Christianity has a number of what we could rightly call 'age-old questions', things that Christians have been debating for the past two thousand years. One of these 'perplexing riddles' is the subject of the drinking and consumption of alcohol in the life of the New Testament, age of grace, blood washed and born again believer. The Bible makes a number of statements about alcohol that apply in every dispensation, so between that and what our apostle Paul has to say about it, I am pretty sure we can come to an agreement on at least what the Bible declares to be true about drinking. On this episode of Rightly Dividing, since this is our first Bible study of 2024, I thought we'd kick it off with this highly-controversial subject of Christians and alcohol. You will note, however, that the only reason it's controversial is because most Christians don't take what the Bible says about these matters to heart. You will also notice that in the main graphic for this article, I have used an image of the Roman Catholic split-beard 'Jesus' offering the beer, because the actual Jesus of the Bible wouldn't do that, and never did that. You can't show me one time where Jesus ever got anyone drunk or even a little 'buzzed'. He would have to violate His own scripture to do it. Tonight you will hear, some of you for the first time, what the Bible actually says about the drinking of alcohol. I will also share with you some of the highlights, and lowlights, in my own lifelong battle with alcohol and hope it will be a blessing to you.

In this episode, Paul and Barnabas attend the Council at Jerusalem and codify the New Testament, Church Age gospel of salvation by grace through faith We are so very excited to have started a new multi-part series on the life and ministry of the apostle Paul! In this first part we see him as Saul, the absolute enemy of the Church of Jesus Christ, and a scary-good type of Antichrist to boot. In this second part, Saul is commissioned by the Lord into the gospel ministry, and gets his named changed to Paul. Exciting stuff! “When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren. And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.” Acts 15:2-4 (KJB) On this episode of Rightly Dividing, we travel to Jerusalem to meet a man exceedingly zealous of the Law of Moses, so zealous in fact that he can have men and women who believe in Jesus executed without a single tinge of conscience. That’s Saul, and he’s as hardcore as they come. Everything is going along great for Saul, right up to the moment he meets the risen Lord and Saviour on the road to Damascus, and that’s when it all ‘hits the fan’ for Saul’s career as self-appointed destroyer of the Church. What will the Lord do? Strike him down, put Saul in the lowest Hell? On the contrary, Jesus uses Saul as the archetype example of what God’s grace is all about, then makes him the apostle for the Church in the brand-new Age of Grace! This is Part 3 in a series.