"New Wine Poured Into New Wineskins" - Luke 5:38

A Challenge For The Summer Of 2000

by Pastor Charles Schmitt

Jesus said, "New wine must be poured into new wineskins." By this statement, in His great wisdom, our Lord Jesus set us on a quest for both - for the new wine and for the new wineskins .

Our first and foremost challenge for the summer of 2000 is a quest for new wine (wine is an Old Testament figure of speech denoting the presence and power of the Holy Spirit of God). Jesus said, " new wine must be poured …." So, what we are seeking is actually a fresh, new outpouring of God's holy Presence and Power in our midst. There is, obviously, an "old" wine - the vintage of yesterday; the most recent past move of God in our midst. Our present need is for "new" wine - for a current move, for a fresh , brand new work of God's Holy Spirit in us individually and corporately! This is our foremost challenge for the summer of 2000!

Our next challenge for the summer of 2000 is to seek the "new wineskins " that Jesus spoke about. Wineskins (or wine bottles) are what are made to contain the wine of the Spirit so that it is not spilled out on the ground and wasted. "Old wineskins" are wineskins, which have become rigid and brittle and hardened with age. Consequently, they do not respond well to the surging, bubbling, expanding of the new wine. In their brittleness they often split and the wine is spilled out and wasted. "New wineskins", however, are flexible and pliable, fresh and virgin. Individually, we need that personal renewal in the Holy Spirit to make us flexible and open to His move!

Corporately the same issue is true - our need for flexibility to allow for the surging presence of our God to move unhindered in our midst.

Realizing that there are some time limitations on a Sunday morning, with two back-to-back services, we have dedicated Friday evenings to a more fervent and free-flowing pursuit of the Lord's Presence. Worship and prayer and gifts and personal ministry are all part of our quest for a "fresh wineskin" to retain the move of God's Presence.

The raising up of small home cells in each neighborhood across our capitol region is also a part of our vision for "new wineskins" - places where worship and prayer and gifts and fellowship are to abound!

As we walk through the summer of 2000, I invite you to join me in my personal quest for a fresh outpouring of the new wine of God's Spirit. Also, please join me in this holy venture of seeking "Showers of Blessing" from the Presence of the Lord each Friday evening, starting at 7 P.M. in our Sanctuary. And, finally, please join me in building these living cells all across our whole area! This is our challenge for this summer of 2000!