{"id":2615,"date":"2013-05-17T20:56:48","date_gmt":"2013-05-18T00:56:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/godonomics\/?p=2615"},"modified":"2013-05-09T10:39:18","modified_gmt":"2013-05-09T14:39:18","slug":"the-apostle-paul-advocates-getting-drunk-on-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/2013\/05\/the-apostle-paul-advocates-getting-drunk-on-truth.html","title":{"rendered":"The Apostle Paul Advocates Getting Drunk on Truth"},"content":{"rendered":"<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Godonomics by Chad Hovind\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KZXLtGn9CWA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>1<span style=\"color: #0000ff\">7 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Folks often say, \u201cI wish I knew what God\u2019s will was\u201d \u00a0but here God lays out an easy way to know his will. \u00a0\u00a0If you are seeing the days as evil, and making the most out of your moments to parent, to proclaim, and transform kronos into kairos. You are doing God\u2019s will. \u00a0Your entire Monday-Friday life can be an daily expression of God\u2019s will and purpose. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0And you will begin to \u201cunderstand that\u201d as you walk wisely by catering to something greater. \u00a0\u00a0But that doesn\u2019t happen until to reject the lies of sooner or later.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Paul returns to this idea of Cater to the Greater.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">So, how do we do that? \u00a0Paul says, \u201cGet Intoxicated on Truth, Get Drunk on Truth. Be Controlled By Truth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>\u00a0GET DRUNK ON TRUTH<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Be Controlled by the Spirit\u2019s Truth, not the World\u2019s<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff\">18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">When we are not applying our new identity in Christ to ourselves, we are controlled by the world. \u00a0We are either drunk on the world. Or drunk on God. \u00a0We are either controlled by the world\u2019s system of thinking about time, money, and life&#8230; or God\u2019s way of thinking about time, money, life, honor, etc.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">What are we controlled by? \u00a0\u00a0When you are drunk with wine&#8230; you are controlled by wine, your appetites, your urges&#8230; which is a word for recklessness. \u00a0A person who gets drunk doesn\u2019t think about the long term impact of his decisions. \u00a0He is a fool because he thinks his decisions in this moment will not impact the next moments, years, and patterns for his faith, family, and future.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">But, why does Paul, launch into a drunk with wine passage in the middle of this talk on using our time well? \u00a0Is paul ADD? Is this unrelated to the context? \u00a0Of course not, Paul is using alcohol as an analogy for his main point. Paul is not saying, specifically, that the issue of drunkenness was a problem for all the believers in Ephesus. He uses this imagery to make a contrast. In Ephesians 4:17, he has been teaching about the \u201cintoxication of the world.\u201d As believers, we should leave those things, and walk differently. We are re-created in His own image and likeness, we therefore are called to put-off the actions \/ ways \/ passions of the old man, and walk in the \u201cempowering ability and leadership\u201d of the Spirit. The world\u2019s way is completely opposite to the way of salvation. The word translated \u201cexcess\u201d is the Greek word for salvation with the negative \u201ca\u201dpreceding it. This means that whatever \u201cwholeness\u201d the gift of salvation would produce in your natural life is negated by following after the ways of the world.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Now, a bit on alcohol. \u00a0\u00a0Many use a verse like this and build an entire doctrine about not drinking on it. \u00a0\u00a0The Bible doesn\u2019t say, \u201cDo not drink wine,\u201d but it does say, Do not be Drunk. \u00a0\u00a0He is contrasting the word drunk with the opposite idea \u201cfilled with the spirit\u201d or \u201ccontrolled by the spirit.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0So to put it in English, he is comparing and contrasting two ideas to show us his main point. \u00a0Think of it like this<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff\">\u00a0Do not be controlled by wine&#8230;. be controlled by the Spirit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">What\u2019s the emphasis? \u00a0What are you controlled by? \u00a0Are you controlled by urges, appetites, needs to medicate, escape? Or as a follower of Christ, do you Cater to Something Greater? \u00a0ARe you controlled by something greater. \u00a0The spirit of God. \u00a0\u00a0The emphasis here is on being controlled, or filled by the Spirit filled life.<\/p>\n<p>I told this story a few years ago, but it\u2019s one of my favorite and speaks to this issue. \u00a0\u00a0I have a family member who is a very strong fundamentalist Christian who strongly believes that the Bible teaches Christians should never drink alcohol. \u00a0So his emphasis is \u201cdont\u2019 drink, don\u2019t drink, don\u2019t drink.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0Which (even if the Bible said this) wouldn\u2019t work. \u00a0Paul tells us in ROmans that focusing on the \u201cwhat not to do\u201d always stirs you up to want to do it more. \u00a0\u00a0If I wander around saying, \u201cI shouldn\u2019t drink\u201d all the time&#8230; What am I thinking about all the time? \u00a0DRINKING! \u00a0\u00a0Paul is saying Cater to something greater by asking yourself, \u201cHow can I be more filled with the spirit in my life\u201d&#8230; That will bring life&#8230; \u00a0\u00a0The other brings pride, critique, and self-righteousness&#8230; \u00a0Which brings me back to the story. \u00a0I had heard my relative speak publically numerous times using the phrase, \u201cOne drop of alcohol has never touched these lips.\u201d So this was a real sense of identity. \u00a0He was not catering to something greater. Instead of finding his identity in God\u2019s grace, he was finding it in his life \u00a0as a nondrinker. \u00a0\u00a0We went on a cruise together for my parents 25 wedding anniversary. \u00a0\u00a0One day we went \u00a0snorkelling on a catamaran filled with drinkers and pitchers of beer being passed around. \u00a0I watched him fume in judgement and self-righteousness muttering to me, \u201cI don\u2019t understand this lifestyle at all.\u201d \u00a0At that moment, one of the waiters tripped with a pitcher of beer in his hand and dumped it all over my uncle! \u00a0\u00a0He was motified. \u00a0I kept a straight face, but thought it was hilarious&#8230; and I watched the whole think&#8230; as if in slow motion.. to see one \u201cdrop of alcohol\u201d fly through the air&#8230; And I swear&#8230; One drop actually touched his bottom lip. \u00a0\ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Cater to Something Greater Humbles Both the Religious and the Irreligious.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u00a0The Irreligious is controlled by his appetites and\u00a0drunkenness\u00a0and needs to find freedom from God\u2019s Spirit and Grace. Ironically, the drinker will criticize the non drinker thinking he is better than the legalistic non drinker. \u00a0\u00a0The drinker will criticise the non drinker because he thinks he is better than the \u201cnot as spiritual drinker.\u201d \u00a0God\u2019s grace allows you to be free from\u00a0drunkenness\u00a0and self-righteousness. \u00a0\u00a0As a Christian, you may chose to drink or you may not, but you don\u2019t look down on someone who has a differing opinion.. But we all clearly see that when you get drunk.. you are not controlled by God.. And not operating in His will. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Grace is the Greater. \u00a0Greater than Self-Indulgence&#8230; Greater than Self Righteousness.<\/p>\n<p>For more information, check out\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.godonomics.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.godonomics.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.godonomics.com\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.godonomics.com\/images\/godonomics-header.png\" width=\"600\" height=\"162\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Folks often say, \u201cI wish I knew what God\u2019s will was\u201d \u00a0but here God lays out an easy way to know his will. \u00a0\u00a0If you are seeing the days as evil, and making the most out of your moments&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":353,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[628],"class_list":["post-2615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-work","tag-truth-drinking-grace"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Apostle Paul Advocates Getting Drunk on Truth - Godonomics<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/2013\/05\/the-apostle-paul-advocates-getting-drunk-on-truth.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Apostle Paul Advocates Getting Drunk on Truth - Godonomics\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&nbsp; 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Folks often say, \u201cI wish I knew what God\u2019s will was\u201d \u00a0but here God lays out an easy way to know his will. \u00a0\u00a0If you are seeing the days as evil, and making the most out of your moments&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/2013\/05\/the-apostle-paul-advocates-getting-drunk-on-truth.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Godonomics\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-05-18T00:56:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-05-09T14:39:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.godonomics.com\/images\/godonomics-header.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"chadhovind\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Apostle Paul Advocates Getting Drunk on Truth - Godonomics","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/2013\/05\/the-apostle-paul-advocates-getting-drunk-on-truth.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Apostle Paul Advocates Getting Drunk on Truth - Godonomics","og_description":"&nbsp; 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 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He graduated from Moody Bible College in Chicago, majoring in pastoral ministry and communication. His love for ministry and creativity can be seen in many forms: leading teams, expository teaching, acting, and video production. He has served as pastor at two high-impact churches in Georgia: Cumberland Community Church and New Community Church. Chad received an M.A. in Ministry from Moody Graduate School in 2008. He loves volleyball, movies, and hanging out with his wife Beth and their three children.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.godonomics.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/author\/chadhovind"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/353"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2615"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2619,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615\/revisions\/2619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}