A Beer Drinking, Cigarette Smoking, Heavy Metal Music Playing, Sunday-Worshipping Church

Modern church trends are teaching us that we don’t have to be transformed or give up anything. We can enjoy all the benefits of going to heaven without having to sacrifice any of our worldly pleasures. It is essentially the fallacy of believing that you can have Jesus while simultaneously serving Satan. Even though God’s words clearly tell us that we cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24), the modern church tells us that we can negotiate a compromise and find common ground between both sides.

Heavy Metal Church #sda #adventist #adventista pic.twitter.com/vWtcErXNF0

— Advent Messenger (@Advent1844) March 22, 2024

The First Heavy Metal Church of Christ (FHMCC) was founded by “Pastor” Brian Smith and is an example of how contemporary worship styles have adopted everything that you find in the world while still trying to maintain an appearance of spirituality. According to the church’s website, you can have a “bible-based” experience that includes alcohol, cigarettes, and rock and roll. They also hold church services on Sundays, which naturally adds to their long list of apostasies.

• “Simply put, we are a Gathering Place of Black Sheep and Misfits. The First Heavy Metal Church of Christ is a bible-based church for those that would probably never step foot into a traditional church building because of snooty self-righteous, judgmental, legalistic so-called “Christians.” You know, the kind that tells you that you will go to Hell for drinking a beer, but yet Jesus turned water into wine! The kind that tells you that you will burn in Hell for smoking a cigarette because it is harming the temple.” [1]

In an interview with Vice Magazine, Pastor Brian Smith said that he has attended church while being “hungover,” which refers to the unpleasant feeling after consuming excessive amounts of alcohol. Vice Magazine reported the following statement from Brian Smith:

• “The FHMCC service begins at noon. I don’t know how many have arrived at the church hungover, but I can count at least one. It’s me.” [2]

Words like these are driving people to perdition. Others attempt to reach a middle ground on this issue by giving in to the corrupt generation and suggesting that we accept alcohol consumption in moderation or in social settings. But the Bible forbids drinking in any form and commands us to abstain from it.

“Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:13.

“But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” 1 Peter 4:7.

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8.

What does sobriety mean? Being sober means that you abstain from alcohol or intoxicants. The Bible commands total abstinence when it comes to alcohol. It condemns all substances that, when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body, alter one’s mental state or consciousness.

Some believers will argue that while drunkenness is an extreme situation, moderation is not. The following Bible verse is often misinterpreted to imply that moderation of alcohol or other intoxicants is acceptable.

“Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.” 1 Timothy 5:23.

This verse is not giving us permission to consume alcohol in moderation. That is not what this Bible verse is saying. This verse is commanding Timothy to stop drinking water to relieve his ailments, meaning that drinking alcohol was not part of the Christian lifestyle of the early believers. In addition, Paul is telling him to drink some wine for medicinal purposes, not for social gatherings.

Freshly squeezed grape juice is high in antioxidants and vitamins that help boost our immunity. This is what the Bible is referring to—not intoxicating drinks. It is quite evident to us what type of wine is being discussed here when we allow the Bible to be its own interpreter.

“Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants’ sakes, that I may not destroy them all.” Isaiah 65:8.

The Bible speaks about the new wine that is still in the cluster of grapes. The juice hasn’t even been squeezed out of the grapes. So according to God’s word, there is juice inside the grapes that are still in the cluster that is attached to the vine. Often, wine refers to non-alcoholic grape juice.

It is regrettable that so many do not make an effort to comprehend what God is trying to tell us through His word. Rather, their primary concern is how they can live like unbelievers and mimic the world. Every time we try to combine the holy and the profane, we run the risk of creating a conflict of interest. Moral compromises will eventually result from the church adopting the standards of the outside world and making them its own. This creates a divided loyalty between Christ and Satan.

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” 1 John 2:15-17.

These passages warn against embracing worldly values, desires, and customs. The warning to “love not the world” is given so that these pursuits do not lead us away from having a genuine relationship with God. We are supposed to prioritize our spiritual values and seek alignment with God’s will above our own.

Sources

[1] https://www.heavymetalchurch.com/

[2] https://www.vice.com/en/article/4w7zpp/i-spent-sunday-in-the-first-heavy-metal-church-of-christ-212