Sipping Saints?

 

http://www.charismamag.com/life/men/20091-beer-bubbly-and-libation-lies-but-god-is-not-a-buzzkill

I was appalled by a recent article written for charisma magazine which is referred to above. A part of the title was "God is not a buzz kill". The author evidently is stating that God sanctions and excepts a person getting a buzz from an alcoholic drink. At the risk of sounding condescending, I am afraid that ignorance is pandemic in Christendom. With a little objective studying in the word of God, an understanding in all biblical subjects could be arrived at safely, sound, and with proper balance, doing no damage to the human soul.

The word "wine" is a generic term used in the Bible referring to both fermented and unfermented wine.

Isaiah 65:8 (KJV)
⁸ 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.

Obviously, the wine referred to here is still in the cluster of grapes, thus it would certainly not be fermented. However, it is also used for the fermented as seen in the below Scripture.

Genesis 9:21 (KJV)
²¹ And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.

Context becomes extremely important in deciphering the use of the word wine in Scripture.

The following Scripture has become the staple for many who state that Jesus did not forbid the drinking of alcoholic beverages, but even aided in the practice of it.

John 2:10 (KJV)  And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.

Without getting into a long theological discourse of the right and wrong interpretation of this verse, let's just use some good old-fashioned sense. Are we to believe that Jesus Christ, who was the epitome of moral consistency and standards, would have miraculously produced 160 gallons of intoxicating wine for men, women, and children, at a wedding feast? Then after their consumption, making himself morally responsible for increasing their drunkenness. Would Jesus have been the referee when fights broke out as a result of men and women who are intoxicated? Or, did the Lord pray a special blessing over these drunken revelers that they would be insulated from any mishaps on their way home and any marital woes would be miraculously resolved? Of course it would be absurd to think so, and no sane Christian thinks that the marriage at  Cana of Galilee was some sort of happy hour.

Proverbs 23:29-35 (KJV)
²⁹ Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
³⁰ They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
³¹  Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
³² At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
³³ Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.
³⁴ Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
³⁵ They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

Solomon was known as the wisest man that ever lived. The wisdom that he possessed was not the result of IQ, the educational system, or from any other human source. This wisdom was a gift from God. Notice what the wisest man that ever existed had to say about drinking alcoholic beverages. He said that not only are we not to partake of it, but we are not even to look at it. This is a biblical principle throughout Scripture. If something is forbidden by God, we are not to look at it. The reason is, what you look at has the power to create desire in your heart. This is why Jesus said that a man is not to look on a woman to lust after her who is not his wife.

Judges 13:7 (KJV)
⁷ But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.

Numbers 6:3 (KJV)
³ He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried.

Luke 1:15 (KJV)
¹⁵ For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.

Again, we see the bible distinguishing the difference between the two. Let’s notice the high standard for people who were to be consecrated to the service of the Lord in representing him. Are we no less in our responsibility in representing the King and his Kingdom?

I am reminded of the words of Paul when he said:

2 Corinthians 6:17 (KJV) Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

The Real Noah

Since there has been a lot of hoopla concerning the movie Noah, I thought I would give my proverbial two cents. First of all, any time that Hollywood and a producer that is atheist illustrates a Bible character or story you have to be suspect. They're viewpoint will be perverted and twisted as a result of their soul being littered with sin. We must remember that Hollywood's agenda is not about staying true in biblical accuracy nor are they concerned about the souls of men. Therefore, they will circumvent the subject of sin and remove the need of a Savior. Their agenda is to make money, and to make sure that the script does not produce guilt in their own conscience and those who will be watching.

The story of Noah and the reason of judgment was not about:

• Meat eaters against vegetarians
• The ruining of nature by human beings
• Environmentalism

It was about:

• Man’s open rebellion against God
• The corruption of the human race by fallen angels producing giant races
• False worship
• Injustice, cruelty, and oppression

The Dispensation of Conscience which was the span of time from the fall of man to the flood was 1656 years. Adam lived 930 years or well over half of this dispensation. HIs personal account of their beginning in the garden and their expulsion from this paradise would have been common knowledge to all that lived in this period. Yet, mankind rebelled and purposed to overthrow God from their lives and remove all mention and influence of his being from society. It sickened God to the point that he wished he never would have made man.   

Genesis 6:5-6 (KJV)
⁵ And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
⁶  And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

Thank God for one man who was not corrupted by his environment, but remained true to God.

Genesis 6:8-9 (KJV)
⁸ But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
⁹ These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

In spite of all that is happening around us in the world today, we can be encouraged to remain faithful to the Lord. If you are feeling alone, abandoned, or no one cares… take comfort in knowing that God has not left you. Noah had no one to encourage him, help him, and pray for him, but he had a close relationship with God. It turned out to be sufficient in keeping him through the human storm of opposition  and the literal storm sent by God.

If Noah could do it before the early church, Pentecost, and  the cross, then so can we.

The Poll Winner is…

I want to thank you for taking the time to vote in the poll. All four things are needed and would be essential in bringing this nation back to a solid moral foundation again. However, I do have an opinion on which one would be initially the most important. I strongly believe that parents are the key to a lasting and sustained moral revival in America.

Prayer in Schools?

Prayer in school means little if parents are not actively communicating with God in the home. Prayer in school disappeared because long before that, prayer in the home disappeared. We must not forget that society as a whole is a reflection of the home. The younger generation often lampooned and picked on by the previous generation for its lack of morals and restraint. What is not realized, is that the previous generation is what has produced the younger generation. According to the Bible, parents were entrusted with the responsibility of training, discipling, and instilling the word of God, into the child. This requires of the parent:

• diligence
• effort
• working knowledge of the bible
• personal inconvenience
• and time

Many moms and dads are instead taking the easy road in the hope of microwaving children into responsible adults who contribute to the good of society. They are doing this by allowing Hollywood, church youth groups, and all other forms of spiritual and unspiritual entertainment, to replace the personal parental involvement in the child's life in producing the spiritual formation that is needed. Obviously, youth groups and having fun is not something wrong. It's when the parent looks at these things as the replacement for their personal responsibility in the spiritual forming of the child. Strong youth are no more of an accident than a farmer planting seed and expecting a harvest. We can even pray that our young people be strong, but prayer is not a replacement for personal responsibility.

Revival in Church?

Why isn't revival in the church number one? Certainly one could make a very good argument concerning this one. However, a revival in a church will not last unless the home's that make up that church have a revival. We must also defined what do we mean when we say the word revival. I think that in many minds that it means a continual excitement and emotional highs maintained throughout many church services. Though revival is exciting and does effect the emotions, it's main components are change and hunger. Sinners will be changed to Saints, the sick will be changed to healed, the spiritual lukewarm will be changed to being on fire, and there will be no competition for the hunger of the Word. When children see consistent hunger for the Word by their parents it will leave an indelible impression that will last them a lifetime. My parents only had two children – both sons. We are both in the ministry and I can’t tell you the amount of times my parents have been approached and told “how proud you must be that both of your boys are in the ministry.” One of the leading factors was that our parents exhibited a consistent hunger for the Word throughout our time of growing up. We never saw hypocrisy in our home. My father would get shouting happy in church while my mother with tears in her eyes would play the organ for hours during the extended altar times. Then, during the rest of the week, their lives corresponded to the emotions I saw displayed in the church. Here again, if we want to see a lasting revival and one that affects society, it will not be the result of the snap of a finger or some magical wand waved over a few lives, but it will be the result of parents who painstakingly forge the next generation in the halls of a home that is filled with:

• Hunger for the Word in the parent
• Consistent living by the parent
• Biblical instruction from the parent
• Family devotions initiated by the parent

Studies have shown that a child's character is formed by the age of seven. Years ago, one religious organization would often state that if they could have a child from infancy to five years old, they would have the child for a lifetime.

A moral return of Biblical values being ingrained in society will not happen overnight. The digression didn’t happen that way and our way forward will not either. Children are like seed. You cultivate the soil and environment they are planted – born into. Then, we nurture, protect, and fertilize, and eventually a harvest comes. America can become healthy again but it starts at home. The problem is not the White House, it is with our house.

I am convinced that the next revival will not be some fleeting temporal emotional experience, but a lasting heartfelt existence of Christ producing the standard of righteousness for all the world to see. It will not just be a shout but it will be a force that carries clout, it will not be just an emotional high but will be the result of those who died to self!

Perfect - Are you serious?

The word “perfect” according to Webster means:

• being entirely without fault or defect : flawless <a perfect diamond>
• satisfying all requirements : accurate
• corresponding to an ideal standard or abstract concept <a perfect gentleman>
• faithfully reproducing the original; specifically : letter-perfect
• legally valid

Jesus Christ was the only human being to satisfy everyone of these definitions. He was without fault, satisfied all of the righteous requirements of the law, he was the perfect man, as a son he reflected his father perfectly, and he was the only legal and valid person to redeem us from our sins. The Lord provided a perfect salvation for us to experience. In other words, when we are saved, we are perfectly saved. There is no such thing as an imperfect salvation.

The word sin in the Bible simply means missing the mark. The mark, describes the bull's-eye at the center of the target. The mark is the righteous standard given by God for humanity to live up to. The Law, exposed our inability and inaccuracy to hit this bull's-eye of God standard. However, when I put my faith in this perfect Jesus, he puts me in right standing with the Father. His meritorious work is what has achieved this perfect standing with God and not the result of my own feeble deeds. Then, the Lord will provide his ability for me to use in living up to the standard of God and hitting the moral bull's-eye throughout my life, so that others can see me as an example of Christ living through me.

Every time that I obey the word of God when confronted by a situation in life, it will produce a perfect response. If I do not obey God's word, then I will miss the bull's-eye and then the response to the situation will not be perfect. The sermon on the mount is filled with the standard of conduct expected of a Kingdom citizen of Heaven. As you read through Matthew 5-7, you will notice the multiple situations Jesus refers to, and then the God standard response to them.

Matthew 5:43-48 (KJV)
⁴³ Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
⁴⁴ But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
⁴⁵ That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
⁴⁶ For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
⁴⁷ And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
⁴⁸ Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Decisions Decisions 

If someone insults, persecutes, or curses me, I am now faced with a decision. I can choose to retaliate and do to them as they have done unto me. In doing so, I will miss the mark and therefore an imperfect response will be made. However, if I choose to obey God standard and pray for them, speak kindly to them, and do good deeds in return for the evil, then I have hit the bull's-eye and given a perfect response. We have been given the ability by the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation to respond in a godly way to all situations. There really is no excuses because no one forces us to choose one way or the other. Satan does not have the ability to force you to make a decision that you don't want to make. On the other hand, God will not violate your freedom of choice.



  
2 Corinthians 7:1 (KJV)
¹  Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Perfection in the Bible also has much to do with growth and maturity. As we consistently obey the word of God in the situations that we face in life, we become practiced. You have often heard it said “practice makes perfect.” The more I practice the word, the more developed I become. What am I doing? By continually obeying God's word, he in turn is perfecting my life. The Lord is maturing and growing me more and more in His image.
 
When you make a mistake or human error - right away - someone may say "I thought you were so perfect!" Human perfection without mistakes and human errors is an impossible achievement in this lifetime. As time goes on though, we should make fewer of them as we grow in knowledge and spiritual development. Even in the natural, I shouldn't be making the same blunders I did when I was 10 years old. The sin functionality in my life should have died at the cross, and the new nature should be growing every day inside of me through purposeful application of the word in every situation I face.

What are you going to do?

Today when someone lies on you - cuts you off in traffic - treats you badly - what are you going to do in return? What will your response be? The perfect Word or the imperfect flesh in the response? It's all up to us isn't it?