So, today was the “alcohol” sermon…here are a few thoughts on the day…
- I personally thought the most intense part of the day is when I asked everyone in the room to declare where they stood on the issue before I even addressed it.
- “Last Name,” was the perfect song to set up the day!
- I sat on the front row at the Anderson campus this morning…and the energy for the first song was amazing.
- For those who want to hear the message you can download it on itunes…or you can go to our website here at NewSpring Church and watch it.
- For those who want the cliff notes…I taught today that Scripture is very clear that it not wrong for a person to drink…it is wrong for a person to get drunk.
- I know some disagree with that…and that’s fine. There are godly people on both sides of the argument who I greatly admire and respect; however, I arrived at this conclusion after about three and a half years of trying to figure out what I personally believe.
Today’s message had a lot of tension points…the main ones were…
- When I mentioned that alcohol deaths in America are around 100,000 per year…but obesity related deaths are around 300,000 and climbing…WHY ISN’T THE CHURCH TALKING ABOUT THAT?
- (The church is the only place in America where a glutton can look at a drunkard and somehow feel more righteous than them!)
- When I used the illustration with the beer can and the set of silverware. (You’ll have to go watch it.)
- When I said to the pastors who would watch by internet, “I know some of you are pastors and are going to email me and tell me I’m a liberal and that I’m going to hell because I say it is ok to drink alcohol in moderation. BUT…before you do…please look down and make sure you can see your toes! Because if you can’t…you writing me would be sort of like you trying to remove a speck in my eye with a plank in yours!”
- I also mentioned that the SBC passed a resolution several years ago about drinking alcohol…what I’m wondering is when they are going to pass one against abusing buffets!
- Oh yeah, that won’t be happening anytime soon…I read this week that 76% of pastors are either overweight or obese! Uh…that’s a sin…just as much as being a drunk!
- Pastors—the hypocrisy MUST be stopped. How dare we call those who are using alcohol to get to the grave to repentance and ignore those who are digging their way there with a fork and a spoon!
As I said today…I don’t drink. I haven’t drank since 1989 (expect for the unexpected drink that I explained about in the service.) I have a bad past with alcohol…and for me…it has been the right thing to stay away from it for awhile. AND…saying that, I don’t have any immediate plans to hit the bottle. I’ve done well without it.
But…I have very godly friends who love Jesus and don’t struggle with having a glass of wine or a beer with their meal. They aren’t causing me to stumble by doing so…and they are not controlled by the substance.
(By the way…the evening service became INCREDIBLY tense when I asked those who did drink if they could lay it down for a month if God asked them to…if you can’t…you’re addicted & you need help!
- Oh…and when I talked about parents who bought booze for their kids…DANG. WOW! I won’t bring up all that I said here…except to say that it’s a sin—period.
- AND…when I talked about the way people treat servers after a Sunday service…VERY tense.
- Today, I thought, was a great day. I felt I taught what the Scriptures say without adding to it the things I wished it did or did not say.
- Saying all of that…I am REALLY looking forward to next Sunday as we wrestle with the Scriptures on whether or not a follower of Christ can really know and understand culture, listen to “secular” music, go to R rated movies…etc…should be fun!