Starbucks or Bud Light?

Friday morning, September 21, 2007
In yesterday’s perspective, I attempted to point out (among other things) how we feel the need to hide parts of our lives from one another when we are in “church”; yet, on the outside, we tend to be more open with one another. I also attempted to point out that the church has incorrectly taught us to believe that our hiding makes church “more holy”—removing the “sin” increases the “holiness” in the “temple.”
You probably are not one of them, but many people believe (strongly believe) that the church building is God’s house—the Temple of God—and, therefore, we should do whatever we can to keep it holy, even make it “more holy”.
For example, have you ever noticed the number of cigarette butts that are scattered outside the front door of most churches? There is a reason for this: smoking cigarettes is sinful, so keeping them on the outside of the church increases holiness. Yea, right! Now, I am all-for banning cigarette smoking in buildings, not because of my interest in increasing holiness, but because the smoke irritates my sinuses.
Why, I can remember when people came to church dressed in their “Sunday Best” and for two good, religious reasons (many still do!) : (1) they wanted to appear to one another as if everything was A-OK and (2) they wanted to look their best for Him, since they were visiting His house. You know, eliminate the worldly and, thereby, make church “more holy.”
To be honest, I know more Christians who drink beer (some of them, drink lots of it), than I know Christians who do not drink beer, but for some reason most all of them feel like they cannot drink beer while they are “in church”; after all, it is God’s house and the alcohol will somehow defile it—decrease it holiness. Now, I am not attempting to promote alcoholism, but I am attempting to promote truth! Interestingly, many local churches, in their effort to attract the masses, are now offering Starbucks coffee. I, actually, have a much better idea—offer draft Bud Light in frozen mugs—but this would attract the “wrong” masses, at least from their perspective!
The truth is this: the church building is NOT God’s Temple—YOUR BODY is His Temple and it IS holy and there is nothing you can do to increase or decrease it holiness [“Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)]! Why? Because He is Holy and, therefore, HE is the reason your body, His Temple, is holy. If you think for one minute that YOU can somehow defile (or destroy) His Holiness, you are deceived—BIG TIME DECEIVED!
I cannot understand how the church has drifted so far from Jesus and His modus operandi; after all, He was called a “glutton” and a “wine bibber” for obvious reasons. I am absolutely positive that there were NO cigarette butts on the ground in front of His church, and I am just as positive that He offered draft Bud Light in frozen mugs, well, maybe Cabernet Sauvignon in Riedel crystal, and He did so because He came for the “wrong” masses, at least from the church’s perspective. Why, He even went so far as to welcome the whores, liars, cheats, drunks, murderers, and thieves to sit on the front pews of His church—up close and personal—while the religious, hypocrites had to take the “seats” of the cigarette butts.
Let’s stop hiding and pretending; after all, He knows the truth about us and He loves us, even so!