1 Corinthians 12:13
They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. Psalm 36:8
Sorry about the attention grabbing title, hopefully I can explain myself in this post. I think this is one of the most neglected and fun aspects of New Testament Christianity.
these men are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. Acts 2:15
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
Ephesians 5:18
There is a different kind of drunkenness than men of the world know about. There is a beautiful state similar to drunkenness that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit. Here is an example
23 And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. And the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
24 And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, Is Saul also among the prophets?
1 Samuel 19:23-24
The hebrew word for prophecy there is basically ecstatic utterances. Saul basically got naked and yelled out incoherent phrases (very similar to drunkenness) and people thought he was acting just like a prophet. I think we need to redefine ‘God is a God of order’.
In your presence there is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11
The presence of God brings incredible joy and freedom. Some of the funnest times of my life have been wild christian prayer nights where God’s presence shows up powerfully. Here is a good example of that last verse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvsnBf5gPec
Taste and see that the Lord is good
Psalm 34:8
This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. John 2:11
The very first miracle Jesus did was create around 150 gallons of wine for an already drunken party. I think Jesus wanted to show that God’s nature is a lot different than we often think. God is a partying God in many ways. Just look at this old testament tithe
you shall turn it into money and bind up the money in your hand and go to the place that the LORD your God chooses
26 and spend the money for whatever you desire-oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there before the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household.
Deuteronomy 14:25-26
God gave his people a partying tithe! How fun is that? Jesus said
“The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners! Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”
Basically Jesus had a reputation for drinking and hanging out with the partying crowd. I think God is outrageously fun. We need to lighten up a bit when it comes to God and enjoy Him a lot. Ever since I started drinking in the Spirit I’ve noticed a lot of the good symptoms of drunkenness. I’ve gotten a lot more boldness, a lot less concern for the voice of skepticism and doubt and any inhibitions and just following God becomes really fun and memorable.
“Come and drink all who are thirsty” -Jesus
