Cooking with wine?

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by myreflection26:
I never said I drink as a wittnessing tool. When I go to TGI Fridays or to a friends house I'll drink a glass of wine or have a mixed drink with my dinner. I don't find a thing wrong with it, but for you it may be wrong.

Sue<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I don't mean to sound insulting here, but do you think this might "effect" your witness if a neighbor who is not saved sits at the next booth, or maybe a new Christian from your church? Just food for thought.

 

The chances are extremely high that if any of my church memebers saw me drinking they would most likely sit down and request a drink themselves. There is a couple my husband and I hang with often who are members of our church and in fact we've gone to their house and had a drink with them. As to it hurting my testimony, well I haven't seen where it has yet. I don't think many people really care about it.

Sue

 

Sue,

My experience has been much like yours, but I've learned that everyone's experience is not mine. The baptist world is much larger and more diverse than I once thought, and there are still apparently many baptists for whom any consumption of alcohol is an important issue. I wonder if, in a few years, that will cease to be the case.

If we ever meet in person, I'll be sure to offer you & your husband a nice Riesling .

Joshua

[ September 17, 2001: Message edited by: Rev. Joshua Villines ]

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Gina:
Amazed at what having a beer in your hand can do for you. In certain situations it's amazing what sitting in a crack house witnessing would do, if you didn't have to smoke it with them to get in first. There comes a point where you realize that by any means necessary just can't happen, and although it's just a beer, the reason I even brought up the subject was because the other day I had witnessed to this drunk guy and an unsaved friend automatically jumped on me because she thought it odd that I had alcohol in my house yet I would think I could think myself in a position to witness to someone else who drank? It really hit me hard. I didn't know she thought like that.
Gina<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Unsaved people will use a magnifying glass to find flaws in your Christian life, it seems to make them feel better about their own life. Does this mean you shouldn't have wine in your home to cook with? I certainly can't answer that question. I was raised in a non-alcohol home. Alcohol of any kind was never used for any reason. But, I don't believe having a glass of wine occasionally or cooking with wine is a bad thing. Alcohol abuse is a bad thing but so is every other type of abuse. And we all tend to abuse something...mine is Diet Coke.

If they had Diet Coke in Christ's time, would He have drank it? Maybe, but probably not half as much as I do.
My father is seventy-nine years old and his health is failing. He can't gain weight and has no real appetite, about six months ago his doctor told him to have half a cup of wine before he ate his noon and supper meals, the doctor even told him which wine to purchase. My parents raised us as non-drinking Baptists, so, this was very hard for my father and mother. But, my brother or myself will drive to another county to purchase this wine, my father doesn't want any of his grandchildren to know about this, and he will only drink this small about of wine when he is alone. In other words, if the house is full of visiting relatives on any given weekend, he drinks no wine. And the wine is hidden, not kept in the kitchen but in his bedroom. And the wine has seemed to help him, he has gained two pounds but more important, he hasn't lost any more weight. The sad part is that we have to go to such extremes to hide this wine because of what he's afraid others might think of him, Christians or non-Christians, not to mention his own grandchildren. My father has always been a great example of a Christian father, he never lost his temper, I can only remember him spanking me as a child once and even then, he didn't seem angry. We obey our fathers wishes concerning the wine, and we know he is nearing his final days here. And in mine and my brothers eyes he is still a great Christian father.

 

1 John 2:9-11 The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

This is the only real reason why I can see that Christians should not drink. Alcohol in itself is not evil. It leads some to do evil. If our actions leads one to stumble, Jesus says that it would be better to be killed.

 

Not to be offensive because I feel that either way if you abstain from alcohol...the reason should be because you feel God is calling you to do such. And, if you have no problem drinking it...just make sure what you're doing is glorifying to God. As I said before, I didn't agree that it was necessary to abstain from alcohol for many years, given time, the Holy Spirit did convict me of this and I made the decision...not because others in my church did or didn't drink, (that would indicate that I'm a "people pleaser") but because I felt led to omit it from my life. I agree with an earlier post that says that as Christians, we should WANT to be different, set aside. Having a beer in your hand while witnessing to someone else, while it may "seem" like it helps things, makes you seem more "normal" or down to earth to the person when in fact,to me, when I was lost, had someone witnessed to me in that way I would just think well what's the big deal, this person doesn't seem any different from me...He doesn't have anything I don't have" or, even worse yet, maybe you would end up talking to someone who even though they ARE NOT christian, maybe they think alcohol is wrong (I've actually met people like this...especially ones who grew up with an alcoholic) well, with them seeing you drink while you try to tell them that they need God to get to heaven, it may cause them to totally miss the point, focus on the drink you're having and think to themselves 'Yeah right, I'm not the one with the drink in my hand'
Just like many things that the Lord made for us to enjoy, this world has turned them into sinful things because of how they misuse it. God initially may have intended it to be totally innocent, but man through sinful desires changed that. Adam and Eve walked through the garden naked at one point....because of sin...this changed. Granted, it was THEIR sin, however, today it wouldn't be viewed as acceptable if I were to walk around in public in the nude. Maybe I just like being naked...maybe I'm not doing it because I want anyone to look at me, that may never cross my mind...however, by doing so, even if MY motives are pure...it can present a stumbling block to another. As Christians we need to REMOVE any of those blocks that we can. I know that you said in an earlier post that you had never seen where it had affected anyone negativly....truth is, you may never see it. God may not reveal that to you until you stand before him and he shows you that person who would have come to him but the devil used this item to give them excuse not to.
I'm not being judgemental, I would never try to SHOVE my preferences onto someone else...wouldn't do any good, they have to feel it and believe it in THEIR heart...I was just explaining WHY I feel the way I do.

 

Hopefully you've seen from earlier posts of mine "myreflection" that I wouldn't try to "attack" anyones beliefs...sometimes when I read back something I wrote I think whoa, I hope that wasn't taken as me being dogmatic...sometimes since it's just us writing, we don't see the Tone, and such, we just see words...just wanted to let ya know!

 

alcholoh is a no-no as far as I am concerned. But I do not condemn people who drink in moderation. And I don't see anything wrong with using it in food...just my two cents.

Until Next Post, Adam

 

Luke 7
33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil.
34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!

 

Nicole,

That is fine, and I agree with you in a way but I don't believe that if something I am doing is a stumbling block to someone else that God would let it go and not show me. I believe he would place conviction on my heart where that issue is concerned.

I know drinking is a no no for my mother in law and my parents therefore I would never drink around them, but as for me I do not believe it is wrong or sinful so I don't obstain. Adam and Eve were only naked because it wasn't sin at that point, once they had sinned they knew they were naked and not until. To run around naked now is an obvious modesty issue.

Cooking with wine I'm not sure why that is even a problem because the alchol content is not even relivant when eaten but if someone has a problem with it I suppose don't do it.

Sue

 

I want to tell you something very personal that explains why I feel strongly about this issue.

My dad used to be an upstanding citizen, on the board of the church.

He didn't believe there was anything wrong with having one drink on occasion.

Now he is an immoral alcoholic living with a woman who is not his wife. I haven't seen him in five years (his choice, not mine). He wallows in alcoholism and does not want to change. He is not happy though. He has called me while drunk and talked about how he thinks the "grim reaper" is knocking on his door. He does not mean that figuratively. He actually hears knocking and thinks it's the grim reaper.

I have seen, both with friends and family, how one thing can lead to another. Yes, Jesus drank, but Jesus was sinless and He could handle it. We who are weak need to be careful. Why give the devil any kind of foothold?

You know that saying: "You give an inch..."

I don't mean to offend anyone here. If I came to your house for dinner and you served wine, I wouldn't have any, but I also wouldn't think less of you. I truly am just concerned that others will fall into the pit my father has found himself in.

I don't think there's anything wrong with cooking with wine, in itself. I have even done so in the past. I think it would just be best not to have that kind of temptation around. Especially if you have kids! I remember when I was a teenager seeing friends get drunk on their mother's cooking wine when they were home without parental supervision. It happens. Even kids who have been raised right get curious about that kind of thing.

Anyway, I hope I didn't offend anybody. I just love my brothers and sisters in Christ and I am concerned.

Grace and peace to you.

[ September 18, 2001: Message edited by: Footwasher ]

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Footwasher:
He has called me while drunk and talked about how he thinks the "grim reaper" is knocking on his door. He does not mean that figuratively. He actually hears knocking and thinks it's the grim reaper.


Grace and peace to you.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Now HERE is somewhere I can help. Maybe he should do what I do when I hear voices...I just have to bang my head agains the wall a few times....or you COULD tell him to try knocking back next time...that grim reaper fellow just HATES that...drives him nuts...he can get sooo emotional!....lol Just kidding! I don't really hear voices...although I'm getting pretty close as I've been awake for almost five days now!!! You gave me a good laugh...I could actually envision your eyes as you said it!!!
oK, i'm gonna slink back here and slip my I love me jacket back on!

 

Footwasher

I completely understand where you are coming from and can understand your worry. I have come to a place in my life that I know I don't need to drink, I just simply enjoy a drink once in a while. My husband keeps beer in our refigerator and I never touch it anymore because I don't have a desire to but I do drink when we go to a resturant. I think many people can get caught up in a rut and become an alcolholic but some can also say no and know when to stop. This is not a weak area in my life because I have given it to God. If I were to have you at my house for dinner, I would never even think of bringout out wine to drink much less serve you due to the struggle you've seen.

Sue

 

Not insane at all.

The point is that drinking alcohol is not intrinsically sinful.

In some settings, it will hurt your witness.

In others, it will help it.

For some people, drinking it can be sinful because of their inability to moderate it (see also food, work, exercise, and anything else positive in life).

Each person needs to make the appropriate choice based on their environment and their personality.

Joshua

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by myreflection26:


I have come to a place in my life that I know I don't need to drink, I just simply enjoy a drink once in a while...I think many people can get caught up in a rut and become an alcolholic but some can also say no and know when to stop. This is not a weak area in my life because I have given it to God.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Fifteen years ago, my dad would have said the same thing.

[ September 18, 2001: Message edited by: Footwasher ]

 

&lt; My heart goes out to those whose lives have been destroyed by "one drink". &gt;

A drink would have to laced with something a lot stronger than C(2)H(5)OH to cost a person his life.

Is it true that wine should be given to those "of heavy hearts" (Proverbs 3:6)? And to let him drink and forget his poverty (v.7)? Or is scripture wrong here? or is this one of those cases where it was right for 'them' and wrong for 'us?'

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Give beer to those who are perishing,
wine to those who are in anguish;
let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.
--Proverbs 31:6-7 (NIV) <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Because of eternal life in Christ, a believer is not perishing. Because of the joy of the Lord, a believer is not in anguish. Because of the abundant provision of God, a believer is not in poverty.

It seems to clear to me that drinking is for the unbeliever, not the believer.

I don't claim to be any kind of theologian, but this is what comes to mind when I read these verses.

By the way, one drink can destroy a life because of what it leads to. One thing leads to another. See my posts above.

[ September 18, 2001: Message edited by: Footwasher ]