I prefer to describe a person as "filled with the Holy Spirit and with joy" rather than drunk in the Spirit.
It's true that a Spirit-filled person may seem to be drunk, to those who don't know what's going on. We see an example of this in Acts 2.
Throughout church history there have been many examples of people being filled with the Spirit, and with joy - and even with laughter.
I've seen it on a large scale and also experienced it myself.
But Peter didn't describe the experience using the term drunk in the Spirit. He said, "These are not drunk as ye suppose..." Peter said instead that what they were witnessing was the outpouring of God's Spirit.
Paul said, "...be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit..." He didn't explicitly use the term drunk in the Spirit either. Instead, he said to be filled with the Spirit. Drunkenness was debauchery - being filled with the Spirit was quite the opposite. And yet the experience involved singing.
Being drunk with alcohol is a sin. So is fornication. You wouldn't dare to talk about fornicating in the Spirit. So why talk about being drunk in the Spirit? No experience with the Holy Spirit of God should be described in terms of any sinful activity.
Being filled with the Spirit is what I prefer to call it.
Be filled right now, as you read this!
Even if it results in you seeming drunk to someone who doesn't know better.
It's true that a Spirit-filled person may seem to be drunk, to those who don't know what's going on. We see an example of this in Acts 2.
Throughout church history there have been many examples of people being filled with the Spirit, and with joy - and even with laughter.
I've seen it on a large scale and also experienced it myself.
But Peter didn't describe the experience using the term drunk in the Spirit. He said, "These are not drunk as ye suppose..." Peter said instead that what they were witnessing was the outpouring of God's Spirit.
Paul said, "...be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit..." He didn't explicitly use the term drunk in the Spirit either. Instead, he said to be filled with the Spirit. Drunkenness was debauchery - being filled with the Spirit was quite the opposite. And yet the experience involved singing.
Being drunk with alcohol is a sin. So is fornication. You wouldn't dare to talk about fornicating in the Spirit. So why talk about being drunk in the Spirit? No experience with the Holy Spirit of God should be described in terms of any sinful activity.
Being filled with the Spirit is what I prefer to call it.
Be filled right now, as you read this!
Even if it results in you seeming drunk to someone who doesn't know better.
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