Many years ago, when I was young, the place where Christians gathered in a church to hear the sermon was most often called the Sanctuary. Auditorium or Sanctuary: does it matter, or is it just simply semantics?
Let's take a look at these two places and do a comparison. Then perhaps we will be able to make a more informed decision. Is it just semantics? Or is it something we have allowed to subtly change the way we feel about the place we gather weekly, or perhaps semi-weekly, to hear the message that God has laid on the heart of His preacher to share with the congregation?
The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines Auditorium as:
1. the part of a public building where an audience sits
2. a room, hall, or building used for public gatherings
Well, based on that definition alone we could safely say that we sit in an Auditorium to hear the sermon. And, based on that definition alone, we would be correct. But we would be remiss if we did not examine the other side of the issue thus allowing us to make the most informed decision possible.
Let us see how the Merriam Webster Dictionary defines Sanctuary:
1. a consecrated place: as
a. the ancient Hebrew temple at Jerusalem or its holy of holies
b. (1): the most sacred part of a religious building (as the part of a Christian church in which the altar is placed) (2): the room in which general worship services are held (3): a place (as a church or a temple) for worship
2. a. (1): a place of refuge and protection (2): a refuge for wildlife where predators are controlled and hunting is illegal
Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/
As one can easily see by the definitions of these two words there is a huge and noticable difference between an Auditorium and a Sanctuary. But, what, you may be asking yourself, difference does it make?
Let's attempt to answer that question.
Most of us in fundamental Christian circles believe it is important to call sin by its proper name. We prefer not to use the term alcoholism because being a drunkard is a sin. We don't think of abortion as a choice but as the murder of a defenseless fetus. We don't refer to homosexuality as an alternative lifestyle but as sin and an abomination. I think you see the point. We believe that calling sin by its proper name is important but shouldn't it be just as important to call a place where we go to worship God and hear His Word preached and taught by its proper name?
Has Satan duped us into thinking it is not important to view the place where we gather to worship his arch-enemy, God, as a Sanctuary?
Some churches used to teach that once one entered the Sanctuary that most talking should cease and one was to take some time before the sermon to reflect and examine themselves. That they had entered a holy place where God was getting ready to meet with them and they with Him and it was a time to enter into an attitude of worship and contrition.
In the Old Testament, before the priest entered into the holy of holies he prepared himself both physically and spiritually. Why did he do that? Because he was preparing to enter into a place where he was going to meet with the Holy God of the universe, the Creator.
When we enter into the Sanctuary in our church aren't we doing the same thing? Don't we pray and ask God to meet with us? Don't we believe we are going there to hear from Him? Aren't we supposed to go with a sense of and an intent to worship? Yes, I know, we are supposed to prepare our hearts before we even walk into the Sanctuary. But do we? Many of us are rushing in and trying to make it on time and we may not have had the opportunity for preparation of the heart. But if we walk into a place that has a sense of reverence and respect and sanctity to it wouldn't it prompt us to be more apt to take a few moments to prepare our hearts to not only meet with God but also to respond to what He speaks to us about?
I have never seen anything remotely holy about an Auditorium. But a Sanctuary is supposed to be a holy place as expressed by definition of a secular book, The Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Wait! We have forgotten something very important! What does the Holy Bible say about all of this?
Well, first, the word Auditorium never appears one time in the King James Version of the Holy Bible. But the word Sanctuary is mentioned 137 times in 132 verses. There are three words in the entire Bible for Sanctuary and they all mean the same thing.
In the Old Testament it means: Apartness, sacredness, separateness, holiness of God, places, things. Dedicated, hallowed, consecrated.
In the New Testament it means:
1) reverend, worthy of veneration
a) of things which on account of some connection with God
possess a certain distinction and claim to reverence, as places sacred to God
which are not to be profanedb) of persons whose services God employs, for example, apostles
2) set apart for God, to be as it were, exclusively His
3) services and offerings
a) prepared for God with solemn rite, pure, clean
4) in a moral sense, pure sinless upright holy
Source:http://www.blueletterbible.org/
I believe the point is made. What we call something does matter because it has a definite effect on how we perceive it. If we perceive the place where we meet with God as an Auditorium then we are just meeting Him in a room or building used for public gatherings. And while a church is a public gathering it is also much more. It is supposed to be a group of people who are a called out assembly. Called out to worship God, to be separated unto Him, to reverence Him Who is sacred, Him Who alone is Holy. That sounds more to me like the definition of a Sanctuary as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and the Holy Bible
.
I realize that one really worships God in the heart and that it is to be the ultimate Sanctuary. But let's not allow Satan and the world to sell us a "bill of goods". God allowed the tabenacle and temple to be built so His people would have a place to gather together and worship Him. Those places were to be holy, set apart, and sacred. So is the Sanctuary today. If we are so adamant about calling sin by its rightful name shouldn't we be just as adamant about calling the place that has been set aside to gather for worship by its rightful name?
