I Want a Drinking Church
Pastor David T. Elms 11/30/2025
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58:36
Summary
Pastor David T. Elms explores the metaphor of a 'drinking church,' contrasting the destructive nature of modern intoxication with the life-giving, uninhibited joy of being filled with the Holy Spirit as seen in the Book of Acts.
Key points
- •The 'wine' of the Biblical era was a heavily diluted grape concentrate, significantly lower in alcohol than modern spirits, used primarily for hydration and sanitation.
- •Pentecostal worship should mirror the exuberant lack of inhibition seen in the Book of Acts, where onlookers mistook the disciples' spiritual joy for physical drunkenness.
- •True spiritual 'drinking' involves setting aside fear, pride, and social anxiety to experience the 'buzz' of euphoria, confidence, and boisterous joy that comes from the Holy Spirit.
- •Biblical prophecy from Joel promises that the Spirit is for everyone - sons, daughters, old, and young - removing barriers of age and gender.
- •While worldly intoxication leads to confusion and debauchery, being 'filled with the Spirit' provides power, clear vision, and a deep-seated peace that the world cannot take away.
Scripture
The Holy Spirit
Pentecostal Identity
Worship and Praise
Joy and Celebration
Biblical Context
Life application
Approach worship this week by intentionally 'sipping' on the Spirit through prayer and praise before even entering the sanctuary, letting go of your social inhibitions to express genuine joy and gratitude.
Reflection questions
- What are the 'inhibitions' or fears that keep you from fully expressing your worship in church?
- How does the distinction between modern alcohol and Biblical wine change your perspective on the metaphor of 'new wine' in the Spirit?
- In what ways have you experienced the 'euphoria' of God's presence, and how did it affect your confidence in Him?
- Pastor Elms mentions 'sipping on the way to the house of the Lord.' How can you prepare your heart for worship throughout the week?
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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