The New English Bible says of verse 13, “They have been drinking.”

The Cotton Patch Version says, “They’re tanked up on white lightning.”

The Weymouth New Testament says, "They are brim-full of sweet wine."

When was that last time somebody accused you of being full of new wine while you worshiped God? In I Samuel 1:13-14 we read: Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli (the Priest) thought she was drunk. 14 So Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!”

Ephesians 5:17-18 says, “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit”

The Blackwelder Translation says, “But keep filled with the Spirit”

The Weymouth Translation says, ”Do not over-indulge in wine--a thing in which excess is so easy-- but drink deeply of God’s Spirit.” 

The Amplified Bible says, “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is wickedness (corruption, stupidity), but be filled with the [Holy] Spirit and constantly guided by Him." Can you be so filled up with the Holy Spirit that people will think you’re drunk on alcohol? Well, according to Acts Chapter 2, yes you can. How do you stay filled up with the Spirit? Again, we can answer this with scripture. In Ephesians 5:18 it says to stay filled with the Spirit, and in verse 19 it says, “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”

I don’t know if before you became a Christian you were ever in any bars or were around people who were drunk, but drunk people like to speak to one another (loudly), they like to sing a lot, and they love everybody. They don’t care about what people think. That’s the way we need to be spiritually, not worrying about what others think, but focusing on the worship and praise of God. Finally, verse 20 says, “At all times and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.”

Stay filled up and overflowing in the spirit by staying filled up with praise and thanksgiving to God,

    `