This is from "Days of Praise" a wonderful daily e-devotion:
Neither Wine nor Strong Drink
February 6, 2011
"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." (Luke 1:15)
Whether or not the Bible clearly commands total abstinence from alcohol for Christians, it is increasingly being recognized that alcohol is the most widely abused and dangerous drug of all�causing more fatal accidents and injuries, more broken homes, more sexual promiscuity, more job absenteeism, and more disease than cocaine or any other drug. Yet it is widely promoted socially and increasingly is being accepted even among evangelical Christians.
But the example of John the Baptist is worth considering. The angel Gabriel testified that he would be "great in the sight of the Lord" and then added that he would "drink neither wine nor strong drink," implying a connection between the two. Indeed, Christ called John the greatest man who had ever lived up to that time (Matthew 11:11)--that is, greater than even Abraham, Moses, or Daniel!
Then the very same verse says that John would "be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb," and he is the only man of whom that was ever said. Again there seems to be a connection, for no one could simultaneously drink wine or strong drink and also be filled with the Spirit. The apostle Paul also warned concerning this conflict when he said: "Be not drunk |literally, 'begin to be drunk'| with wine . . . but be filled |that is, 'be continually being filled'| with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18).
Drinking alcoholic beverages in moderation may or may not be permissible, but that does not make it right. "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient" (1 Corinthians 6:12). At least in John's case, being great in God's sight and being filled with the Spirit were closely associated with abstinence from alcohol. HMM
Mr. James, if you are referring to me about the wine at the wedding, I said he would never promote drunkenness and if they had been drinking stronger fermented wine, then would it not make sense that what Jesus made would not add to their inebriated condition? He was there to show them the new wine... Himself. The wine that He made was symbol of the joy of Himself... a good thing, not something that would put you into a carnal condition since the word says "be NOT drunk with wine but be filled with the Spirit."
Many people have never been drunk in the joy and spirit of God, so they don't realize that alcohol is a cheap imitation of the real buzz. There are depths and heights in the joy of the Lord that no tongue can describe. I personally feel that martyrs are filled with this joy and made very drunk to pain and sorrow so they can endure. How else could someone be singing and rejoicing while they are being killed?
TS... I'm a teacher, I know. :laugh:
Kombucha is probably the closest thing to what Timothy talked about for "thy stomach's sake." You can buy it at any health food store and it comes in different flavors. Ginger is my favorite.
I am an herbal tea drinker and this tea actually helped to heal my gut from some bad sickness I had about 7 years ago. Homemade kombucha is very simple to make, but you need the "mother" to start a batch. You can get that by buying some kombucha and letting it sit out long enough to form the white looking mushroom that cultures the tea, water and sugar it's made from.
There is an indepth study called, "Alcohol and the Bible" by Daniel Whitfield. He looks at every reference to alcohol in the bible and breaks it down into categories and looks at other scriptures such as the 14th chapter of Romans. Google it and arm yourself with the Word of God.
"And if you had a relative, when you were little, who was always drunk, and the very smell of alcohol, brings back all those bad memories, then I would not even drink a beer around you, out of love and respect."
Then that would mean you wouldn't drink! I don't know anyone whose life has not been effected in some way by alcohol...
Just like the liberty I have in America (no political comments here!), my liberty in Christ would allow me varied things that I choose not to do.
In Thes 5:22 we are reminded to abstain from all Appearance of evil. This is a tough one...but I am gonna try to live that way. (and not because I go to a Baptist church, James, but that was a funny comment :hearts:
