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Is it awkward to talk about beer at church? I imagine just seeing this picture on a church website makes you feel awkward. What is it about church that makes the mention of drinking beer so hush - hush? If you were at The Rock on Sunday, you saw me pull out 2 bottles of Corona and a can of Miller lite. When we walk by the beer section in the grocery store and see shelves and shelves of alcoholic beverages, not many of us snicker - so what is different about church? It is all around our lives, so I wanted to talk about it in public. If drinking is okay - why do we hide when we drink and feel ashamed if someone catches us. If drinking is not okay - we should want to obey God and live as obedient children. So you see, alcohol is an issue that every single one of us will have to take a stand on one way or another. Scripture is God's revealed will for our lives and how we should worship and glorify Him. Ephesians 5:15-18 says that we should not get drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit. Also, Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2:1-3 that we should act as newborn infants and crave pure spiritual milk. I think these two verses share an idea - that idea is that God desires that we are people that grow towards Spiritual maturity by being filled and influenced completely by his Word. His Word should be to us as milk is to a baby - nourishing, giving strength, we should long for it, we should cry for it, we should be completely satisfied by it. Nothing should take its place. When we abuse alcohol, we are hindering our intimacy with God. 1 Peter 2:16 says that we should live as free men - how do they live? "Honor everyone, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the emperor." God has placed authority over us on earth: Police, government, parents, teachers, older siblings, etc. To obey our earthly authority is to obey God. If we are under 21, the answer is simple. It is illegal to consume alcohol and thus dishonoring to God. If we are over 21, we are still able to dishonor God in our use of it...but we have freedom. I hope that our discussion has opened up your heart to seeing how much of a delight it is to honor God by living a life of freedom and obedience. PETE

Would you be surprised if I told you that it is important to God that we, His children, have clean hands? David rejoiced that he had clean hands (Psalm 26:6-7), the Pharisees criticized the disciples for not having clean hands before eating, God even commanded that Aaron would place a basin at the entrance of the temple so that all would wash their hands before entering. I don't believe that God is a "germaphobe" but I see that God used physical cleanliness to illustrate spiritual cleanliness. Before, God's people had to wash their hands because they wanted to be with God, now we know that we have received a cleaning of our souls that only Christ could provide. God continues with this metaphor in Titus 3:5-7 when he says that we have been washed clean and that God has POURED out his Spirit on us so that we can be with God, in his presence and experiencing his Joy. David sings a song again in Psalm 24 that we would be a generation of people that have clean hands - not lifting our souls to other desires, but only to God. We lift our hands to God because we need Him to clean our hearts. PETE

When Paul said that he considers all of his accomplishments "rubbish" in comparison to knowing Christ, he would have got the attention of the listeners. This word "rubbish" was not a word to use in normal conversation. It was offensive, crude, and even inappropriate. We don't say "rubbish", we would say CRAP! All the things that he trusted in and the things that we trust in today to maintain a relationship with Christ are all crap in comparison to the faith of Christ. They are garbage that does nothing to gain or maintain a right relationship with Christ. It is only through the faith of Christ. Christ accomplished what we could not. Do you know the power of his resurrection and do you increasingly become like Christ in his death? (Philippians 3:7-11). Each day we must pick up our cross and follow Christ. Where was Christ going when he picked up his cross? He was going to die! To follow Christ is to be faithful followers - denying our self and pursuing his righteousness. PETE