I had never heard the term "social drinking" until my childhood church split over whether a potential elder could have an occasional glass of wine. As I recall, no one accused him of being an alcoholic or spending three days in the gutter. While the Bible certainly condemns drunkenness (one-time or chronic), it doesn't condemn the occasional glass of wine. So, what was the problem? The problem was a misuse of Scripture. 1 Corinthians 8 (our text for this weekend) was invoked as a passage that prohibited mature believers from participating in certain activities. The topic addressed in 1 Corinthians 8 was whether a Christian could eat meat that was sacrificed to an idol. However, the real issue had nothing to do with BBQ. It had everything to do with loving one another.

I heard author Henry Cloud recently say, "We don't need new ways to fail. The old ways are working just fine.” Ouch! He's talking about my habits -- those patterns of behavior that get created, then cultivated, and become hard to break. Maybe you can identify with that. Over time, you find yourself drifting back to the same places or people. Perhaps it's a recurring thought that keeps dogging you or causing you to doubt.  The old ways of failing are working just fine. What do you need? A new way! A new way of thinking or doing. A new way of organizing or delegating. A new way of talking, to yourself and others. If the old ways are working just fine and you don't like the results, don't expect to get different results without changing.

1 Corinthians 6:14-18 … 14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Prostitution was both legal and acceptable in ancient Mediterranean culture. More so, Mediterranean society did not consider it adultery for a man to sleep with a prostitute. Now here's an amazing thought: God wants…

Curt Flood changed baseball forever. In 1969, Flood was traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Phillies. But there was one problem: he refused to go. In fact, he went as far as to sue Major League Baseball. In 1969, there were no free agents. Players were contracted to a team for life by the reserve clause. Essentially, their career belonged to the team. His suit opened the door for players to become free agents. Is there such a thing as a "free agent Christian"? When a person becomes a Christ-follower, it is a voluntary decision that carries an eternal obligation. The apostle Paul put it this way: "You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Giving your life to Jesus means giving him ownership of your life. If you own your house, it doesn’t belong to me. I…