Mark 2: 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”
The metaphor here is the new wine which is the Holy Spirit, the moving of the spirit, the fire and power of Pentecost, the new church. Old Wineskin is religion, tradition, man-made, dry. Old wineskins once they aged became cracked and dry. New wine needs to be in new wine skins that are pliable and stretch and will move with the Holy Ghost.
To be a wine Christian you have to stop and resist the feeling of being pushed and pressured. We feel like we have to go here and there and we get caught up in the urgent and we miss the blessing of the important things God has set before us. A lot of things in our lives are like little fires, they seem urgent but will extinguish themselves if you leave them alone. To be a wine Christian ask yourself these questions;
1. Do you have a plan for you life? Do you have a dream that you want to see come through before the end of your life?
2. Do you have a goal and a plan or is your dream just a dream? Do you know how it will come to pass? What is your strategy?
Isaiah 32:8 But the noble man devises noble plans; And by noble plans he stands.
3. Who in your life is assisting you in your plan? Who speaks into your life? Who mentors you? Who is helping you? It is very dangerous to listen to no one. You hear people say, “I’m not going to church. I only need Jesus. I’m a good Christian.” Jesus is not even in this mix. He’s not hanging around this person because this person is rebellious and prideful and doesn’t think they need anyone. Then you have the flip side, the person who listens to everyone. Oh that sounds good let’s do that, that is a great idea let’s do that. Be careful what you eat in the form of books that you are reading and who you are listening to. Our Pastor warns us often, “Don’t eat from the garbage. Measure everything by what the word of God says.
4. How involved is God in the plan? Don’t forget to bring God into your meetings. And don’t move forward ignoring all the warnings. Learn to hear his voice.
That’s how you tell the difference between whether you are growing in your walk with Christ or standing still. Milk Christians are waiting to be fed the next word. Wine Christians can cook up a great meal and even feed others!
Pastor Susan 