[drunk/sober]

this is the epitome of contrast, if you ask me.

the very definition of being drunk means to be [not] sober

while

the very definition of being sober means to be [not] drunk

its usually pretty easy to tell if a person is drunk versus sober, given their contrasting nature.

i mean...

we've all seen those TV shows where the cop pulls someone over, whose clearly as inebriated as humanly possible...who, while falling out of their car, is telling the cop that "no officer ma'am, i haven't been drinking tonight..."

yeah....clearly, not drinking.

it is the [actions] of the person that define drunkenness and sobriety, not their [words].

the same is true for Christian spirituality.

1. it the the actions of a Christian, not their words that define love [1 John 3:18]
2. it is possible to be [drunk] or [sober] as a Christian, in the spiritual sense [1 Cor. 12-14]

there is a sharp /divide/ in Christianity today, between those sober in spirit and those drunk in the spirit. while this might be considered an interesting way to describe Christianity, there is evidence for both in the Scriptures.

evidence for being sober [in the spirit]:

1. 1 Peter 5:8 [be sober-minded]

2. Galatians 5:21 [...drunkenness...and things like these...will not inherit the Kingdom of God]

3. etc.

evidence for being drunk [in the spirit]:

1. Acts 2 [the actions of the disciples at Pentecost, to the point where Peter had to distinguish between their actions]

2. Nehemiah 8:10 [the joy of the Lord is our strength, that is, the joy of the Spirit]

3. etc.

trust me, this is an argument to end all arguments, and is one of the major schism points in the church. i have been on both extreme ends of this debate, and can definitely see and understand both points of it.

but whats the point of it?

is it really worth getting worked up over the [power of the Spirit], and how it manifests itself?

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absolutely!

we should be [utterly] concerned about how the Spirit manifests itself.

i want, i desire to see the Spirit move in power. if the Spirit of God moves people to actions of extreme joy, who am i to limit its power? Scripture is also very clear on the gifts and workings of the Spirit and they are [real] and they are [powerful].

if God made us [fly] or [walk on water] or be [completely self controlled], He would completely be in the right to do so. that is his [control] and i want to rest in it.

so for me, its not about being [drunk] or [sober].

its about being [in the Spirit].