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The
truth is Jesus himself drank wine. (no, it was not grape
juice) And probably like you, Jesus was given a hard
time by the church and religious folks because he did
so. You are, as they say, in good company!
Has
the Church or "religious" people gotten down on you
because you like to have a beer? This may shock you, but
you are still in good company. It was the "Church"
and so called respectable people that called Jesus a
"drunkard".
Matthew 11:19
"The Son of Man came eating and
drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a
drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet
wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."
(see also Luke 7:34)
I'll
point something out that you might not realize. The very
first miracle Jesus performed here on earth, was to turn
water into wine (No, not grape juice) at a
wedding feast. Read this scripture!
John 2:1
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of
Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there;
John 2:2
and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the
wedding.
John 2:3
When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus *said to
Him, "They have no wine."
John 2:4 And Jesus *said to her,
"Woman,
what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet
come."
John 2:5
His mother *said to the
servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."
(this
is still good advice today!)
John 2:6
Now there were six stone water pots set there for the
Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or
thirty gallons each.
John 2:7
Jesus *said to them,
"Fill the water pots with water."
So they filled
them up to the brim.
John 2:8
And He *said to them,
"Draw some out now and
take it to the headwaiter." So they took
it to him.
J ohn
2:9 When the
headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and
did not know where it came from (but the servants who
had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter *called the
bridegroom,
John 2:10
and *said to him, "Every
man serves the good wine first, and when
the people have drunk
freely, then he serves the poorer wine;
but
you have kept the good wine until now."
The
point to the above story is: They ran out of wine, the
guests had drank it all, they were most likely half lit
already! Then Jesus, by his miracle, provides 120 or 180
more gallons of wine for these people who have already
been drinking "Freely".
If
the church didn't like that, I'm sure they really had a
problem with Jesus filling the pots used for
"the Jewish custom of purification",
(Could you imagine going into the church and filling the
dish that holds the "Holy Water" with wine? What do you
think they would do to you?)
Also, it's possible
that this wedding might have taken place in the Temple
(church) simply because of the fact that ordinary people
didn't keep 6 stone water pots for the custom of
purification, capable of holding 20 or 30 gallons each,
in their homes!
Also, Mary
the mother of Jesus, wasn't concerned about the
people drinking, she was concerned because they had ran
out!
I fail to
understand why, if it was the church that beat up on
Jesus. Not to mention responsible for his death, why do
most of the modern day churches emulate them?
Quit
being beat up over these nit picking little things and
find someone preaching the "Good News" that Jesus told
us we are to be preaching throughout the world.
You will find that here at Power of Faith
Ministries!
Am I
telling you to drink? Nooooo!
Absolutely not. But don't let any self righteous, faith
filled, miracle, God, Jesus, Bible thumping Christian's
weigh you down with guilt over it either. (That is not
their job and God did not ordain them to do this)
Use common sense!
If you drink too much, quit
or cut back! The scripture
that the good preachers like to beat
you into submission with 1Corinthians 6:19,
does not pertain to drinking or smoking. It pertains to
immorality. Specifically, it pertains to "sleeping with
prostitutes".
If you have a
problem believing this, read it for yourself. Go to 1
Corinthians 6:19, then back up 4 verses to 1 Corinthians
6:15 to put it in context. As you will see, Paul clearly
says that "all" other sins are outside of the body. (1
Corinthians 6:18)
"You" are
accountable for you. As a Christian, you shouldn't need
extreme laws and policemen to make you do what God has
already told you is the right and wise thing to do. "Anything you do
excessively" drinking, smoking, overeating, etc.. is not
good for you.
Not to mention, if
you have had a couple of drinks, don't drive!
If for no other reason, because if you get pulled over
and are given a breathalyzer test, you'll go to jail!!
(common sense) We are commanded in the bible to adhire
to the laws of the land.
It is
not the drink that is a sin, It is the things you say
and do when you've been drinking a little to freely. If
you can't control your language or behavior after a few
drinks, It is definitely time to quit or cut down.
Now,
if you sin, gossip or use foul language, my personal advice to
you is "Stop it". Though the bible may not condemn
smoking or drinking, it does condemn these things!
However, That is between you & God.
Tell Children the truth about
drinking
By: Stanton Peele Ph.D.
This
is an article I ran across that you might find
interesting. The article was written by an expert:
Stanton Peele, Ph.D. (just click to access)
Stanton Peele is a leading figure in the field of
alcoholism and addiction. He is the author of, among
other works, "Love and Addiction," "The Meaning of
Addiction," "Diseasing of America," and "The Truth About
Addiction and Recovery." Dr. Peele has received the Mark
Keller Award from the Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies
and many other prestigious accolades.
Overview: Teaching children to drink in moderation
appears to inoculate them against alcohol abuse later in
life. However, in the United States, we use the method
of alcohol education found least successful in
scientific research which teaches that abstinence is the
only way, asserts Dr. Stanton Peele.
THE B.O.D. MODE
I was in my car
listening to a sermon on the radio the other day. The
guy was doing pretty good talking about Jesus` first
miracle at Cana, where he turned water into wine. He
offered a slightly different and interesting perspective
on it and I enjoyed the sermon. Then, like turning off a
light switch, he went into what I call the "BOD" mode!
B.O.D. mode is when
the preacher suddenly stops preaching to the "body" and
starts trying to please the BOD! (Board
of Directors) It is typically the Board of
Directors who hire and fire the pastor, not to mention
decide on the amount of his salary. So, the sermon
instantly turns to excuses and non - biblical teaching
to appease a small group in control.
Suddenly I was
informed that wine in Jesus` day, was much weaker than
it is today. I was told that people only drank it
because the water was not safe to drink. Then I was
taught that wine back then was 2 parts water and 1 part
wine! I heard thunderous applause over the car radio.
So, there I sat in my car scratching my head asking
myself:
Does this guy just
make this stuff up as he goes along, or is he getting
this from someone else who is making it up as they
go along? Judging by the applause, it seems that no one
was curious about it. Are we to believe that the laws of
physics were different in the time of Jesus? That grapes
fermented differently?
Does it make sense to
anyone, that if the water was unsafe to drink, why would
anyone mix 2 parts of this unsafe water to 1 part of
their good wine?
Luke 5:39
"And no
one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for
he says, 'The old is good enough.'"
Talk to God
often!
Pray!
That's what talking to God is! I'm sure you, like most
of us, thought praying was this ceremoniously elegant
thing you do on your knee's, throwing in allot of
"thee's and thou's and thou arts.
Neither God or Jesus were impressed when the pharisee's
did their elegant, lengthy prayers. Just talk to him!
And talk to him often. It will change your life for the
better. Don't try to be fancy, try to be sincere.
Prayer
Why
don't you pray this prayer with me. Right here, right
now. What do you have to lose? It doesn't hurt a bit,
and it doesn't cost anything.
Father, I want to know you more and I want to know your
son Jesus the Christ. Open my eyes lord so that the
truth of your word will be revealed in me.
I
want to accept Jesus as my Lord and savior and I want to
acknowledge that your son Jesus died on the cross for my
sins and that he rose again. Help my unbelief and make
your word real to me. Let hidden things be revealed to
me.
Psalms 119:18
Open my eyes,
that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law.
-amen
Read this short Psalm (119:18) every day before you
pick up your bible. Make it a very short prayer and
God will open your eyes. Though you may have read the
same scriptures numerous times, you will start seeing
new and wonderful things emerge from them. (try it)
God Bless You
Dan Douglass
.
If you drank the
wine, pay the bartender! Your gift is needed and appreciated |
