Do Christians Need a House of Worship?

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN:  Do Christians need a house of worship? It is our faith that God is all powerful and is everywhere. So, since God is everywhere, others have drawn the conclusion that the temple or the house of worship is not needed because anywhere we are, we can pray to God or worship Him. Should we then conclude that a house of worship is no longer needed? What is God’s command then in this instance?

[SHOW OPEN]

The Bible: The basis of our faith in the Church Of Christ, which answers questions about proper worship, the right relationship with God, and most importantly, salvation. That’s in the Bible.

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: I’m Bob Pellien and welcome to the program, That’s in the Bible. Inside the Church Of Christ you’ll find that we worship God inside beautiful houses of worship, together as a congregation.

And as others witness that, we received this comment on YouTube:

… Is the command to build a temple for God still in effect under the New Covenant? If so, what scriptural evidence from the New Testament affirms that Christians, and not only the ancient Israelites, are likewise commanded to build a house of worship for God in our time?

@marionacosta9630

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: So there are others that acknowledge the relevance of the temple or house of worship construction during the time of the Israelites, but believe that it is no longer needed in the Christian era.

So let’s take a look at this issue regarding the house of worship, its purpose, why it was instructed to be created, and is there any relevance for it in our time?

So, let’s break it down into these three questions:

1. Originally, what were the important reasons God commanded His people to build a temple or sanctuary to assemble themselves together?
2. What is one of the things to be done at the worship building where God meets with His people?
3. Have the instructions of God regarding the house of worship been changed in the Christian Era?

[2:38] God commanded to build a Temple

Alright, let’s start with asking, originally, what were the important reasons God commanded His people to build a temple or a sanctuary to assemble themselves together? Let’s begin, we do so by reading first Exodus 25:8 where it says this:

And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.

Exodus 25:8 New King James Version

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: Dear friends, the purpose of God was He wanted them, the Israelites, to make a sanctuary or a place where they would gather, a place where He said He would dwell among them. Then, and now, yes, God is everywhere – yet He gave an instruction to meet Him somewhere.

So the worship building was a place where God intended to meet with His people, and He called it a sanctuary which is by definition a holy or a sacred place of safety, security and solace. A place where they would also experience the presence of God. What was expected to happen in the sanctuary, as God’s people gather there in the presence of God? We turn to the Bible once again, this time Haggai the prophet, I quote chapter one verse eight:

Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the Lord.

Haggai 1:8  New King James Version

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: So dear friends, in the temple that God’s people would build, it would become a place where God would be glorified. People that He loves will bring Him glory there. He established that there is to be a set apart place and destination. And by the way dear friends, who will choose where this gathering place would be? Is it us, or is it God? Can you worship God anywhere, and declare that wherever you are, that’s God’s temple? Let’s cite once again the response of God, Deut 12:5:

But you shall seek the place where the Lord your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go.

Deuteronomy 12:5 New King James Version

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: So, dear friends, it is not us who will choose where we gather to be with God. It is His choice, and we are the followers of His choice, His instruction.

How does God show that He also values the dwelling place? And, was it something that He intended to only be a temporary experience? Let’s read next in 2 Chron 7:16 NIV

I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

2 Chronicles 7:16  New International Version

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: Dear friends, our Lord God consecrated the temple or made it holy as a place where He would dwell with His people and that was not temporary. He said that His name would be there forever. He promised that His eyes and heart would always be there.

[6:28] What happens at a worship building

What was one of the things to be done at the temple where God met with His people? Isaiah 2:3:

Many people will come and say, “Let’s go to the mountain of the Lord God of Jacob and worship in his temple.” The Lord will teach us his Law from Jerusalem, and we will obey him.

Isaiah 2:3 Contemporary English Version

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: It was to be a place where the people would come to worship the Lord and hear the teaching of His law and the teaching that they would obey.

These scriptures establish God’s instruction regarding houses of worship, reaching back to the time of His first people.

[7:22] Instructions for Christian Era

But have these instructions of God regarding the house of worship been changed in the Christian Era? Do Christians need a house of worship? Is there any evidence in the Holy Scriptures that in the Christian era or in the time of the early Church built by our Lord Jesus Christ that they continued with the same care, the same concern about the temple or the house of worship where God’s people would gather? Acts 2:46, let’s check what transpired back then:

So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,

Acts 2:46  New King James Version

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: We can notice here dear friends that the early members of the Church, they gave importance to the house of worship. In fact, they gathered there at the temple daily. There is no instruction from God in the New Testament that the house of worship is no longer important or that assembling ourselves together for the purpose of worshiping our Almighty God, that’s not important to God anymore.

It is true that there are laws of God given in ancient times that are no longer to be fulfilled by all people at all times. For example, God gave a command to Noah, right?  Build an ark, however we are not committing a sin by not building an ark. It was a law, it was a command God gave to Noah. There are also laws for His people in former times that have been renewed by our Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles both by directives and by their actions. Maintaining a gathering place or worship building clearly continues in the New Testament Church Of Christ.

What is one thing that many people should always remember about God and His instruction to gather at the house of worship? Let’s take a look at what the apostles taught to the Church, and that’s recorded here in the Book of Hebrews 10:25 wherein it says the following:

Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord’s coming is getting closer.

Hebrews 10: 25 Contemporary English Version

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: Here, dear friends, the apostles taught clearly that we should continue to meet together for worship. It is clear that the Old Testament expectation for God’s people to have a place to assemble together, it’s clear that continues in the Christian Era.  It would be wrong to disregard the assembling of ourselves together, or to be among those who sometimes think that the house of worship is not important, or that because we can pray to the Lord or worship Him anywhere that we are, that now we can disregard the assembling of ourselves together in the house of worship for the congregational worship service. Personal or individual prayers and worship, yes that’s valuable, but never “instead” of congregational worship service. That would be a serious violation of the plan of God, which is to dwell with His people in an assembly where they will give glory to Him.

What was another instruction though of the apostles about the worship of God? Well we can cite that in the writings of Apostle Paul in 1 Cor 14:26 where it says:

How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.

1 Corinthians 14:26 New King James Version

[12:00] Summary and learn more

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: So the teaching of the apostles about the worship service was for them to come together or assemble, where in they would have psalms or hymn singing, there would be the teaching, and the full array of worship elements. In our time multitudes of people are joining the Church Of Christ and entering the houses of worship to offer such true worship to the true God. In order to comply with this expectation of the Lord, and due to the ever-increasing number of members of the Church Of Christ all over the world, obviously it becomes necessary to construct many more worship buildings so as to comply with the command of the Lord to assemble or meet together in the sanctuary where God promises to dwell with His people as they give glory to Him. That is what makes a church building necessary.

Dear friends, let’s review the questions we began with and let’s see what the Bible has revealed to us. We asked:

1. Originally, what were the important reasons God commanded His people to build a temple or sanctuary to assemble themselves together?  We learned that the purpose of God was very clear. He wanted them to make a sanctuary or a place where they would gather, a place where He said He would dwell among them and they would then give glory to Him.
2. What is one of the things to be done at the worship building where God meets with His people?We then learned that the house of worship is where God’s people gather to receive His teachings and guidance for their lives.
3. Have the instructions of God regarding the House of Worship been changed in the Christian Era? No. We learned that maintaining the house of worship as the gathering place for God’s people in the New Testament time, or in the Christian Era, continues.

Dear friends, we’d like you to continue learning about the teachings of the Holy Scriptures taught here inside the Iglesia Ni Cristo, Church Of Christ. To do so, please visit us also online and browse the different topics or set up an appointment to meet with a minister of the gospel. And if you have any questions about the Bible or salvation, please email them to us. I’m Bob Pellien. Thanks for watching. See you next time on That’s in the Bible!