NO MORE TOOTS
Friday – February 24, 2017
Wow, Friday already and time for us all to be reminded to pray for the Church, the people who have been born from above. Greeting from The Three Minute Word publications. May the Lord bless you abundantly as you focus and choose to do His will being one with Him. I have two new books available at Amazon, please take a look at the end of this Bible Teaching. Also this is Friday and time to be reminded to pray for the Church. We must Awake, Arise, and Triumph for the glory of God. Now back to our Bible Study from the Book of Ephesians.
Ephesians 5:15-18 (KJV)
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
Perhaps you are wondering about the title “NO MORE TOOTS”. The Word ‘toot or toots’ is a colloquialism for getting drunk. Consider the following dictionary definition: a period or instance of drunken revelry; binge; spree. (http://www.dictionary.com/browse/toot). Okay, let’s get back to our text and be serious. In line with our title find the command to: “be not drunk with wine”. As I would guess you are all aware there is a great deal of controversy in the religious world about whether Christians should drink alcoholic beverages or abstain totally. The heathen for the most part, at least in America, think that Christians should not drink alcohol and that drinking alcohol makes the person a hypocrite. Governments even levy what is commonly called a ‘sin tax’. This is a tax on items considered undesirable or harmful, such as alcohol or tobacco. (https://www.google.com/#q=sin+tax) I have no intention of doing a definitive study of whether or not Christians should drink alcoholic beverages but I will present a couple of Scriptures for consideration and then let each of us talk to God.
As each of us consider these Scriptures consider that the admonition or command from our text has to do with drunkenness. It is my opinion that no one will go to hell for having a can of beer or other alcoholic beverage however it might do harm to our brother, sister, or the heathen watching.
1 Thessalonians 5:22 (KJV)
22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
If those around us think that drinking alcoholic beverages is evil then we should abstain at least in their presence. It is my opinion that Christians in America, due to culture, the expectations of the heathen, and the attitude of the Church in general, should abstain from alcohol, period. There is just too much of a chance that it will interfere with our witness, project an appearance of evil, and perhaps impair our ability to move the goals of the Kingdom of God forward.
1 Corinthians 8:9-13 (KJV)
9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.
10 For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols;
11 And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?
12 But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.
13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.
This passage has to do with meats offered to idols but the principle is the same. If it will offend, don’t do it. As the Scripture admonishes, do not let our freedom or liberty become a stumbling block for a weaker brother. If you are out with a fellow Christian and they order say a glass of wine and you are of the belief Christians should not drink alcohol period, keep your mouth shut, this is between them and God. We can judge the matter (whether to drink or not) concerning ourselves, but we have no place judging another person. If another Christian or a heathen ask about the use of alcoholic beverages being a sin directly then answer softly. As we look further at our text we find the word ‘excess’.
Ephesians 5:18 (KJV)
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
The implication is that the wine is not the problem, it is the excess and resultant drunkenness part that is the problem. I hear Christians from time to time going through various gymnastics about the use of the word wine explaining that in that culture this wine was really grape juice. They go on to explain that this juice or wine was not fermented and after all Jesus made wine and everyone knows Jesus didn’t drink alcohol of any kind. Really? Moving on is the instruction or command to “be filled with the Spirit;” I will pick up here in our study next week.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
