Respectfully, the bible does not say anything against games, alcohol, or cigars. And in fact, Jesus himself was a regular wine consumer.
Pastors, Please Quit Doing This
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Respectfully, the bible does not say anything against games, alcohol, or cigars. And in fact, Jesus himself was a regular wine consumer.
Amen! It is the the experience of reading a passage for the 10th time only to have it resonate for the first time in our innermost being. As the Spirit searches the deep things of God they are revealed to us in His timing. Before, we were not ready to hear it and could not receive it. But when He arises in us in His timing, the ground He reveals becomes ours to possess and cultivate. It's how we move from glory to glory in Him.
It's easy (and, I suppose, reasonable) to make that assessment from the outside. I was on the "inside"; and had been attending that church for several years. I'd say it was above average in terms of the spiritual calibre of the men.
Tequila is way up the ladder from "strong drink"
The standards of righteousness proclaimed in the Bible are much higher than that. Those who believe themselves "higher" than others in maturity need their lives re-examined when they live one way & talk another.
From https://www.alcoholrehabguide.org/alcohol/types/
Tequila is a type of liquor. The main ingredient of tequila is the Mexican agave plant. The alcohol concentration of tequila is typically about 40% ABV. That makes it 80 proof, & classifies it with wiskey & vodka.
One wonders about the spiritual life of a man who drinks tequila & smokes cigars & has no convictions about it.
Tequila is a type of liquor. The main ingredient of tequila is the Mexican agave plant. The alcohol concentration of tequila is typically about 40% ABV. That makes it 80 proof, & classifies it with wiskey & vodka.
One wonders about the spiritual life of a man who drinks tequila & smokes cigars & has no convictions about it.
Correct. But neither do you. "Church", ecclesia in the Greek, literally means "the called out". It's derived of two words: ek which means "out of" and kaleo which means "to call" When they are combined like in ecclesia they become "the called out".
I wonder, who taught you that a building was a "church"?
Secondarily, I meet with the church quite often; sometimes in each others' homes sometimes in a rented building if a larger space is needed. If we have many international saints joining us we'll meet over Zoom. The Word is preached, the lame are healed, the blind are seeing, demins are being cast out, and Muslims are abandoning Islam and coming into the kingdom of the Living God.
Nobody. The early church met in houses.
Question #2 People who keep tequila in their house usually have other drinks as well. What else do you drink at home?
With respect, the use of alcohol (even tequila) is a 'Romans 14' issue, a matter of conscience, not a matter of a clear prohibition. For some people, having even a little alcohol is problematic. For others, drinking in moderation is not. It is certainly possible to make a biblical case that alcohol is potentially problematic or that excessive consumption is proscribed, but not that total abstinence is required or even recommended for all Christians.
Please... let it go.
You asked "You don't go to church at all?" This implied one can actually go to what they are.
Right now, anejo tequila with lime juice is my drink of choice... probably once a week. We keep wine but only have that during meals. I'm promoting the culture wherein wine is seen as "food" and not simply alcohol.
You seem hung up on alcohol. Did you have a bad experience with it? Someone close to you an alcoholic?
Wow, did I really misspell "demons"?
I actually took a call as I was typing the final sentence.
Don't you just love those "why didn't I see that before?!!" moments? "I've read that passage 100 times"!
Don't you just love those "why didn't I see that before?!!" moments? "I've read that passage 100 times"!
Right?! When I teach things like that, during a meeting, I'll sometimes joke that I sneaked into their homes and wrote that in their Bibles when they weren't looking. The scriptures are many levels deep.
Sure. There are many moral teachings about this in the OT. I'm sure that others who are interested will look it up. I'm done anyway.With respect, the use of alcohol (even tequila) is a 'Romans 14' issue, a matter of conscience, not a matter of a clear prohibition. For some people, having even a little alcohol is problematic. For others, drinking in moderation is not. It is certainly possible to make a biblical case that alcohol is potentially problematic or that excessive consumption is proscribed, but not that total abstinence is required or even recommended for all Christians.
Please... let it go.
Yes, but is one day out of the year enough? Could our church leaders maybe sing the praises of heroic fathers and mothers more than that?
Yikes! I sincerely hope you are wrong about the pastors.
I agree, but I would not discount the big institutional churches completely. They just might serve God's purposes yet.
For instance, you and I could one day infiltrate the bureaucracy within the church system. Once in, we could defy the church leadership and start actually helping people within those four walls.
It will take some James Bond ingenuity, but I think we could get it done.