I just realized something...I was at a party the other day with some cool people who love Jesus and instead of drinking, Christians eat. The more you eat the more you are partying. Being really full is like being tipsy.
Take a look around....all the fatso pastors and church workers - they are partying hard. Jesus style. I think over eating is just as bad as over drinking. I over eat all the time, which isn't good. Last night I was hungry and my roommate cooked tons of chicken nuggets and I pounded them. There is nothing wrong with eating or drinking - it's when you abuse it that it becomes wrong. If you can't control your eating you probably need to stay away from the Beacon. If you can't control your drinking you need to stay out of Delaneys.
What happens at every church gathering?? Food. Lots of it. That thought made me giggle...getting drunk off of food is the Christian way of partying.
12 comments:
This is so true!
Funny...it seems to me like "Jesus style" partying was quite different than we want to think it was...
Matthew 11:
18 "For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon!'
19 "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners!'
If Jesus was not "drinking" with friends they would not have called him a 'drunkard' if He was not hanging out with the lost at parties they would not have called him a "FRIEND of sinners" Not to mention that He picked up the wine tab for an entire party once.
If I'm going to call myself a follower of Jesus I feel like perhaps I should...well...follow him. This means that I am called to go to Delaney's, have a drink and spend time with the lost people there getting to know them as friends.
I love my brothers and sisters who are believers, but I don't like having separate and exclusive "Christian Parties" Next time buy some beer and invite some friends of yours that are lost (if you have any) into a community of your believing friends so they can experience the Kingdom.
Hello Anonymous, people are going to judge you until the day you die b/c of sin and pride. Help me understand here, I think your comment is assuming I am against all eating and drinking? I wrote this to point out one thing - that overeating is harmful to our bodies and no one is talking about it. I compared it to drinking to shake people who hold fast to their "if you drink you are bad" rule.
I believe if you overdrink or overeat you are in the wrong. I, personally, don't go to Delaneys (or keg parties) b/c I don't like the language, the yucky feeling I get when I am there, plus there are 100 other places I can be that are way more awesome.
All I want to do is exalt Christ. It isn't easy and it isn't cool but I want to live a life worthy of the calling I have received.
Let's all avoid the "yucky" people and places like Jesus did.
Haha...exactly! No, how many bars and brothels did Jesus go to? He went to people's houses or hung out with them on the road.
Going to a bar isn't wrong...I just prefer to not go to bars. I'd much rather go to someone's house or hang out at a baseball game. If you don't like baseball, then you shouldn't go to a baseball game.
All I know is this: I love God and I love people. I dont care where you go, you will be surrounded by lost people. Show them Christ.
Brothels for sex, no, He was (is) perfect and sinless...He did, however, have several encounters with prostitutes that the pharisees looked down upon. Bars, I'm not sure they existed, but if they did I imagine Jesus would have enjoyed a brew and some laughs with friends...again look at my Matthew 11 passage...Jesus was no "Christian Partier" he crushed the paradigms of the Jewish leaders.
You do make a good point in that gluttony is no lesser of a sin than any other...one (among many) of which I am certainly guilty. Perhaps I read a little too deeply between the lines of your post, but, just the title put a bad taste in my mouth. Are there are lost people at these "Christian Parties"? Something (maybe the very name which you give the party) tells me no...unless you invite lost friends. If you do this already I applaud you, if not, my challenge to you is to love the lost (since they are the 1 sheep that Jesus went after, leaving the 99) and become friends with them. Maybe until they KNOW you, they won't be willing to join your party...so you have to go to "them."
Anonymous, you completely missed the point. Sure we're called to go hang out with sinners! Sure we're allowed to have a drink! But over-doing it is a sin. So is over-eating, which was the original thesis of this entry.
You can't seriously think that Jesus got drunk, or that he expects us to get drunk as an evangelism tool. The reason people thought he was a "drunkard" was because he was saying he was God-- not because he was actually drunk.
Also, just so you know, posting anonymously really discounts your opinion.
My name is Shawn, what's yours?
Hey Shawn, my name is Jonathan. I'm glad you know me better now.
I didn't miss the point, I simply implied that having beer at a party might go a little ways to earn Christ-followers a degree of respect (for lack of a better term) from lost people (who probably think that Christians aren't "allowed" to drink). By having drinks we can exhibit to the lost the freedom we have in Christ from legalism, thus changing people's assumptions about Christ (which is evangelistic). To me, if we can dismantle their stereotypes of Christians as glorified Amish or Quakers who only have sex to make babies and whose only hobbies are doing puzzles together, we're on our way to helping them see the Kingdom in a new light.
My point was to challenge believers not to segregate themselves from the lost to have a "Christian party" but instead to invite lost friends to come party with them.
Never did I say that Jesus got drunk, nor did I say that we should. But the reason the pharisees called Jesus a "drunkard" was not because he claimed to be God...that's why they called him a blasphemer. They called him that because he drank wine. If it was "strong drink" or grape juice that probably would not have been their word of choice (I haven't looked at the greek but I'm assuming the translators got it correct).
Again, that was only a side step from my point which was that Jesus was a "FRIEND of sinners" and that as we claim to follow Him, we too should be friends of sinners. And as I said earlier..."Maybe until they KNOW you, they won't (may not) be willing to join your party...so you have to go to 'them.'"
Hey Jonathan, I don't think we're disagreeing about anything. I must assume you do not know me since you are assuming we are having "christian parties" where you must answer 10 questions about the bible to get in. I work at a church and hang out with toooooooons of Christians and I was jokingly pointing out that Christians like to eat...a lot...but never drink b/c that would be "bad".
Christians nor non Christians are gonna give a flip if you drink or not. They only care about how you treat them. Non Christians are looking to see if the Gospel of Jesus Christ has changed you for the better...they are looking to see what's so great about Christianity.
Going to non Christians is very easy...all it entails is stepping outdoors (or out of your room in some cases). I believe everything you have said I agree with. My methods of hanging out with people may be different than yours but that doesnt matter.
Being a Christian is super hard sometimes b/c there is a stigma that goes along with that. It is our job to break that stereotype. Be normal, hang out with people, make Jesus look good, and have fun.
Hey Shawn, good to see you.
Christians need to party more!! (I don't mean eat more.) I mean we need to get out and have a great time! Too many non-Christians have a notion that Christians or "churchy" people are a bunch of party poopers. Let's break that stereotype and win some people for Christ.
ooooh, just read all this & wanted to throw my two cents. I was actually reading last night in Matthew the same passage and was overwhelmed by the last part of verse 19: 'yet wisdom will be justified by her deeds'.
That is the point. John didn't drink or eat as people did, but God glorified Himself in John because thru the way he loved people & called them to repentace. Jesus did drink & eat, and obviously magnified His own glory throw His deeds as well.
That is the point... eat or drink. Have Christian parties or go to parties where everyone is lost - but let the righteousness of God cause wisdom to be brought forth and seen in your deeds - the way you love & glorify Him.
Anyhow, I hate blog debates but ran across this & had just studied that passage last night - seems like that last part ties it alllll together.
Jessi, i love your comment. It's all about the love of Jesus shining though....who cares where you are.
This post was to make fun of Christians who think drinking is the ultimate sin while they destroy their arteries with grease every day. But I like the conversation it started.
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