PARTICIPATION!
If you could comment on this one, it would be a huge help to lead the direction of the whole series.And I say series because I want to do more than one blog as I see what people are saying.
This is going to be a post on something that is somewhat an unspoken, alcohol. I want to see what people in the church think about drinking, and I want to hear what people outside of the church think about people inside the church. I want to look from all angles and I want to look at pros and cons.
First question: Does alcohol disable you from being beyond reproach?
I asked a pastor friend of mine from a local church why he had decided to not drink anything that has any alcohol in it. To my surprise he said "because of what non-believers might think of me if I have a drink. Many non-believers or people from different backgrounds would probably not trust me or believe in me because they think a man who is the head of a church is better than alcohol." Now this is the twist... I asked him about drinking and if it was a sin.
His Answer - "No... but it is for me to do it..."
Which leads me to wonder... is it for me as well? I mean, I am involved with leading a youth ministry. Students do mirror what we do. Or is showing them that it is okay to drink once you are 21 and can use it responsibly a good thing to mirror as well?
That is for you decide... Stay tuned as I dive into what the Word has to say about the issue.
1 comments:
Flora,
you know where I stand on alcohol my friend. Does it put us beyond reproach? I think so. Are we able to glorify G-d in all we do if we are drunk? However, I do not think that G-d is against alcohol. Jesus' first miracle, after all, was turning water into wine. Biblically it says not to get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Debauchery leads to a wasted life. Think about people who you know that party. What else do they do? Are they not focused, a lot, if not all of them on when they will get to go to another party? Have you heard of people bragging about how much they threw up or talking about so-and-so who passed out? I believe that moderation is key. Also, along with moderation comes discernment...well it needs to come along anyways...it doesn't always! Ha...but for someone in ministry, drinking heavily in front of your youth or possibly an alcoholic wouldn't be edificial, remember my friend "as iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another," but I believe that is a two way street, and we don't want to be tearing anyone down, ya know? Also I think it's wise to heed Paul's words in First Corinthians 6:12 when discussing this, "Everything is permissible for me'—but not everything is beneficial. 'Everything is permissible for me'—but I will not be mastered by anything."
Most importantly Adam, you must follow your own convictions. Romans 10 tells us that we must live according to our own convictions. So regardless of your conclusion, I could not judge you if our convictions don't match up, because I believe G-d gives people different convictions and people handle things differently. I pray that your answer to this question would be answered, I fear that I too will be asking myself the same question soon when I leave for Uganda and Europe. I pray you're well my friend. Thanks for being an encouraging voice and not being content with mediocre Christianity!
Just another begger,
J. Best
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