“A
bishop then must be…able to teach; not given to wine” (1 Timothy 3:2 NKJV)
The Word
of God must govern the pastor’s life. He
is given over to serve the Lord, and not liquor. There can only be one Master—and if a man is
dominated by drink, He cannot be directed by Deity. A faithful shepherd will be filled with the
Spirit and not filled with booze (Eph.5:18).
His intoxication is to be with God alone. The message of Scripture is to be given with
clarity and not with the confusion of a clouded mind and slurred speech!
The Old
Testament priests were forbidden to minister while under the influence of
alcohol.
Then the Lord spoke to
Aaron, saying: “Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons
with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your
generations…”
(Leviticus 10:8-9)
We, who
represent our Lord to the flock dare not risk the marring of that model by
being drunk. How can we become a drunk,
if we never partake of alcohol, even the so-called, “social” sip?
“A godly pastor would certainly
want to give the best example and not be an excuse for sin in the life of some
weaker brother.”[1]
John MacArthur states,
More than a mere prohibition against drunkenness…An
elder must not have a reputation as a drinker; his judgment must never be
clouded by alcohol (cf. Pr 31:4 ,
5 ; 1Co 6:12 ), his lifestyle must
be radically different from the world and lead others to holiness, not sin (Ro 14:21 ).[2]
This may seem an antiquated idea,
and there could come the accusation of legalism. Instead, it is a wonderful thing to be free
from the enslaving potential of this powerful force.
A PRAYER
My Lord,
Thank You
for setting me free from the bondage of alcohol. Now, I am mastered by a strong Savior and not
strong drink! Help me to ever be an
example of holiness—not just in what comes from my mouth, but also in what goes
into it. May I lead others to the same liberty
from liquor I have experienced by the power of Christ!
In Jesus’
Mighty Name,
Amen.
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