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A Missions Video by Scott & Lisa Cosper

Should Christians Drink Alcohol?

The purpose of this post (which is mostly derived from a sermon by Pastor Johnny Hunt) is not to condemn anyone who moderately consumes alcohol. Every person we meet is someone Christ loved enough to die for and God cared for enough to create. "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1

Some of my family, friends and church members drink. Were I to be at their house, or out to dinner, and they had a drink, I would not make an issue of it. Only the Holy Spirit and God’s Word can change a person’s desires, not my judgments.

As Christians, our guide is the Word of God. Our desire should be for righteousness in the eyes of God through the blood of Jesus Christ. Therefore, with respect to drinking, a Christian should look to follow God’s will and Christ's example. With that in mind, please accept the following material concerning the question, “Should Christian’s drink alcohol?”

Consider the Effects of Alcohol on Our Society:

Take a quick glance at the statistics below with this question in mind, “Would Christ support, or God approve, of Christians being involved in something which leads to so much destruction?”

1. 50% of High School seniors report drinking in the last 30 days, 32% report being drunk at least once.
2. 450,000 teen alcoholics
3. 17,274 died in alcohol related accidents last year
4. Despite all the efforts, alcohol impaired drivers kill
   someone every 30 minutes, nearly 50 people a day and
   almost 18,000 citizens a year.
5. 40% of all auto accidents are alcohol related
6. 2 out of every 5 people will be involved in an alcohol
   related crash during their lifetime.
7. In the last 10 years 4 times the number who died in the
   Vietnam War were killed in alcohol related accidents
8. Youth who drink alcohol are 50 times more likely to do
   illegal drugs
9. Advertisers spend $750 Million a year, mostly targeting younger markets
10. Alcohol kills 6 ½ times more youth than all other illicit
    drugs combined.
    (As Christians we rail about the amount of drug use among teenagers, yet adults will frequently use the one drug most dangerous to their health- alcohol)
11. 80 % of all crime and 50% of all murders are directly related to alcohol use.
    Note: **Statistics may vary based on when you read this article.**

Jesus knew what he was saying when he said that “the thief comes but to steal, kill and destroy.”

When we see all the destruction wrought within society by alcohol it is hard to justify its use before God. Could we, with a good conscience and in the Spirit, pray for God's approval to drink? The truth is most would hide that drink as fast as they could if Christ were to appear in their midst and they know it. Some will hide it from the preacher, and he has no say in a matter between them and God

Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, And whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise. Proverbs 20:1

Let us approach the remainder of this topic on 3 levels.

1. A Practical Level
2. A Theological Level
3. A Spiritual Level

1. A PRACTICAL LEVEL

THE BIBLE DOES NOT CONDEMN THE MODERATE DRINKING OF WINE.
Hold on, don’t run down to the liquor store just yet. Proof of this statement can be found in 1 Timothy 3: 8 “Deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience." There is no way to read this verse and say that the Bible condemns the moderate drinking of 1st century wine. Therefore, we must define what wine was during the time period the scriptures were written.

SO WHAT IS WINE?
In the Old Testament three Hebrew words are used for wine…

Sekar – meaning strong drink
Strong Drink is always condemned in the scriptures with the exception of
being used as a sedative when a person is dying.

Proverbs 31:6 “Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to those who are bitter of heart".

Yah-yin – Generic word that can mean fermented or unfermented wine.

Example of Unfermented– Isa. 16:10 – “no treaders have tread out wine in their presses". Newly treaded wine would be unfermented.
Example of Fermented – Prov. 23: 31 “Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly, At the last it bites like a serpent and stings like a viper,”This is obviously fermented wine.

Tee-roshe’ - grapes or grape juice

(Isa. 65:8) “As the new wine is found in the cluster”
A first century Hebrew would have walked through a grape vineyard and said, "look at that pretty wine.

In the New Testament There was…
Oy-nos – same as the word Yah-yin for wine in the Old Testament

So what was wine to a Hebrew in the first century? A Yale study might shed some light on the subject. Yale is not exactly a bastion of Christianity (although it started out that way) so it would seem an objective source.

The Yale University study on alcoholism concluded that the normal 1st Century process of fermentation for “the fruit of the vine” does not produce a drink with sufficient alcohol content to bring on drunkenness. There must be a mechanical interference such as the introduction of pure alcohol or other process of distillation, otherwise it will not produce the kind of wine we have today.

Even at Yale University they are saying we’re not comparing apples to apples when comparing modern day alcohol to 1st century wine.

In the first century wine was used most often to purify water. 1 Tim 5: 23 “Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.”

Why did Paul have to tell Timothy not to drink the water and give him permission to take some wine? Because he was not accustomed to using wine at all.

On average the mixture was 1 part wine to 4 parts water, and could be higher depending on the supply and purity of either the wine or water. The problem here, is we are not comparing apples to apples.

Dr. Norman Geisler concluded that Christians should not drink the alcohol of today because it would always equate to Strong Drink in the Bible. It would take 20 glasses of 1st century mixed wine to equal the alcohol content in just two martini’s.

2. A THEOLOGICAL LEVEL

(But didn’t Jesus turn water into wine?)

Recently a pastor applied for a liquor license to serve alcohol in his church. When interviewed he was asked, "Do you think a church should be serving alcohol?" His response was “Why not? Jesus was the first bartender” referring to John Chapter 2. You may be shocked by that example, but let me tell you that many in the church today do exactly the same thing when they use this miracle to justify the drinking of alcohol

I believe that using John 2 to justify drinking is a spiritually dangerous thing to do. Read John 2:1-10 before you continue.

This Jewish wedding feast would traditionally have lasted 1 week, and it is unlikely they ran out on the first day. Hospitality rules were quite strict among the Jewish people. Therefore, running out of wine would have been a major problem. This possibly explains why Mary got involved. It was probably a close family member of Mary’s who was getting married, and she was trying to avert a disaster.

Even though there is no context of drunkenness at this wedding, Christians often use this miracle to justify moderate alcohol consumption by making it appear so. Why is this? It is because of the comment made by the Master of the Feast when the wine Jesus had made is given to him. The assumption some make is that the Master of the Feast is honoring the bridegroom for saving the best wine for last, even after everybody is well drunk. (Note that the Master of the feast is referring to what usually happens, not what is happening here)

Drinkers know that after a person has had a few drinks they care less and less about the quality of the drink, they just want another one. Read this to a person who does not drink and quite often they will not draw this conclusion.

The picture this interpretation paints is that while those at the wedding "party"are drinking it up, the wine has run out. In comes Jesus, at Mary’s request, and turns 6 pots of water, about 160 gallons, into fermented wine to keep the "party" going.

Would Jesus have added fire to a drunken wedding party? Would we expect Jesus to make the beer run for us if we ran out? This is the picture we paint of our Lord and Savior when we use this John 2 miricle to justify drinking.

However, there is an even greater problem.

Theologically, to say Jesus made alcoholic wine to be given to those who were already “well drunk”, is the same as saying he was an accomplice to their drunkenness, and therefore an accomplice to sin. Even then, drunkenness would have been understood a sin.
That takes us to the 2nd Chapter of Habakkuk “…Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskins till they are drunk…”

Supplying wine to a bunch of drunken party-goers would be a sin. There are many verses in scripture that demonstrate that being an accomplice to sin, is sin.

Note John 2:11 “This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him".

It’s hard to see how Jesus could have "manifested strong his glory" by giving a bunch of “well drunk” partiers 160 gallons of alcohol to drink.Especially since he would have known it to be a sin.

Even the most immature Christians should know that Jesus did not, nor could not have sinned. If he did, Christianity is a foolish cult and we are all in big trouble. Even if someone wants to justify drinking, they (for their own sake) should reconsider using this false interpretation of scripture, because it paints Jesus as committing a sin, theologically destroying the very foundation of Christianity.

3. A SPIRITUAL LEVEL

The response many give to the practical and theological points above is, “I agree, but I don’t get drunk. I just drink socially and I will never become an alcoholic”. If it is true you have complete control over your drinking, then the next question one should ask is, “Do I have a responsibility to others?" If we truly believe God’s Holy Word, the answer is yes.

1 Cor 8:11-13 “…And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when you thus sin against the betheren, and wound their weak conscience you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food (wine*) makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat (drink wine*) lest I make my brother stumble.
* I inserted the word wine as it makes the same point as Paul was making here with meat, as you can see in the following verse.

Romans 14: 21 “It is good neither to eat meat, nor drink wine, nor do anything by which your

brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak”.

What is an Alcoholic?

Years of statistics have shown that 1 out of every 10 person who drinks alcohol will become an alcoholic. (Someone who is physically dependent on alcohol and can’t stop drinking)

A broader definition might entail someone who won’t stop drinking even when they have evidence of the damage it is doing in their lives and their relationships.

If you define an alcoholic as someone who has experienced a problem because of their drinking, and won’t stop (a problem drinker) the statical numbers may be as high as 7 out of every 10. All this presents a problem for the Christian who believes it’s OK to drink if you don’t get drunk.

If you say you don’t have a moral responsibility to your brother or sister in Christ, you are in fact saying you have a problem with being obedient to the Word of God.

When a Christian is asked, “Is it wrong for a Christian to drink wine?”, and they say, “No because Jesus turned water into wine”…

They are wrong... Practically, Theologically and Spiritually. In essence ,what we are doing is playing Russian Roulette with those whom we are supposed to lead. We have no way of knowing if the person who feels it is okay to drink based on our response to that question, or our actions is going to become an alcoholic. .

As long as I am a Christian, and especially a pastor, I promise never to send that message to anyone. I never want anyone to say, “It's okay to drink, Bro. Scott does it”. I spent too many years of my life justifiying my own drinking, but once the indwelling of the Holy Spirt came at salvation, I never needed it again. Which brings me to this last point.

Substitute for the Holy Spirit?

Another spiritually important point is that alcohol becomes a replacement, a substitute for what the Holy Spirit should be in our lives. Consider this well known verse...

“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit”

Ephesians 5:18

What does the word dissipation mean? In the King James Version the word is "Excess", some translations use "debauchery", but they all miss the probable meaning of the word. The Greek word being translated here is (as-o-tee-ah’) and its probable meaning is “unsavedness”. This is the only time this word is used in the Bible in this form.

Perhaps the translators used the word "excess," as opposed to the more probable interpretation of unsavedness, so as not to offend someone who drinks?

Think about this. What reasons do people commonly give for drinking?

It helps me relax
It helps me in social situations.
It helps me sleep
It keeps me going
It calms my nerves
It makes me a nicer person (I love that one)

Note: All these things are things that should come from being filled with the Holy Spirit. That’s why the scripture should probably be translated “And do not be drunk with wine, which is an act of unsavedness, but be filled with the Holy Spirit." The scripture is teaching that if we must be filled with wine to feel right ,or act sociably, then we must not be filled with the Holy Spirit and therefore could be in a condition of unsavedness.

Remember, Proverbs 20:1? Wine is a deceiver just like Satan is the great deceiver, and wine mocks the one who drinks it.

It is hard to imagine that something which causes so much destruction, human suffering, and family breakups would merit the approval of our Lord and Savior. If someone never drinks they will never become a problem drinker, guaranteed.

I pray my children will never let one ounce of alcohol pass between their lips. I want to teach them to drink from a different fountain, the fountain of the Holy Spirit, so that they will never thirst again.


Scott Cosper
Eyes Wide Open

Note: Parts of this article are from a sermon on alcohol by Pastor Johnny Hunt

What If YOU

Saw a Vision of the Lord?

I must admit I am sceptical when I read stories of people who say they saw a vision or manifestation of the the Lord (Christ). Especially in large groups, as most visions of the Lord in the OT are to individuals or very small groups. After the Ascension in the NT we only have the light and voice that appears to Paul in Scripture and John's vision at Patmos.


However, the reason for my scepticism stems primarily from the reaction of those who claim to witness such events. Their reactions seem most often to fall somewhere between exceedingly happy to spiritually ecstatic.



This begs the question, "How we expect someone (believer or non believer) to act if they saw a vision or manifestation of Jesus?".


Obviously, the best place to go for the answer to this question is scripture itself. It seems that some amazingly faithful and surprisingly not so faithful people have seen the "Angel of the Lord" or the pre-incarnate Christ in the OT. Their reactions are quite telling.

Below are just a few typical examples:

1. Moses - Exodus 3:6 And He said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God."


2. Balaam - Num. 22: 31 "Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. Note Balaam was not a part of God's chosen people and did not follow in faith, as is revealed later in Numbers. But note his reaction upon seeing the "angel of the LORD".

3. Joshua - Joshua. 3:14 "And he said, "No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, "What does my lord say to his servant?"

4. Gideon - Judges 6: 22-24 "Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the LORD. And Gideon said, "Alas, O Lord GOD! For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face." But the LORD said to him, "Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die." Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD...

5. Manoah & his wife - Judges 13:20 "And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the LORD went up in the flame of the altar. Now Manoah and his wife were watching, and they fell on their faces to the ground."


6. Ornan's Sons @ David's Census - 1 Chronicles 21:20 "Now Ornan was threshing wheat. He turned and saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves."
Check out David's reaction in verse 16.


7. The Shepards - Luke 2:9 "And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.


8. Paul - Acts 9: 14-16 "And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language,'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' And I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet,..."

9. John - Revelation 1:17 "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying, "Fear not..." Note the description given of Jesus just before this.

Of course there are others but you get the point.

To be fair, there are instances where the reaction is not as dramatic but quite often those are related more to seeing Him in a dream or just hearing a voice. Most every indication of Christ appearing to someone has produced fear and trembling, a falling on one face, hiding ones face, humility, deep almost agonizing worship, sacrifices or building of alters in honor.

What you don't see is a joyous happy, "hey isn't it great God came by to see us!" attitude.

It would seem to me that if one came face to face with even a vague manifestation of Jesus it would be a very fearful and humbling experience. The presence of God is a powerful force. Even when Christ was walking in the flesh he had moments of revealing his deity that simply overpowered those around.

A born again regenerated believer should understand their position with respect to God's righteousness. (ie Romans 1-3) Being in the presence of God would make the price of our sin glaringly apparent. It would seem one would not be apt to jump around and cheer but hit their knees in reverent worship and acknowledge their absolute dependence on God's Grace for forgiveness.

If that were the reaction of one who claims to have been in the presence of the manifestation of Christ and they were forever changed, I might be more inclined to show support. If someone has that experience and then wants to tell everyone just how cool it was; well I'd have my doubts.


Faith is not seeing but believing as if you had seen.
God Bless

Scott Cosper

The Right Hand of God

I was sitting in one of those comfortable sofa seats at Starbucks this morning, reading the Psalms, when I came across this verse, "Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand." (Psalm 73:23). As I meditated on that verse it became juxtaposed to one of my favorite verses (Isaiah 41:10) where God says, "I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." The phrase "right hand" is used quite often in scripture and the picture I had in my mind was that of God hold my hand and guiding me through life. Sort of like the famous poem, "Footprints in the Sand," but with two sets of prints visible at this moment. It’s a beautiful picture, God walking with us hand in hand, but for some reason this time something seemed to be amiss.


The problem was obvious once I tried to visualize this concept and realized that as far as I can tell, scripture always pictures God’s right hand grasping our right hand. Now, if I go for a walk on the beach with my wife, she holds my right hand but I hold her left one. It would be a little awkward if I took her by her right hand with my right hand and we began to stroll off down the beach. As clumsy as we are it might be funny, but not very enjoyable. I began to wonder, when would I ever take hold of my wife’s right hand with my right hand?

Then it hit me. I would if I were rescuing her.


Now, those scriptures came to life like never before, fitting ever more perfectly into the whole counsel of the Word. I began to see the power of God’s Grace in this picture, for it is not me and God walking along as He assists me through life, but rather the strong arm of His Grace rescuing me in my ever present helplessness. With this in mind, I see the position of my right hand more like that of the lame man in Acts 3 as Peter, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, took him by the right hand and lifted him up.

I praise God for the multitude of times He rescued me by His righteous right hand. I am thankful the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to the fullness of these scriptures, so that I will never see them the same way again. Finally, I give all glory to Jesus Christ for His willingness to surrender to His Father’s will, making it possible for me take hold of that righteous right hand and be rescued.

Praise God,
Wm. Scott Cosper

"THE UNSAVED CHRISTIAN"

A Testimony to God's Saving Grace
through Jesus Christ
by Wm. Scott Cosper

At first glance, the term “Unsaved Christian” might seem like a oxymoron. Doesn't the fact that someone is a Christian presuppose that they are saved? Well, not necessarily, at least according to Jesus Christ. At the end of Chapter 7 in the book of Matthew, Jesus is closing out what has come to be known as the “Sermon on the Mount”. Here Jesus is teaching his followers that there are in fact two groups of people- those who are on the way that leads to the one true God, and those who are on the way that leads to destruction. The way to God goes through a narrow gate and there are few on that path and the way of destruction is wide and walked by many. Then, Jesus makes this incredible statement:

Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” Matthew 7:21-23 ESV

The first time I read that, after being born again, it sent chills up my spine. I knew exactly who Jesus was talking about, because I was one of the people destined to hear those horrible words. It would have become my reality had I died before the incredible day of which I'm about to describe.

Before I get to that day, let me give you some background. I grew up in church and made a profession of faith when I was 13 years old. After high school, I went to college and didn't go to church, although I thought of it from time to time. Of course, I fully intended to go to church after I got married, because that's what decent southern men do, they take their families to church. But for now I was going to live my life my way. That's exactly what I did. I drank, played and partied away my 20's because it was my “right”. It also cost me dearly.

As God would have it, I ended up living back in my hometown and of course attended church with my parents. It was during this time I met the woman who would become my wife. Now as a married man, just like I always knew I would, I went to church with my wife and as kids came along we took them to church with us. Eventually, we moved closer to the city and joined a church, where we both became very active. I taught Sunday School and discipleship classes, sang in the choir, helped out around the church and eventually became a deacon. During this time my job was requiring me to travel often, which in turn afforded me the opportunity to live it up on the road and act the part of a good Christian husband & father when back in town.

I'd never relinquished my old life, but just added a little church to the one I had. Of course, at that time, I didn't see it that way. I was doing many good deeds and was there to help out when needed at church. I was a good deacon, and I even tithed when I could. My wife and I decided that she would quit teaching and stay home with the kids, and we even adopted a little girl from Vietnam, with help from many in our church.

That brings me back to those verses in Matthew. Notice that the people Jesus is addressing had done many good things. Just like the people Jesus is describing, I had done many good works. I had professed the name of Jesus, witnessed, prayed, tithed, taught, and served in many other ways, all using the name of Jesus. But had I died before the day I describe below I would have spent an eternity with the focus of God's wrath upon my soul because I had sinned against him. My funeral would have been filled with proclamations of how I was a good man in a better place. All the while, I would have been like Lazarus begging to have my lips wet with water and a chance to go back and warn the others. You see, no matter how much I was doing, it wasn't going to change the fact that I was lost in my sin. Thanks be to God I didn't die, for I was to live to see the next day and that day would make all the days that followed different.

It was a beautiful August Sunday morning. In the south, August usually means high temperatures and humidity, but this was a very comfortable day with a slight, almost cool, breeze in the air. Other than that, it was just a typical Sunday morning. As we made our way from Sunday school over to the sanctuary, I made a very unusual comment to my wife. I said, “Honey, for some reason I feel really peaceful today”. It was not something she would have expected to hear from me at that point in our lives. I had been anything but peaceful over the past two years. Life was tearing me down and God seemed to be off helping everyone else, even my enemies.

You see, I wasn't on the road headed toward God on this Sunday morning. I was leaving God. A few months before, I had resigned as a deacon. Two weeks earlier, during preaching, I leaned over and told my wife, “I don't believe any of this”. There is a good chance the pastor was preaching something that had to do with the sovereignty of God. I had a real problem with God's sovereignty. So much so that my wife later told me that I would go into fits of rage if the subject were brought up at home. I don't remember that but I also don't doubt its true. I mean if God was in control why was he allowing all the suffering in the world, why didn't he fix things? I would. Why was it that the worst people I was working with seemed to be so successful, and the good ones seemed to have so much difficulty? Where was God on 9/11? Where was God in all that poverty in Vietnam? Where was God in all this mess? What about fairness? What about justice? No, God wasn't sovereign, he may have created everything but he was an absentee God just waiting to see how well we worked it out.

I didn't know it, but I had become a Deist, not a Christian. Deism says there is a god who created the world but he remains indifferent to it. The point I'm making here is that I didn't work my way up to this day. I wasn't slowly coming to realize I wasn't saved, or that I needed God, I was frustrated with the whole concept of God.

We walked in and sat down in the same seats we had been in since the building was erected. I'd been at this church now 10 years. On this day, a lady by the name of Iris Blue was giving her testimony, and it was a good one as testimonies go. As she approached the end she mentioned that on the day she came to Christ she called her dad. He had been a “Christian” all her life. She told him what happened and this was his response, “That's nice honey, but just don't take this religion thing too far”. Iris said, “As I hung up the phone I knew my father did not know the Jesus that I knew”. At that moment I began to come unglued. Several times in the past few weeks I had said the same thing to my wife. God had used this testimony to show me the true condition of my heart. The battle for my soul was now at hand.

Remember when I said I had a peace coming in to the church that day? Well, it was gone now. I was in a full out war and the forces laid up against me used every trick in the book. I was up against tradition, doctrine, theology, shame, pride, humility and everything else the forces of evil could throw against me. I was shaking on the outside and on the inside I was coming apart. Finally, I made a break for the alter and hit my knees but by the time I got there and began to pray all that was against me had me once again telling God I was going to do better. I had done it before, many times. It seems so ridiculous now but here I was telling God, “I got this, I can handle it, I'll do it right this time.”

I finished my prayer and return to my seat. This time, though, it was worse than before. I had just prayed to God and now I was in worse shape. My mind was racing and I was not really sure what was going on. I couldn't take it any more and in my anguish I actually hit the back of the chair in front of me so hard I hurt my hand. You can see part of me on the tape from the church. I went straight up front this time and spoke to my pastor. By the time I got to him all that was against me had me convinced that what I needed to do was rededicate my life to Christ. So that's what I told my pastor, and I went to the alter to pray again, this time confident I was doing what God was drawing me to do. I won't go into details here but let's be honest, how can someone rededicate their life to something they have never been dedicated to in the first place?

Now when you rededicate your life they keep you up front to announce to the church your decision. I took my place on the center front row but when I set down I was not feeling at all peaceful. The war was still raging and I was somewhat confused. That is when God sent in a warrior to help me. This person walked over to me and putting their hand on my shoulder asked me, “Son, what are you doing?” to which I responded, “rededicating my life to Christ.” I thank God in heaven for what this person said next, “you don't need to rededicate your life you need to get SAVED!” At that very moment I was. I began to pour out my heart to God and he began to pour out His Spirit on me. Other things were going on that morning but I have no recollection of it except what I have seen on tape. I don't remember much that happened after that. I did say something to the church but can't remember what. I do remember getting home and how different everything seemed. I was leaving the next day for Augusta Ga. but being on the road would never be the same again.

I entered church that summer day an “Unsaved Christian” having tried to gain God's blessings on my terms and with my actions. I left church that day a child of the King who now had a repentant heart. For the next few days all I could do was ask God for forgiveness as more and more of my sin seemed to come to my mind. I was going to confess it all if it took the rest of my life. Soon I realized it just might! That week I called my wife to tell her how the grass was greener and sky was ‘bluer’. I was just excited. The blinders were being lifted from my eyes.

There was also an unbelievable desire to study God's Word. I began to pour over scripture and I was asking God to help me read it as if it was my first time, so as to see His words and not let all that I had learned before cloud my mind. Before long I began to wonder how I could have had this book in my possession for my whole life and never have seen the things I was seeing now. My wife would just laugh as the next few months I would burst out of my room and the phrase was always, “Honey your not gonna believe this”.

Now for the first time in my life I really felt like I was on God's side. I wanted what He wanted. God had changed the desires of my heart and he is just now beginning to let me see those desires come true.

I hesitate to say this, but God also took away what I thought was my biggest weakness, alcohol. I do not know why God chose to relieve me of my desire to drink, but I never wanted it again and I had loved it since I was 15 years old. I didn't deserve to be set free, but I praise God for it. For any brother in Christ who might read this and struggles with alcohol, let me tell you, God didn't free me of all my addictions and there were others just as bad, if not worse. I would have to trust in God's Grace for those and fight like hell. I would have to suffer loss and indignity so that God could refine me. I would have to learn to suffer persecution and boldly stand up for truth and trust that God was watching over me and providing for our family. It hasn't been an easy road because it is the road few travel. That process is still going on today and will continue until I am relieved of this flesh in Glory. So you keep enduring in the faith and fight your sin because, knowing its cost, you hate it.

It is so important for those reading this to understand something I have come to know. I brought only one thing to this predetermined moment. Other than that one thing this was all God's doing. He had marked out this day before the foundations of the earth were laid. There was absolutely nothing redeeming about the life I had lived and it was not worthy of salvation. I was running from God and had been for a long time. For what ever reason God didn't let me continue on this path. Why? I don't know other than it was just His will to show off His Grace. He gets all the Glory. Some won't understand this, but I'm convinced, I could not have said no on that day. Who of us can deny the will of a sovereign God? I am sure thankful he wasn't about to let me miss this moment no matter how much I tried to mess it up.

Oh ,what was that one thing I brought to this moment you ask? All I brought was the sin that needed to be forgiven, and Christ took care of that on a hill called Calvary.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY, AMEN!

Scott Cosper
No longer an “Unsaved Christian”
To Be Continued...