Noah became naked; Lot impregnated his daughters; Nabal died and so did Amnon; just a few drunk people in the Bible.
The Apostle says: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery” Ephesians 5 v 18.
How do we get wisdom to make great decisions?
How do we make the most of every opportunity?
How do we understand what the Lord’s will is?
These are the questions that we are left with in this section of Paul’s prison letter.
The answer is, stay sober.
It would seem Paul is contrasting pagan practices where the worship of Bacchus (the god of wine) also known as Dionysus whose worshippers felt they received special powers and abilities as they got drunk in honour of him. Bacchanalia parties were simply wine-soaked feasts leading to sexual and violent orgies. They were common place and everyone knew of them and so when the Apostle speaks of wine leading to debauchery and especially moving to speak of the impact of the Spirit upon us then his readers easily make the connection.
So why should we stay sober in 2020?
- Don’t lose control – we need to make decisions, take our opportunities and know His will.
- Don’t lose confidence –a depressant will not help your self-respect or respect from others.
- Don’t lose context – the Apostle has said these are evil days and we need to be alert.
Missions Paul 