Can Christians Drink Alcohol?
How are we as Christians supposed to look at alcohol today, in our time and culture?
Nowhere in the Bible is it taught that drinking wine or alcohol is a sin. It is, however, taught that drinking too much alcohol IS a sin.
I am not going to lecture you about drinking. But I am going to say this: In our society, there are few problems worse than alcohol abuse. Alcohol kills 25,000-plus people in highway accidents every year. The greatest single cause of death among young people between 18-25 is being killed in a traffic accident caused by a drunk driver. Five hundred thousand people are seriously injured in traffic accidents caused by drunks.
Countless thousands other die from alcohol-related disease. Alcohol has been linked to heart disease, cancer, hypertension, liver disease and scores of other ailments. It is literally a poison. Alcohol abuse causes families to be torn apart, relationships shattered. Sexual abuse, crime, violence, scores of other problems have their root cause in alcohol abuse.
But in our society, unlike the society that Jesus lived in, we talk about alcohol abuse as a disease, instead of a sin. Alcohol addiction is indeed a disease. It is a disease that has its origin in a conscious decision to drink. No one becomes an alcoholic at the first sip.
Drunkenness is the result of a conscious decision. Alcoholism results from continued abuse. Alcoholism is a disease that starts from sin.
Now in Jesus day, it was hard not to consume alcoholic beverages. There were not a lot of alternatives. But the wine was usually diluted to avoid or minimize its intoxicating effects.
Now follow me: In our society, alcohol is totally unnecessarty. We have plenty of alternatives, non-alcoholic fruit drinks, pop, good, clean water. But WE produce it intentionally to enhance its intoxicating effects. Some of it we age FOR 35 years to make it particularly potent.
See the difference? Then, it was very difficult to make fruit juice without alcohol. They had very limited control over fermentation and wine was a staple, a food, but something which was often diluted so as to cut down its intoxicating effects.
We, today, have many other non-alcoholic drinks available to us and the alcohol we do have is brewed, distilled and fermented TO intentionally be intoxicating.
I am not telling you it is a sin to drink alcoholic beverages. But I am saying you can not accurately defend your indulgence by trying to show how wine was used and viewed in Jesuss day. There is a difference.
The Bible talks a lot about self-control. And often it is related to drunkenness and excell alcohol consumption. For example, consider Job 12:23-25, which says: “He makes nations great, and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and guides them. He takes away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth, and makes them wander in a pathless wilderness. They grope in the dark without light, and He makes them stagger like a drunken man.”
Want more” Check out See Proverbs 20:1; 23:29-32; 1 Samuel 1:13-16; Genesis 9:21-27; 19:30-38 plus references below regarding drunkenness. In the New testamant, consider Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22, 23).”
Being under self-control means that that if we use alcohol, which easily upsets our ability to control our behavior, it must be carefully consumed in great moderation.
Here’s one more verse: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).
That’s the best advice I can offer. So while it may not be a sin to drink alcohol, it is dangerous ground to tread.
The author is publisher of the Online Christian Shopper (http://www.onlinechristianshopper.com) Christian clothing and jewelry Web portal.
Understanding the True Meaning of Tolerance
Dictionary.com defines tolerance as the following:
1. a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one’s own; freedom from bigotry.
2. a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one’s own.
3. interest in and concern for ideas, opinions, practices, etc., foreign to one’s own; a liberal, undogmatic viewpoint.
Although there are other definitions for tolerance, they don’t relate to what I’m about to say.
I live in the United States of the Offended. It seems like every time you turn around somebody is whining about being offended or having his/her rights violated. Often these are rights they really don’t possess.
I believe that everyone has the right to believe whatever they want. However, no right is absolute. It doesn’t mean you have the right to say whatever you want, or to act on those beliefs.
An example in America is racism. Racism simply means that you think your race is superior to everyone else’s. I’m sure there are people who believe that. So what?
Far more dangerous is prejudice and discrimination. Holding prejudiced beliefs and then acting on them leads to discrimination against others for a lot of different reasons.
I don’t believe Christians are any more intolerant than anyone else. I don’t believe our faith is a religion of intolerance.
Anyone who wants to become a Christian can certainly do so. The real problem is when Christians begin to embrace sin. When we say that it’s OK to engage in any kind of behavior as long as it makes you happy.
This is where we need to draw the line. The bottom line is that Christians will always be accused of being bigots. However, as long as we respect the rights of others, even when we disagree, we’re not bigots at all. We are simply trying to follow Christ, and He never had a problem with confronting another person about his/her sin.
One fundamental right we all need to recognize is the right to free choice. It is a right that God has given to all of us. We can choose to love Him or not. We can choose to be sinners, or not. We can choose to walk the path Christ has created for us, or not.
Just as I don’t want to see my faith banned, or outlawed, I would see no one else’s right to practice his or her faith outlawed. I may not agree with it, but as long as it does no harm to others, I see no point in telling others what to think, believe, or how to act.
America is at a crossroads; we can choose to respect the rights of others without agreeing with them. This also means that sometimes we will have to stand up for what is right when the acts of others are harmful.
The late Reggie White, Greenbay Packer, and one of the greatest pro football players of the NFL, was called the “Minister of Defense”. He earned this title not only because he was the greatest defensive player who played the game, but he was also an ordained minister. He said that Christians should be “meek, not weak”.
Meek doesn’t mean being a doormat. It means being patient. It’s time to stop being doormats. It’s time to stop getting our feelings hurt every time someone calls us a name, or disrespects our faith.
Jesus called us to love. Judgement belongs to Him. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be discerning about our relationships and who we choose to associate with. Hang out in a bar long enough, and you’ll be drinking.
However, in your daily contact with non believers, you need to love them. You don’t have to agree with them, and it isn’t your place to judge them.
Let Jesus heal your life. Lead by example. How you live will be a far more shining example of what Jesus can do than your words.
The Bible says that what’s impossible with man is possible with God. God can do anything as long as you get your free will out of the way and allow Him to bless you. Only by allowing God to bless you, can you be a blessing to others.
There are so many broken, hurting, people in the world today, and you have the power, and the great Physician to help you do it.
Show others your respect. Demonstrate the true meaning of tolerance. Show them your love, and you will change the world in a way that is only possible with God.
Jinger Jarrett wants to show you how to live the life you’ve always dreamed of. You can read her blog, The Science of Getting Rich for Christians, at http://www.101christian.com. Get her best free resources on changing your life at Squidoo, http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/jingerjarrett1.
Slay The Dragon
God calls His army, large and strong! Take up your battle arms. The day has come for one and all to slay the evil dragon Satan. Don’t be afraid, raise high your swords, the word of God is true. It’s time to fight and win the war against evil on the side of good.
Christian soldiers, you have a mission! Be brave and true to your call to defend Jesus Christ your Savior from the evils of this world. Remember our fight is not against flesh and blood, it is against the wicked spiritual forces of evil. Evil, which wants to defeat love and all those who are good.
Take up your arms! Stand your ground! The King of kings is coming soon!
I ran for my Bible and I fell on my knees to prepare my heart for my mission. I understood my call and I prayed for strength as I faced the evil dragon Satan.
The cancer of evil attacked every organ in my body. It harassed my body with waves of pain and my soul spiraled into heaven. I won my battle and held my ground against the evil dragon Satan. I did not sway from my beliefs and those who watched me in the throws of death repented of their sins and later followed me to heaven.
Be Brave All Christians throughout the world you are defeating the evil dragon Satan. Stand your ground and win your battle for Jesus Christ and heaven.
I preached the word to many who refused to see that Jesus Christ was our Savior. The people who listened changed their lives and added others to God’s kingdom. I lost my life in service to Christ and now I have a magnificent palace in Heaven. So be brave my Christian friends raise high your swords and slay the evil dragon Satan.
Take up your arms! Stand your ground! The King of kings is coming soon!
Philippians 1: 9-11, “I pray that your love will keep on growing more and more, together with true knowledge and perfect judgment, so that you will be able to choose what is best. Then you will be free from impurity and blame on the Day of Christ. Your lives will be filled with the truly good qualities which only Jesus Christ can produce, for the glory and praise of God.”
Dear Christians, servants of the Most High God, hold your heads high for the King of kings knows what kind of people you are and He’s coming back for you. He smiles as He looks into your face as the great book of remembrance is opened. The book that records every good work you did during your lifetime for God in heaven.
Revelations 20: 11-15, “Then I saw a great white throne and the one who sits on it. Earth and heaven fled from his presence and were seen no more. And I saw the dead, great and small alike, standing before the throne. Books were opened, and then another book was opened, the book of the living. The dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. Then the sea gave up its dead. Death and the world of the dead also gave up the dead they held. And all were judged according to what they had done. Then death and the world of the dead were thrown into the lake of fire. Whoever did not have his name written in the book of the living was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Take up your arms! Stand your ground! The King of kings is coming soon!
I stood before my congregation and spoke with truth about God. I spent sleepless hours praying for the people. I gave hope to those who lost loved ones in war, tragedies of all kinds and sickness. I taught people to care about the homeless, poor and jobless of our community. I held onto my call year after year and slayed the evil dragon Satan.
Ephesians 6:14-16, “So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight around your waist, with righteousness as your breastplate, and as your shoes the readiness to announce the Good News of peace. At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the Evil One.
Take up your arms! Stand your ground! The King of kings is coming soon!
My four year old grandson looked up towards the sky and said, “Hush grandma, I’m praying.” I smiled as I looked into his face realizing that it shone with the bright lights of simple child-like faith. If only young and old would call upon Jesus’ name, all their sins would be forgiven. And just by believing they would easily slay the evil dragon Satan.
Mark 10: 14&15, “When Jesus noticed this, he was angry and said to his disciples, ‘Let the children come to me, and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you that whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.’”
The children came! Young and old came giving their lives to Jesus Christ! Their examples won others to the kingdom of God. They chose to fight on the side of good and lifted high their swords to fight the battle for truth. Jesus smiled at the people and hugged each one for slaying the evil dragon Satan.
Take up your arms! Stand your ground! The King of kings is coming soon!
Hebrews 13: 6, “Let us be bold, then, and say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?’”
Take up your arms! Stand your ground! The King of kings is coming soon! Hold high your sword and slay the evil dragon Satan.
Linda C Dipman author of THE GAME OF LIFE IT’S ALMOST OVER http://outskirtspress.com/gameoflife presents: AND HIS LOVE SHONE DOWN my true life story! It describes all the persecutions I endured. Lovinghandsministry.com
Jesus Christ, Superman Part Three
It’s a bird. . It’s a plane. . No! It’s Jesus Christ, Superman, Savior of the world! Jesus had to be attuned to the spiritual part of life so He could do battle with more than the seen of our present day world. He had to do battle with Satan and the evil he would perpetrate on all those who would choose to follow Him.
An audience of beautiful shimmering angels stood before the magnificent throne of God. The power that emanated from the Lord God Almighty could be felt spreading a warm sensation of adoring love reverberating into the hearts of all those who stood before His presence. Millions of voices could be heard chanting.
Revelation 4:11, “‘Our Lord and God! You are worthy to receive glory, honor, and power. For you created all things, and by your will they were given existence and life.’”
In one great swoop of fan fair an angel more beautiful than any creature appeared before the throne. With him were a group of angels clad in armor and holding weapons of war. The music of praise quieted as Lucifer spoke to God.
His words brought sounds of war into the ranks of the council of elders that surrounded God’s throne. A battle broke out in Heaven with the Devil and His Angels being cast down to earth to wage war against all those who follow the lamb of God.
Satan asked for permission to test Jesus Christ and His disciples. He desired to put negative thoughts into the minds of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law so they would be threatened by how many were following Jesus. His ultimate goal was to make the religious teachers want to put Jesus to death.
God, understanding all things, accepted Satan’s challenge to test Jesus Christ and His followers. Raising the royal scepter of imperial power, God granted Satan and his demon angels permission to leave. At once they took flight to earth possessed with a determination to defeat the Son of God and put an end to everything He was teaching the people.
The guardian angels of God’s chosen children felt a wave of alarm for the lives of their charges. They immediately sent warnings into the thoughts of the disciples. A strong defense of angels surrounded the man Jesus Christ giving Him the courage to stand up and fight against the unseen battle of demons that were determined to defeat Him before the chosen time.
Matthew 5:17-20, “Do not think that I have come to do away with the Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets. I have not come to do away with them, but to make their teachings come true. Remember that as long as heaven and earth last, not the least point not the smallest detail of the Law will be done away with-not until the end of all things. So then, whoever disobeys even the least important of the commandments and teaches others to do the same, will be least in the Kingdom of heaven. On the other hand, whoever obeys the Law and teaches others to do the same, will be great in the Kingdom of heaven. I tell you, then, that you will be able to enter the Kingdom of heaven only if you are more faithful than the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees in doing what God requires.”
The disciples understood the Laws and they followed them, but they were shocked at Jesus’ final words. How could they possibly be more righteous than the Pharisees? Jesus began again teaching them the fundamentals of placing their faith in Him and asking Him to forgive them for their sins.
Jesus was laying the foundation for His disciples concerning the rules behind the game of life. At the time of Moses the rules of engagement in the game of life depended on how closely a person knew and practiced every Law. Now that Jesus would be the sacrifice for all sins the Law changed to that of grace.
This new teaching enables all God’s children to fight individually for God. Suddenly a different kind of world arose giving people the ability to stand up against the supernatural unseen world that wars against every person’s life.
The Law is the rule book for the game of life for all people. At the end of all things, those who do not place their faith in Jesus will be judged according to the Law. But those who have the Spirit of God written in their hearts will have the freedom that comes with God becoming their rule book separate from the Law.
Hebrews 8: 10&11, “Now, this is the covenant that I will make with the people of Israel in the last days to come, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. None of them will have to teach his fellow citizen or tell his fellow countryman, ‘Know the Lord.’ For they will all know me, from the least to the greatest.”
This new teaching gave every child of God the ability to disregard the Law if that is what they had to do in order to win a battle against Satan. The Law locks people into behaving a certain way but grace allows all people the freedom to make a choice that may be contrary to the Law.
Now they could eat any kind of food without being condemned. Now they had the power to love their children who were born with deformities because their weaknesses were no longer considered sin. Now they had the ability to love their neighbor instead of judging them. Grace gave them the power to be a Law within themselves. Laws that allowed them to love even the Gentile nations that ruled their country.
Placing their faith in Jesus as the Savior of the world opened up a whole different way to view their world. The disciples were mystified at the power of the Holy Spirit and how it could change the circumstances of all people’s lives. They Praised God! Jesus Immediately explained the parable of the sower.
Matthew 13:18-23, “Listen, then, and learn what the parable of the sower means. Those who hear the message about the Kingdom but do not understand it are like the seeds that fell along the path. The Evil One comes and snatches away what was sown in them. The seeds that fell on rocky ground stand for those who receive the message gladly as soon as they hear it. But it does not sink deep into them, and they don’t last long. So when trouble or persecution comes because of the message, they give up at once. The seeds that fell among thorn bushes stand for those who hear the message; but the worries about this life and the love for riches choke the message, and they don’t bear fruit. And the seeds sown in the good soil stand for those who hear the message and understand it; they bear fruit, some as much as one hundred, others sixty, and others thirty.”
Lucifer and his evil angels pelted Jesus and His followers with weapons of disappointment, loss, and temptation. With the knowledge of God’s grace, each wound was miraculously healed and in it’ place grew a spiritual armor of protection.
Being aware of the inner, spiritual battle, we too can learn from life’s tragedies and find healing for our wounds when we place our faith in Jesus Christ, Superman, the Savior of the world. With each lesson learned, with each wound inflicted, we are being tailored an armor which will protect us, and defend us against Satan’s arrows of deceit.
Jesus Christ, Superman opened up a new way to view life separate from the teachings of the Pharisees. He allowed people to love all people. He revealed truths that are found in understanding that our world is more than the seen. We are at War doing battle against spiritual forces who want to defeat us in the greatest game that has ever been played.
Linda C Dipman author of THE GAME OF LIFE IT’S ALMOST OVER http://outskirtspress.com/gameoflife presents: AND HIS LOVE SHONE DOWN my true life story! It describes all the persecutions I endured. Lovinghandsministry.com
Who Me? Hear the Holy Spirit?
Even though I can remember talking to the Holy Spirit as a child, when I became older and thought about talking to God, what came to mind was: “Who am I to think that I can talk to God?” But the truth is, who was I not to? Who are YOU not to?
When we think, “Who am I to talk to God?” we deny ourselves a relationship with God and the Holy Spirit. Even though the thought may cross our minds, “who am I to think that I can talk to the Holy Spirit?” it is important to remember that it is just a thought. It’s just something that arises within your mind when you entertain the thought of connecting with God or the Holy Spirit.
There are lots of thoughts that arise just like that: “Talking to the Holy Spirit is impossible. Talking to the Holy Spirit is something that only special or very pious people can do. Talking to the Holy Spirit is something that takes years and years of hard work and devotion to accomplish.” All of these thoughts are untrue and keep you from connecting with the Holy Spirit in your life.
When you begin to think about talking to God and hearing His Voice, become aware of what thoughts come to mind. If you become afraid at the thought of talking to God, that just means that a thought has arisen within your mind that caused you to become fearful. A fear thought could be as simple as, “I’ll never be able to hear the Holy Spirit.” It could be a thought that says, “I’m not worthy of talking to God. God would never talk to me.” It could be, “Look at all the things that I have said and done. Why would God bother with me?”
Allow yourself to become aware of the thoughts that arise within you when you contemplate joining with God in dialogue. Do your best to notice those thoughts, emotions, or beliefs as lovingly and kindly as you can. They are just thoughts that arise. They are not the truth. They are not a reflection of you. They’re just thoughts that arise, these little flea bites that distract you for a moment. When you notice them for what they really are and respond to them with truth, love, and kindness, you are free to continue to focus on your connection with God instead.
Let’s say you have the thought: “Who am I to think that I can talk to God?” You can then remember: “Oh yeah, who am I NOT to? It’s my job to be connected with God and the Holy Spirit. That is my job. That is all God and the Holy Spirit would ask of me. Who am I not to?”
Or you have the thought: “Why would God want to talk to me?” You can respond, “Because God created me and God only sees my perfection. God wants nothing more than to talk with me through the Holy Spirit.”
“I’m not worthy. I’ve done these things, said these things, or thought these things. I’m not worthy to talk to God,” and you remind yourself, “God just loves. God wants to be in communication with me.”
Whatever thoughts arise, allow yourself to respond to them with Love and Truth. You know the truth in your heart. You know that God only loves you and wants to be in communication with you. So when you have the thought: “Oh, I’ve done these things or said these things. God does not want to communicate with me” you can remember, “Actually, God only loves me,” and continue to move past that thought or move on from that bug bite. Allow yourself to continue to move in the direction of connecting with God in the Holy Spirit. It’s as if you are maneuvering your way around these little distractions or obstacles, the little thoughts that arise, but you respond lovingly to them and remain on the pathway to God.
There is nothing that can stop you from connecting with God. There is nothing that can keep you from your Creator. Even if you’re not sure how to respond with the truth to a thought that arises, just remind yourself, “Nothing can keep me from God,” and continue to move along on that path.
Since it is only a thought that can keep you from hearing God’s Voice, let yourself notice what thoughts have arisen in the past few minutes. Make note of the thoughts that sound familiar or the thoughts that have come to your mind and allow yourself in the next few days to continue to become more and more aware of what thoughts come up when you think about talking with God and the Holy Spirit. Really look at each thought and allow a truthful response to each one to come to you so that you know no matter what thought arises, there is nothing that can keep you from having a relationship with God and God’s Voice in your life. Focus on this in the next few days and find out how much more connected you feel to God and the Holy Spirit in doing so.
DavidPaul Doyle has been sharing the Holy Spirit for the past 12 years. Watch his inspiring flash movie at http://www.thevoiceforgod.com to learn how to access your God’s voice within you with confidence and clarity. For more info, visit http://www.thevoiceforlove.com.