This is very interesting, the church my family goes to serves coffee at a little cafe after service.
So is it better to drink the coffee after worship than before?
I am now curious as to how the chemical composition of caffeine affects one's susceptibility to "feeling" the Holy spirit.
I imagine the person drinking the coffee has no realization that it is affecting them in any way. Only you (Allin) as an outside observer notice their change.
You said, "The church my family goes to serves coffee at a little cafe after service. So is it better to drink the coffee after worship than before?" That brings up another issue regarding 'consuming things' as regards church that I can't go into now as it would take forever to expound on the topic. However, I will definitely touch on it here:
1. It is better to take the two or less hours of just one day a week and pretend to go into church solely to hear something about God without drinking coffee or shopping for something to eat or drink. It's only two hours or less out of 168 hours in the week; people can't wait on coffee? Right there simply is proof that many people go to church to feed their flesh and not their spirit: so many can't wait just two hours before returning to feeding their flesh; they have to do it right there in church. It's hard to find greater evidence if one was to look at the facts from the outside of the box and not the inside. It's almost criminal. It's better for people, if they must have coffee, to stop on the way to church and drink some then leave it in the car or/and have some after church away from the grounds-- that way, they can seem to actually be interested in the things of God for those short two or less hours they are at church.
2. I don't know if coffee's chemical composition has any effect on the person's ability to sense the Holy Spirit (though I do know that it isn't just caffeine that people are after but coffee: coffee is the taste of the beans plus the hot liquid (which is more calming and 'comforting' like warm rather than cold milk at night) and the caffeine, not just some cold caffeinated soda). I know that because coffee appeals to the natural desire for comfort (like when you sleep), it tends to compete with the Holy Spirit who already has enough competition from the flesh as it is without coffee coming in to say, "
Spend time with yourself, not with the Lord", because that's what things that comfort the flesh do
when Christians are trying to devote time to God. It's like trying to take ten minutes to pray before bed... but you're tired... and you've decided to pray laying face down on your pillow top mattress deep in the comforter (quilts): you probably will be asleep long before you're done with prayer. As far as noting these kinds of things, it's about inconsistencies: if someone tells you to expect one thing and you see another, you can say, "Meh", or you can inquire as to why the inconsistency-- why you aren't seeing what you were promised. No church promises you that you won't meet the Lord; rather, they tell you that He sort of lives there. If you don't experience Him, you can just say, "I'll just caress myself till I pass out" or you can say, "Excuse me... Where is He?" No, people who drink coffee don't realize any changes nor people who live most of the time (and prefer to live most of the time) self-centered. I only began to look and inquire because claims were made that were inconsistent with the actual results, effects, and evidence. People who are embroiled in the coffee/self-centered culture of Christianity have to step away for a while and look at it; the results will be... eye-opening.
3.
As regards eating after church, it's pretty cool that you mentioned it, because several months ago, while going to one church, I decided to consider it. Every single time we left this church, everyone wanted to go eat. In fact, I was in the group that ate with the pastor my first day there. We went to some Mexican place (I don't really like Mexican) and just sort of ate; every feeling of the reality of God was
gone. The pastor and church people were suddenly 'cool' and didn't want to have God sit beside them 'out in the real world'. But each Sunday and Wednesday, after any church event, we all dashed for the nearby Dairy Queen even if we weren't hungry (I mean, fridges at homes were packed, but people still insisted on eating out). When I saw this several times, I decided to inquire (uh-oh, lol) which means I decided to
think about it and consider
why. As I did, I learned (and that's actually how it works): eating out after church isn't tradition near as much as it is a lack of satisfaction. We are tri-partite beings: we can be physically, emotionally, or spiritually satisfied separately or together (and each can affect the other). (E.g. Men think about physical satisfaction more when it comes to relationships, and women think about emotional satisfaction more in the very same thing.) I may take part in something and come out emotionally satisfied but not physically satisfied; if I feel I must be physically satisfied, I will go get it somehow (food, etc.) so my cup called Satisfaction can be filled and I can 'rest' or stop looking for satisfaction.
When people go to church, they often come away not satisfied spiritually or emotionally (especially spiritually which can govern the satisfaction of the others). Still needing to be satisfied and unable to find it in church or in spiritual things, they seek it in the place it is easiest to find or get: the physical; they go get something to eat and fill their stomachs. They come away physically (and sometimes emotionally) satisfied, therefore, their lack of spiritual (and sometimes emotional) satisfaction from church is put aside and seen as manageable: because they can satisfy other aspects of themselves, they rarely ever see it as a real problem or issue that 'church' doesn't satisfy them (spiritually which is able to govern the satisfaction of the others). When people fast, if they can find any spiritual food or satisfaction in the spirit, their need for food will vanish at least for a while, etc., and if people can feed their flesh and especially soul (desires, emotional needs) enough, they will have no need for spiritual food at all.
On that third one, I used to wait tables, and I heard that Christians who came in after church were the worst tippers and are the rudest type of clients as an overall group of people (believe me, spiritual satisfaction (as well as emotional) makes no one rude, angry, or prickly). I think probably everyone has heard this about Christians in restaurants by now. Next time you go to church or just on a Sunday, you should go to a restaurant, find some Christians, and talk to them.
Ask them if they eat after service on Sundays and then ask them why. They won't know what you mean, but if you mention that it's a normal occurrence and make them begin to think beyond "It's just how we've always done it", you will probably make some enemies unless you meet the one in one thousand Christians stuck in a rut who really desires to get out of it and
live.
