Saturday, March 26, 2016
B & B - Bible Study & Beer
Beer.
Already I can hear the gasps of many Evangelical Christians, who hold in disdain any fermented beverage and any person who may drink it occasionally, just by reading the word. Already I can see the expressions of wrinkled noses and pursed lips. Already I can hear, "This person isn't a real Christian. Christians are not suppose to drink beer; it's sin against God. Only worldly people who don't know Jesus Christ personally, as their Lord and Savior, drink beer. Heathens."
I actually smile at even thinking about this type of reaction from fellow Christians. And maybe even shake my head in disbelief that any Christian would believe beer and wine to be evil vices from the devil. I can only regard my fellow Christians who hold this standard as well-meaning. And strive to not judge anyone who has a different standard to mine.
Growing up I was one of those Evangelical Christians who would freak out at even the mere mention of beer. I thought it inconceivable that wine and beer could ever be acceptable drinks, even in moderation, for the Christian soul. For any seasoned Christian well informed of Christian History, it would have been obvious to them that I had no idea of the prominent role that wine and beer have played in the life of Christians before modern times and Scripture that sanctioned the use of fermented drinks.
It wasn't until 4 years after high school that I became aware of the fact that some of the leading Magisterial Reformers themselves were avid drinkers themselves and expert brewers, something that would be controversial in many Evangelical Christian congregations if their leaders were to adopt that trend today. And because of that seemingly unknown fact, for some time now I have contemplated the start of drinking and enjoying beer as something mundane in my own personal life. If the Reformers (and their wives) had no shame in brewing and drinking their home-made brew, why should I be ashamed of the same?
So, tonight, in honor of those Christians who knew what good beer is, I had my first two beers without shame: Redd's Wild Cherry and Redd's Apple Ale, and added a corner in this blog dedicated to beer and bible studying. In my Mexican culture, the consumption of beer for the Evangelical Christian is frowned upon on. And although I can understand the reasoning behind that standard, I personally believe that such a standard in general is more harmful then edifying. If beer was good enough for godly men and women in the past centuries, why can't it be good enough for me? The crux of the matter is: Moderation is key, as with all things.
Beer.
Glory to God for all things.
Already I can hear the gasps of many Evangelical Christians, who hold in disdain any fermented beverage and any person who may drink it occasionally, just by reading the word. Already I can see the expressions of wrinkled noses and pursed lips. Already I can hear, "This person isn't a real Christian. Christians are not suppose to drink beer; it's sin against God. Only worldly people who don't know Jesus Christ personally, as their Lord and Savior, drink beer. Heathens."
I actually smile at even thinking about this type of reaction from fellow Christians. And maybe even shake my head in disbelief that any Christian would believe beer and wine to be evil vices from the devil. I can only regard my fellow Christians who hold this standard as well-meaning. And strive to not judge anyone who has a different standard to mine.
Growing up I was one of those Evangelical Christians who would freak out at even the mere mention of beer. I thought it inconceivable that wine and beer could ever be acceptable drinks, even in moderation, for the Christian soul. For any seasoned Christian well informed of Christian History, it would have been obvious to them that I had no idea of the prominent role that wine and beer have played in the life of Christians before modern times and Scripture that sanctioned the use of fermented drinks.
It wasn't until 4 years after high school that I became aware of the fact that some of the leading Magisterial Reformers themselves were avid drinkers themselves and expert brewers, something that would be controversial in many Evangelical Christian congregations if their leaders were to adopt that trend today. And because of that seemingly unknown fact, for some time now I have contemplated the start of drinking and enjoying beer as something mundane in my own personal life. If the Reformers (and their wives) had no shame in brewing and drinking their home-made brew, why should I be ashamed of the same?
So, tonight, in honor of those Christians who knew what good beer is, I had my first two beers without shame: Redd's Wild Cherry and Redd's Apple Ale, and added a corner in this blog dedicated to beer and bible studying. In my Mexican culture, the consumption of beer for the Evangelical Christian is frowned upon on. And although I can understand the reasoning behind that standard, I personally believe that such a standard in general is more harmful then edifying. If beer was good enough for godly men and women in the past centuries, why can't it be good enough for me? The crux of the matter is: Moderation is key, as with all things.
Beer.
Glory to God for all things.
Sunday, March 6, 2016
God's Gift: Himself.
In my world there is a lot of confusion. There are a lot of mistakes. There are a lot of misunderstandings and frustrations. There is a lot of ignorance, greed, and arrogance. There is a lot of bad things in me that make me so imperfect and defiled. But thankfully, I also have something that keeps me going. More than one thing actually.
Hope. Faith. Love.
I hope for the day that I will be healed of my spiritual infirmities. I hope for that day when I will stop living in ignorance, in greed, and awful arrogance. I hope for the day I become purity and no longer defilement. I have hope in the faith that I have in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of the living. My faith is in the Holy Trinity. My faith is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It's my faith in Him that I have hope for my salvation from all those things, from myself. I have hope in my faith In Jesus Christ and while I do not know what it means to truly love, I have hope that my faith will continue to teach me who Love is, the greatest out of the three (hope, faith, and love).
How comforting. Scripture says that hope and faith will pass away. But Love will continue on. How interesting that hope and faith are needed only now and not then, in the after life. And it makes sense. In this world of confusion, in this world of suffering, we need all three in order to grow like trees with sturdy trunks and beautiful fruit. We need all three to live and to experience the greatest incomprehensible truth that is: Love.
But one day, we won't need all three. Just one and only one. Suffering will be gone. Sin and evilness will be tamed and will cease to be in us. We shall be fully purified. We shall have obtained our hope, our salvation in full.
Our reward and yet not our reward. Our gift from the Father of lights.
Love.
Love is our salvation. It is our redemption. It will be the source of our purification and perfection. In the end, no longer will we struggle earthly struggles. Why? Because Love is the greatest. Because as Scripture tells us "God is love." That is why we can know for sure Love will never pass away like faith and hope. How can it when God is infinite?
My gift is God himself. I have hope in my gift. I have faith in my gift. May the Lord help me finish the race. May he help me overcome my world, the same one he said he had overcomed already. Help me Lord obtain my reward.
Help me obtain you, to abide in you, the greatest of all.
Soli Deo Gloria.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)