Sober Shepherd, Sober Sheep
Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:13-16 ESV
John 10 has been a passage where I have often kept pasture. It is a beautiful revelation of Jesus being the Good Shepherd and of the relationship that His true sheep have with Him. It is a salvific passage rather than a passage alluding to a mystical way of hearing the voice of God. As He explains the meaning of this truth, I found myself coming back to the passages where He says, “The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice…My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:3,4,27) Jesus said that His sheep will not follow a stranger, for they do not know the voice of strangers (John 10:5). Sheep belonging to God will hear the Word, and they will follow in the way they should go as a member of the flock.
Metaphorically speaking, the pasture from which we get sustenance is important. We cannot afford to “spiritually eat” anything simply because it has the name of Jesus attached to it. By doing this, we could be feeding upon another gospel and another Christ who cannot save. I have pondered on the difference between drunkenness and sobriety and what the Bible says about this. Contrary to some belief, drunkenness is not modeled in the Word of God as anything to be pursued or desired. In fact, quite the opposite instruction is given to the flock.
Disdain for Drunkenness
Drunkenness is mentioned several times throughout Scripture. Its mention carries a negative connotation and is strongly admonished behavior barring one from inheriting the Kingdom of God. Galatians 5:21 lists drunkenness as a work of the flesh. Ephesians 5:16-18 says,
“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.”
Paul goes on to explain what it means to be filled with the Spirit and how we are to praise and worship the Lord while displaying reverence for Christ. There are other passages that speak of drunkenness and each one is an instruction to avoid it. There are some who will say that these are speaking of intoxication by natural means, but if this type of natural drunkenness is not acceptable before the Lord, we need to test the spiritual aspect when there are those who testify of being drunk in the Spirit in corporate gatherings.
Based upon Scripture, we are not instructed to be drunk physically or spiritually. Intoxication impairs and lowers inhibitions, removing self-control, which is a fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:23. It is worldly and fleshly. We are called to be sober and vigilant. We are instructed in the Word to testify of Christ in word and deed. Some will refer to the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ as a blueprint for how ministry is to be conducted in conjunction with supernatural manifestations. Did Jesus model drunkenness in the Spirit? The answer is no.
Underrated Sobriety
When referencing 1 Peter 5:8, the word sober means to abstain from wine, to keep sober, watch. It signifies one that is free from the influence of intoxication. Paul instructed Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:5 to always be sober minded. Notice it says, always. Timothy had a ministry to fulfill and in order to do that, he needed to be sober to preach the Word because he was going to be coming into a time when many would not endure sound doctrine. They would listen to the voice of a stranger so to speak. They would not listen to the voice of the Shepherd heard through the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They would instead desire to have their itching ears scratched.
1 Thessalonians 5 speaks of the day of the Lord, instructing those belonging to God to stay awake and be sober. Even in looking at Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost, we see Peter standing with the eleven, ministering to the people while they hear in amazement those from the upper room minister in their native languages to them the mighty works of God. Peter appears sober and without impairment as he testifies of Jesus Christ to those in attendance, used of God to bring three thousand souls into the Kingdom of God that very day.
The danger in drunken sheep is in discounting sobriety so that true spiritual maturity can be cultivated for sound Biblical discernment. As someone who personally had these experiences and has since repented of such irreverence in associating the Spirit of God with this, I fear that for those desiring drunkenness, they are and will be taken as prey by wolves so to speak. We are not to seek an experience, but we are to seek Jesus Christ. Personal experiences can deceive. God’s truth, the only truth, is what we are to seek. The Word of God helps us to understand the way in which we should walk, and it lights the way as we remain in fellowship with Him. To know Him and to follow Him is all that matters, and there is no greater joy than found in our salvation in Christ alone.
Listen to this corresponding podcast episode here: https://anchor.fm/dawn-hill2/episodes/Sober-Shepherd–Sober-Sheep-e1e4v08
3 thoughts on “Sober Shepherd, Sober Sheep”
I loved todays blog post, and thank you for bringing clarity to a much misunderstood teaching. It always bothered me in my spirit when our pastor would tell the church that the Spirit moved so powerfully that many were drunk in the Spirit. Or he would say while speaking, that the presence of God was so heavy that he was getting drunk in the Spirit. Being an avid reader of the Word, those statements always bothered me because whenever the Word mentions drunkenness, its not a positive thing. Our church used Peters words from Acts when he explained that the disciples were not drunk, but were filled with the Spirit. So of course our church and many Charismatics point to that saying they must have been acting like drunken people, and so they were drunk in the Spirit. I always countered that if that were a spiritual thing, Peter would have said so. Therefore, we shouldnt take the accusations of sinners towards the first outpouring of the Spirit as a doctrine to embrace. Those accusations were people mocking the wonderful outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. And if getting drunk in the Spirit was a new thing God was doing, why didnt Paul encourage it when he taught on the Holy Spirit? Im thankful for my Pentecostal heritage, but theres a lot of foolish things in the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. I have often told our church that we will not be just a Spirit filled church, but a Word based church as well, lest we become shallow and biblically illiterate. Too many Pentecostal/Charismatic churches put so much emphasis on the Spirit, that they lack sound Biblical teaching. Then they easily fall for whatever new doctrine or fad that comes along without testing it with the Word of God. Thanks Dawn for being a watchman on the wall.
I get so sad when I read this
Wow! This has really blessed my spirit. I’m thinking how easily many of us adapt to Satan’s twists, and who he uses to take something beautiful by using words to turn into something ugly. I had an experience like the day of pentecost where I was actually staggering like one who had drink way to much alcohol. I wasn’t drinking anything. That morning blew me away, and now I understand the proper term for what happened with me…The Lord poured out His Spirit upon me, and that I was not drunk in the spirit. God did an impartation inside of me which began to manifest with signs and wonders. God poured out of His Spirit, the “Baptism of the Holy Spirit”. Thank you for this I will have to re-read the “Day of Pentecost”, and what transpired.
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