We’ve probably all seen someone who has had way too much to drink. You can tell. They slur words. Their cheeks blush. Their eyes glaze. They abnormally emote. Inhibitions drop, and they do and say things they normally wouldn’t do. They may even get to a point of staggering. The fact that they are intoxicated is evident to all.
In the same way, when we are intoxicated with God—it shows!
It’s good to remind ourselves that what God is asking us to do is completely beyond our natural ability to do. We are called to reconcile people to God. We are called to raise people from spiritual death. We are called to open the eyes of the blind. Here’s how Paul described what God was calling him to do:
… I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
Acts 26:17-18
Our mission isn’t just to preach to people or get them to come to church. Our mission isn’t merely to get people to give up certain sins and adopt a moral lifestyle. We are called to pull people out of the deep spiritual slumber they are in and awaken them to new birth.
It’s an impossible task, and yet, through God’s power, it is possible. Our success in this mission isn’t based solely on natural gifting and practical principles. We must be filled with God to do the work of God.
Drink deep
During these 40 weeks I’ll be talking about many important principles like being with people, listening, understanding people, communicating clearly, sacrificial serving, and so on. But all of these will amount to nothing unless we are infused with God’s power, unless we are intoxicated with God’s love.
Well, okay, how do we become intoxicated then? The drunken man becomes drunk how? By drinking a lot. In order to be spiritually intoxicated we need to drink a lot of God’s Spirit. In fact, one of my favorite verses says, “Do not be drunk with wine … but be filled with the Spirit.” When we are intoxicated with the Spirit it has the opposite effect of alcohol intoxication. We are sober and clear-minded. We are drenched with pure joy. We communicate better. We walk straight. The love of God is visible all over us.
Preparation
Through the years I’ve done a variety of special mission work. For example, I preached at Rikers Island prison. I preached to large crowds outside. I approached strangers in Washington Square Park and engaged them with the Gospel. I preached open-air in the NYC subway stations. As much as I think some of these methods aren't the most effective, I have to admit that there were times when God really worked powerfully.
Why?
Because our preparation before doing these outreaches was excessive spiritual drinking. We so badly wanted to be used by God that we cried and wailed in prayer. We waited in the presence of God, sometimes for hours. We fasted at times. In some cases, I remember praying incessantly all week long, and begging God to flood me with the Spirit, so that I could be effective. It worked.
Imagine
It’s good to prepare like this for special mission outings. But, what if we prepared like this for some of our ordinary outings? I’m talking about times when we are around people who do not have a close relationship with Christ. It might be a wedding or a funeral. It might be a family reunion or a neighborhood barbecue. It might be our workplace. Imagine if we prepared for ordinary social gatherings with the same intensity we prepare for a mission trip?
I encourage you to try it this month. Take a look at your calendar. When will you be interacting with spiritually lost people? Maybe it’s a neighborhood yard sale or a company picnic? Start praying now. Ask God to drench you with His Spirit for that gathering and see what happens.
By the way, it doesn’t mean we show up and start preaching at everybody. If we are really saturated with God, we will have the qualities of God: compassion, goodness, mercy, love, kindness. We will be helpful and good listeners. We will be cheerful and winsome. Forcing awkward spiritual conversations will not be necessary. When we are overflowing, we naturally engage people with the Gospel when the time is right. When we are intoxicated with the Holy Spirit, people see it. They experience something otherworldly—divine—coming through us! Jesus described it this way:
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.
John 7:38