Is it Okay to Drink?

Ten years ago one wouldn’t think twice about bringing a beverage into church.  The sanctuary was respected and revered.  But now, it is hard to find a person that doesn’t bring a drink into church with them.  So, is this Biblical?  Don’t know.  Is this okay?  Probably.  Is this socially acceptable?  It is become more and more so. But before answering if it’s really okay to drink in church, let’s make a simple connection between drinking in church and fasting.

We are lead to fast, so we get closer to Christ. Right? We forgo earthly substances of food and drink so our physical desires are second to our spiritual desires and heavenly connection.  We focus more on Christ when we focus less on what we are going to eat and drink, where we are going to eat and then on how we are going to loose weight because we ate and drank.  That caramel macchiato banana and raspberry smoothie infused with Mexican vanilla and hazelnuts sprinkled with a touch of Indonesian cinnamon just blew our calorie intake for the month.

When we are in the church house, in a holy place should we not allow ourselves to forgo the caffeinated coffee, the flavored water or the hot tea that tantalizes our taste buds?  Now, some argue that the caffeine is need to keep them more alert, the flavors are required to keep them entertained and the warmth is a must for their health.  Yes, absolutely.  But for the only few hours out of our week in which we are in a place of worship, maybe we should let it be more about worship and less about us.  Perhaps the true experience with the Holy Spirit will be better than drinking in church.