From Pastor's Desk | Sunday, May 5th, 2019

I have had many people, over my short time in ministry, ask how I felt and what the bible said about drinking alcohol and wine. I lost an uncle, who I was very close to, due to a person who had decided to drive drunk. I lost a dear friend, who was a recovering alcoholic that relapsed and drowned in a pool due to her severe inebriation. So, personally, I can’t stand the stuff. Yet, I don’t preach or teach from feelings; I preach from truth, inspiration and empowerment from the Holy Spirit, and the word of God. The bible is very clear about judging others and this is not my aim here nor will I ever do that; I am going to simply state facts and truth on this and let you work out your own salvation before the Lord with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12-13) So, what does the word of God have to say about drinking alcohol and wine. Let us take a look. 

The Bible says is strong against being drunk and strong drink. We find that in these verses.

            Old Testament

Leviticus 10:9-11          Proverbs 20:1; 23:25     Isaiah 5:11-12; 29:7

New Testament

1 Thessalonians 3:3      1 Timothy 3:3; 8            2 Timothy 4:5    Titus 1:7

1 Peter 1:15; 4:7

We also find in the Bible those who drank heavily caused sin upon not only themselves but their kin.

-      Noah drank strong drink, got drunk and laid uncovered in a tent. His youngest son thus bringing a curse upon him and his lineage.

-      Lot was given strong drink by his daughters and (I know this is disgusting)through incest with his daughters, two rebellious nations were born. 

-      The nation of Israel got drunk from strong drink and demanded a golden calf to be built. 3,000 men died that day.

As you read, nothing good ever came from those drinking strong drink. There are those who teach and preach that in moderation, alcohol is not bad for you. They use the scriptures where Jesus turned the water into wine & Paul stated, “a little wine is good for the stomach”. They also use the play on such words as “drunkenness” or being “drunk” and how the Bible states it is AGAINST THAT. So, they teach that since the Bible doesn’t say anything against moderation, it is ok. I did a little research from watching a video from Perry Stone and reading some articles from French Arrington and this is what I found. I encourage all of you to do the same. 

The wine in Jesus’ day was mixed like this, 3-parts water to 1-part wine. Harvard and Yale University placed out a study that stated you would have to drink 21 glasses of wine to match the alcohol content of ONE glass of wine in present day. So, the Bible is not against the grape the wine comes from or the wine used for medicine purposes (as Paul stated in 1 Timothy 5:23)but the alcohol, or strong drink, that is in it. 

I want to close with this, though I honestly could fill this entire bulletin with this subject. Most people drink or say they drink to calm their nerves and relieve stress. If that is the case, then those who proclaim to be Christians and drink alcohol to calm nerves are telling the world; Jesus is not enough for you. I know that may seem harsh, but it is truth and reality. So instead of us trying to use the word of God to say our sin or addiction is okay, let’s place it under the blood and let God break that chain of addiction and habit off of your life.

Ever Feel...just BLAH?

Welcome to the first Monday of the New Year. I remember reading Garfield comics growing up and watching the Garfield and Friends cartoon that would air on Saturday mornings. During this time, I never understood why Garfield hated Mondays so much; then I grew up.

Now, I know you maybe thinking to yourself, "You are a Pastor, you should be positive about every day of the week." Well, I would be lying if I didn't say I dread some Mondays. Today is one of those Mondays. You might ask why, I am about to indulge into why.

Today is one of those Mondays where you come out of a great church service on Sunday and you look around at what God did in the church that morning; only to be hit with frustration and disappointment from what seems like every side. So this leads to the title of this post...do you ever feel frustrated? Have you ever felt lonely? Have you ever felt like throwing in the towel? The answer is probably, yes. Guess what, you are not a sinner, backslidden person if you have felt that way. We all feel that way from time to time; and it is ok.

Yet, I learned something this morning before I typed this. I can either choose to stay in frustration and disappointment, OR I can choose to rise above it. While it is okay to feel disappointment, frustration, and loneliness; you must choose to stay there or RISE ABOVE IT. I choose today to rise above it.

I love eagles. They are magnificent birds and a symbol of freedom here in America. I heard an interesting fact from a fellow Pastor that eagles love storms. When a storm comes, eagles use the winds from that storm to fly to heights they normally couldn't reach. They use the winds and drafts to help the rise above the worse of the storm. When storms come in our lives, we can either hunker down and complain about how bad the weather is or we can rise above it. We can use the very thing meant to take us out and press us into unprecedented heights we never thought we could achieve before.

Isaiah 40:31 reminds us that when we wait upon the Lord, our strength will be renewed. We will mount up with wings AS EAGLES. That lets me know, when frustration, disappointment, and loneliness come, I don't need to fret or worry. I can choose to hunker down and complain about everything and everyone; or I can choose to use the very storm meant to take me under and out to rise above it.

I hope this encourages you today as much as it encouraged me to write it.

Maranatha,

Dereck J. White