A Theology of Beer

In the past, I have briefly written my theology of coffee. I truly do love coffee. I don’t feel addicted to it, but just really enjoy it, especially a couple of warm cups early in the morning in my office with my Bible open. And Europe has some good coffee.

But I have also wanted to write a theology of beer as well. I must admit, and I am not ashamed to say so, I really enjoy beer. Yes, it is a special activity here in Belgium. And God was gracious in calling me to a land that has such wonderful beer.

Though, my main goal is not to really lay out why it is ok to partake of alcoholic beverages, I briefly give three Biblical reasons why:

1) In a passage probably not as well known, Deuteronomy 14:22-27, the Lord lays out what is to take place in celebrating the tithe. The people were to come with their tithe – of grain, wine, oil and firstborn of the flock and herd – to eat it and celebrate before the Lord. They were to do this in the place God would choose, which would later become Jerusalem.

But, if this place chosen was too far away, God was reasonable and told His people to sell these things mentioned above and still make their way to Jerusalem, but now with the lighter load. Once they arrived, God said this: spend the money for whatever you desire – oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves (vs26).

Now, I am aware of the arguments that wine was non-fermented (which I disagree with, but will come onto in just a moment). But no one can refute the phrase, ’strong drink’. It’s pretty obvious this is in reference to something with alcohol, something fermented.

And, of course, such would be expected, since God was calling them to celebrate. Hey, that’s something to consider about our giving – are we celebrating as we give! But that’s another article on another day.

So, first off, God is ok with us celebrating with strong drink. Matter of fact, He commanded it in days of old!

2) When we read Paul’s rebuke to the Corinthians, specifically the one in reference to their celebration of the Lord’s Supper (or the ‘agape feasts’ they celebrated), we read something interesting in that passage. Specifically, in vs21, he says they were getting drunk!

Now, the only way one can get drunk on wine is if it actually is fermented. You can’t get drunk on non-fermented wine (simple grape juice). It’s quite the difficult thing.

Of course, they were wrong in getting drunk. But the mere fact that they were able to get drunk shows they were celebrating the Lord’s Supper with fermented wine during their gatherings.

3) Let’s all be honest. To suppose that when the word wine is used in Scripture, it refers to non-fermented wine, this is not a strong argument. Why do I say? Well, I could walk down the path that a colleague once did by stating something to this affect: ‘When Jesus preached to the masses, it didn’t have to detail that He had clothes on. It would have been an obvious reality. Thus, when it speaks of wine in Scripture, it did not need to detail it as fermented wine. It would have been an obvious reality.’

But, even more, let’s just simply think about this. Back in those days they did not have refrigerators. Those were invented just a few centuries later. Why do I mention this? Because, to keep pure grape juice from fermenting, they would have to refrigerate it. But with no access to such technology, we can easily conclude that such drink would rather quickly ferment. It’s just a simple and practical reality about it the subject.

So, these are three reasons for alcoholic or fermented beverages being acceptable to drink. God created it and pronounced it good.

Of course, drunkenness is not healthy (Ephesians 5:18; Proverbs 23:29-35), but this texts speak of strong intoxication. Therefore, let’s also not try and be the Holy Spirit, telling how much a person can have – one drink, two drinks, etc. Let’s let Him be who He says He is.

But going back to beer, I am happy to be planted here in the land of Belgium. Yes, it is known for it’s chocolate and waffles. But it really has fine beer as well. Matter of fact, it seems that Belgium can boast 1,498 total beers, and that in such a small country. Of course, knowing the vastness of a place like America and all its micro-breweries, I am sure the number is well over 10,000. But, such a number for Belgium is quite amazing.

One of the unique things they do here is producing a different glass for each different brand of beer. No, there isn’t 1,498 different beer glasses. But, there is a differing one for each brand. So, one brewing company or monastery might produce multiple beers, but they will only have one glass per label brand. Still, walking into cafes, bars and restaurants, you will find so many varying beer glasses of all shapes and sizes.

My favourite beer in Belgium is Leffe Bruin (Brown), though they also have a Blonde (Blond) one. It is not your ‘working man’s beer’ (so not comparable with a Budweiser in the USA). But it is a regular beer offered everywhere you go. But it is mighty fine and tasty. I also enjoy Chimay Blauw (Blue), which is really a trappist. It is another darker beer with a little higher alcohol content. [My mouth is beginning to water even now as I type.]

Another interesting thing to note about beer in Belgium is that many of them are of a higher alcoholic percentage – 8, 10 and 12%. So they can get pretty high, almost like the alcohol percentage of a glass of wine.

The only negative about Belgian beers is that, as they get higher in alcohol content, it seems the sweeter they become. So, they can get kind of sweet, which can wear on your taste buds after a little while.

An interesting piece of information that I just came into yesterday was that it is ok to ‘drink and drive’ in Belgium. Yep, some American Christians would be yelling over this one. How did I come into such knowledge?

A friend had picked me up from the Eurostar station in Brussels yesterday and was bringing back home. I saw someone driving in a car next to us raise a Jupiler beer can (similar to Stella Artois) to their mouth. I turned to my friend and said, ‘That guy’s drinking a beer while driving’ (stated in a way as if he was concealing his rebelliousness and breaking of the law).

My friend then went on to explain to me that this man was not breaking the law. It’s completely acceptable in Belgium to drink a beer while driving, though driving while drunk is not. I just began to laugh. I thought, maybe I should try this. If only some of my American Christian friends new of that thought.

Beer is just part of European culture. You can even get one of those Jupiler’s at McDonald’s. There is no secondary thought of whether it’s wrong. It just is part of life, no questions asked.

And so, being one who very much enjoys beer, I am glad to be in Belgium. I’m collecting differing bottles, glasses, and tasting the various kinds of beer available in this little land. Therefore, just as I am thankful God created Asians for their amazing food, I am grateful God created Belgians and their lovely beers.

Conferences, Great; Relationships, What It’s About

This past weekend, a team of people from Cornerstone International headed over to the UK to join in with leaders from the various churches and ministries from the Lifelink International family. People from various nations joined with us, specifically from the UK, Belgium, US, India, China, Zambia, South Africa and Argentina.

There is no doubt of how great it is to be envisioned for God’s kingdom and hear about all that God is doing in our midst as a family of churches and ministries around the world. Though we are small in comparison, I am always reminded that Jesus simply started with twelve, and with that, the mustard seed of the kingdom of God has continued to grow throughout the centuries. So, I am humbled how God has chosen to use a smaller grouping of churches and ministries within Lifelink.

The teaching was excellent as various people (yes, even apostles and prophets, as we [healthily] believe they still exist) shared from the Word things that are relevant for leaders in their various local situations. A lot was focused around two things: 1) transition and 2) community.

We could argue the church is always in transition. We don’t forget where we’ve come from, the cloud of witnesses that have gone before (Hebrews 12:1). But we always recognise that the one who is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) is also stirring new things in our midst to move forward in. And we must let go of that which must be let go and take up that which God has asked us to. Our eyes must stay fixed on what He is saying, what He is doing. This will bring much fruit to bear.

Not only that, but we must remember we are called to this together. There is no room for lone ranger ministries, nor the individualism that has ravaged the church in the past few decades. Of course, there is room for diversity and individual expression. No one would or should deny such a truth. But there is no room in the heart of God for individual-ism. Such has no place in the kingdom of God.

Why?

Because the Trinity has no room for such. Of course, the Father, Son and Spirit have their own unique roles within the Godhead. But they are continually at work together, relying on one another. This comes out in the words of Jesus very clearly:

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.” (John 5:19)

1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry… 14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. (Luke 4:1-2, 14)

Jesus was even excited at the prospect of sending the Spirit to continue His work after ascending back to His Father:

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. (John 14:26)

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. (John 16:7)

It wasn’t solely about Him and His role as the divine Son, what He was going to do for humanity. He so wanted to share all things with the Father and the Spirit. What beauty, what humility! (Here are some other thoughts in the past.)

And that is what I appreciate about those with whom we work. Even though we believe God still gifts people as apostles and prophets, and of course in the other Ephesians 4 ministry roles (evangelists, shepherds and teachers), if anything, we believe God has called us together. We are so diverse in our giftings, but we see that as a plus. It’s not about a one-man show, bowing to the great leader and man of God. It’s about togetherness and relying on one another, room for each to express their unique giftings and functions. For, again, that is what the Trinity has been doing from the beginning.

This is what I value greatly about our time together. Yes, it is about good, solid teaching. It is about corporate worship in song. It is about praying for the nations, various situations and differing people. But, beyond that ’spiritual’ stuff, we just enjoy conversations over coffee and tea, eating meals together, sharing a glass of wine together.

But, this is ’spiritual’ stuff as well. Matter of fact, we can see the importance of food in the life of God’s people in the Scriptures – ‘And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts’ (Acts 2:46). The relational aspect stands as one of those top priorities.

I am thankful for this fellowship, the relationships and sharing of life that the Trinity has called us into. They do it well and, of course, we should only look to exemplify them in all that we do.

Therefore, my conclusion is – conferences are great, but relationships is what it’s all about.

The Greater Picture of Worship

When we speak of worship, what initially comes to mind for many is the corporate time of worship in our Sunday morning gatherings, which usually includes music. Or, within some more traditional contexts, worship would involve the whole ’service’, including the sharing of communion, the preaching of the Word, and a handful of other activities that could take place.

But I think many a people are starting to realise that such is a bit of a reductionist understanding to specifically pinpoint worship as either 1) the church’s gathered time of singing or 2) the activities of the one, or one and a half, hour gathering on a Sunday morning. No one would negate the importance of such, or at least I hope they would not. But, over the past few decades (or longer), our view of worship has become enlarged. Our minds are beginning to be transformed with a more holistic view of worship.

But, still, the tug comes at many a hearts to envision worship as mainly centred around songs. I think a lot of this understanding is focused in and around a text in Revelation 4. It would be good if one read the whole chapter, as it is only 11 verses. But I simply quote a few verses below:

⁴Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. ⁵From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, ⁶and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: ⁷ the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. ⁸And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:4-8)

Michael Patton’s recent post over at Parchment & Pen in regards to the prevailing wrong understanding that many have of heaven, or the age to come, got some of these things stirring in me. From such a passage (and, of course, a few others), we have developed this idea that heaven is simply an eternal sing-a-long. Either we keep singing the same song (possibly Amazing Grace or How Great Thou Art) over and over. Or we sing a plethora of songs day and night, to quote vs8 above. Either way, to believe that heaven is an eternal sing-a-long is quite unhealthy. But I’ll come on to that in a moment, lest someone start picking up stones.

First, let me go ahead and say that I believe the gathered church in its corporate worship is a very, very important aspect. Not only that, but the church’s corporate time of worship in song is also of utmost value. As our main ’song-book’ to be found in the Scriptures, the Psalms point to the importance of worship in song (don’t forget the Psalms were probably meant to be sung, not so much read, but that’s another matter).

As coming from a charismatic background, I know of the potential of the saints in their gathering before God. Not only that, but I have witnessed some things in the gathering of the saints that both humbles and excites me. When 50, 100, 200 or however many of God’s people, who are already walking with Him on a regular basis, gather together to express their praise, their worship, their love for their Father, you can imagine what is available in our midst by the Spirit.

Still, I am very aware that to limit worship to such (and, yes, it is limiting it) will become detrimental to what God intended. And this is coming from a charismatic.

First of all, why do I believe it is limiting to conceive of worship simply as our gathered time in song?

Well, I go back to Eden. As far as we know, there were no instruments. No organs, no pianos, no guitars, no drums, and not even any PowerPoint (nor MediaShout for our experienced music and techy teams).

But I believe that the love-worship relationship between Adam and Eve and our Father was being worked out as designed. Those walks in the ‘cool of the day’ would have consisted of greater intimacy than we have probably yet experienced.

No music, maybe even no songs. But worship was taking place.

We turn to Genesis 22 and the famous passage of Isaac’s sacrifice (or, so, we thought he was going to be sacrificed). And in vs5 we read these words:

Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.

Interesting. Again, no guitars, no keyboards, no drums, no Matt Redman, no Tim Hughes, none of that stuff. But worship was taking place. Why? Because sacrifice was taking place. Behind this word sacrifice, even though there were no songs and no music, we find worship unfolding before our very eyes.

Let me flesh this out a little. What I mean is that there is a giving of oneself. This isn’t about you or me or anyone else. It’s about the One we are giving to. That is sacrifice. That is worship. And nobody has to play one musical chord. No one has to sing one melodious note.

That is worship in its holistic sense.

So, though I am very much up for our gatherings to be filled with songs of praise. I am even up for us to join in songs in the age to come in the new earth of righteousness, I must confess that I am not up for this all the time. To be completely honest, such would be absolutely boring! And I think our Father would agree on that.

Some might now mark me out as unspiritual, maybe even unscriptural. But, when I actually read Scripture and ponder the worship relationship God has called us into, I know it neither begins nor ends with music and song. Again, these are an integral parts. But they are not the start or finish line of worship.

Thus, worship should be of utmost importance to the people of God. It is absolutely integral to the life of the saints. We are reminded of such from these words of provocation from John Piper:

‘Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man.’ (Let The Nations Be Glad)

Yes, worship supersedes even mission! But worship finds its true, authentic place as one gives himself or herself sacrificially to the One who sacrificed Himself on the cross. This is not limited to our Sunday gatherings nor other special times of song. Rather, the challenge is that we view every word, every action, every thought, even every breath as an opportunity of developing the worship relationship our Father has called us into.

Baby Got Book

In keeping with my desire to post videos that make me chuckle, here is one below. Well, I hope it makes you laugh, but it could just make you shake your head at such silliness.

You might remember the dance-rap song, Baby Got Back. This one is called Baby Got Book.

Water Baptism – Audio & Notes

These past two Sundays, I have gone through a short series on the topic of water baptism. This is an integral part of church life, as presented in the New Testament. Specifically, I looked to cover four main areas:

1) The concept of the sacraments

Here I give some brief thoughts surrounding this word and varying other concept such as the ‘means of grace’.

2) The relationship between salvation and baptism

As evangelicals, we are committed to the truth that salvation is by grace through faith alone. We cannot work nor merit our way into God’s favour. Such acceptance as sons and daughters of God is by the pure and unmerited beautiful grace of God (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Yet, the New Testament does speak of water baptism as intricately connected to our salvation (there were at least seven passages I considered). So, does baptism save? Does it bring about the new birth? Is it just a symbol? What about all these questions.

3) The three varying modes of baptism

Here I consider whether all three modes of baptism – sprinkling, pouring and immersion – are acceptable according to Scripture.

4) The candidates for baptism

Lastly, I end out by looking at whether infant baptism (paedobaptism) is something that can be fully established in Scripture. Or, should only those confessing Jesus as Lord be allowed in the waters of baptism?

You can listen to or download the two part series at our podcast site. Click here for part 1; click here for part 2. And, if you would be interested in a PDF format of my notes, you can download them by clicking here.