OceanSide church of Christ
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Looking
for God in All the Wrong Places
Jason
Jackson
Christian
Courier—http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1182-looking-for-god-in-all-the-wrong-places
It’s
“bottoms up” for believers in downtown
“The
focus,” said Winkle, “is on getting the message out….If that message happens to
come from inside a bar, so be it” (Rob Kirkbride. “Would-be bar owners plan to
pour out the spirit of religion.” The Grand Rapids Press. December 10,
2002).
Winkle
considers the “good” that can be done. When patrons belly-up to the bar at
Graces, they’ll be served by a clergyman. “There won’t be Bibles on the tables
and the clergy won’t be wearing robes or collars, but I do envision loud music
and people having fun,” said Renee Visser, a downtown business owner who is
working with Winkle.
Presbyterian
minister Kenneth Gentry pours out his opinion on the subject in his book God
Gave Wine: “We need to change the public perception of Christians being a bunch
of killjoys. Evil comes out of the heart of man, not out of a substance” (as
quoted by Kirkbride).
Visser
concluded, “Some people are bitter about traditional churches…We want to provide
a place more comfortable to them.”
Garth
Brooks mesmerized fans several years ago by singing, “I’ve got friends in low
places….” Was he talking about Christians? This “anything-goes evangelism” is
anything but “preaching the gospel” (Mk. 16:15). What value would there be to
teaching someone the gospel who won’t remember it in the
morning?
This
ethical near-sightedness is nothing new. Joseph Fletcher publicized it in
America decades ago in his book, Situation Ethics. But the idea is as old as
Satan. People are deceived if they think that they can do wrong so that good may
result. The end does not justify the means.
The
incomprehensible thing is this: these entrepreneurs do not see anything wrong
with the consumption of alcohol. It leads one to wonder what influence they were
under when they read [if they read], “Wine is a mocker and strong drink is a
brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise” (Prov. 20:1). Drunkenness is still condemned in
Scripture as “a work of the flesh” (Gal. 5:21). And I have yet to discover the
work of the flesh that can be done in moderation.
Since,
as Gentry puts it, a substance is not intrinsically evil, one might suggest
mixing a little weed with worship. How about casinos for Christ? A game of
righteous roulette might reach the 4 million compulsive gamblers whose lives are
on a ruinous course.
Is
there a ministry yet to be uncovered among users of pornography? Twelve billion
dollars bought Americans pornographic materials last year — twice the combined
gross revenue of the major television networks CBS, NBC, and ABC. Such
“ministers” could employ lust in moderation, transforming it into a love for
God, “who made us male and female.”
How
many more people could John the Immerser have reached had he sat on a bar stool
and preached, “Another round! For the kingdom of heaven is at
hand.”
There
is no doubt that people need the gospel — everybody needs the gospel. The remedy
for the social and personal ills of life is the message of Christ. It is found
in the New Testament and lived by faithful Christians who “abstain from every
form of evil,” “flee from fornication,” “overcome evil with good,” “abhor what
is evil,” and “hold fast to what is good” (1 Thess. 5:22; 1 Cor. 6:18; Rom.
12:21; 12:9).
Individuals
are attracted to the message, it is true, by our “good works” (Matt. 5:16), and
they are encouraged to fill their minds with things that are true, honorable,
just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise (Phil 4:8). For
which things, we might say, there is no “legal-limit” or “under-aged
restrictions” (cf. Gal. 5:23).
J.B.
Phillip translates Romans 12:2 like this: “Don’t let the world around you
squeeze you into its own mold….” There is no need to brew up a spiritual message
that is less-filling and tastes great. The gospel, undistilled, does not make us
more comfortable where we are; rather, it leads us to realize the seriousness of
sin and the need for a Savior — therein is righteousness and a clear conscience
(cf. Rom. 1:16-17; 1 Pet. 3:21).