Today we are addressing a sensitive and controversial topic among others as women in ministry, swearing, covering of head, divorce and remarriage. Today we will talk about alcoholic beverage drinking, should you as a Christian and child of God take part.

We want to first of all say that the gospel truth can not be altered. Just as it came down onto us from the Lord, we are to obey. Getting into the Rhema of the Word and not just limit ourselves at Logos brings about a difference. Remember; 

The Letter Kills, But the Spirit Gives Life.

 In 2 Corinthians 3:6; "Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life."

The "letter," is the law of Moses, certainly; but the application can and should be wider, to encompass any law devised by man or another religion. Basing one's faith upon adhering to any set of laws or rules will inevitably lead to spiritual death. The letter kills!

How clear the Bible is on this point, but how stubbornly our untamed old nature yearns to placate God with rules and good works! Why? It's a question of control. Are we in control of our own ways before God through the Holy Ghost living in us? 

WHAT WE MUST CONSIDER

We Are A Kingdom Of Priests.

In Exodus 19:5-6, God met Moses on Mount Sinai. There, God issued a series of commands for the nation of Israel. These commands were meant to draw the nation into holiness, from which state they could fellowship freely with God.  God told Moses:

“Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:5-6)

In 1 Peter 2:9, Peter addressing the church say, 

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; 

They are  a people separated from common. They are a chosen people, chosen by God to be His possession,  a royal priest, a people given to holiness who have God for master.  

A people who no longer worship at a tabernacle or temple. After the ultimate sacrifice was made when Christ died on the cross, the veil that provided a demarcation between the priest and people was torn from tom yo bottom making direct way for the israelites to contact God. Israel here after join the priesthood and are entitled to follow rules binding to the priest. So we;  Christians are of God’s royal priesthood: People set apart for God's possession, and  fellowshipping.

In Leviticus 9, following their consecration, God issued specific instructions to Aaron and his fellow priests:

“And the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying, “You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the Tent of Meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean, and you must teach Israel all the decrees the Lord has given them through Moses.” (Leviticus 10:8-11)

So, as members of a spiritual priesthood, we see that Aaron was told to refrain from “strong drink” prior to entering God’s sanctuary. Why? Because strong drink affects our ability to discern between “the holy and the common, the unclean and the clean”. 

Wine Is A Blinds

Then David invited him to dinner and got him drunk. But even then he couldn't get Uriah to go home to his wife. Again he slept at the palace entrance with the king's palace guard. 2 Samuel 11:13

King David wanted to use the weapon of drunkenness on Uriah to get cover up for the sin of adultery he committed that led to pregnancy.

Now Lot went up out of Zoar and lived in the hills with his two daughters, for he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. And the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.” So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father. He did not know when she lay down or when she arose.

The next day, the firstborn said to the younger, “Behold, I lay last night with my father. Let us make him drink wine tonight also. Then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.” So they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab.He is the father of the Moabites to this day. The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites to this day.

Genesis 19:30-38. This is the sad story of Lot and His Daughters. 

Wine Is A Mocker

“Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.” Proverbs 20:1

When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. Genesis 9:21

“Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.” Proverbs 23:20

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

“Nowhere in the Old Testament is it forbidden to drink alcohol. But Drunkenness is absolutely forbidden to a member of the covenant people of God. Drunkenness is an acted insult to the holy character of the human life. The drunken man or woman has reached the point where he or she can no longer make judgments dependent on faith and love.”

Just as entering the tabernacle under the influence of alcohol was “a form of blasphemy”  drunkenness in the life of a christian blasphemes the temple of God Himself because our bodies are temples of His Spirit.

We Are Temples Of God's Spirit

Wine is not evil, nor is it forbidden. But drunkenness and everything associated with it is consistently condemned throughout Scripture in both the Old and New Testaments. Why?

Because drunkenness inhibits our ability to fellowship with God.

So when our words, actions, and choices are altered by the effects of alcohol, we cannot protect the glory of God within us to the degree it deserves.

In his letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul made a distinction between being “drunk with wine” and “filled with the Spirit”. ...Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit…” Eph. 5:15-19.

For some, it is easier to maintain holiness by avoiding alcohol completely. 

Others are able to use discernment in the amount and location in which alcohol is consumed which of course is being hypocritical in what they will preach in the light or when seen and in darkness; when they are away from "eyes". We want to vehemently condemn this behaviour or principle as concerns alcohol and the Christian because like it or not, God can see in both positions they find themselves in, and in none of these positions have they ceased to be the royal priests.  

Drunkenness is not a joke. 

It is powerful message to all who want to hear. Drunkenness is a trumpet call to demons of disgrace, disorder, destruction and even murder in some cases to step in and take over things.

Drunkenness is a message to the devil. The drunkard says... " I love you Satan and I offer my body in worship by this alcohol I drink. It is also a message to ones own body and self. Haven failed to keep Luke 14:26 ... "If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters yes, even their own life such a person cannot be my disciple...."

The drunkard is showing love and concern for his body's need of alcohol instead of love and devotion to God.

Drunkenness is an affront to the identity we bear as Christians. It is a must sacrifice for some? Yes. Those who have decided to keep themselves clean, holy, consecrated only and only life living for Christ and for His church. By choosing Christ, we chose to make our lives altars to His goodness, and our bodies temples to His Spirit. It’s a small price to pay for the fullness of eternity. It’s a small price to pay in light of Gospel Grace. Amen!

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Fasting is the abstention from food for a period of time. Various forms of fasts are possible. First of all, there is what I call the absolute fast. The absolute fast is one in which the person fasting eats no food whatsoever and drinks no water and no other drink for a certain length of time. Moses underwent two absolute fasts for forty days each. During that time he neither ate food nor drank water.

His were supernatural fasts spent in the immediate presence of God. Although I know people who have had absolute fasts of up to fifteen days, I do not advise anyone to go on absolute fasts of more than ninety-six hours. It is risky and I do not think that the risk is necessary.

There is also what we call the complete or total fast. This is the withdrawal from all food and all drink except water. In a complete fast, a person drinks water and water only. No juice, tea, milk, or anything else is allowed. This is most likely what the Lord Jesus underwent for forty days; for we are told that after the fast He was hungry, but we are not told that He was thirsty. I consider this the normal fast—nothing taken in but water.

There is also what may be called the partial fast. There are many forms of this. One common type is to take one meal every twenty-four hours. The one meal should be light and not the size of three meals, which would be gluttony. Another type of partial fast is to live for some days or weeks only on fruit juice or milk. Another type of partial fast is the one described by Daniel. He said: “In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks” (Daniel 10: 2-3). Some brethren have had a partial fast during which they ate only bread and drank only water for a period of three weeks. They were blessed.

As we have said, the normal practice is to abstain completely from food, that is, a complete fast. The spiritual benefits are greater. I have never had an absolute fast of more than seventy two hours, and so I cannot say much about absolute fasts from personal experience. I have some experience of long and short complete fasts and of a number of three-week partial fasts. Partial fasts are only recommended for people who have health problems that prevent them from undergoing complete fasts. A case for partial fasts may be made for people in job situations that make long complete fasts impossible.

A definite advantage of a partial fast of, say, three weeks, is that one is strong enough to do the normal duties of life. I remember one time when I had a three-week partial fast during which I had only bread and tea. I was strong enough to work fifteen to eighteen hours a day on the book I was writing at that time.

If your experience of fasting has been limited to partial fasts, then this is the time to make progress. Stop going on partial fasts and begin to go on complete ones. Maybe you ought to start next week. You may begin with a forty-eight-hour complete fast and two weeks afterwards go on a seventy-two-hour complete fast. You will see the impact of that fasting on your spiritual life and be glad.

There was a time during which I backslid in my fasting life. I stopped complete fasts and only took to partial fasts. I gave the excuse that it was because I was too busy with other aspects of the ministry. When I realized that I had backslidden, I repented and decided to go back to normal fasting. It was difficult. I even found a seventy-two-hour complete fast very difficult, and a cou ple of times I broke a fast that I intended to go on for seventy two hours after only forty-two hours. I cried to the Lord for mercy and help. He heard my prayer and healed my backsliding. I was then able to fast normally again.

Fasting is not only abstention from food. It is concentration on the Lord—His holiness, His Kingdom, and His will. Normally, when a person is full of food, the desires of the physical body are very strong, as well as the desires of the soul—that is, the will, the mind, and the emotions. During fasting the desires of the body are greatly reduced and the spirit rises and soars, controlling the soul. This means that spiritual reality is more easily discerned by a fasting person than by one who is not fasting. At the height of a long fast, which may be between the twenty-fifth and the fortieth day, the things of this world become absolutely meaningless. For example, I found that the following were absolutely meaningless to me during such a period:

1. my looks,
2. my educational qualifications,
3. my job,
4. money,
5. clothes,
6. property,
7. the presence of human beings (in fact, each one had a detestable odour),
8. any accomplishment in the world,
9. et cetera.

On the other hand, God was near, and thoughts of heaven possessed me. I was anxious to walk in perfect holiness. I wanted to obey the Lord in everything. I wanted His companionship. I wanted to hear His voice. Although I did not have much strength to pray, I felt that I was in direct communion with my God, and my short prayers that were uttered as short phrases throughout the day and night seemed to go right to the heart of God.

As I read the Word, God seemed to speak more clearly, and spiritual illumination was received readily. Fasting brings spiritual power. When those who are unsaved fast, they release spiritual power that is of the Enemy's kingdom and that goes to strengthen it. That is one reason why it is impossible for believers who are given to food and pleasure to make any headway in the winning of Muslims and Buddhists to Christ. The reason for this is obvious. Because these people fast extensively and pray extensively, they release a lot of spiritual power that insulates their spirits from penetration by the Gospel. Penetration is only possible when ministry to them is carried out by people who also have spiritual power released through fasting in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Fasting is also a form of mourning. It is mourning because the Lord Jesus is away and the believer misses him and wants him back. It is mourning because of the believer's poor spiritual condition when God has given him so much in Christ. It is mourning because of the worldly condition of the Church and her impotence against the Enemy. It is mourning over the multitudes that are passing into a Christless eternity. Fasting is a heart's cry to God to act. He does act when people fast. You are invited to the ministry of fasting. You can actually begin tomorrow. Do not postpone it. Start at once, and may the Lord bless you.

(From the book The Ministry of Fasting Chp 2 pg 12)

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Note that the information presented in this article is acquired from various sources - not strictly biblical manuscripts. The stories have been passed down through traditional documents and can not be proved as accurate. 

Joseph of Arimathea was quite an enigma! From history we learn that he was previously known as Joseph de Marmore as he lived in Marmorica in Egypt before he moved to Arimathea.¹ There is speculation that Joseph of Arimathea, or Joseph of Glastonbury as he later became known, was the uncle of Mary, mother of Jesus. The relationship to Mary made him a Great Uncle of Jesus. From this, we may presume that he was an elderly man at the time of the crucifixion. We have few verifiable details about Joseph except that he was he was quite wealthy. Some claim that Joseph of Arimathea was a merchant in metals and took young Jesus with him on his business trips to England, India, and even to South America. It is a well documented fact that Britain led the world at this time with its tin mining. Joseph of Arimathea was referred to by the Romans as 'Nobilis Decurio' or Minister of Mines to the Roman Government. 

Joseph of Arimathea was not one of the original 12 apostles, but he was a disciple of Jesus and was an important man in his own right. He is mentioned in all four gospels (Matthew: 27:57-60; Mark 15:43-46; Luke 23:50-55; John 19:38-42). He was a high counselor, a voting member of the Sanhedrin² which officially wanted Jesus condemned to death. We may speculate that he had not consented to, or agreed with, the decision to push Pontius Pilate to impose the death penalty upon Jesus. In spite of his relationship with Jesus, his loyalty to Him was largely kept secret (John 19:38). Jesus was obviously unpopular with the elders of the church, and to outwardly support Him did not bring favor in their eyes (John 19:38). 

Even though Joseph of Arimathea had attempted to keep his love for Jesus a secret, he boldly went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus to be placed in his trust. This is significant in and of itself. Joseph of Arimathea, not Mary Jesus' mother, not Mary Magdalene, or any of the apostles were entrusted with the act of taking Jesus down from the cross. Most of the apostles had fled anyway. Joseph took the body and put it in his own tomb. According to various historical sources, Joseph's actions provoked both the Roman and Jewish elders and he eventually did spend time in prison for his support of Jesus.³ 

Other historical sources report that Joseph of Arimathea went on a preaching mission to Gaul with the apostle Phillip, Mary Magdalene, Lazarus, and others sometime between the years A.D. 37 and A.D. 63 (the year is in dispute). At Marseilles, Lazarus and Mary parted company with the main group who continued on further up North. When Joseph's party reached the English Channel, Phillip sent Joseph with 12 disciples to the furthest corner of the Roman Empire, the Island of the Britons. Legend has it that Joseph sailed around Land's End at the southern tip of England with the intent of catching up with old business acquaintances in the lead and tin mines. They ran aground in the Glastonbury marshes. Once again, it is reported that after climbing a nearby hill to survey the countryside, they were exhausted and Joseph thrust into the ground a staff made from the 'Holy Crown of Thorns' worn by Christ. He announced that he and his traveling companions were all weary. It is legendry that the thorn staff immediately took root and the thorn bush can still be seen today on 'Wearyall Hill.' Joseph built a church (Vetusta Ecclesia)⁵ of mud and wattle on the site and decreed that 12 monks should always reside in that most sacred place. It is interesting to note that a spirited shrub which grows near the now ruined Abbey is of the same type that grows in the Eastern Mediterranean and flowers only twice a year - Christmas time and Easter.⁶ 

It is also claimed that Joseph collected some of the blood and sweat of Christ after His side was pierced as He hung on the cross. The chalice or cup which Joseph used to collect the fluids is reported to be the same one used during the last supper. Joseph took the cup with him on his voyage to England and is said to have hidden it on the site at Glastonbury, at the bottom of a deep well, called the 'Chalice Well', or the 'Blood Well.' The well is a rather curious place, 25 thousand gallons of red-tinted water pass through the well area each day. The red tint is caused by high iron content in the water.³ 
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One passage in the Old Testament containing that promise is Isaiah 65:17, 66:22 "For, behold, I create new heavens and... a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind." What sometimes is forgotten is that every passage has a context. Isaiah was a 7th century BC prophet. He began his ministry 740 B.C., and was projected into the future as apostle John was in Rev. 4–22. His work was just before the destruction of Judah by the Babylonians. Much of his book of 66 chapters has to do with the people's sin, which was the cause of the coming destruction.

In the New Testament Peter also refers to new heavens and a new earth: "But in keeping with his promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, The home of righteousness. 2 Pet. 3:13. Peter uses this expression, in a context referring to the second coming of Christ, to describe the final dwelling place of the righteous, which is heaven itself, as Jesus taught in John 14:1-4. Notice that the "new heavens and the new earth" are promised after the present heavens and earth have been destroyed 2 Pet. 3:10.
So the context, and the teaching of other passages, show that this term (new heavens and new earth) is a figurative expression for heaven itself. John 14:3

Another reference is that of Revelation 21:1: "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
The new heaven and new earth of Rev. 21:1 is the Holy City, the new Jerusalem the hope and expectation of all the saved.
It is the City whose foundations, whose builder and maker is God." Heb. 11:10, 13-16. Again, it is heaven itself which is being described. read more →

The word "baptism" comes from the Greek word 'baptizo' meaning 'to dip, to immerse', it is complete immersion in water.
Baptism is symbolic of taking part in Christ's death, hence the complete 'burial' in water, which in turn symbolically washes away our sins and enables us to start afresh. Romans 6:1-6,
In ...the New Testament, baptism is always accompanied by belief and repentance. So the point arises that baptism occurs as a result of belief.
So belief in Jesus alone is not sufficient, belief involves God's whole plan which is summed up in the promises given to Abraham.
The Bible answer to this question must be that baptism by immersion is essential to salvation,
Mark 16:16, we must add the right baptism to our believing to be saved. read more →