Featured Coffee at church

Why does that matter? At that point it is no longer sanctified obviously.

 

I really don't see a problem with it.

The church I currently attend, as well as my previous church, had coffee and also hot water / tea bags (and sometimes snacks) available before and after services free of charge, but if you wanted to make a donation to help offset the costs, there was a basket (or empty coffee can in the case of my previous church) you could put the money into.

 

The point I was making is that it is merely a building where an assembly of believers assemble together to worship God. We can also do that at people's homes, so if church is going on in their living room, I'd venture to guess some would frown if someone was drinking a cup of coffee?

 

I suppose that is up to the church members how they look at it. Lack of reverence in our services and places of worship, I believe, lends to a laxidasical attitude about God and worship. Folks will have to do what they think is best.

 

Money changing in the church will get you sent to hell.

 

Lol, too funny thanks!

 

I'm all for an after service fellowship brunch, but not one that is there exclusively to make money! In my heart of hearts, this reminds me of the money changers Jesus chased from the Temple!

 

You look for sin you will find it. Staying focused on sin will limit vision and perception of what Jesus is doing.

 

Having coffee while church is going on is not laxidasical, in my opinion. It is no different than having a drink of water. We worship God through the Spirit and not by whether we have coffee, tea or water.

 

Ok I did not say we worship by whether or not we have coffee. Setting aside a sanctuary as a sanctified place of worship to be treated as special lends a sense of reverence you do not get otherwise. That reverence is important and it is our responsibility.

 

If your worship only happens when you're in front of other people, you've got bigger issues than a cup of Joe.

 

What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in?

 

Satan is very subtle, first comes the soft drinks then comes the hard drinks.

 

Personally, I don't see people drinking coffee during corporate services as a major problem.

Why not? Well, some of our "preaching elders" [Not every one of our elders preach] will drink coffee while they're preaching, so I don't think that I'm going to hear them denounce from the pulpit those in the pews for drinking coffee during their sermons.

I myself choose not to drink coffee during our corporate services, but I don't condemn those that drink either coffee or bottled water while the sermon is taking place. Apparently some people have a need to hydrate themselves more than others (although coffee is not a good way for a person to hydrate himself). With my enlarged prostrate gland, were I to drink any fluid, I know I'd spend a good part of the message not in the auditorium but in the mens' room. :smilewinkgrin:

Moreover, to use I Corinthians 11:18-34 as a blanket indictment against any and all forms of "eating and/or drinking" in "God's house" is taking Paul's warnings out of context.

His concern was how the Corinthian Christians were abusing the Lord's Supper ordinance in their corporate meetings.

Seemingly the Corinthians practiced some sort of clique-ish assembly wherein the more wealthy folks brought a large supply of food to the meeting, but only shared it among themselves rather than sharing it with the remainder of the congregation who might not have had as much (or none at all) food as their wealthier counterparts. Thus they made observing a very sacred ordinance into a gluttonous feast.

The Lord's Supper should never be observed in that manner, for if it is, then those that observe it that way are, indeed, "guilty of the body and blood of the Lord" (I Cor. 11:27).

Prior to participating in the Lord's Supper, a person needs to "examine himself" before God, letting the Holy Spirit reveal to himself any sins that he has for which he needs to repent and ask forgiveness from his Heavenly Father.

If a person is going to condemn someone for "eating and drinking" at "church," he most then also condemn any and all "church fellowship" suppers, any and all forms of snacks or bottle feeding in the nursery (That's "eating and drinking" too, isn't it?), etc.

If you are consistent in this matter, you can't just pick-and-choose what forms of "eating and drinking" in a church context are okay and which are not okay....It's either all okay or all are wrong.

Well, I'm getting hungry and thirsty. Good thing I'm at home, otherwise............:tonofbricks:

 

I cannot imagine church without coffee.

 

What do you do with a dual use facility, especially in cases where a church rents a secular venue?

Two specific examples come to mind:

1. My friend's church used to meet in a public school auditorium
2. My sister's church meets in a movie theatre

Both of the above secular venues are fully operational and, in the case of my sister's church, it is fully expected that food and drinks will be present. They are a satellite location and the "service" is shown on the screen