Wine and Wellness

“No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments” (1Tim 5:23).

Caution! The following may cause confusion, and in some cases, anger and irritability. Then again, a proper reading of Scripture will often do that. In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he brings up the subject of alcohol. Since this is the Bible, the apostle MUST be telling Pastor Tim to be a teetotaler, right? Wrong! In a verse that freaks out a good many fundamentalists, Paul tells Tim to make wine a regular part of his routine. What sort of madness is this?!? The next thing you know, somebody’s going to say the Bible encourages us to dance! (If that’s you, I’ve got some bad news for you.)

Here in a personal note to his pastoral protege, Paul writes, “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments” (v23). This is no call for holy happy hour. Tim had some very particular health issues. The apostle wanted him to be proactive in his wellness. The illness is chronic. Stomach problems and a general sickliness. The treatment is simple. Wine. The dosage is important. Just a sip or two. 

Don’t forget the context of the verse. Paul is sending Tim a note of instruction as one pastor to another. The apostle has placed him as the servant/leader of the Ephesian church, a large, multicultural congregation on the west coast of what we know today as Turkey. Paul personally planted this church during his third Mediterranean tour (Acts 19) and actually stayed there for three years (Acts 20:30). 

At some point after he left town, false teachers weaseled their way into the flock and distracted folks from following Jesus with all sorts of bizarro myths, genealogical rabbit trails, and some doctrine that was downright demonic (1Tim 1:3-7; 4:1-3). With Paul on the road to Macedonia, the apostle leaves Timothy in charge to continue the process of getting the church back on track. Much of the letter has to do with practical steps of pastoral leadership like encouraging prayer in the church (1Tim 2:1-8), finding new leaders of integrity (1Tim 3:1-13; 5:17-22), and establishing a system of assisted living Gospel style (1Tim 5:3-16).

A lot of this note is also instruction for a pastor who’s up to his eyeballs in the mess of ministry. It’s baptism under fire and on the job training. But Paul doesn’t leave Tim hanging and has important points for how to teach the Bible, stay focused on the Gospel, utilize his spiritual gifts, and deepen his walk with Jesus (1Tim 4:16-16). The apostle doesn’t ignore the physical side of the young pastor’s life. “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments” (v23). If you don’t take care of yourself physically, you can’t take care of the church spiritually.

Shall we get the alcohol discussion out of the way now? There are many denominations and faith traditions that maintain a zero tolerance policy on drinking alcohol. While I appreciate the idea, I have a really hard time using Scripture to back that up. All throughout the Bible, wine flows freely and God doesn’t exactly stop pouring when we hit the New Testament. As a matter of fact, Jesus’ very first miracle is to keep the party rolling at a wedding reception by making more wine (Jn 2:1-11). Christ regularly taught using wine as part of His illustrations (Lk 5:37-39; Mk 2:22). He was such a regular guest at parties that He earned a rather dubious reputation (Mt 11:19). And you can’t ignore Jesus’ use of Merlot at the Last Supper (Mt 26:26-29; Mk 14:22-25; Lk 14:23; 1Cor 11:23-32). Jesus made it. Jesus drank it. And He goes so far as to say He won’t drink again until we’re all with Him in eternity (Mk 14:25). 

Don’t buy the lie that the wine in the Bible is little more than grape juice. If that’s the case, why are so many people getting wasted on Welch’s? There’s the time after the flood where Noah gets so drunk that he passes out naked (Gen 9:20-23), or is that “nekkid”? I wonder why they never taught us that part of Noah’s story in Sunday School? Over and over, Solomon warns his son against overconsumption. Be VERY careful when it comes to wine and beer (Prov 20:1; 23:21). Don’t hang out with folks who are always getting hammered (Prov 23:19-20). The king goes so far as describing what it’s like not just to be drunk but hung over (Prov 23:29-33).

Paul cautions the Romans not to spend the night on the town barhopping (Rom 13:13). Unrepentant alcoholics and addicts don’t have a spot in God’s kingdom (1Cor 6:9-10; Gal 5:19-21). Don’t miss the fact there were plenty of folks in recovery who were part of the Corinthian church (1Cor 6:11)! People with addiction issues have no place in church leadership (1Tim 3:2-3, 8; Titus 1:7). And if you’re going to get drunk on anything, make sure it’s the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18)! If it’s a problem for you, avoid it. If you’re able to enjoy a glass, don’t get over-served. The bottom line is we also can’t ignore the dangers of alcohol and addiction.

But Paul’s point has less to do with whether or not a believer should drink wine but taking care of yourself physically. Remember, Tim and Paul are old friends. They met on the apostle’s second tour (Acts 16:1-3). The man from Tarsus is familiar with his traveling companion’s health issues. He has tender stomach as well as other problems that can’t be ignored. One way to head off any further problems is a regular does of wine. 

Paul was just following the guidelines for wellness back in the Greco-Roman world. Hippocrates said, “Wine is an appropriate article for mankind, both for the healthy body and for the ailing man.” And not much has changed a couple of thousand years later. According to Webmd, wine is good for digestive health. Believe it or not, scientists have just released a study saying that the resveratrol in a glass of red wine has the health benefits of one hour at the gym. Just a word of warning. Drinking the whole bottle of Cab by yourself is NOT the same as busting a P90X workout.

The bigger issue here is physical wellness. If your doctor has prescribed you medications, take them. If you need supplements or OTC meds, use them. Get regular exercise. Take care of your body. Paul tells his friends in Rome, “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual act of worship” (Rom 12:1). He uses a word that describes our PHYSICAL form. Remember, we are fully integrated beings, created in both soul AND body. Since my physical body is the temple of the God’s Spirit (1Cor 6:19), I need to keep the joint in tiptop condition! If you don’t take care of yourself physically, you can’t take care of others spiritually.

Body Parts

...because we are members of His body (Eph 5:30).

For years I drove past a business with a very curious sign.  “Roberts Wholesale Body Parts.”  My imagination ran wild every time I road by.  What in the world is inside that place?  I pictured shelves of dismembered arms, hands, legs and feet.  I envisioned boxes of ears, eyes, noses and toeses.  Was Mr. Roberts some sort of a middle man supplying a modern day Dr. Frankenstein?  OK, I’m just a bit twisted.  Most folks probably realized that this business was related to the junk yard across the road.  These body parts were car parts.  But not me.  This mysterious metal building had to be full of body parts.  Right?  Right?!?!

So what in the world does this have to do with Ephesians?  The Apostle Paul reminds us here that as followers of Jesus we’re body parts in the body of Christ.  The Lord pampers and feeds us “because we are members of His body” (v30).  Wait a sec!  Wasn’t man from Tarsus in the middle of telling married men how to love and lead their wives?  Suddenly there’s this dismembered mention of body parts.  It makes perfect sense when we back up and realize that he’s writing about the relationship between Jesus and His bride and how human husbands relate to their wives.  There’s such an intimacy between Christ and His church that they are actually one person and one flesh.   We’re “members of His body” (v30).  We’re body parts.

Paul drops the term “members” (v30) by using the Greek word melos.  This describes a limb, a human body part or generally one part of a larger whole.  Jesus uses it when talking about lopping off or poking out any body part that causes you to sin.  “It is better that you lose one of your members (Gr. melos) than that your whole body be thrown into hell” (Mt 5:29-30).  Since we’re body parts in the body of Christ, it’s easy to see how this 

has come to mean one person in a Christian community.  A huge part of the apostle’s point is to realize that I’m not flying solo.  I’m only complete when I’m part of the whole.  I must remember that I’m a member.  

His purpose for reminding the Ephesians that they are body parts is because of the false teaching that’s tearing the body of Christ limb from limb just down the road in Colossae.  A team of spiritual hucksters have duped followers of Jesus into believing a false gospel of self-salvation.  According to these snake oil salesmen, Christ might be able to get you into God’s kingdom but He can’t keep you there.  We need to keep saving ourselves.  And wouldn’t you know it, they have just the list of religious rules to follow so we can do just that (Col 2:16, 18, 21-23).  After setting the Colossians straight, Paul writes to the Ephesians just 100 miles down the road.  He knows that heresy dismembers.  Trying to save myself takes my eyes off of Jesus and everyone else around me.  

I need to remember that I’m not flying solo.  I’m only complete when I’m part of the whole.  I’m complete when I’m part of the body.  His body.  There are no Lone Rangers in the body of Jesus.  Our enemy is licking his satanic chops for one of us to wander off.  He loves to get us alone.  That happens when I try to do it all on my own.  I must remember that I’m a member or I’ll be dismembered.  And Satan just loves to sink his teeth into severed body parts.

We’re not just members of any body.  We’re members of HIS body.  Jesus’ body.  Paul uses the Greek word soma.  It can mean the physical body of humans or animals or a group of people closely united for a single cause.  The apostle tells the folks in Rome that each one of the body parts has a unique role in the church.  “For as in one body (Gr. soma) we have many members (Gr. melos), and the members (Gr. melos) do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body (Gr. soma) in Christ, and individually members (Gr. melos) of one another” (Rom 12:4-5).  And because we’re part of Jesus’ body, we need to be VERY careful what we do.  “Do you not know that your bodies (Gr. soma) are members (Gr. melos) of Christ?  Shall I then take the members (Gr. melos) of Christ and make them members (Gr. melos) of a prostitute?  Never!” (1Cor 6:15).  We’re members of HIS body.  Jesus’ body.

Paul doesn’t say that we WILL be members of the body of Christ.  He clearly says that we ARE members RIGHT NOW.  This is not a pipe dream.  This isn’t something that happens on the other side of eternity.  This is a present reality.  This is right now.  In the words of the great theologian Brent Musburger, “You’re looking LIVE!”  We’re members of Jesus’ body once we place our trust in Him.  

We’re body parts.  Jesus’ body parts.

OK, this is your part.  I'd love to hear from you.  Drop a comment below and let's chat.

Love Your Wife=Love Yourself

In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.  He who loves his wife loves himself (Eph 5:28).

Each year I go visit my doctor and get a physical.  I need to know how my body is doing.  I need to know if there’s anything wrong.  I need that outside opinion.  I need that expert opinion.  Well, there’s another way I can check on my spiritual and emotional health.  That’s by taking a look at my wife.  God says that since we’re married, we’re one.  To care for my wife is to care for myself.  To care for myself is to care for my wife.  “In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.  He who loves his wife loves himself” (v28).

Love your wife=Love yourself.

Here are two of the four times in this letter to the Ephesians that Paul tells married men to love their wives.  He did it earlier as he compared that to how Jesus loved His church through self-sacrifice (Eph 5:25).  And he’ll do it one more time as he wraps things up (Eph 5:33).  Clearly he understands the thick skulls of the husbands he’s talking to.  Hey guys, love your wives.  Love your wives.  Love your wives!  LOVE YOUR WIVES!!!  Not once.  Not twice.  Not even three times.  The apostle pounds the nail four stinkin’ times.  Hopefully, he has our attention.  Hey, fellas, love your wives.  Got it?  Good.

The interesting thing is that most of this picture of a husband’s love for his wife is actually a beautiful portrait of Jesus’ love for His bride, the church.  Christ loves her by living a life of self-sacrifice (Eph 5:25).  He loves her by continually washing her in His Word and giving her a Bible bath (Eph 5:26).  He loves her by playing an active role in their wedding preps to the point that jaws drop when she’s about to walk down the aisle (Eph 5:27).  Our marriage isn’t a picture of His marriage.  It’s the other way around.  Jesus’ loving relationship with His church is the perfect example of what my marriage should look like.  That’s exactly Paul’s point as he turns the focus from Christ’s marriage to mine.  I’m to love my wife “in the same way” (v28).  He’s the gold standard of grooms.  No one will ever live up to how Jesus has loved and will love His bride.  But that’s my goal.  “In the same way” (v28).  

“Husbands should love their wives” (v28).  The command here is actually a little different grammatically.  Paul uses the verb “should.”  This is the Greek word otheilo.  It actually means to owe what is due.  When the apostle wrote to his buddy Phil about his runaway slave Onesimus, he promised to pay back anything he may have stolen.  “If he has wronged you at all, or owes (Gr. otheilo) you anything, charge that to my account” (Phm 18).  You can also translate this word as ought, must, to be under obligation, duty bound, to be necessary or indispensable.  As a husband, I owe it to my wife to love her.  But my debt isn’t due because of something she’s done.  I owe it to my bride because of what Jesus has done.  I owe it to my wife because we have a covenant, not a contract.  A contract indicates some sort of deal with very specific terms.  If you do this, I promise to do that.  If one party fails to fulfill, the other is off the hook.  That’s a contract.  But marriage is a covenant.  That’s a pledge to do something no matter what.  It’s a promise without conditions.  It’s unconditional love.  I owe it to my wife to love her no matter what.  

Over in his letter to his crew in Rome, Paul combines the idea of being in debt and being in love. “Owe (Gr. otheilo) no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law” (Rom 13:8).  Be debt free except when it comes to love.  After Jesus washed His disciples’ filthy feet, He told them, “You also ought (Gr. otheilo) to wash one another’s feet” (Jn 13:14).  Moments later, Christ connected the dots between love and ought.  “Love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:34-35).  As the husband, you owe it to your wife to love her.

This is a powerful reminder of what Christ-like love is all about.  Agape.  It’s so much more than a warm fuzzy feeling toward someone else.  It’s love in action.  It’s love with legs.  It’s love that does.  It’s love on the move.  If you love someone, you do for them.  You don’t simply telepathically send them positive vibes.  You love by doing.  That’s how Jesus loved us.  That’s how husbands are to love their wives.

The husband should take care of his bride with the same devotion that he cares for himself.  There’s a subtle reminder here that God expects us to keep our bodies in good physical shape.  Keep an eye on your weight.  Get regular exercise.  Eat healthy foods.  Make sure you get plenty of rest.  We really must take great care of the temple of the Holy Spirit (1Cor 6:19).  It goes without saying that followers of Jesus should take care of themselves physically.  Our body is just one of several things He’s given us to steward and maximize on this side of eternity.    

Once a man is married, he’s responsible to care not only for his body but the body of his new bride as well.  MacArthur calls this “one of the most poignant and compelling descriptions of the oneness that should characterize Christian marriage.”  Paul is about to refresh us on what God said to Adam and Eve at the first wedding (Eph 5:31; Gen 2:24).  Once the husband and wife are married, they are “one flesh.”  One flesh emotionally.  One flesh physically.  One flesh spiritually.  That’s the reason behind this command.  The best way for a husband to love himself is to actually love his wife.  Because they are one flesh.

So if you want to know how you’re doing physically, emotionally and spiritually, take a look at your wife.  If you’re loving her as Jesus loves His bride, she’s in tip top shape.  To steal a phrase from Vidal Sassoon, if she doesn’t look good, you don’t look good.  You are one flesh.  Men, love your wives as you would love your own body.  

Love your wife=Love yourself.

This where you jump in.  Do you agree?  Do you disagree?  One way or the other, I would really love to hear from you.  Drop a comment below and we'll chat.

The Joint Is Jumpin'

...from Whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds up in love (Eph 4:16).

Long before a football player runs out the tunnel and hits the field, he spends hours and hours getting his body in tip top shape.  Pumping iron.  Stretching.  He knows that he can't perform at his best if his muscles aren't ripped and joints aren't limber.  Paul says the same thing about the local church in Ephesians 4:16.  He points out that Jesus' body needs to be in maximum physical condition for top performance.  Too much is at stake to limp onto the field.  It's only because Christ "from Whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds up in love" (v16).  Only when each one of us is strong, limber and serving is the joint really jumpin'!

From the top of the verse, Paul lets us know who's behind the growth and health of my church.  It's Jesus "from Whom...makes the body grow" (v16).  Christ is personally responsible for the health and maturity of His church.  He told His buddy Pete that this whole church building deal is on Him (Mt 16:18).  As a result, He gives spiritual gifts through His Spirit to equip His body.  He also handpicks His coaching staff, "the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds/teachers" (Eph 4:11).  This is like an NFL team providing the best facilities, coaches and equipment for their players.  Jesus personally provides everything His team will need to be successful on the field.

But like a winning team, your church needs all the players on the field, healthy and performing.  Paul says Jesus has put together the Ephesian squad and it's "joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped" (v16).  The word "joined" is the Greek verb sunarmologeo.  It means to fit closely together like parts of a building or body parts.  Christ has put together each roster at each local church exactly as He's planned.  He has just the right players at each position.  Jesus doesn't just bring us together, He keeps us together.  The apostle describes how we are "held together" (v16).  The Greek word sumbibazo means to cause to unite or gather or compact.  Paul encourages the players for Colossian franchise using the very same language (Col 2:19).  Jesus doesn't just assemble His team and hopes it stays together.  He personally works to maintain great team chemistry of the locker room.   

But a well-trained squad that has great chemistry off the field still must play well together on the field.  The local church only performs "when each part is working properly" (v16).  My church only functions at max capacity when everyone is doing what God has gifted them to do.  The local church is a joint venture.  (Yeah, I know.  That was bad.  VERY bad.)  But when each one of us is serving and using our God-given gifts, talents and abilities, we're "working properly" (v16).  When every ligament, every cartilage, every joint, every arm and every leg is doing its thing, the local church is in limber and strong.  If not, we limp and we stumble.  The church can't perform with a bum shoulder, cranky knee or gimpy ankle.  We can't end up on the DL.  We can't fly around the field wearing a big, clunky knee brace.  We need everyone serving in their gifts in order to be healthy and out on the field.

That's when is the joint really jumpin'!

So is your team at full strength?  Is everyone serving using the gifts Jesus has given?  Are YOU serving?  Are YOU ready to hit the field?  Paul told the team in Rome that their squad must have all of its players healthy and ready to play.  "For as one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another" (Rom 12:4-5).  The stakes of the game are too high to not have full, healthy roster.  There's a lost and dying world out there.  Eternity hangs in the balance.  

We need the joint to be jumpin'!

Hope Is Calling You Out!

There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call (Eph 4:4).

You don't recognize the number.  But you answer anyway.  Boy, are you glad you did.  It's hope.  But not just some random hope.  It's THE hope.  Yeah, THAT hope.  Paul reminds us, "There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call" (v4).  God has called you.  And not just you.  He's called a crew of folks to be part of His body.  He's called people from every ethnic group, culture and social status to come together in His Spirit-filled, Spirit-led church.  Aren't you glad you answered?

Hope is calling you out.

Alone in a dark Roman dungeon, the apostle wants us to know that we're not flying solo in our faith.  Hop down off your horse, Kemosabe.  There are no Lone Rangers when it comes to following Jesus.  Church is a team sport.  As a matter of fact, Paul wants his readers to understand the mind-blowing oneness and unity that results from God's call on our lives.  The Trinity is a powerful picture of the kind of wholeness and solidarity we're to have.  The Father, Son and Spirit are three "Whos" and one "What."  But you can't pry them apart.  They are THAT close.  God is calling us to be His body.  Many "whos" that form one "what."  In his letter to his friends in Rome, the dude from Tarsus wrote about how Jesus brings us together to be His hands and feet to a lost and dying world.  "So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another" (Rom 12:5).  God calls us to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.  We'll never be alone.  He'll never ditch me or turn His back on me.  And as a member of His body, I have folks who'll scoop me up when we I can do it myself.  

Are you you trying fly solo?  Stop it.  Land the plane.  That's not what God had in mind.  Way back in the beginning of His story He said that human loneliness is a bad thing (Gen 2:18).  Come together.  Right now.  Over Him.  Get into community with other folks who are following Jesus.  Yeah, I know.  Churches are jacked up.  Well, I've got news for you.  They're ALL jacked up.  Every last one of them.  That's because they're full of jacked up sinners like you and me.  But despite its flaws and failings, the local church is THE body of Jesus.  Christ uses His body to show His love to the people in the community.  So, get over yourself.  Hope is calling you to get back into community.  "You were called in one body" (Col 3:15).  The folks there need you.  You need them.

Hope is calling you out.

Paul makes it clear that there is just "one Spirit" (v4).  Don't be fooled by imitators.  There are certainly other spirits but only one Holy Spirit.  Did you know there's a way to test and see if a spirit really is His Spirit?  The Apostle John clues us in on the fact that "every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God" (1Jn 4:1-2).  If someone or something causes you and me to doubt the fact that Jesus is truly fully God and fully Man, then we don't want anything to do with them.  Those spirits are agents of our enemy.  Can I be straight up?  They're demons!  There's just ONE Spirit.  And He's come to fill and empower the local church to pour out the grace of God to people who have lost hope.

Hope is calling you out.

But there IS hope.  And hope is calling.  "You were called to the one hope that belongs to your call" (v4).  Ready for a little Greek lesson?  Well, here it comes anyway.  Twice in this verse Paul uses a form of the verb kaleo.  It means to summon, invite, provide a name, designate or call together for a purpose.  In the story about the big wedding, Jesus describes how the master sent his out to invite (Gr. kaleo) folks to the shindig (Mt 22:3).  In a legal sense, people use the term to summon people to appear in court (Acts 4:18).  But over and over again, biblical writers use this verb as a way to explain God's invitation to salvation in general (Mt 4:21; 2Th 2:14; 1Pet 2:9) or a specific task (Heb 5:4).

These words in this verse are VERY similar to the word we translate "church" or ekklesia, which means the "called out ones."  Jesus has called you and me to know the hope that's only found in a relationship with Him.  He's invited us.  He's summoned us.  He's calling us to a bigger purpose.  He's calling us to the ULTIMATE purpose.  

Hope is calling you out.

We need to stop thinking about the church as some sort of Christian bomb shelter where we can close our selves off from the rest of the nasty ol' world.  Jesus is calling us OUT!  He's inviting us to invite others to the hope that can only be found in Him.  There is only one hope.  Jesus.  He is Hope Personified (1Tim 1:1).  He's THE Way, THE Truth and THE Life (Jn 14:6).  We can't let others know about that hope if we're quivering in fear behind the locked doors of our fallout shelter from sin.  Jesus is calling us out!  Jesus is calling us to take His message of grace and hope out to people everywhere (Mt 28:19-20).

Hope is calling you out.