Heading down to the local pub for a few drinks after work is very much a part of Aussie culture. Being invited by work colleagues may excite some but for others the thought of being in a worldly environment proves a challenge to their way of thinking. What does it mean for me when my mates go for a drink after work?   

 

I have come to realise that when I am invited for drinks a significant step has taken place in my relationship with that person. In effect that person is saying “I value spending time with you and I enjoy your company.” This invitation also reveals to me something significant about that person. This is an environment where they feel relaxed and comfortable to spend time together.

 

Let me ask you this

Isn’t this the place we want to be in our relationship with the people in our lives, where they feel comfortable to initiate spending time together? Don’t we want people to feel relaxed and to trust us enough to be who they are around us?

Accepting an invitation like this can send a powerful message to your mates. It can show them that you also value your relationship with them and feel comfortable to be yourself in “their world”. Accepting an invitation breaks the myths that Christians are out of touch with this world, that they are judgemental and in their own “bubble”.

 

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Most practically though, this may be the perfect opportunity for you to get to know them better and develop a true redemptive relationship with some colleagues. Could this be an opportunity to have conversations that go beneath the surface?

It would be crazy for me to suggest everyone should always accept this invitation. For some, being in an environment like this would present too great a temptation. For others, entering a situation like this may cause a stumbling block to others. So “take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak” 1 Corinthians 8:9

But for many, we must remember our focus is not where we are but our focus is to be why we are there. Jesus has sent us into the world, just as he was sent into the world by his Father in heaven (John 17:18). Like Jesus we are sent into the the world, but as his disciples we are to live a life committed to purity and keep ourselves “unstained from the world” James 1:27

 

Last thoughts

For the Christian, the invitation for drinks after work by mates isn’t an invitation to get drunk. Neither is it an invitation to just go along with the world. It can be, however, an invitation by God into that person’s life, an opportunity to bring Life (Christ) into that relationship.  

 

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2 Responses

    • Well wwjd, we know Jesus was a “friend of sinners”, helping people understand who he was and calling them to surrender their lives to him. It wasn’t the place that concerned him, it was the purpose of why he was there. Pub ministry could be a great ministry with the right purpose in mind.

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