The Wesleyan Church membership requirements for Covenant Members includes an expectation of abstaining from all alcoholic beverages, tobacco and drug use (other than prescribed medicines). Many debates have been held over this issue, and the debate continues in our generation.
First, it must be pointed out that we are not talking about how to be saved, we are talking about how to govern a body of believers, and keep godly order in the church. We need a system for leadership that promotes godliness and all of the fruits of the Spirit. One of those fruits is “self control”.
Alcohol causes unnecessary battles in the area of self-control on two levels: 1) The self-control over addiction; 2) the self-control given up when intoxicated.
Why does the Wesleyan Church have membership requirements? To call our membership to live above reproach; to live a witness to the world that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life; and to call our people to holiness. Members and leaders are rightly called to a higher standard than those who simply attend. This is not to Lord anything over them as if we are better than anyone else, but to serve them by denying ourselves and living in a way that will not cause any of our brothers and sisters to stumble.
No, it is not a sin to drink. It is a sin to get drunk. It is a sin to cause our brother to stumble. It is a sin to give up self control.
It is challenge enough to control the things that we must do, like eat without gluttony, work in the worldly surroundings of American commerce without joining in dishonest practices to get ahead, and carry on conversations with our lost friends and family without joining in on gossip, slander, coarse joking, unwholesome talk and malicious anger at others for whom Jesus died. These things we face every day because we have to if we are going to be "in the world yet not of the world."
With all the unavoidable battles thrown at us from the enemy, why intentionally bring a battle into your life, your family’s lives, and the life of the church that we don’t have to face? No one HAS to drink alcohol.
“Everything is permissible”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. - 1 Cor. 10:23
So for generations, the Wesleyan Church has revisited this same discussion as to why we have a membership requirement like this that is not directly spelled out in scripture. I would answer with the final thought of 1 Cor. 10:23: We are doing it, and teaching all members to do it, for the good of others. It works. I welcome your input.
4 comments:
Good evening
I often ponder the back stories of dedominational rules for membership. In this case the proabation aginst alcohol consumption in order to qualify for covenant membership. It truley gives me pause when we construct rules that would prevent the Lord and all of his diciples from joining the church. Jesus himself, made wine for use by party goers. I speculate that He knew that those that inbided were going to get a little tipsy. This occured after they had consumed all of the existing wine, so He made additional fine wine for them to consume. Sounds like He facillitated the consumption of wine to the point of at least mild intoxicatgion. I concur drinking to excess is unhealthy and should not be promoted however, WWJD ?
Since we are talking about a form of governance and not a heaven or hell issue, I do not believe we have to qualify why Jesus turned water into wine at Cana in Galilee.
We have seen such miserable and embarrassing failures in the leadership of the church over the last 30 years that I believe we need to go the extra mile to show that we are serious about integrity and character among our leaders. In Acts 21:26, Paul had some of the Gentiles ritualistically purified to appease the Jewish community even though they didn't have to be in God's eyes. He did this in order to appease people who thought Paul was getting carried away with his freedom in Christ. Sometimes it is better for leaders in the church to submit themselves to the expectations of the whole to create a peaceful environment in the body.
Jesus made Himself submissive to even death for the sake of saving His church. He could have exercised His freedom - and been right to do so - except that no one would have been saved. Now He has called us to be servants of all; submissive to the authorities that exist.
As the church has become larger and more organized, we have seen divisions happen for all kinds of reasons. We have seen false teachers and weak-willed believers create an atmosphere of doubt about the church, our sincerity and whether anyone really believes what we say, anymore. I believe this has changed our obligation to the Lord and to the world in what we expect of ourselves to live "above reproach" in our day. I think this is "What Jesus Would Do".
I understand and agree with your concern with not exercising freedom to other's harm. To to other's benefits. But, my question is, can I drink with Christian brother who is feels free in Christ to drink, or at home with my wife, who feels the same freedom? I won't eat meat sacrificed to idols infront of those it causes stumbling, but the bible doesn't say 'become vegetarian'. I also agree with submitting to authority, and because of this, I do not drink. But if we only submit, will the rule ever change? why must my freedom be limited? I care more about unity than wine, but if alcoholic beverages weren't very good, I think we, the human race, would not spend so much developing them and have so many different flavours and styles. I abstain from drink because my authorities say so. But why must we say so? JESUS DRANK. the Disciples drank. Paul drank. Timothy drank. the church fathers drank. Luther drank. Wesley Drank. Why do we hold ourselves to a different standard than these? what do we hope to accomplish? What are we known for? our stance on alcohol or our love and holiness? Why do we as the wesleyan church, put a yoke on our pastors and members that Jesus did not carry? That we might be unified? but we are excluding ourselves from the rest of the Church? I would like answers. not emotional responses backed up by 'proofs', but real reasons behind what we believe. what would we conclude if we only went by the Bible and prayer?
sola scriptura
I understand and agree with your concern with not exercising freedom to other's harm. To to other's benefits. But, my question is, can I drink with Christian brother who is feels free in Christ to drink, or at home with my wife, who feels the same freedom? I won't eat meat sacrificed to idols infront of those it causes stumbling, but the bible doesn't say 'become vegetarian'. I also agree with submitting to authority, and because of this, I do not drink. But if we only submit, will the rule ever change? why must my freedom be limited? I care more about unity than wine, but if alcoholic beverages weren't very good, I think we, the human race, would not spend so much developing them and have so many different flavours and styles. I abstain from drink because my authorities say so. But why must we say so? JESUS DRANK. the Disciples drank. Paul drank. Timothy drank. the church fathers drank. Luther drank. Wesley Drank. Why do we hold ourselves to a different standard than these? what do we hope to accomplish? What are we known for? our stance on alcohol or our love and holiness? Why do we as the wesleyan church, put a yoke on our pastors and members that Jesus did not carry? That we might be unified? but we are excluding ourselves from the rest of the Church? I would like answers. not emotional responses backed up by 'proofs', but real reasons behind what we believe. what would we conclude if we only went by the Bible and prayer?
sola scriptura
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