{"id":60366,"date":"2010-04-17T20:38:00","date_gmt":"2010-04-18T01:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=60366"},"modified":"2023-04-17T20:42:42","modified_gmt":"2023-04-18T01:42:42","slug":"they-think-it-strange","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/they-think-it-strange\/","title":{"rendered":"They Think It Strange"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\tby Terry W. Benton\n
For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles– when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you.<\/i>
\n(I Peter 4:3-4)<\/blockquote>\n

When we take a stand for morals and principles, it is inevitable that there will be a clash of interests when Christians and non-Christians come together in a social atmosphere. Alcohol is often served at company gatherings and social events and celebrations.\u00a0 A college football game will throw together a variety of people, many of which think that alcohol is a natural drink, and if you do not drink, they think you are not natural.\u00a0 No, the fact is that those who drink are doing something to their brain and body that is not natural.\u00a0 Drinking purified water is natural.\u00a0 Drinking an alcohol-based drink is an invasion of the body’s normal and right functioning.<\/p>\n

It is amazing how that if you do not drink, “they think you are strange”.\u00a0 A straight guy in a homosexual bar is “strange”.\u00a0 He is out of his normal environment and has nothing in common with his new set of associates.\u00a0 In a setting where drinking is normal and expected, then the Christian will be thought strange for not drinking.\u00a0 The Christian is not “strange” in that he is just “weird” and possesses little judgment ability.\u00a0 He is “strange” to an environment that thinks drunkenness and revelry, lusts, and drinking parties are normal and good.\u00a0 The Christian is “strange” to certain people who have no moral compass and have never tried to gauge their actions by the holy standard of the Creator.<\/p>\n

They will think it strange if you think you must “assemble” with the saints (Hebrews 10:25) at every opportunity.\u00a0 They will think it strange if you think that 10% of your income should go toward helping the Lord’s church and the encouragement and spread of the gospel.\u00a0 The fact of the matter is that “sin” is strange to God. It is not His environment.\u00a0 Sin is a foreign and strange invader.\u00a0 Those who choose sin over God are really the “strange” ones.\u00a0 They are strangers to God and what holy standards He has commanded.\u00a0 They were earlier described as having been living from “aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers”.\u00a0 Don’t you think it is “strange” to God that people would just move with the flow of human tradition rather than try to find out about the Creator and His will for us?<\/p>\n

So, there are people who will think me “strange”.\u00a0 I’m glad for them to so think.\u00a0 Better that they think I am strange than for God and his people to think me strange.\u00a0 I want to be “strange” to homosexual, adulterous, drunkards, and thieving people.\u00a0 I want to be strange to those who go for drinking parties and revelry.\u00a0 I do not want to be strange to a sinless and holy God.\u00a0 Let the world “speak evil of us”. Let them say that we think we are better than them.\u00a0 While we are not better than them, our standards of moral discretion must be better. God’s standards of moral judgment are better than the world’s standards.\u00a0 Whatever the insult, it is better to be insulted and rejected by them, than to be rejected by God.\u00a0 Better to be a stranger to the world of lawlessness than a stranger to the Holy God. If the people of the world think we are just like them, then we have some major adjustments to make.\u00a0 Only when we have sincere convictions about God’s holy standards can the world ever think of us as strange.\u00a0 There is honor in being strange by principle and loyalty to God.\u00a0 There is no honor in being just like the world.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Terry W. Benton For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles– when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[642,38],"class_list":["post-60366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-christianity","tag-morality"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":91551,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-risk-of-small-amounts-of-alcohol\/","url_meta":{"origin":60366,"position":0},"title":"The Risk of Small Amounts of Alcohol","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Drinking in Moderation Is Not Harmless by Andy Sochor via Plain Bible Teaching for Today It is not uncommon to hear or see debates on whether it is permissible for Christians to drink alcohol in moderation. That is an important discussion. However, it is also interesting to take note of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3340,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-shouldnt-people-drink-alcohol\/","url_meta":{"origin":60366,"position":1},"title":"Why shouldn’t people drink alcohol?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 26, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Why shouldn't people drink alcohol? Answer: See the article \"New Testament Beverages\" for details. The brief answer is that the New Testament allows Christians to use alcohol for medicinal purposes, but not for recreational purposes. Christians are to strive to be sober and watchful at all times.","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":55746,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-danger-of-alcohol\/","url_meta":{"origin":60366,"position":2},"title":"The Danger of Alcohol","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 13, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"by Steve Wallace via\u00a0Truth Magazine\u00a0Vol. XLIV: 3 p5 February 3, 2000 Alcohol is such an accepted part of American society and society in general that our title may strike some as odd. After all, so many popular, fashionable, and successful people are known to drink. Also, commercials, movies, advertisements, etc.,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/11\/alcohol.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":51397,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-value-of-taking-a-drink\/","url_meta":{"origin":60366,"position":3},"title":"The Value of Taking a Drink","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 15, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"by Kent Heaton Alcohol has always been a demon that plagues man with its sparkle and alluring appeal to the desires of the flesh. Noah planted a vineyard and \"drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent\" (Genesis 9:21). The children of Israel did not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/wineBottles.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":42248,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-cost-of-drinking-alcohol\/","url_meta":{"origin":60366,"position":4},"title":"The Cost of Drinking Alcohol","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 20, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"by Dennis Abernathy I recently read that alcoholism is costing our society around twenty-five billion dollars annually, including millions yearly just to arrest, try, and jail drinkers. Furthermore, alcohol is to blame for nearly half of all traffic fatalities and homicides, and a fourth of all suicides in the state\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/alcohol-200x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":16766,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-dont-think-god-is-against-a-fellowship-that-can-supply-nutrition-to-visitors\/","url_meta":{"origin":60366,"position":5},"title":"I don’t think God is against a fellowship that can supply nutrition to visitors","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 4, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: If your church has no kitchen etc, then how do you share communion together?\u00a0 Do you take everything home to wash? 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