20 Ways to Smoke Cigars to the Glory of God
Posted: Thursday, October 16, 2008
by Jared Wilson
http://www.elementnashville.org
In 1874, Christian World Magazine reported a curious exchange between itinerant preaches Dwight Pentecost and Charles Spurgeon taking place upon a joint appearance at a worship service. Pentecost included in his sermon an impassioned tale of heeding God's call to give up smoking, as it impeded his piety. Many saw this testimony as a passive aggressive dig at Spurgeon, himself a well-known cigar smoker.
Well, dear friends, you know that some men can do to the glory of God what to other men would be sin. And notwithstanding what brother Pentecost has said, I intend to smoke a good cigar to the glory of God before I go to bed to-night. If anybody can show me in the Bible the command, "Thou shalt not smoke," I am ready to keep it; but I haven't found it yet. I find ten commandments, and it's as much as I can do to keep them; and I've no desire to make them into eleven or twelve.
The fact is, I have been speaking to you about real sins, not about listening to mere quibbles and scruples. At the same time, I know that what a man believes to be sin becomes a sin to him, and he must give it up. "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin" [Rom. 14:23], and that is the real point of what my brother Pentecost has been saying.
Why, a man may think it a sin to have his boots blacked. Well, then, let him give it up, and have them whitewashed. I wish to say that I'm not ashamed of anything whatever that I do, and I don't feel that smoking makes me ashamed, and therefore I mean to smoke to the glory of God.
The fact is, I have been speaking to you about real sins, not about listening to mere quibbles and scruples. At the same time, I know that what a man believes to be sin becomes a sin to him, and he must give it up. "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin" [Rom. 14:23], and that is the real point of what my brother Pentecost has been saying.
Why, a man may think it a sin to have his boots blacked. Well, then, let him give it up, and have them whitewashed. I wish to say that I'm not ashamed of anything whatever that I do, and I don't feel that smoking makes me ashamed, and therefore I mean to smoke to the glory of God.
I believe most anything can be done to the glory of God, so long as we are not doing it idolatrously and so long as we are doing it in awe of and gratitude to God for his good gifts to us.
As an occasional cigar smoker for going on 14 years (I started before it became a fad and kept going after the fade waned), I have some thoughts on how one might partake of cigars to the glory of God. Here are 20 of them:
1. Smoke slowly and reflectively, as part of the discipline of contemplation on God's word.
2. Most cigar smokers I know look at their cigar a lot while they are smoking, up close, tracing with their gaze the veins in the leaves and admiring the burnish of the oils in the wrapper. A good cigar is a work of art. It makes me happy and makes me thank God for his good creation.
3. Smoke outside and thank God for the skies and the clouds and the grass and the trees.
4. My college religion professor, the late great Princeton-trained M.B. Jackson, used to exit the classroom during test time, pipe in hand, saying, "If you need me, I'll be on the steps sending up a burnt offering." That's a good notion. Cigar smokers like the look of the smoke. Think of it as a burnt offering of thanks to the Maker of all good things.
5. The smoldering tip of the cigar is both enticing and dangerous. Like the sin that leads to hell. There's an illustration for you cigar smoking preachers out there.
6. The proper storage of good cigars takes regular monitoring and care (humidification, temperature, etc.). Mindfulness and intentionality are virtues lacking in the modern Church, and we can thank God that taking care of cigars helps cure "hurry sickness."
7. Good tobacco is cultivated, cured, and rolled by hard working men and women in parts of the world most of us will never visit. I think about this every time I smoke a cigar, what calloused, hard-working, talented hands created my cigar. Pray for those people, that God would grant them long life and health and happiness, and thank God for them and their giftedness.
8. Thank God that he makes places in the world specifically conditioned to produce perfect tobacco: the right climate, the right soil, the right farmers. There are no coincidences.
9. Don't inhale cigar smoke into your lungs.
10. Add your ashes to compost or dump them into the grass or flower beds, as a good steward of creation.
11. Have a Bible study or theological discussion group at a cigar lounge.
12. Hang out where people you don't know smoke cigars and build conversational bridges that allow you to be a witness to the gospel.
13. Smoke with good Christian friends, laughing a lot and talking about things that matter (and don't), and thank God for fellowship. As someone who does this regularly, I can say there is almost nothing more comforting to my soul than smoking stogies long into the night and just enjoying the camaraderie of good Christian friendship.
14. Give good cigars -- good ones! -- out as gifts on more occasions than just the birth of a child.
15. Marvel that someone along the way figured out how to turn the tobacco plant into a cigar (or pipe tobacco) and see that human ingenuity and creativity is a result of being made in the image of God.
16. For the married smokers, thank God you have an awesome wife who is cool with you smoking. (This assumes you have an awesome wife who is cool with you smoking. If you don't, thank God you have a wife who cares about your health, your reputation, your good breath, or whatever the grounds are for her disapproval.)
17. As you smoke, think of all the famous cigar smokers you can -- comedians and writers and actors and painters and poets and filmmakers -- and thank God for their artistry (and for art in general).
18. Pick a spot in your Bible. Light your cigar. Start reading and don't stop until you're smoking a nub. Beats using an hourglass or timer.
19. Take two outside. Light one up. Wait for your neighbor to come outside, then offer him the other.
20. If you buy in bulk, turn the empty boxes into care packages for soldiers or children in third world countries.
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More commentsJason, as a fellow pastor who enjoys a great cigar I really enjoyed the post. For accuracy's sake it was probably Dwight Moody, not Dwight Pentecost. Dwight Pentecost is still alive and well- a professor emeritus at Dallas Seminary. Spurgeon and Moody were contemporaries in the 19th century.
Nicely done my friend...Pastor Kerry
Whether it's Spurgeon, Moody, Martin Luther, Roger Williams or Billy Grahm (and I have no idea if any of the former smoked cigars or any other form of tobbacco), that still doesn't make sense from the bible to promote smoking."There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 14:12""Everything is permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is constructive." 1 Cor 10:23I'm not in the business of determining others sincerity, their salvation or their experience with God, but serriously from an exegetical, or homeletic standpoint this is not the protestant principal of living by "sola scriptura".NO, One won't killya but why promote it like it's a good thing? just cause ya want a smoke? Can you really relly on your own understanding? I Think some more.The bible also say's nothing about smoking ganja weed, injecting IV non prescription drug's, nothing about snorting cocaine etc,So why not have a Jesus Ganja party, and witness to you're friends there too?I am sure that Spurgeon and the author were not try to impose thier views on anyone...but after careful research the comparison of cocaine, presc drugs and such to a good cigar is really far fetched...we should be careful not to alienate those that you deem weaker...after all...would Jesus make those comments? I think not...i believe He would sit watch us smoke and tell us stories that build us up and quicken our hearing of Dad's word....But the Bible does speak about keeping "a sober mind" & everything you compared to cigars does impair your mind & judgment but cigars & cigarettes do not. I am not a smoker nor do I encourage it, nor did Spurgeon. He was always being put in a position by others to explain it & many of those same people who pointed out Spurgeon's cigars were also very overweight, like Moody.
The Bible is VERY clear about gluttony & what I have found, every single time by those who are quick with the judgment trigger on alcohol & smoking is they are gluttons most of the time. But that is off limits you see, cause it's just food. Right? RIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!
Or my favorite one, is a pastor I knew, who condemned all smokers & drinker to a fiery Hell while over 80% of his congregation was married & divorced more the 2 times each, while professing Christ as savior.Interesting!
A mortal body will always like to keep close to the clay. No how, when we are weak, we will think there is strength for no one in the course. I respect C.H.S begin a tool in the hand of the master in his generation. But yet as I bow to his work i believe he too will like to bow to some peoples work like Paul the apostle.
Looking at smoking from three point of view then you can make your decision.
1. If eating meet will cause a stumbling block to my Brother.
Playing smart is a slogan in business world not in Christianity, what ever you are not sure of then make total abstain your choice. I do not smoke so if we get to heaven and we learnt that smoking is not a sin the i have noting to loose. but what we be tour hope if on getting to the gate of heaven and smoking is regarded as a sin. you may not go to hell because you smoke if smoking is eventally not consider as a sin, but still go there because somebody emulate you and eventually contacted a cancer of the lung and goes there.
2. Federal Ministry of Health's advice
Be sure that the law is not for a perfect man does not mean a perfect man should disobey the law, but a perfect man is in greater hierarchy, and cannot be entangle with preliminary that we call law. If i tell you that algebra is not for college students, does that mean he will not obey the law of algebra in calculus?
3. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.
Don't look unto CHS, Nor Paul the apostle look unto Jesus, If Jesus is in the world today will he write this that you wrote, let your conscience answer this if yes, you are a the-Christ (christian) and if No you are not judged, change you way and you will see the glory of God.
can one put harmful, potentially adictive substances into their body...substances that the health experts of this world warn are harmful to your body...for the glory of God? I guess that is something one has to pray about. I love spurgeon...but he was a man and quite possible could have been wrong in his conclusion. He also didn't have the knowledge and warnings we have today about the harmful affect of smoking! Just a thought.So would you take a prescription drug for your blood pressure if it affected your kidney in a bad way??
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body," (1 Cor. 6:19-20)you're supposed to take care your body, not make it impure by putting pollutants in it.So, do you eat fried foods & drink soda?
Great article, Jared. Good humor, good insight. Uptight Commenters, relax!
I totally disagree with this article! If you think about It. do you really believe God will be pleased to see us smoking anything? Cigars, cigarettes, marihuana etc.. I find it hard to believe. Are not we as Christians supposed to fill ourselves with godly things, why instead of smoking a cigar to please your senses, read a scripture, pray or sing a song to God, would not be these a better choice. instead of deceiving ourselves to think that taking (smoking) any substance either natural or artificial could please God in any way.
I hope people out there start realizing when Satan is the one deceiving thru people that have a lot influence.. Like a pastor never the less.
My husband was trying to find a good excuse to think that is ok to smoke and surely he found it is this article, I hope I am able to convince him otherwise.
Love it, great article and all you super religious bigots out there, how about looking at your own life instead of imposing your badly researched religious beliefs on others...
I love God more than my cigars, a LOT more, but the time i spend outside smoking them is when i am non-stop praising God for my family, my location and his creation, it is the perfect way to actually slow down your life and enjoy Gods creation.
Splendid article! :)
"All things are lawful, but I will not be brought under the power of any." The Apostle Paul to the Church at Corinth, mid first Century.
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