Originally Posted by
fuego
God forbid, I am not trying to talk you out of not drinking. I certainly don't want to do that with what I am saying. Like I said I don't drink myself. I mean there was a time I would have agreed with him wholeheartedly. But I just need a more scriptural argument than that these days, even though I am against Christians drinking myself. I mean they could be insights. But I just don't see the hard scriptural proof.
I have a friend, haven't talked to him in several years but used to be somewhat close. This man probably hears God clearer than any person I know personally. He got saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, but still continued to smoke many years after he got saved, he just couldn't overcome it. During this time (many years) he spent thousands of hours in prayer, especially praying in tongues, and really developed in being able to hear the Spirit clearly. He teaches with real revelation. His pastor knew, but thankfully he wasn't one of those that didn't let him not minister just because he smoked. And when someone would invite him to preach and teach, the first thing he would tell them is that he smoked. Some would still let him come and some didn't. And all these years of hearing the Spirit clearly, the Spirit never talked to him about his smoking, even though my friend's conscience bothered him about it and he knew it was wrong. And he continued to be anointed, see miracles and healings, hear from the Spirit clearly, etc. Not only that, he was supernaturally healed from a heart problem during all this, in spite of being a smoker.
Anyway, the Lord started to use him going overseas to teach etc. One day he was in NY for a meeting, and that night in his motel room Jesus appeared to him. He spoke to him about his smoking, but never used the term. I think He called it 'his habit' or something like that. But told him I am now sending you to places overseas, that if they knew you smoked it would completely ruin your testimony and they will never listen to you. He said you have done a good work for me, and you have a good reward waiting on you when you get to heaven, but when you get here I will have to pull back a curtain and show you your ministry and how much you fruit you missed because you won't overcome this habit. My friend said the pain of knowing that would happen one day was greater than the pain it quit to stop smoking. After that time he never had another cigarette but said it was probably a year and a half before he felt truly free.
I said all that to say this. Jesus never called it sin (although my friend believed it was), never told him he wouldn't walk in the power any more if he didn't quit; never told him people wouldn't get healed, etc, etc, etc. With him it was a testimony thing and how it would hinder his ministry to certain people he was called to and thereby hinder the fruit of his ministry. I'm just real careful about saying a person won't walk in the power about a particular thing especially when the Bible doesn't say that.
Anyway, I hope you can see where I'm coming from. Paul said whatsoever is not of faith is sin. I think it would be a sin for me to drink because my conscience would bother me if I did. Some people can and it doesn't. I can't judge their holiness or their walk with God by something the Bible doesn't clearly call a sin (even though it does bother me because of how I feel about it personally). Or something that I personally don't think the Bible calls a sin, drinking and not getting drunk.