Is it wrong to have vending machines in church?

steve_562 · 06-30-2006, 10:06 PM

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12After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.
13When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"

17His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."

(John 2:12-17, niv)

so... are vending machines in churches wrong? I have never seen them in Ecuador, but since I came to the US I have been surprised to see them in many churches... Was Jesus only angry with the people for selling animals? How do churches justify this? Thanks

Lightknight · 06-30-2006, 10:10 PM

Depends, I remember stocking up my youth group soda machine for years. Can't tell you how many times it helped us go on mission trips. It seems to me like the people in the temple were just trying to get rich.

JesusFrEaK0077 · 06-30-2006, 10:12 PM

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Originally Posted by Lightknight

Depends, I remember stocking up my youth group soda machine for years. Can't tell you how many times it helped us go on mission trips. It seems to me like the people in the temple were just trying to get rich.

I've never heard of vending machiens in churches so I don't really know

Reedolo · 06-30-2006, 11:01 PM

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Originally Posted by steve_562

(John 2:12-17, niv)

so... are vending machines in churches wrong? I have never seen them in Ecuador, but since I came to the US I have been surprised to see them in many churches... Was Jesus only angry with the people for selling animals? How do churches justify this? Thanks

Jesus was angry because they were turning his Father's house into a house of trade, and the people were making profit from selling animals for someone else's sacrifice, which I believe was unlawful. Or at least it was unlawful to do so in the temple, because the temple was holy.

I've only seen a vending machine in a church once. I dont think it's wrong to have vending machines, because no one is being forced to by anything. It's just if your hungry, you get something, right? So i dont think there's anything wrong with it.

peace

patrick1 · 06-30-2006, 11:20 PM

yes, in that temple they were just trying to make profit,... now i dont believe much profit is gained by some mints and sodas...if any it helps the church with activities needed to gain money... which would just get raised some other way.

Lightknight · 07-01-2006, 01:11 AM

Man, doesn't that sound really dirty and unrighteous? Someone making money off of sacrifices to God. Perhaps the Apostles should have jumped in the brawl and thumped some skulls.

Reedolo · 07-01-2006, 01:39 AM

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Originally Posted by Lightknight

Man, doesn't that sound really dirty and unrighteous? Someone making money off of sacrifices to God. Perhaps the Apostles should have jumped in the brawl and thumped some skulls.

Perhaps they did? Who knows.

Lightknight · 07-01-2006, 01:47 AM

Hehe, maybe they held them for Him...

Futan · 07-01-2006, 02:12 AM

Like pretty much everyone has said already, there's probably nothing wrong with it. The main difference is the profit from the vending machines is going to the church to help better it, not to random people who just want to get rich.

Rick_is_boring · 07-01-2006, 04:58 PM

I would say not to do it. If Christ wanted us selling merchandise, he would have said something. Also didn't Paul actually tell the people to eat before they gathered, that the church wasn't the place for eating and drinking? I figure if you can't find an example of what you are doing in the Bible, you prolly shouldn't do it....

Lightknight · 07-01-2006, 05:14 PM

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Originally Posted by Rick_is_boring

I would say not to do it. If Christ wanted us selling merchandise, he would have said something. Also didn't Paul actually tell the people to eat before they gathered, that the church wasn't the place for eating and drinking? I figure if you can't find an example of what you are doing in the Bible, you prolly shouldn't do it....

Huh? The original church actually got together and ate as part of their meeting. Food was one of the main functions of the church.

Act 6:1 Now at this time while the disciples were increasing {in number,} a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic {Jews} against the {native} Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving {of food.}
Act 6:2 So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables.
Act 6:3 "Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.
Act 6:4 "But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
Act 6:5 The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch.
Act 6:6 And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them.

This was a church. A community that met daily for "church". Communion was a meal, not a stale wafer and a splash of grape juice.

The Bible speaks about men trying to make money off the things of God, it does not say that a church can't try to raise money to help perform the ministry of God.

**Sean** · 07-01-2006, 05:16 PM

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Originally Posted by Rick_is_boring

I would say not to do it. If Christ wanted us selling merchandise, he would have said something.

If Christ wanted us driving cars, he would have said something...
If Christ wanted us brushing our teeth, he would have said something....
If Christ wanted us taking showers, he would have said something...
If Christ wanted us to post on message boards, he would have said something...

You're using blatantly faulty logic. There is an infinate number of things we are allowed to do. Jesus would have had to spend His entire life....and a 1000 more lives simply telling us what we're allowed to do if it worked that way. Obviously it doesn't work that way, therefore your reasoning is completely faultly.

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Also didn't Paul actually tell the people to eat before they gathered, that the church wasn't the place for eating and drinking?

Scripture and context please....

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I figure if you can't find an example of what you are doing in the Bible, you prolly shouldn't do it....

I can't find an example of someone using a microphone...a hymnal...powerpoint...driving a car...a youth group...using a handout during a sermon...the english language...I can go on for eternity listing things NOT found in the Bible