 Welcome everybody to unfiltered. Pastor, welcome. Well, thank you John. Thank you for joining us as every week Today's topic pastor, we've talked to briefly about this before but recently somebody had come up to me and asked me in regards to pastors and drinking alcohol and the question was posed to me is Can pastors drink? Is it right that pastors drink alcohol? Because this person was sharing that they come back from an alcoholic background and when they saw their pastor on social media drinking it stumbled them and And so I wanted to get your feedback on what your thoughts are of pastors drinking alcohol My thoughts on now again. These are my thoughts on this, right? You know, it seems to me that this question keeps coming up Which tells me that it's a question that's being unresolved because some people are Apparently going to fellowships where the pastor has quote-unquote the freedom or the liberty to drink alcohol and You know as an example to the flock apparently they feel that this ability to drink wine or beer or whatever bourbon Brandy, I mean, there's so many different kinds of alcohol that are being consumed it would seem to me that they think that that's a show of maturity and faith as well as a moderation and as well as a Freedom that they have in Christ's grace and I've heard some of those kinds of words and concepts thrown around when somebody wants to justify their drinking of alcohol John and I I Can only speak from from a personal kind of What's the word from my my personal experience and biases I Personally first have not met an alcohol drinking pastor Who is also an evangelist? I just have it It I think sometimes our freedoms actually will dull our passions for the things of Christ and Anybody who gets caught up with their freedoms and liberties that they perceive themselves to have Very often puts themselves before the stumbling that they can cause a Young believer or one whom Paul would refer to as being weak in faith And there are freedoms that we have in Christ But when our freedoms Actually cause a brother or a sister to stumble Then it moves from From the element of grace that we perceive that we had freedom to exercise while having that beer or brandy And it moves into the realm of of sin in that we're stumbling a young believer So out of love for that believer even if I believe in conscience, I have the freedom to drink out of love for a believer and As out of love for Christ and for the things that make for the kingdom of God Righteousness holiness peace and things of that nature. I Just don't I just don't imbibe. I haven't had an alcoholic beverage I Can't even tell you how long it's been and I'm thankful to God it's been that long I don't remember the taste of beer. I don't remember it John and and I was an avid beer drinker I liked my beer. I liked my wine But as I drew closer to the Lord and God Began to impress upon me The urgency of the hour I I made sure and have made sure over the years To be careful not to put myself into a freedom that ultimates in bondage Because you can come into those things that you think are freedoms and actually become a slave to those things John alcohol being one of them and most notable and most obvious So you'll always have sipping saints But the sipping saints that I've known and I can't say I know every sipping saint But the sipping saints that I've known about also been lukewarm at best in their faith They're so busy defending their alcohol. They're so busy drinking and and defending it as being right legitimate. Okay that they they have lost sight of Why they were saved? Maybe they've lost sight of what they were saved from and most certainly have lost sight of what they are saved to Because we're saved from something but we're saved to something right and so if heaven and pleasing God in on having a testimony that is respected and honored Doesn't matter to them Then they'll become alcohol evangelists and many have they want to argue with pastors like me Saying oh, I'm bringing them into bondage when in fact they already are in bondage is to their flesh. Oh But you're not to be drunken with wine. No, but what's it also say be filled with the spirit now If you can tell me that being filled with the spirit leads me to go and drink alcohol Well, that's an interesting position to hold So I would say that If I want to be used by the Lord then I want to put his kingdom first. I want to seek it first. I Want to be obedient to the call that I have which would be to live a life of influence for good and I want to be able to stand before the Lord and to say that I I release those things that held me back So alcohol is one of those things John that I think people are caught up with Through the carnality in the spirit of the age I Mean you're giving money to people who are producing something that kills people that leads to To the highest percentage of rapes that lead to the breakup of homes that lead to cirrhosis of the liver that Leads to death on highways through drunken driving. I mean, there's so many things that it leads to it's difficult for me to believe that a an honest and devoted Christian would actually argue in its favor But they do so if this this brother who was speaking to you was asking about alcohol and Confessing that his pastor had stumbled him. I hope he's spoken to his pastor I hope he is approached him and said I want you to know that I was saved from alcohol and the addiction to it and You're stumbling me I would be interested in how the pastor would respond but I could almost guarantee That the pastor will say you're just young and weak in faith and we'll put the blame on that guy So that he can continue to walk in his flesh It's and it's if you look at it from the other side as well. This person has been entrusted with leading a flock and Teaching or preaching from a pulpit that is the holy table for me that is a very big conflict of interest because To have a purity of heart and then my concern was it but if they really believe that's a pure heart Then my other concern was then what do you consider purity? Exactly, and so it's just like to slippery slope that and the excuses that are used to Defend it. Well John, you know you and I not at the same time in the same lifetime I didn't know you as an adult and all of that, but you had your your time in drugs long time in drugs I Had I had a history of drugs too and so you know I was I was saved from that Why would I return? Smoking pot is legal now. I could point to it and say it's legal. I can smoke pot You know, I have glaucoma. I could use that as a medical excuse. I can get a prescription and smoke pot Why don't I do that? Well, obviously because I will not give myself to the control of something else When you when you yield yourself to alcohol You're yielding yourself Paul was pointing that out. You were yielding yourself to the influence of something else So rather than being influenced by the alcohol, which during the time of of Paul's writings there was an association of alcohol with backers and the backers Festivals and they would yield themselves to drinking and then they would do whatever it was that they were going to do Well drunk and then blame it on the effects of the alcohol they were under the spirit of the alcohol and So that's kind of you know us what Paul is basically referring to you can yield yourself To the spirit of this age, you know That causes you to blame and you know and I know when I was an alcoholic I Could always say it was the alcohol Well, it really wasn't what it was is an excuse to do that Which my flesh already wanted to do and then to blame it on something else So I really do think people who get caught up with this kind of thing are simply walking in the flesh I really do You want to be used by the Lord? Refrain from doing things that keep you from being fully used is that simple man well pastor Thank you so much for sharing on this. It's just seems so prevalent in the church today in a lot of different areas and The the loss of holiness seems to be or the idea of holiness seems to be being pushed to this. Yes, and and so So thank you and and for sharing some go get a beer You smiled It threw me off. Oh, I didn't know if I should get them. So, okay, let's go You'll be get one of those Bud lights, right? Yeah Well pastor, thank you so much and and family. Thank you for tuning in we do look forward to seeing you on Sunday at 830 and 1045 We're taking still sign-ups for Interestless sign-ups for Israel for 2024 yeah, we're looking at possibly May dates We are looking at maybe settled it okay May 7th to the 18th and it gives people time to save We're just about a year exactly you're in a few days away Also men you can Sundays the last day to purchase your ticket for the bundle Really want to encourage you guys to come out and join us as pastor. David will be sharing with us Anthony Munoz NFL Hall of Famer and Ken Graves from Calvary Chapel being our main we're gonna have a great time So you can still get your bundle tickets this Sunday's the last day. We do look forward to seeing you and God bless you and pastor. Thank you for joining us. We'll see you guys soon. Take care