I Want a Drinking Church
Pastor David T. Elms Preached on 11/30/2025
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58:36
Summary
Pastor Elms explores the metaphor of a 'drinking church,' contrasting the destructive nature of alcohol with the liberating, joy-filled intoxication of being filled with the Holy Spirit as seen on the Day of Pentecost.
Key points
- •Biblical wine was historically diluted syrup (often 8:1 water-to-wine ratio), making it fundamentally different from modern high-alcohol beverages.
- •Pentecost was characterized by observers as a state of intoxication because the believers demonstrated lowered inhibitions, boisterous joy, and unusual confidence.
- •The 'stages of drinking' (relaxation, euphoria, excitement) have spiritual parallels where the Holy Spirit removes fear and releases praise.
- •True Pentecostal worship requires 'drinking' of the Spirit to move past formal sobriety into expressive, prophetic, and joyful engagement with God.
- •The promise of Joel's prophecy includes all generations and genders - sons, daughters, old men, and young men - all empowered by the same Spirit.
Scripture
Holy Spirit
Joy
Trials
Worship
Life application
This week, approach your prayer time not as a somber duty, but as an opportunity to 'sip' on the joy of the Lord until your anxieties and inhibitions are replaced by spiritual confidence and praise.
Reflection questions
- What inhibitions or fears usually keep you from expressing joy during worship?
- How does the historical context of 'biblical wine' change your perspective on scripture's warnings against strong drink?
- In what ways have you seen 'spiritual drunkenness' (the joy of the Spirit) change someone's countenance?
- Which of the four promises in Joel's prophecy (sons, daughters, old men, young men) do you most need to see manifested in your family right now?
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Full transcript
0:00With worshippers.
0:00>> Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
0:01>> I want to preach for the next few
0:03moments
0:05on the subject
0:07I want to drink in church.
0:19Y'all acting like you don't know what
0:20drinking is.
0:24>> I know the church I pastor.
0:28Preach. I want a drinking church.
0:32Before you're seated, I want you to turn
0:33to your neighbor and says, "Pastor wants
0:35a drinking church.
0:38Our
0:59text said, "These men are not drunken
1:03as ye suppose, seeing it is but a third
1:05hour of the day.
1:09Tim McGraw on his album Live Like You
1:12are Dying
1:15wrote a song entitled Drugs or Jesus.
1:19He said, "In my hour of need on a
1:21dead-end street, [music] I was looking
1:23for a light in the dark, but neon signs
1:27were the only kind that ever seemed to
1:28catch my heart. I was lost and lonely,
1:32broken and lonely, trying to fill a hole
1:35that love left behind.
1:38I was searching for salvation
1:41in every situation
1:43till finally
1:45I opened my eyes.
1:48He said, "Everybody's looking for
1:50something to believe. A little piece of
1:52heaven in a world of misery. Some find
1:55it in a bottle. Some find it in a needle
1:57sting. Some find it in the arms of
1:59[music] a stranger they'll never see
2:01again.
2:03Me, I found it when I least expect it.
2:06In a moment, I surrendered. Now I'm
2:09living proof that grace is real.
2:13>> It's either drugs or Jesus that'll get
2:15you through the night. It's either drugs
2:17or Jesus that'll make you feel all
2:19right. I've seen the lows of living.
2:23I've done my share of giving. Into the
2:25darkness that calls your name. But
2:28there's a cross that stands with nail
2:31scarred hands saying, "Child, I already
2:34took your shame.
2:36It's either drugs or Jesus that'll get
2:39you through the night. It's either drugs
2:42or Jesus that'll make you feel all
2:44right. When the world comes crashing
2:47down and there's no one else around, you
2:50got to choose what you'll hold on to.
2:53It's either drugs or Jesus that'll get
2:55you through. It's either drugs or Jesus
2:58that'll get you through the night. It's
3:01either drugs or Jesus that'll make you
3:03feel all right. Yeah.
3:05It's either drugs or Jesus that'll make
3:08you feel all right.
3:12This world will try [music]
3:15to satisfy
3:19that longing [singing]
3:22[music] in your soul.
3:26You may search the wide world or
3:33but you'll be
3:36just as before.
3:40[music] You'll never [singing] find
3:43true satisfaction
3:48until you try the [singing and music]
3:51Lord.
3:54For only Jesus
3:58can satisfy
4:02your soul.
4:04Satisfy your soul.
4:08Only [singing]
4:09Jesus
4:12>> can satisfy
4:16your soul.
4:21Only [singing]
4:23[music] he
4:25can change your heart.
4:27>> Change your heart [singing]
4:29>> and make you whole.
4:34[music]
4:35>> He'll [singing] give you peace
4:39you [music] never knew.
4:42>> Sweet love and joy. [singing]
4:46And heaven too.
4:49For [singing] only [music] Jesus
4:54can satisfy [music and singing]
4:57your soul.
5:03If you could have the fame and fortune,
5:08[music]
5:10all the wealth you could obtain.
5:16Yet if you [music] had not Christ within
5:23your living here would be in vain.
5:30[music] Cuz there'll come a time
5:33when death shall call you.
5:37Riches cannot help [singing] you then.
5:44For only Jesus, [music and singing]
5:47[snorts] only he can satisfy.
5:53He'll satisfy your soul. [music] Only
5:59Jesus [singing]
6:02can satisfy
6:05your soul. [singing]
6:07[music]
6:10Only
6:12he [music and singing]
6:14can change your heart.
6:16>> Change your heart
6:18>> and make you [singing and music] whole.
6:24>> He'll give [singing] you peace
6:27you never knew. [music]
6:31Sweet [singing] love and joy.
6:34[music] And heaven too.
6:38For [singing] only Jesus
6:42can satisfy. [singing]
6:44If you know it, sing it with me on
6:46[music] this next course. Oh,
6:51[music and singing]
6:52Jesus
6:55can satisfy [music]
6:57[singing]
6:58your soul.
7:03and only [music]
7:07can change your heart
7:10and make you whole. Not a man, not a
7:15church, only Jesus. Oh, he'll give you
7:18[music and singing] peace
7:20you never knew.
7:23Sweet love and joy
7:27and heaven, too. [singing]
7:30For only Jesus
7:34can satisfy [singing]
7:36[music]
7:38your soul.
7:50[applause]
7:54It was on that last great and great day
7:57of the festival
7:59that Jesus, the Bible tells us, stood
8:03and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is
8:08thirsty,
8:10let him
8:12come unto me and drink."
8:14John goes on to describe by this he
8:17meant the spirit
8:19whom those who believed in him would
8:23later receive.
8:26I want to drink in church.
8:33>> This past week has been has been a week
8:35of festival.
8:37The last minute, my wife and I used up
8:39points and miles and flew to be with
8:42family in Dallas. We stayed in a hotel
8:45there and then we went out to eat a few
8:48times. It's not hard for any of us who
8:52know the world that we're living in to
8:54understand the logistics
8:57of dining and celebration.
9:01It does come with logistics.
9:05If you go to a restaurant of any sort
9:08that has moved into the realm of
9:10celebration,
9:12you will always notice that alcohol is
9:14served near the entryway.
9:17It's not far away. In fact, if you have
9:21to wait on your meal, they'll always
9:25offer you the ability to go get a drink
9:28while you wait. If you go to any
9:31celebrations in the manner of this
9:34carnal world, you'll know that one of
9:37the first things that you get when you
9:39go into a party is you go get yourself
9:43something to drink. I said, "I want a
9:46drink in church."
9:54>> High school parties, they always point
9:56you to the garbage can in the backyard.
10:01that's filled with something to drink.
10:06[snorts]
10:07>> At Firebirds, you go in and there to
10:09your left stands the place to get
10:13yourself some drinks while you wait. A
10:17Cheesecake Factory between you and the
10:20dining area will be the place to get
10:23yourself some drinks.
10:26This past week in the hotel lobby where
10:30we were staying, every night when we
10:32came back to the room about 11:30,
10:3411:45,
10:36a large group of people were sitting in
10:39that entry area,
10:42drinking,
10:44hard liquor piled up on the table like I
10:47haven't seen in a while, just having the
10:50time of their life, laughing, chatting,
10:54talking,
10:55drinking.
10:57I said, "I want a drink in church."
11:05>> The Journal of Analytical Toxology tells
11:07us some facts about drinking. Y'all can
11:10act like you don't know about it if you
11:12want.
11:17You can act like you've never been
11:19intoxicated.
11:23And there's a there's a few in the house
11:25that haven't been intoxicated
11:30and I'm proud and thankful for them.
11:34But according to the Journal of
11:35Analytical Tox toxology,
11:38about 61% of United States adult
11:41drinkers
11:43fall into a category of light to
11:46moderate drinking.
11:48When they survey drinkers, only 30 to
11:5138%
11:53of them report binge drinking episodes.
11:5970%
12:00of those who drink
12:03stay in a range of light to moderate
12:07drinking. Either they abstain from
12:10drinking at all, and I commend those,
12:15or they stay in the light to moderate
12:17ranging,
12:19which is categorized as a mild buzz,
12:24a social relaxation destination
12:28that is not to drink to the point of
12:32obvious and sloppy drunkenness,
12:36leading to pure embarrassment.
12:40The CDC has made categories about
12:43drunkenness and they break them to seven
12:47stages of drinking.
12:50Did you hear that? I want a drinking
12:52church.
12:55I'm about I'm about to clarify that, but
12:57I need to get some things through your
13:00spirit.
13:02If you're going to truly be Pentecostal,
13:06>> you could be any other kind of church
13:08and not be a drinking church. But if
13:10you're going to be a Pentecostal church,
13:15>> you're going to have to be a drinking
13:17church. [cheering]
13:19>> Now, if you don't stay to the end and
13:21you get off online, you haven't heard
13:24the rest of the message.
13:27>> Don't pin it and cut it and trim it to
13:29make you happy. All right.
13:32And
13:33>> so CDC has categorized the stages of
13:36drinking to number one
13:38subclinical.
13:40When you get that first drink in you,
13:43they describe it as relaxation, warmth,
13:46and improved mood. It can fall under the
13:50description of buzz.
13:52Now, I know some of you are already
13:54scared to death because you think I'm
13:57about to sanction drinking.
14:00I want to make it clear to you what the
14:02Bible says today about drinking.
14:05It's going to bother some of you. Some
14:08of you are going to have to face it the
14:09rest of your eternity when you deal with
14:11what I'm about to tell you. I won't
14:14decide how you live the rest of your
14:16life. But I refuse to be silent on one
14:19of the biggest industries in America and
14:23the thing that demands so much attention
14:26in all of our advertising media and the
14:29peer pressure from this age that says if
14:33you do not participate then you don't
14:36fit.
14:38>> So there is the subclinical category
14:41which is relaxation, warmth and improved
14:43mood described as a buzz. The next
14:46category comes a glass or so later
14:50referred to as euphoria. It is known as
14:53mild intoxication,
14:55increased confidence,
14:58talkiveness,
15:00lowered inhibitions
15:03called the kind buzz and it is when
15:07dopamine releases in your body which
15:10enhances participation and pleasure.
15:13Euphoria. I want to drink in church.
15:17The third category of drinking, this is
15:21the last category that leaves you in a
15:23place of safety and somewhat
15:26reasonleness. It is known as excitement.
15:30When you get to this place of
15:32drunkenness, there is an emotional
15:34freedom that comes over you and you now
15:38are free to laugh quickly, boisterously,
15:43bis
15:45uh vigorously. You are one to laugh and
15:48even quickly potentially cry. Your
15:52emotions come forward. The veil between
15:55your fears and your insecurities
15:59gets pushed away and you begin to get to
16:02the place where you're swift to dance.
16:05You're jolly to rejoice. You're quick to
16:09fling your hands up and bring laughter
16:12to your space.
16:17Following that is where drunkenness of
16:21hellish sort takes you.
16:24The remaining CDC categories. Number
16:26four is confusion. There are only three
16:29good areas the CDC describes as
16:33drunkenness.
16:35Category four is confusion. Category
16:38five is stuper. Category six is coma.
16:42Category seven is death.
16:45If you've been around drinking very
16:47long, you have been around the people
16:49that have encountered every one of those
16:52stages.
16:55Breaks my heart. I know a young man
16:56right now in his 30s that the doctors
16:59are just hoping to get him through a
17:00couple of months because he has drunk
17:03himself to death.
17:08In a biblical world, let's deal with
17:11some facts. What they called wine
17:15is not the wine that you think of in
17:17this 21st century. And the difference is
17:20not trivial but radical. Pretending that
17:24the wine in the Bible is the wine in
17:27your grocery store is intellectual
17:29dishonesty.
17:31It is pure historical truth
17:36>> that it was not 12 to 15%
17:40alcohol
17:42>> which is what is common in anything the
17:45world calls wine today.
17:48Preserved grape syrup was the
17:50description of a fermented just enough
17:53to keep grape juice. They stored it in
17:57large jars and then when they drank it,
18:00it was three parts in its strongest
18:02form. Three parts water, one part wine,
18:06which would lead to a beverage that was
18:09between 2.5%
18:11and 4% alcohol. This was the strongest
18:15addition of what they called wine back
18:18then. At maximum, it was weaker than the
18:22lightest beer you can buy today. Often
18:26it was indistinguishable
18:28but in effect from modern grape juice
18:31with just a slight tang. The sources of
18:36these factual words that I'm telling a
18:39generation that doesn't want to hear
18:41them
18:43is that Homer described historically in
18:46the 8th century before Christ that the
18:49most
18:51preferred addition of wine was 20 parts
18:55water to one part wine for polite
18:59company.
19:01Ply the Elder recorded in the first
19:04century AD that the average drinking of
19:07wine was eight parts water to one part
19:11wine.
19:13So this Christmas when you want to drink
19:16biblical kind of wine, put in eight cups
19:18of water and one cup of wine and have at
19:22it.
19:24Don't drink what the world calls wine
19:27and say Jesus turned the water into.
19:33>> I'm not trying to make friends.
19:36I'm not trying to make friends right
19:38now.
19:40>> I'm here to tell the truth.
19:43>> So help me God.
19:46>> Plutarch
19:48of history. These are not people from
19:50your Bible. Plutarch said, "We call a
19:53dilution wine." Although the larger
19:57component of it is water, the Talmud in
20:02Shabbat 77a says, "Wine that does not
20:05stand at the minimum three parts water,
20:08one part wine is not considered wine. If
20:13it's straight, it's strong drink." A
20:16oneto-one mix had a special word and it
20:19was drank by barbarians and drunkards.
20:24It's what led to debauchery. Respectable
20:27Jews and Greeks recoiled
20:30from the taste of one to one and
20:33considered it schibian and barbarian and
20:38repulsive.
20:40Did they have people that still got
20:42drunk? Of course they did.
20:45These are just the historical records
20:47that are out there. Drinkable water was
20:49scarce back then. They didn't have
20:52potable water. They didn't have
20:54distilled water that they could go by
20:56the gallon. No. If they distilled it,
20:58they had to distill it themselves.
21:00Boiling was very expensive. The easiest,
21:03cheapest, and greatest disinfectant in
21:07that day was this heavily diluted grape
21:11concentrate. You drink it at every meal
21:14because the alternative to drinking this
21:17was dysentery which could even lead to
21:20death because their water was not clean.
21:25>> Jesus does turn the water into wine. Of
21:27course he does. And it's the most
21:29quality wine they had, but less than
21:32eight parts water and one part wine
21:35would have been looked at as more than
21:37strong drink and greater than the
21:39average. All right.
21:41>> To imagine a 13%
21:44Cabernet is to impose your 21st century
21:49frat party habit into a culture that
21:53would have found the idea grotesque and
21:56unclean.
21:59>> Paul told Timothy, "Take a little wine
22:02for your stomach's sake." IT'S THE SAME
22:05REALITY. He had been drinking water only
22:08and he was suffering from that process.
22:10And Paul said, "Put some wine there to
22:15keep it clean. Stop risking gastric
22:19illness. Use medicine, which was wine,
22:22as they said it in the Bible days, eight
22:25parts water, one part wine. Do not go
22:29get hammered."
22:31And yet there are preachers all over
22:35acting like the wine that you buy and is
22:37gifted to you at Christmas is the same
22:40thing. They are unlearned and ignorant.
22:45>> And I will tell them that all to their
22:47face.
22:49>> I don't care if they want to drink or
22:51not. That's between them and God. I'm
22:53just going to deal in the facts, the
22:55historical truths as was recorded in the
22:58historical record, not just the Bible.
23:01And I hate saying it's not in the Bible.
23:03Honestly, I hate saying that. You know,
23:05it's like if you use the Bible, you're
23:07not credible.
23:11>> It's an era back then that had no modern
23:15refrigeration.
23:17>> Water was the staple to drink, but it
23:19was often unsafe due to contamination.
23:22beverages like diluted wine and even
23:24fresh milk which had to be drank right
23:27after it was taken because there was no
23:29refrigeration.
23:31>> It was the only way they could drink.
23:33>> Water was often stagnant and
23:35contaminated by the end of summer. The
23:38dominant beverage was wine. And the way
23:41they kept that fresh was they would take
23:43the fermented wine syrup. It was the
23:46pure wine. And they would put olive oil
23:49as a layer on top of it to keep it from
23:51getting spoiled further. They would put
23:54a layer of olive oil on it and they
23:56would pour that in and dilute it with
23:57water. And that was the wine of the
24:00Bible.
24:01Milk was primarily from goats and sheep.
24:04Cow milk was very rare in that time.
24:08Beer and strong drink was less common,
24:11but it was made presently there from
24:13barley or dates. In fact, some contend
24:16that the reason they used barley was not
24:18for the making of bread primarily, which
24:21but but was to for the making of a
24:23beverage.
24:24There were fruit juices and syrups from
24:26pomegranates, dates, figs, which were
24:29boiled into syrups and used to freshen
24:32and make their drink somewhat sweet. If
24:36you take a bottle of 14% alcohol,
24:39Shiraz, and tell me Jesus drank wine, so
24:42this is fine.
24:44You are illinformed in the biblical
24:47practice and you are smuggling an
24:49entirely foreign postmedieval
24:53high alcohol product into a text and a
24:57culture that it didn't fit in THAT WOULD
25:01HAVE SPAT it out as barbaric.
25:04>> So all of those friends and family that
25:07say, "Yeah, I drink Jesus drank."
25:11The historical record is clear. And if
25:13you're responsible with the truth that
25:16honor scripture and even antiquity,
25:20the responsibility is that you refrain
25:23from strong drink, which is what I would
25:26tell you is total abstinence.
25:29It's what I practice. It doesn't make me
25:31better than anybody else. I have been
25:34drunk before in my life. It's the reason
25:36I'm going to use this metaphor to make a
25:40message today because this this this
25:44undiluted intoxicated subst substance
25:49that they that they call wine today is
25:54not a biblical beverage that you will
25:57find them drinking.
26:00It wasn't in any historical record as
26:03acceptable among those who were the
26:06holy.
26:07Anything less is d dressed up as
26:10exugesus but it's isog Jesus to fit a
26:13modern day error and it is
26:16selfdeception.
26:18Having said that,
26:21I want to drink in church.
26:26There's a reason why they get people
26:28drinking when the party starts
26:31>> because it serves to loosen the joy.
26:36>> It gets people feeling more free.
26:39It gets people feeling less inhibited.
26:43It causes people to kind of push their
26:46fears a little bit away. Their
26:49insecurities
26:51get pushed back. Oh, they have them, but
26:54they get forgotten. The logistics of
26:56dining are as you begin to celebrate,
27:00you need to first start out with what do
27:03you want to drink? Any cruise I've ever
27:05taken, the first waiter to come to my
27:09table is what are you having to drink?
27:13any fine restaurant you ever go to,
27:16before the person asks for your food and
27:19before they ask for your appetizer,
27:21they'll come and ask, "What do you want
27:24to drink tonight?" And I've gotten to
27:27the place where I just tell them, "I'm a
27:29recovering alcoholic."
27:36I don't want to go and try to tell them
27:38like I'm some preachy better than
27:41anybody kind of person because that
27:43attitude stinks. That attitude is not
27:45what this church will ever embrace. And
27:48if it's in here, I rebuke it out of here
27:50right now. [applause]
27:53Because we're not saved because of all
27:55of our goodness.
27:57>> We're saved because of his grace.
28:00By grace you are saved through faith and
28:03not of yourselves. IT IS THE GIFT OF.
28:09[applause]
28:09[cheering]
28:10And yet when we come to this amazing
28:13pivotal chapter in Acts that we build
28:16the Pentecostal experience around, one
28:19of the remarkable characteristics that
28:22the observers saw in people that were
28:25going to be PENTECOSTAL IS THAT THEY
28:27WERE acting in a WAY THAT THEY HAD A
28:30SLIGHT BUZZ. All right.
28:34>> Their inhibitions were less. Their joy
28:37WAS MORE EXPRESSIVE. THEIR LAUGHTER was
28:39boisterous. THEIR FLINGING OF THEIR ARMS
28:42and their movement of their body was
28:44something that others could watch and
28:46see. And as they diagnosed, I said, "I
28:49want a drink in church."
28:51AS THEY DIAGNOSED AND ASSESSED the
28:54situation and they tried to make their
28:57best guess describing these people, THEY
29:01SAID, "HEY, these men have been
29:04drinking." And so Peter wanting to make
29:07sure he calm down, David, Timothy.
29:12Peter wanting to make sure that he put
29:13it in the cannon, wanting to make sure
29:16that it would be a marked characteristic
29:17of serving the God in an apostolic way.
29:21There were a lot of things that mocker
29:22said that never got put down in
29:24scripture. But this was one that the
29:26scripture said, I got to put that one
29:28down. The mockers say a lot of things,
29:30but there's a few things that we need to
29:32repeat. And he said, "These men are not
29:36drunken as you suppose." Huh, Jean? It
29:41is but 9:00 in the morning. He was
29:44trying to use the time, the third hour
29:46of the day as an evidence that IT WASN'T
29:49THAT. BUT THEN HE DESCRIBES WHAT IT IS.
29:52This is that. THIS IS THAT. WHAT IS
29:55THIS?
30:05>> YEAH, [screaming]
30:06BABY.
30:07THAT'S WHAT THIS IS. HE WAS TRYING TO
30:10describe people acting with inhibitions
30:15gone, acting with fear away, PRETENDING
30:19LIKE THEY HAD NOBODY THAT COULD STOP
30:22THEM. THEY WERE PEOPLE THAT WERE ACTING
30:25IN SOME SORT OF KIND OF WAY THAT
30:28EVERYBODY around them SAID THEY THEY'VE
30:32GOT AN EXTRA CONFIDENCE ON THEM. THEY'RE
30:35ACTING LIKE THEY GOT IT LIKE THAT.
30:38THEY'RE ACTING LIKE THEY DON'T HAVE
30:39[screaming] ANY PROBLEMS IN THE WORLD.
30:41THEY'RE ACTING LIKE EVERYTHING'S GOING
30:44THEIR WAY. WHAT IN [screaming] THE
30:46WORLD? THE ONLY WAY I KNOW PEOPLE CAN
30:48GET LIKE THAT IS THEY'VE GOT TO drink a
30:51little bit.
30:56Ephesians 5:18 says, "Do not get drunk
30:58on wine,
31:00>> which leads to debauchery,
31:03>> but be filled instead
31:06by the spirit."
31:08>> In other words, when you get filled with
31:10the spirit, it's going to lead to these
31:13inhibitions.
31:15They're going to lead to this lack of
31:17fear. When you get filled with the
31:19spirit, a confidence will come upon you
31:21that others can see with their eyes.
31:24They don't have to be told you're a Holy
31:26Ghost filled person. They don't have to
31:28look at a document that you've got the
31:30Holy Ghost. They don't they just know
31:32you've been drinking something. You've
31:35been drinking somewhere because normal
31:38folk don't act like that. And so they
31:41start operating in a way that is more
31:45extravagant. The earthly wine will take
31:48you beyond the first three categories.
31:51My whole life I have been talked uh been
31:53taught about drinking and I've always
31:56been told the worst side of the story.
31:59I'm just telling you I was raised by tea
32:02totler parents. I've never seen my
32:04mother or my father drink in my entire
32:07life. I've never seen them with the buzz
32:10of this world sort. I've never seen them
32:13drunk. Not one time have I ever seen it.
32:16I pastor people whose parents are such
32:18drunks that the kids have to put them to
32:21bed because they're so sloppy drunk when
32:23they go home. I've pastor people whose
32:26parent was their mother was so drunk
32:28that they would have to carry them from
32:30their chair to their bed and when their
32:32mother woke them up they were mad at the
32:34son because somehow he had messed up her
32:38drinking experience. I pastor people who
32:41used to be drunks like that. I pastored
32:44a man, God bless him, that he got so
32:47drunk at the Super Bowl party that he
32:49blacked out for two weeks and did not
32:51know where he was for two weeks.
32:53>> He was that blacked out. Brother Tom
32:55Shirley told the story. I was one of
32:58those I don't even remember when the
32:59Super Bowl started because it was just
33:02an excuse to start getting drunk. I
33:05can't fathom a two weeks blackout. I
33:07can't fathom the the challenges, the
33:09health of that. How do you do that?
33:11What? How far gone are you in the
33:14drinking world to get to that point? But
33:16when Tom surely came to the Lord in an
33:19old storefront Pentecostal church, he
33:22stopped drinking and he's never drank
33:24again. And he was one of the great aisle
33:27runners in this church.
33:29>> Brother Shirley, when he was here, he
33:32would haul off and run the aisles. I'll
33:34never forget one time he lost his
33:36balance coming around this corner
33:39and he fell and he broke his arm.
33:43None of us knew his arm was broke. He
33:45just got up and kept running with his
33:48arm like that. We found him that he came
33:52back the next week. We found out he had
33:54broken his arm when he was running the
33:56aisles. I thought, brother, I talked
33:59with him. We joked around, you know,
34:00because he was such a hard alcoholic
34:03growing up. Uh even it started so young.
34:06Uh but he told me, he said, "Brother
34:08Elms, when I found Jesus,
34:12I NEVER I NEVER NEEDED THE BUZZ, the
34:15high, [screaming] the hope that the
34:17bottle would give to me.
34:19>> I can't tell you how many ride alongs
34:21I've gone on and the thing that we got
34:23to go to is where people are drunk. Most
34:26of the time, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO ADD A
34:28SIX-PACK to your problem and make it
34:31better. No, that's not going to fix
34:33things. But I can tell you what will fix
34:36things. If you'll start drinking of the
34:38spirit of the living God,
34:41>> the hope THAT HE GIVES.
34:43>> I'M TALKING ABOUT THE LORD SAYING, "OH,
34:46TASTE AND SEE THAT I am good." HE SAID,
34:50"IF YOU'LL DRINK OF ME, IF YOU'RE
34:52THIRSTY, IF ANY MAN THIRST, LET HIM COME
34:56UNTO ME AND DRINK." [applause]
34:59[cheering]
35:02>> When I when I when I break out these CDC
35:06categories and I find the way drinking
35:09the Lord's wine, the Lord's spirit will
35:13bring you. Oh, you cannot drink and come
35:15to church. In fact, I've got a bunch of
35:17sober church folk that I'm wishing would
35:20start drinking of the spirit because you
35:23like sit there like a bump on the log.
35:25You hadn't moved in the Holy Ghost in a
35:27long time. You haven't danced and waved
35:30YOUR EYE. THERE'S NOT ever been anything
35:32TO PUSH YOU OUT THE IN THE ROW AND GET
35:34YOU MOVING. A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, BROTHER
35:37MARTY SALAMITA SHOCKED ME. HE HAD WALKED
35:40ALL THE WAY DOWN HERE THE FRONT CLAPPING
35:43his hands and brother Garfinkle was
35:45sitting RIGHT THERE AND HE GOT OUT OF
35:47HIS PEW AND HE SAW BROTHER MARTY AND HE
35:50CAME OUT HALF HIS BACK BROKE BUT HE'S
35:52STILL COMING OUT WORSHIPING. WHAT AM I
35:55TALKING ABOUT? WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MEN
35:58WHO UNDERSTAND THERE'S TWO KINDS OF
36:01DRINKS YOU CAN GET. YOU CAN EITHER DRINK
36:04THE WINE FROM JOEL'S PLACE OR YOU CAN
36:07DRINK OUT IN THAT OLD WORLD. BUT ONLY
36:10ONE'S GOING TO BLESS YOU. ONLY ONE'S
36:12GOING TO HOLD YOU. ONLY ONE'S GOING TO
36:15MAKE YOU SMILE ALL THE TIME. ONLY ONE'S
36:17GOING TO NOT EMBARRASS YOU. [cheering]
36:21[applause]
36:27>> I've been raised in this church. I've
36:28seen people drunk on the Holy Ghost.
36:31I've seen people laughing so strong in
36:33the Holy Ghost and they just sat there
36:35and just laughed and laughed and laughed
36:37in the Holy Ghost. You know, when I
36:39break down the clinical uh categories, I
36:43get the Holy Ghost and I can have that
36:45when you first come to church, you got
36:48to start drinking. I'm going to give you
36:50some glasses in just a minute you can
36:52drink from. Okay? All right. But you
36:55take that first glass in and you become
36:57subclinical. It can start about some
37:00people already come to church a little
37:02lit.
37:04Some people they they they start their
37:06sipping when their prayer starts. Some
37:10people they start it in the car on the
37:12radio.
37:14They they GOT IT A STUCK. IT'S NOT IN A
37:16BROWN BAG. It's down in their soul. And
37:19they start sipping a little bit on the
37:21way to the house of the Lord. And when
37:23they come in, they're already KIND OF
37:26SMILING QUICK LIKE. THEY'RE NOT DOW AND
37:29DOWN AND DEPRESSED BECAUSE EVERYTHING'S
37:31AGAINST THEM. THEY ALREADY [screaming]
37:33REALIZE I'VE HAD A GLASS. I had a glass.
37:39Everything's going my way.
37:42I GOT THINGS GOING MY WAY. IS EVERYTHING
37:45GOING THEIR WAY? NO, IT'S NOT. DO THEY
37:48HAVE PROBLEMS? YES, THEY DO. WHEN MONDAY
37:52SHOWS BACK UP, WILL THERE BE BURDENS TO
37:54BEAR? YES, THEY WILL. BUT IF YOU GET A
37:57LITTLE DRINK OF THE HOLY GHOST, you can
38:00realize GREATER
38:04IS HE THAT IS IN ME THAN HE [screaming]
38:08THAT IS IN THE WORLD.
38:11[cheering and applause]
38:19Don't mess with me. I'm just a little
38:22subclinical right now. Glory. I'm just
38:26subclinical.
38:28When you get subclinical in the house of
38:30God, you can kind of tell you're quicker
38:33to open the door for a neighbor.
38:35>> When you're subclinical, you see
38:37SOMEBODY SAY, "HOW YOU DOING?" UH,
38:39you're just subclinical. You had one or
38:42two in you. You just got a little bit of
38:44a buzz. You're kind of kind to people.
38:47You're kind of friendly. I said, "Some
38:49of you need to start drinking.
38:53This is not ever going to be a sober
38:55Pentecostal church.
38:57>> Not with me in charge.
38:59>> We're going to be a church that drinks
39:01of his spirit.
39:03[applause]
39:04>> Because the second clinical category
39:07after you GET SUBCLINICAL TAKES YOU ON
39:10TO THAT PLACE CALLED EUPHORIA.
39:14>> Euphoria is sometimes when you see
39:16somebody jerking, they couldn't help it.
39:20Euphoria comes A [screaming]
39:25>> it's called mild intoxication,
39:28increased confidence, talkiveness,
39:32lowered inhibitions,
39:34THE KIND BUZZ WHERE THE dopamine start
39:38getting released. You say you can do
39:40that without alcohol. Oh absolutely you
39:43can. IT DOESN'T COME JUST BY CHEMICAL
39:46DEPRESSANTS. IT COMES BY UNDERSTANDING.
39:49IF GOD IS FOR IF GOD IS FOR ME, YOU
39:53CAN'T STOP ME. YOU CAN'T STOP ME. THEY
39:55CAN'T STOP ME. THAT CAN'T STOP ME.
39:58NOTHING CAN STOP ME. I MIGHT BE DOWN,
40:00BUT I'M NOT OUT. I MIGHT BE AROUND
40:03ALONE, BUT I'M NOT ALONE BECAUSE I GOT
40:06SOMEBODY ON MY SIDE.
40:08[applause and cheering]
40:10[laughter]
40:12Third category is excitement. That's
40:15what people do when they dance in the
40:16spirit.
40:21>> Don't you wish you could do that?
40:23>> I know you do. But you can't cuz you
40:26don't know how to drink.
40:29>> You're so stinking sober. [crying]
40:32>> I'm telling you, the Holy Ghost is GOING
40:34TO BE SO EMPOWERING THAT ON PENTECOST,
40:37EVERYBODY THOUGHT THEY WERE DRUNK.
40:41>> WHY? NOT BECAUSE YOU GET IN those
40:44categories of death.
40:46>> Confusion. No, there's no confusion when
40:49you get drunk on the Holy Ghost. I know
40:51who I am. I know where I am. I know how
40:53to get home. I'm not confused. That's
40:55false doctrine. If they think getting
40:57drunk on the Holy Ghost makes you
40:58confused, there's no confusion in
41:00Christ. You don't check your brain in at
41:02the door. Getting drunk on the Holy
41:04Ghost, that's false doctrine. That's
41:06cult material. This church is never
41:09going to be a cult. Never has been a
41:11cult. Never will sanction a cult. But I
41:14want to tell you something. There are
41:15cults out there that want you to check
41:17your brain in at the door and get you to
41:19start doing stuff that's out of order.
41:22No, you're not going to be confused.
41:24You're not going to be out of order.
41:26Then it doesn't take you to a stouper.
41:29>> That's that next level of drunkenness.
41:31Stuper.
41:33>> Yeah. You're just you're not really
41:35there except to fight.
41:37and you're liable to get into a stupid
41:39fight because you got stuper. Then you
41:42go on to coma and then you go on to
41:45death. What are these things? They're
41:49the CDC's
41:51description of drinking.
41:53>> Yep.
41:54>> Do not get drunk with wine, which leads
41:56to debauchery.
41:58>> Instead, instead get filled with the
42:01spirit when you come to church. THAT'S
42:04WHY WE ALWAYS START WITH praise
42:06>> because it's a little bit of drinking
42:08going on.
42:10>> You can stand and just look at the words
42:12or you can take a drink.
42:18>> He is good all the time. All the time he
42:24is good. He is good all the time. All
42:30the time he is good.
42:33He is good all the time all the time. He
42:40is good. He is good all the time all the
42:46time.
42:48Oh [screaming]
42:49when I think of the goodness of Jesus
42:55>> and all he HAS DONE FOR ME,
43:00>> MY SOUL CRIES OUT,
43:03>> HALLELUJAH,
43:06[cheering]
43:07>> praise God,
43:10>> for saving meal.
43:13>> [applause]
43:14[cheering]
43:17>> There is power, [screaming]
43:19[cheering]
43:20power,
43:22wonder working power in the blood
43:27[cheering]
43:28of the lamb. [screaming]
43:30Oh, THERE IS POWER,
43:33POWER,
43:35wonder working power IN THE PREIOUS
43:38[screaming]
43:39blood of
43:43>> [cheering]
43:45>> I said, I want a drink in church.
43:49>> I want a drink in church.
43:51>> I'm tired of YOU WALKING IN HERE WITH
43:53JUST YOUR BRAIN BUT NOT YOUR HEART.
43:56ACTING LIKE YOU GOT IT LIKE THAT WHEN
43:59THE ONLY ONE WHO WILL GET YOU THROUGH.
44:02THE ONLY ONE WHO BROUGHT YOU OUT, THE
44:05ONLY ONE WHO STOOD YOU UP, THE ONLY ONE
44:07WHO HELD YOU THROUGH, HIS NAME IS JESUS.
44:11HE IS MY KING. HE IS MY LORD. HE IS MY
44:15GOD.
44:21[cheering]
44:22[applause]
44:26>> You know what? Here it is.
44:29>> Here it is.
44:34>> In my father's house
44:38are many mansions.
44:45If it were not so,
44:48I would
44:52I would have told you
44:55the law of the Lord is perfect,
44:59>> converting the soul.
45:02The testimony of the Lord is sure,
45:06>> making wise the simple.
45:09>> The statutes of the Lord are right,
45:12>> rejoicing
45:15the heart. The commandment of the Lord
45:17is pure,
45:19enlightening the eyes
45:22upon
45:24this rock.
45:26>> Cheers.
45:28>> I will build my church.
45:32And the gates
45:36>> of hell
45:38would not listen. If you ever saw me
45:41drunk, I'm more fun at church.
45:45The gates of hell cannot prevail against
45:49it.
45:51The Lord is my shepherd.
45:55>> I shall not want.
46:01HE MAKETH ME TO LIE DOWN IN GREEN
46:03PASTURES.
46:05>> HE LEADTH ME BESIDE THE STILL WATERS.
46:09>> HE RESTOTH MY SOUL.
46:12>> YAY, [screaming] though I walk through
46:15the VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH. I
46:18WILL NOT BE AFRAID.
46:20There will BE NO EVIL THAT CAN OVERTAKE
46:22ME. FOR YOU ARE MY SHIELD AND MY
46:25BUCKLER. YOU ARE A STRONG TOWER
46:29THAT I can run in and find safety.
46:34[screaming]
46:44>> He said he would bless those that bless
46:45[music] us
46:48>> and curse those that curse us.
46:51Oh death,
46:55>> where is your sting?
47:00>> I'm not asking you to act a fool.
47:06>> I'm not asking you to get into confusion
47:09and stuper.
47:11>> I'm not calling for coma or even death
47:15because that's where hell's drink takes
47:18you.
47:19Heaven drink it doesn't leave you out
47:24>> without any abilities.
47:26>> Heaven's drink gives you joy
47:30>> unspeakable.
47:33>> The Bible said be not drunk with wine
47:36whereas in debauchery but be filled.
47:39>> That Greek word means no more room. YOU
47:44GET SO FULL OF GOD THAT WHEN THE ENEMY
47:47TRIES TO TELL YOU WHAT YOU'RE NOT, YOU
47:50CAN TELL him who you are. When the enemy
47:54tries to tell you how short YOU'RE GOING
47:56TO FALL FROM THE MARK, YOU CAN SAY, "I
47:59CAN DO ALL things
48:02through Christ
48:04which strengthenth me."
48:13Hey [screaming]
48:19here's what Peter said, and I'm done.
48:23Peter said, "This is that which was
48:27spoken of by the prophet Joel."
48:31What's that? All this acting going on,
48:35this dancing and this shouting, this
48:39confidence,
48:40this talkiveness.
48:42I mean, people that aren't even
48:44talkative, they'll chat,
48:49I don't need to know y'all's drunk
48:51stories okay?
48:53Because I don't know how far you
48:55stopped, but 70% of the world doesn't
48:58drink to go get slobber.
49:01Whatever the word is. Sloppy. That's the
49:04word. Thank you. Got some saints in the
49:05house helping me.
49:08Most of them want to just go get that
49:11that
49:13fears are gone.
49:15I can laugh quickly. I can enjoy the
49:19people I'm with. I mean, when I walked
49:21by The Lord was building this sermon in
49:24me ever since Brother Spears preached a
49:27few weeks ago. And when he read this
49:30text, it hit me. And I thought the Lord
49:33gave me the perfect metaphor. I stood at
49:35that elevator and waited and watched. I
49:37mean, the guys were just as engaged in
49:39the girls as the girls. You know, you
49:42get enough drinking, you forget time.
49:46>> It's not like you keeping track what
49:48time it is. You know, you get enough now
49:51you just go till you want to go to
49:53sleep. I mean, I don't need updates on
49:56what it's like now. It's been a long
49:58time since I've been drunk like that.
50:01But I want to proclaim to you, the
50:03Pentecostal church is still drinking
50:08from Joel's place. And here's what Peter
50:13said happened.
50:15said,
50:16"Upon my handmaidaidens." In other
50:20words, the women are included.
50:23In that day, if you go look at history,
50:25the women are not included in a lot of
50:27the declarations and the the the
50:29paperwork.
50:31Women were not allowed to vote. I'm I'm
50:34reconsidering.
50:36No, I'm joking. [music] I'm joking. I'm
50:39joking. Please don't hold it against me.
50:43Women were not allowed to vote. I talked
50:46recently with somebody who's Muslim and
50:48they ask how they do their funerals. And
50:50the women aren't even allowed to be in
50:51the room with the body. They've got to
50:53be separate and do their own thing. And
50:54then none of the women are allowed to go
50:56to the burial site. All the women had to
50:59stay away from that. That's modern day
51:01Muslim. Okay? That's present day right
51:03now. Uh at least the addition that I was
51:06talking to and they're still they're
51:08still Muslim. Uh but but here the Bible
51:12said that in that day that the Holy
51:16Ghost is going to be poured out [music]
51:18and your sons and your daughters.
51:24>> I got sons and daughters. I can't tell
51:27you anything that makes me more
51:28rejoicing than watching one of my boys
51:32get up and say, "The Lord is good and
51:36his mercy endureth forever." You want to
51:40give me drunk on joy? You let me see my
51:43sons prophesy.
51:46Hell wants you to think YOUR SONS HAVE
51:48GOT TO BACKSLIDE. THEY'VE GOT TO GO INTO
51:51THE WORLD. THEY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING
51:53UNTIL THEY REALLY EXPERIENCE the world.
51:55No. THE LORD SAID AT JOE'S PLACE, "YOUR
51:58SONS SHALL PROPHESY." But wait a minute,
52:03the girls don't have TO BE QUIET. THE
52:05DAUGHTERS will prophesy.
52:12They won't sit around and say, "Well,
52:14um, uh, you know, I do what I do because
52:17[music] the pastor tells me to do it and
52:19I got to do it because it's the church
52:21rules and and, uh, so I'm only doing
52:24this because of the church rules that I
52:26go to." And so, no, that's not
52:28prophesying. Prophesying saying, "It's
52:30mine. I'm standing up and tell you, I
52:33worship him because he is my blesser. I
52:36serve him because he's my keeper. I've
52:38tried everything and everything has
52:39failed. I've tried cocaine. I've tried
52:43all kinds of marijuana. I've tried all
52:45KINDS OF ALCOHOL. I'VE tried wine
52:47coolers, wine, liquor, GIN. I'VE TRIED
52:52LONG ISLAND ICED TEA, WHICH I THINK
52:53THAT'S a amalgamation of all of them.
52:58I've tried it all. BUT THERE'S ONLY ONE
53:02THAT GIVES me joy.
53:04unspeakable
53:07joy.
53:08Your sons and your daughters shall
53:12prophesy.
53:14WHAT ELSE DOES HE SAY? YOUR old men
53:18shall dream dreams.
53:21I'm getting older and it's harder to
53:24sleep.
53:25BUT THE PROPHECY OF THE Lord says THAT
53:28WHEN YOU GOT HIS HOPE, you're going to
53:30have enough dreams THAT SOMEBODY SAYS
53:33CATEGORICALLY you've been sleeping.
53:36>> But not just that, your young men shall
53:40see visions. What's he talking about? In
53:43a world that's got young men looking at
53:45pornography everywhere, looking at all
53:48kinds of things of chasing power,
53:51beauty, brawn, and might, all those
53:54things the world's got them staring at.
53:56In this new place, drinking Joel's wine,
54:00you will have eternal visions. YOU WON'T
54:03BE LOST ON TIK TOK, swipe left for a new
54:06date. No, you'll be having visions of a
54:10kingdom that is coming, that's
54:12unstoppable, that's coming for you and
54:15for me.
54:23Now,
54:25some of you all been drinking and you're
54:27ready to come to celebrate a little bit.
54:30If you're trying to get the Holy Ghost,
54:32you need to drink a little bit.
54:36I mean, this is hilarious,
54:39>> but I have pastored some folks that
54:41called me so sloppy drunk.
54:44>> I mean, they were repenting.
54:46Pastor,
54:48I fell.
54:50I just had to call everybody with God.
54:53Will you please forgive me? I literally
54:57said on the phone, I said, "I don't need
54:59to forgive you. What I need to do is
55:02make sure you got a ride home.
55:05Do you need me to come get you? That's
55:07the first thing I ask. Now, maybe the
55:09church you pastor, you would pastor it
55:11different than me, but I love them just
55:13the same. They're stone drunk. I'm going
55:15to love them just the same. They're in a
55:17bad spot if they got there. So, the last
55:20thing I'm going to do is rebuke them.
55:21I'm going to say, "Let's get you safe."
55:24Because if you can sleep through the
55:25night, guess what'll happen in the
55:28morning? You'll have a headache, but
55:30you'll BE BACK IN YOUR RIGHT mind and we
55:33can get it taken care of. I've had
55:35people get so drunk that were a part of
55:37this church that they felt so bad they
55:39walked back into this church, fell on
55:41their face drunk as a skunk right here
55:45crying in the altar. You know how I
55:47know? Because we have cameras in the
55:48place. They were so sick they literally
55:51did what sick people do
55:54right here in the altar. and because of
55:57people that loved them around them went
55:59and got every cleaning thing they could
56:02to make sure that the altar would be
56:04clean by Sunday.
56:07That's not the kind of drinking that I'm
56:09wanting y'all to do.
56:13>> But I'm wanting this church to start
56:15purposefully [music]
56:17starting your Holy Ghost sipping
56:20>> purposefully. DON'T WALK IN HERE and
56:23wait and see. It's like me on a cruise.
56:25I like cruises.
56:27You know, one of the things I like to do
56:29on a cruise, one of the favorite things.
56:36We're putting it after eating. All
56:37right. This is after I've eaten.
56:41I like to go with my wife and get one of
56:43those booths on the corner of the dance
56:46floor
56:48and watch the people that are inebriated
56:49[music]
56:52dance
56:54because I see them the next day. They're
56:57so prestigious.
57:00Well done. Good to see you. Good day.
57:02How do you do? Yes. And then I see them
57:05that night after they had a few in them.
57:14They may not be in rhythm. They they may
57:17not. But they are so confident.
57:19>> They are so happy. They are so filled
57:22with joy. I know everybody doesn't have
57:25the same personality. I'm not asking you
57:27to all have the same personality, but
57:29I'm asking you all remember the name on
57:31this church says Pentecost. And if
57:33you're going to be in this church, you
57:34got to be a drinker. I said you must be
57:37a drinker. A DRINKER OF THE HOLY GHOST,
57:41[cheering] A DRINKER of the wine from
57:43Joel's place. YOU GOT TO GET THAT JOY
57:47THAT THE WORLD cannot give to you and
57:50the world can't take away.
57:54[singing]
57:58THIS IS THAT WHICH WAS SPOKEN OF BY THE
58:00PROPHET JOEL. IN THE LAST DAYS, SAITH
58:03GOD, I will pour out my spirit on all
58:07flesh. Your sons and your daughters
58:10shall prophesy. Your old men shall dream
58:13dreams. Your young men shall see vision.
58:16And I will pour out my spirit [music]
58:18upon all flesh. I'm opening the dance
58:23floor. I'm opening the bar. The bar is
58:29officially open. If you want to come and
58:34get a little bit