Why Build?

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Why have a church building? What is the point? What are we trying to do with it?

The first reason is one that sanctuaries share with all buildings whatever. That reason is the wind, snow, rain, and so on. God has put us in a world where we require shelter in order to do the things that God has called us to do. Even foxes have holes, and birds have nests, as the Lord pointed out (Matt. 8:20), and we are creatures also.

The second reason has to do with the opportunity to glorify God. We are not the only creatures who build shelters, but we are the only creatures who talk by means of them. We are the only creatures who decorate them. From stadiums to skyscrapers, man uses brick and concrete and re-bar to speak. For churches, we ought to use these things to preach.

The third reason is that a building—used rightly—becomes a staging area, an organizational point for all the things the church is called to do during the course of the week. In our case, this would include evangelism and outreach, college ministry, benevolence, and so forth.

And forth, a building is a casing, a receptacle, to house God’s people doing what God commanded us centrally to do. What is that? We are told to gather weekly, to hear Scripture read, to sing psalms and hymns, to hear the Word of God proclaimed, and to break bread together. We are supposed to get together in order to love one another.

Last, we build because we are human beings. When human beings are stirred up, the first thing that happens is building. When the Spirit moves among His people, He motivates them to shape the world in a particular way, and to have that shape acquire something of a permanent form. If we do not do this, it means that we have not been stirred, we are not moved. But that is not the case here.

So let the stones cry out.

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