Bible Questions & Answers
If you have a specific question you would like to ask, send it to Dan Allen jd03325@gmail.com You must give your name and e-mail address.
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I will make every effort to answer your questions within 3 days.
Each answered question will include a Scripture reference for the question. I urge you to read all scriptures from your Bible accepting only what the Bible teaches.
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QUESTION: Is it wrong for a congregation to have a fellowship hall (I
Corinthians 11:20-22; 33-34)?
ANSWER: Generally speaking, it is not wrong! The Lord has appointed that a
plurality of elders is to have the rule over their own congregation. They are to rule
only in matters of option, since the Lord has already ruled in matters of faith and
doctrine. Some congregations have opted not to own a building, but to rent a
facility for worship services. Some have opted to buy a building already erected,
others to build a place of worship. There is no specific commandment as to
“houses of worship,” other than the fact that since it is commanded that we
worship, a meeting “place” is clearly and of necessity implied. The “where and
how” is a matter of opinion falling under the jurisdiction of the local eldership! If a
need arises in a congregation for a fellowship hall in the opinion of the elders,
either within or without the “place” of worship, it is their decision to make. God will
judge that decision!
A “place” of worship is just that, nothing more; nothing less! It is not to be
understood as a “holy place” that can be desecrated by using it for other
purposes, such as having a common fellowship meal within it, outside of the
worship service!
Without doubt, the erection and use of fellowship halls has been abused by some
through misuse and excessive expenditures, to the near exclusion of the Great
Commission! It is, as well, true that the same thing can be said about “meeting
houses,” more aptly described as “Cathedrals!” However, the misuse of
“buildings” by some does not mean that having a “fellowship hall” is of itself
sinful, as some would claim. Certainly, the passages you suggest (I Corinthians
11:20-22; 33-34) have nothing to do with “buildings” per se! In context, the
Corinthians had turned the Lord’s Supper into a banquet for the express purpose
of enjoying the satisfaction of their own physical hunger and thirst, thereby
thwarting the divine purpose of this act of worship. Paul is simply saying, ‘when
you come together to partake of the Lord’s Supper, do it for the right reason
(vs.26). Satisfy the physical needs of your bodies in your own houses, not in the
worship services!’ Note in I Corinthians16:19 and Romans 16:5 that Paul talks
about (and sanctions) the church that meets in the “house” of Aquila and
Priscilla. Clearly, this righteous couple ate and drank in the same building (their
house) in which the church worshiped. Apparently then, their house (in which
they dined) also doubled as a place of worship and a “fellowship hall” (Acts 2:46).
