Posted on 08/07/2017 10:33:57 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
A few years ago, I attended a conference where pastors were encouraged to meet at a pub after the general sessions. A few of these pastors could exercise their liberty, but why publicly? I wondered how many people at the conference stumbled because of it.
The demands of life often tempt us to seek gratification in alcohol and other things. We must be on high alert. The enemy uses "opportune times" to draw us away from God. (cf. Luke 4:13.) The line is so thin that it is often hard to determine when we cross over.
The person who consumes alcohol walks a very fine line between freedom and sin, responsibility and carelessness, liberty and abuse — over-indulgence can even disqualify a person from leadership (cf. 1 Timothy 3). This discussion is not about a glass of wine or beer now and then, it's about abusing liberty. Damage done to families and individuals through alcohol use demands a closer look.
Pastor John MacArthur states what many of us feel but seldom discuss, "It is puerile and irresponsible for any pastor to encourage the recreational use of intoxicants — especially in church-sponsored activities. The ravages of alcoholism and drug abuse in our culture are too well known, and no symbol of sin's bondage is more seductive or more oppressive than booze."
I couldn't agree more. The trend of young Christian leaders consuming alcohol on a regular basis is alarming. Many will look back and regret the damage that was done to lives, churches, and their own testimony.
Pastor Darrin Patrick, in his book Church Planter, writes, "I am shocked at the number of them [pastors] who are either addicted or headed toward addiction to alcohol."
David Wilkerson adds, "Alcohol is now the modern golden calf, and millions of people, young and old, male and female, have been seduced by it."
Many counseling appointments are because of alcohol and drug abuse. Add to that the amount of domestic violence cases and the number of abused children because of alcohol, and we would be remiss to ignore its dangers.
We often flaunt liberty and laugh in the face of God's grace by posting our favorite beer brands and wines on Facebook, all under the guise of "exercising liberty." While Romans 14 discusses personal freedoms, it also has strong warnings "not to do anything that will cause others to fall" (vs. 21).
Consider the following:
* Jesus was filled with the Spirit ... holiness flowed from every area of His life. This cannot be said of those who consume alcohol regularly. What is the fruit of today's preoccupation with alcohol? Conversations often turn away from God, if they were there to begin with. We begin to compromise our time and interests; we'd rather head to Vegas than a prayer meeting. Jesus said that "wisdom is justified by her children" (cf. Luke 7:35). Carnal Christians consume alcohol regularly. The harmful fruit that results from a lifestyle focused on alcohol is proof enough.
* The Bible never encourages crossing the line. A preoccupation with alcohol is just one indicator of alcoholism; a preoccupation with drinking at events or social gatherings is another. Some even bring out their private collection of hard liquor after having a few drinks. This is not liberty; it's addiction.
* We assume that the alcohol content today is the same as in Jesus' day. In His day, a little water was often placed into the wine and thus decreased the alcohol content (cf. 1 Timothy 5:23) ... much like an O'douls today. "Strong drink" were drinks with higher alcohol content that led to drunkenness. Craft beer, for example, often has two times more alcohol than mass-produced beer. Those having two pints of craft beer may have the equivalent of five regular beers.
* "Jesus ate and drank with sinners." "But there is no suggestion in Scripture that Jesus purposely assumed the look and lifestyle of a publican in order to gain acceptance..." (John MacArthur). We should fellowship without engaging in the practices of a secular lifestyle. The world will know that we are Christians by our love and by our convictions, not by how well we imitate the world around us. We seldom hear non-Christians say, "I'm turned off by Christians because they seldom compromise." But we do hear, "Christians who say one thing and do another really turn me off." "Be not among winebibbers ..." (Proverbs 23:20).
* Drinking often is now called liberty instead of addiction. Many Christians center everything around alcohol — fellowship, events, birthdays, bible studies, etc. When alcohol is the center of attention, it becomes an idol and an addiction. This is why many will be offended by this article.
* In Jesus' day, society was much more isolated. We cannot calculate how many people are affected by today's social media. A person with 500 "friends" may be encouraging dozens to stumble. It is the selfless motivation of love that keeps us from causing others to stumble (cf. Romans 14).
1 Peter 2:16 reminds us that many use liberty to hide sin: "A cloak for vice," and Galatians 5:13 says we should not "use our freedom to indulge the flesh." If these points raise concerns, I encourage honest repentance. Its often not "if" alcohol consumption causes damage but "when." Why would we willingly walk into the enemy's camp?
God does not want us to be enslaved to anything. It is important that we take an account of our lives and see if this area has a hold on us. Be honest. How much do you drink? Is it really one drink now and then, or is it throughout the week? Is it a large goblet that holds ¾ of a bottle of wine and do you fill it twice?
Do you make excuses in order to exceed moderation and plan activities around alcohol? Do others comment on your drinking? Do you often argue and try to justify your position? Paul said that even though we have freedom, not everything is good for us. We should not become a slave to anything (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:12). It's time to break free from this flawed liberty.
- Shane Idleman is the founder and lead pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Lancaster, California, just North of Los Angeles
I believe we have far greater problems in the church these days than what people consume.
There was a guy who used to sidewalk preach in NC that used the money he raised to buy his liquor. His theology was more sound that what I hear today from guys who can fill an arena.
Lol... when I got married I had to “convert” to marry my Catholic, at that time, Wife.
I had to “give” something to the church... and a bottle of scotch to the priest...
“Grape juice” is a rather new invention.
Grapes by their nature & environment tend to ferment, period. Squash a grape, leave it exposed to a non-disinfected atmosphere, and it will start producing alcohol.
It was a Mr. Welch of not long ago that figured out how to preserve grape squeezin’s without fermentation.
Wine. It’s what grapes do.
To answer the question...I sure hope so! He and I have had a beer together on several occasions!
The Scriptures are pretty clear that consuming alcohol IN EXCESS is bad.
Mmmm beer
Eat, drink and be merry, but don’t fall into excess and a drunken stupor wherein temptation will get the better of many in such a state, that’s what the Bible appears to state as far as I’m able to tell from my own readings. Sorry, Baptists, it was not possible to have just plain grape juice in that era, it would have rapidly become a sickening swill filled with bacteria. It was shelf stable at room temperature, and it wasn’t vinegar. Therefore it had alcohol in it sufficient to be antimicrobial.
I was once told by a Methodist historian that Welch made a deal with the Methodist church, that he would provide grape juice for free for their communion. The good reason was to avoid alcohol even in communion; the real reason was to provide a sample of the product for prospective customers.
I grew up in a dry town in suburban south Jersey. The adjoining community’s main industry was providing alcoholic beverages to the citizens of the dry town. My Methodist parents both drank, to the consternation of the local pastor. I’ve been a Lutheran for three decades, and I am for all practical purposes a tee-totaler, with perhaps one glass of wine or tokkuri of sake a year.
Lol. I will now use that comment on non-drinkers at parties. Thank you :)
I completely disagree, both from scripture and from life/parenting.
https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=wine&qs_version=NIV
Wine is mentioned many times in the Bible, both positively and negatively.
Genesis 19:32
Let’s get our father to drink wine and then sleep with him and preserve our family line through our father.”
Genesis 27:28
May God give you heaven’s dew and earth’s richness— an abundance of grain and new wine.
Numbers 15:5
With each lamb for the burnt offering or the sacrifice, prepare a quarter of a hin of wine as a drink offering.
Deuteronomy 33:28
So Israel will live in safety; Jacob will dwell secure in a land of grain and new wine, where the heavens drop dew.
2 Samuel 13:28
Absalom ordered his men, “Listen! When Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ then kill him. Don’t be afraid. Haven’t I given you this order? Be strong and brave.”
Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.
Ecclesiastes 9:7
Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do.
John 2:9-10
and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
Romans 14:21
It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.
1 Timothy 3:8
In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain.
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As I read scripture, wine is one of life’s joys. The error and sin are in “much wine”.
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As a parent, I did not want alcohol to be “forbidden” and thus tempting. Instead, I allowed my children to drink at home if they wished - and I modeled very limited, controlled drinking. They tried it a few times, but not very much, just enough to not be very curious about drinking when they grew up. As far as I know none of them have been drunk. They learned to drink responsibly, both as I modeled it at home and as they experimented at home. It’s easy to control your drinking if you have a safe place to try it and learn that it’s no big deal away from peer pressure.
For ministers? I approve of limited, controlled drinking, even (especially?) in public, at least if they can drink responsibly. It’s good for their followers to see a responsible alternative to drinking to get as drunk as possible, as quickly as possible.
Only if there isn’t any good free wine for them!
Thank you both for the input. ive stuffed it in the noggin for future reference.
Yes to the question. Technically.
But it isn’t wise.
God invented beer so we Irish would not conquer the world.
An equally provocative and not-facetious question might be, “How great is the scourge of obesity, brought on by the sin of gluttony, to which many a church pot-luck super has contributed?” Given the rampage of obesity driven diabetes in our culture, perhaps preachers should also integrate exhortations on dietary moderation into their sermons.
Yes, in fact they can have more than one. Drink up.
This “tyranny of the weaker brother” nonsense is part of the ongoing infantilization of Christian faith. In short it turns Christians like John MacArthur into Social Justice Warriors, always offended by anything they do not choose to do.
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>> “I wondered how many people at the conference stumbled because of it.” <<
Not one who wasn’t already in the ditch!
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I can just hear them at the wedding feast: “Wow Jesus! This is the best watered down wine I have ever had!”
The word of God drives the point home in several ways:
1. The party was running out of wine.
2. The wine steward wanted to know why they served the best wine for last.
3. It was Jesus’ first miracle.
And people want to argue that the “ok for Christians” wine in the bible was watered down like O’Doul’s?
That is not rational.
BTW, O’Doul’s is “non-alcoholic”. It has “less than one half of one percent” alcohol. The same is true of Coke or a glass of water. The wording is specific and for a reason. It is considered so low on alcohol to be alcohol free.
BTW, when I stopped drinking for two years I would still drink O’Doul’s and thought it tasted like beer - until I had a real beer. That Rainier (which is the weak stuff) tasted like alcohol, strongly.
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