<\/a>.\n

“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need<\/em>” (Acts 4:32-35).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    \n
  1. Does this church have people sell everything are are distributed to everyone as they have need?<\/li>\n
  2. Why do you have air-conditioning at the church building, when this is not the pattern of the New Testament church?<\/li>\n
  3. Why have a church building at all? Where in the New Testament does it say that a church building was built — with or without a kitchen?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\t

    Answer:<\/h2>\n

    You can tell a facetious argument when the person argues that the very things he practices are not authorized by God. If he truly believed such, he would not be doing it. Yet, he thinks nothing of worshiping in an air-conditioned building while telling people that if they really were following the New Testament they would not be doing such a thing. You are arguing that you go beyond the teachings of God, whether you intended to or not, and are in sin. You are saying you have no good reason for doing these very things, but in your mind, that is somehow permission to ignore God’s commands. In your argument, you are trying to say, “You ignore God’s commands too, so you are no better than us.” But to argue that two groups are doing something wrong does not translate it into being a right.<\/p>\n

    In answer to your question about Acts 4:32-35, the local church here does take care of its members who are in need. But your question makes assumptions about what the disciples did in Acts 4 which are not there. It does not say everyone sold what they had, Luke said, “all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them<\/em>.” It was the wealthy landowners in the congregation who sold their possessions to cover the expenses of taking care of the needy. It does not say that these people sold everything they had. What Luke did say was that each shared “any of the things he possessed.<\/em>” The early church did not practice communism. It encouraged its members to share their excess. “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need<\/em>” (Ephesians 4:28). See “All Things in Common<\/a>” and “Economic Systems<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

    The building has the same features found in other public buildings in the area. It is called a building code and it is a part of the price of having a facility in our country. If we met in a private home or rented a facility, air conditioning would still be there because it is basically a given in this region of the country — just as you will find heat in public and private buildings.<\/p>\n

    The mistake being made is assuming that there is a lack of authority. The church is commanded to gather together for worship (Hebrews 10:25; I Corinthians 11:20; 14:26). We could choose to gather in someone’s home, but local ordinances, for reasons of safety, limit the number of people who can gather at one time in a private home. We could rent a facility, and many congregations do so. We could meet outdoors someplace, but that would cause problems when the weather becomes severe. Many congregations purchase a building simply because it is the most economical way to have a meeting place for the church in their region and we try to make sure the Lord’s money is used wisely. See “Can you explain “expediency?”<\/a>” for details.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Question: “Quite simply, we are a church that follows after the pattern of the New Testament.” —from\u00a0the church website. “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[78,194,151,114,688,576],"class_list":["post-24204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-authority","tag-benevolence","tag-eating-in-the-building","tag-expediency","tag-poverty","tag-wealth"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":34375,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-doesnt-the-church-sell-everything-it-owns-to-give-to-the-poor\/","url_meta":{"origin":24204,"position":0},"title":"Why doesn’t the church sell everything it owns to give to the poor?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 12, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: The church in Acts had people who sold their possessions and gave to those without. Why doesn't the church do that today? Is it a sin to deny someone something because you want to use it? Answer: An example of the selling of the possessions that you referenced in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36657,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-acts-2-justify-churches-helping-the-poor-in-the-general-population\/","url_meta":{"origin":24204,"position":1},"title":"Does Acts 2 justify churches helping the poor in the general population?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 27, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: In Acts 2 Christians were selling their property and giving to those in need. Were these individuals giving to individuals or individuals giving to the church and the church giving? If it was the church giving, were they giving to non-Christians or Christians only? I've heard this scripture used\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28097,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-authority-of-the-apostles\/","url_meta":{"origin":24204,"position":2},"title":"The Authority of the Apostles (Johnson)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Mike Johnson Many acknowledge the authority of God and Christ but do not accept or understand the authority of the Apostles. Some people today say we only need the words of Jesus to guide us. Some who take this position place a great deal of emphasis on the red-letter\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":60458,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-the-church-may-use-its-money\/","url_meta":{"origin":24204,"position":3},"title":"How the Church May Use Its Money","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Andy Sochor \"Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9482,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-the-church-isnt-a-social-organization-then-how-are-the-needy-cared-for\/","url_meta":{"origin":24204,"position":4},"title":"If the church isn’t a social organization, then how are the needy cared for?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 18, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: \"The church has no bowling league, no softball team, nor does it sponsor a Boy Scout troop. We have an air-conditioned building with several rooms for Bible classes, but there is no kitchen, no banquet hall, no gymnasium, or party room. Perhaps you are wondering what kind of church\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":60991,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/when-was-the-church-built\/","url_meta":{"origin":24204,"position":5},"title":"When Was the Church Built?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 29, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by Richie Thetford In the denominational world, one would get all kinds of different dates as to when \"their\" church was established. But we need only to be concerned with one church - the church that Jesus built! 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