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A DIFFERENT KIND OF INTOXICATION

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A DIFFERENT KIND OF INTOXICATION

Do not get drunk on wine which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of the Lord Jesus. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Eph. 5:18-21).

What an apt contrast between control by a spirit and control by the Spirit!

I have never been a wine bibber or a pub crawler, but I have seen and heard enough to know what alcohol does when it controls a human being. Inhibitions go and raw animal instincts take control. Whatever the drinker’s disposition, alcohol takes over and enhances. The more alcohol, the more the individual acts out who he or she is. Some become morose and retreat into themselves; others become loud and bawdy or angry and violent. The bottom line is that self-control gives way to alcohol’s control.

Unfortunately, alcohol does not leave the body quietly. It poisons the brain and leaves a trail of devastating consequences. The drinker suffers the aftermath of intoxication – “hangover”, headache, the stomach revolts and, over the long term, dignity and respect go, brain function deteriorates and the individual lives a lie rather than acknowledges the problem and calls for help.  Wives and families are dragged into the mix; embarrassment and shame drive them to hide the problem and shrink from society.

Paul warns against such a lifestyle – which was probably common among those who had turned from their old ways to embrace their new life in Christ. He indicated that excessive consumption of alcohol leads to debauchery. What is debauchery?

“Debauchery is the habitual and unrestrained indulgence of lust and sensuality. There are several places in Scripture where the word debauchery is used to indicate what we would, today, call “partying.” It encompasses several aspects of unholy living, including but not limited to sexual immorality, drunkenness, crude talk, and generally out-of-control behaviour.”

http://www.gotquestions.org/debauchery.html – retrieved January 2016.

The tragedy in modern western society is that many young people think that it is “adult” to drink. They do it with or without their parents’ knowledge, some even learning and practising the drinking habit in their own homes, not knowing or realising the consequences until it is too late. They kill someone by drunken driving or violent confrontation, they get young girls pregnant in their drunken state or they even begin the downward slide towards alcoholism with its accompanying crime and wasted lives.

This is no way for a child of God to live. We have a Spirit that resides in our hearts and desires to control us, just as alcohol controls those who imbibe, but with very different results. When the Holy Spirit controls, He does not take a person over with devastating consequences. In fact, the Holy Spirit never controls an individual’s will. The Holy Spirit guides and directs only by permission.

The Holy Spirit’s control leads to enhanced sensitivity and responsibility. His focus is always on the Father and the Son. He removes the inhibitions that impede our obedience to Him, but not the inhibitions that protect against immorality. He gives the boldness and confidence to trust the Father and to praise Him without hindrance. He removes the fear of man and enables us to overcome barriers between ourselves and our spiritual brothers and sisters to bring hope and encouragement and to build up one another’s faith in the Lord.

The Holy Spirit fills us with joy and loosens our tongues to praise God with every expression of music and song. He fills our hearts with thanksgiving and gratitude to the Lord for His goodness to us.

We never let go of our right to make decisions and choices but the Holy Spirit in us will influence us towards what is righteous and true when we submit to His leading and allow Him to empower or choices with action.

Paul used the Greek present continuous tense which infused his instruction with meaning. Being filled with the Spirit is not a once-off experience that gives us the right to classify ourselves or others as “Spirit-filled” believers, as though there are two classes of believers, Spirit-filled and not-Spirit-filled, depending on whether or not you have had the “baptism” of the Spirit.

Scripture makes no such distinction. Every believer has been given the Holy Spirit. He indwells all who believe in Jesus and acknowledge Him as Lord. It is every believer’s responsibility to give the Holy Spirit freedom to influence his choices and behaviour every moment of every day. The command is, “Be being filled,” or “Keep on being filled with the Spirit.” It is a moment-by-moment awareness of the Spirit’s presence and the need to allow Him to direct our decisions and choices according to His Word.

To be filled with the Spirit is not a label, it’s a lifestyle of obedience to His leading.

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my first book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

ISBN: Softcover – 978-1-4828-0512-3, eBook 978-4828-0511-6

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My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), a companion volume to Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart, has been released in paperback and digital format on www.amazon.com.

THE BOOK OF ACTS – DRUNK….ON THE HOLY SPIRIT

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DRUNK…ON THE HOLY SPIRIT

“Parthians, Medes…..even Cretans and Arabs!

“‘They’re speaking our languages, describing God’s mighty works.’

“Their heads were spinning. They couldn’t make head or tail of any of it. They talked back and forth, confused. ‘What’s going on here?’

“‘Others joked, ‘They’re drunk on cheap wine.'” Acts 2:9-13 (The Message).

Confusion again! But the disciples were not confused – they had it all together for the first time. They had finally got it and were focussed on the right thing – the mighty works of God. No doubt they were telling the startled bystanders about Jesus, about His death and resurrection and about the forgiveness of sins and the kingdom of God.

As usual, there was a mixed reaction from the crowd. Some of them had no clue what was happening. They watched and listened with open mouths to these crazy people, mostly uneducated Galileans, who were now speaking their languages fluently and eloquently.

As usual, there were the sceptics and mockers among them who could not see beyond the end of their cynical noses. ‘Drunk!’ was their diagnosis, ‘and so early in the morning.’ They neither heard what they were saying, nor did they process it for their own benefit. They simply wrote them off as drunk and laughed at them.

Did the disciples know what they were saying? Probably not at first. They were simply celebrating this unique experience in the best way they knew how, by shouting out their joy, not realising that in it was a message and a sign for all the people around them. No longer would they secrete themselves behind closed doors. They had a story to tell to the world and the energy of the Holy Spirit to tell it in power and truth.

By sending the Holy Spirit to be in them forever God had initiated a partnership which guaranteed the effectiveness of their mission no matter where they went or what barriers and obstacles they met on the way. The same power that saturated Jesus was now saturating them and all those who would follow after them.

Why do we see so little of the evidence of Jesus’ presence in many parts of the church today? I guess there are many reasons why the church had slipped from being an exuberant organism to a sterile organization. Hosea’s diagnosis for Israel’s dismal failure to represent God to the world still holds: “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” Hosea 4:6 (NIV)

Some groups, still believing that they are part of the church, have become nothing more than followers of a religion, practising rituals and keeping rules which have twisted the simple message and mission of Jesus so out of shape that it is no longer recognisable. Others have gone off the track, chasing the rabbits of theology, prosperity, titles and authority, and even mystical experiences, or majoring on minors to the extent that Jesus is buried under a thousand additions.

The early church experienced the undiluted power of the Holy Spirit working in and through them because they were in partnership with Him. They said what He said, did what He did and went where He sent them just like Jesus had done. Their eyes were on Jesus, their ears listened for His voice and their hearts were for Him.

Why have we lost the plot? Lack of knowledge! We have relied on others to tell us how to live and what to do instead of soaking ourselves in God’s Word and sticking to the simplicity of what Jesus taught and modelled. We have the same Spirit as He had, and we have the written Word to guide us – therefore we have no excuse for being so far from the truth.

It is imperative for the church to get back to Jesus’ command, ‘Follow me.’ Imagine what could happen in the world it we did!

Every Kind of People

Christian Life, , ,

EVERY KIND OF PEOPLE

“That’s when Peter stood up and, backed up by the other eleven, spoke out with bold urgency. ’Fellow Jews, all of you who are visiting Jerusalem, listen carefully and get this story straight. These people are not drunk as some of you suspect. They haven’t had time to get drunk – it’s only nine o’clock in the morning. This is what the prophet Joel announced would happen.'”

“In the last days I will pour out my Spirit on every kind of people…'” Acts 2:14-15 (The Message).

What made the sceptics think that the followers of Jesus were drunk? Were they staggering, slurring, speaking incoherently or lacking in judgment or without inhibitions? Were they outrageously joyful, perhaps dancing, singing and shouting? What were the critics saying about them?

They had certainly not lost control, like people drunk on alcohol. Those who witnessed their behaviour commented on one phenomenon — these people were communicating amazing things in their own languages. Drunken people don’t do that! Drunken people can hardly speak their own language coherently.

Although one of the gifts of the Spirit is the gift of speaking unlearned languages, this event was unique because it was the counterpart of the God’s proposal of “marriage” at Mount Sinai when He came down on the mountain with all the accompanying words and practices of a Hebrew wedding. At Pentecost they affirmed His proposal and the church – the Bride of Christ – was born.

It is not necessary for us to try to recreate Pentecost because it was a once-off event which inaugurated the church era. The Holy Spirit has never been withdrawn. According to Paul, we can grieve Him and we can quench Him, we can blaspheme Him but we cannot remove Him from the world. He has been given to mankind to implement the work of Jesus on earth and will continue to do so until Jesus comes.

The Holy Spirit’s ministry is threefold: He convinces the unbeliever of sin and draws him to Jesus; He convinces the believer of righteousness, teaching us about Jesus and reminding us of our standing in Him; He convinces the devil of judgement because he was judged at the cross.

Every facet of His work in the believer is related to our standing before God. The apostle Paul called Him “the Spirit of son ship”. “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:15-16 (NIV).

There is a phrase that is bandied about in certain circles of the church to distinguish between “ordinary” believers and those who have had a special “experience”, making them a cut above the rest. Christians are categorised by either being “born-again” believers, as though there are believers who are not “born-again”, or “born-again and Spirit-filled” believers, making them a little bit better than the rest!

Nowhere in the Bible do we find this distinction made. The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost and took up residence in the hearts of believers. No one can be a believer without Him. The issue is: not how much of Him we have but how much of us does He have. He came for and on every kind of people.

The plea of the New Testament writers is not “beg God to fill you with His Spirit” but ‘be filled with the Spirit” and “walk in the Spirit” and “be led by the Spirit” which puts the ball in our court. The key word is submission. The Holy Spirit is not primarily about gifts or goose bumps but about living and acting like sons of God because that’s who Jesus is and we are to be imitators of Him. Everything else follows according to the Holy Spirit’s initiative.