Pat & Claudia's Blog

Thought Provoking From Lindie Gibson

SLOSHED in THE SPIRIT – IT’s TIME TO GET SOBER

by J. Lee Grady

Getting “drunk in the Holy Spirit” has been a popular concept in

some churches. But is it biblical….?

A few years ago a traveling charismatic minister from the West

coast passed through Florida to conduct a series of renewal

meetings. I’d never heard of the guy, but the rumor was that he

carried a “special” anointing. It was unique, that’s for sure -

especially when he took the microphone, slurred his words as if

intoxicated and leaned to the left of the pulpit as if he were about

to fall over. Then, in between some bizarre spasms, he would shout

what sounded like “Walla walla bing bang!”

His message didn’t make sense. But if he had just said “Ding Dong

Bell” or “Yabba Dabba Doo” over and over, some people in his

meetings would have run to the front of the room and swooned, even

though he never opened his Bible during his message. They wanted

what this man claimed to possess—an anointing to become “drunk

in the Spirit.”

“Let’s put the childish things behind us. It’s time for us to grow up

and sober up.”

Spiritual intoxication has been a trend in charismatic circles for a

while. Some respected preachers, citing Acts 2:13Acts 2:13
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13 Others, mocking, said, “They are filled with new wine.”

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concept that Christians might feel drunk when they are filled with

the Holy Spirit (because the early disciples were accused of being

drunk when they spoke in tongues). This teaching led to lots of

disorderly conduct in revival meetings—including nosebleeds,

bruises and more serious injuries.

Some people began to manifest what looked like seizures during

renewal services, and the bizarre behavior was defended as

“manifestations of the Spirit.” Some pastors even encouraged

wobbly saints to find “designated drivers” if they felt too drunk to

operate a vehicle when it was time to go home. Meanwhile, some

worship leaders introduced “Holy Ghost drinking songs” that

encouraged people to slosh around in the joy of the Lord while

uncorking more of His new wine.

The spiritual drunkenness craze led to other charismatic fads,

including an infatuation with angels, an obsession with golden dust

and the strange teachings of John Crowder—a confessed “new

mystic” who compares the infilling of the Holy Spirit to smoking marijuana.

Crowder, who is planting a church in Santa Cruz, Calif., this fall,

sometimes calls his meetings “sloshfests” and refers to himself as

a bartender for God. He teaches that God wants all Christians to

be continually drunk in the Holy Spirit—and he provides resources

to help you do just that, including an electronica recording that will

help you, in Crowder’s words, “trance out,” and a teaching that

encourages stigmata and levitation.

I’ll let the theologians sort out all the obvious reasons why Crowder

and other “new mystics” are treading on dangerous ground.

Meanwhile I have a less complicated concern. With all of this

emphasis on Holy Ghost intoxication, did anybody notice that the

Bible clearly commands us to be spiritually sober?

If soberness wasn’t mentioned in the New Testament, then I wouldn’t

be beating this drum so loudly. But I find numerous references, from

both Peter and Paul. ”But you, be sober in all things,” is Paul’s

admonition to Timothy (2 Tim. 4:52 Tim. 4:5
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5 But you be sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, and fulfill your ministry.

WP-Bible plugin, NASB). He tells the Thessalonians,

“But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the

breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation,”

(1 Thess. 5:81 Thess. 5:8
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8 But let us, since we belong to the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and, for a helmet, the hope of salvation.

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Peter hammers the same point. He wrote, “Prepare your minds for

action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace

to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:131 Pet. 1:13
English: World English Bible - WEB
13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, Literally, “gird up the waist of your mind” be sober and set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ—

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and “The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment

and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer” (1 Pet. 4:71 Pet. 4:7
English: World English Bible - WEB
7 But the end of all things is near. Therefore be of sound mind, self-controlled, and sober in prayer.

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The soberness here is not primarily a reference to abstaining from

alcohol (although it’s worth mentioning that believers who drink will

find it more difficult to obey these commands). To be sober can be

defined “to show self-control,” “to be sane or rational,” or “to be

free from excess or extravagance.” A sober Christian knows the

heights of God’s inexpressible joy, but he is never ruled by emotions,

passions, lust or any other category of temptation that has the

power to dull the spiritual senses.

When I look at the state of our nation today, and consider our

spiritual challenges, it’s obvious the last thing we need are Christians

who are so sloshed in emotional euphoria that they can’t pray

intelligently and work diligently.

This is not a time for God’s people to be incapacitated. We need to

be thinking, planning, strategizing, researching and building—all

using the Holy Spirit’s wisdom. Yes, we need to be filled with the

Holy Spirit like never before—but He is not going to fill us so we

can act like giddy freshmen at a frat house keg party. Let’s put

the childish things behind us. It’s time for us to grow up and sober up.

Lindie Gibson is a precious, precious friend, a Messianic Jew and a Woman of God. We look forward to her mailings, and encourage you to get them, too. When you contact her at ” Lindieann@aol.com “, tell her Pat & Claudia sent you. The mailings are free, and will bless you.

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SLOSHED in THE SPIRIT – IT’s TIME TO GET SOBER