“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.” (Mark 2:22).
These words from the mouth of Jesus are most easily applied today to the traditional church (the wineskin) and the message it proclaims (the wine). In Jesus’ day, the obvious application was the new wine of Jesus’ teaching and the old wineskin of the pharisaic religion that killed Him. The issue before us is this: “How can the current church NOT be the OLD wineskin of the Pharisees, but the NEW wineskin of the biblical church that proclaims the true gospel of the Grace of God?”
I am convinced that this New Wine itself, when boldly proclaimed, will eventually produce a New Wineskin, never the reverse. As I have shared in past postings, Jill and I once attended a relatively new house church of about ten couples, that had all the external characteristics of a New Wineskin church. During the 18 months we were involved, I never missed a meeting and loved it! I shared four messages during that time, on the New Wine of the Grace of God, and each was received with sharply declining enthusiasm! At that point, I was asked not to teach that idea anymore. In other words, “We love you and want you to continue to come to church, but you can’t speak anymore.” I had thought that if the external structure was right, as this church was, a New Wineskin would follow. I discovered that there is NO NEW WINESKIN (like I thought this church was) WITHOUT FIRST DRINKING DEEPLY OF THE NEW WINE OF THE GOSPEL OF GRACE!
Who, then, are those who make up that New Wineskin? What are the characteristics that a New Wineskin participant will eventually have? I believe there are three distinctives that New Testament church members fundamentally posses:
1.) I will be like a “little child”, never asking “Why, Daddy?” but always saying, “Yes, Daddy!” to what He has told me in my heart, and how He leads in living my life (Matthew 18:2-5). Being. “like a little child” is synonymous to “walking by faith” or “walking in the Spirit,” the biblical descriptions. However, it is not emphasized today because of our unconscious addiction to continuing to eat of the fruit of the forbidden tree in the Garden, by both us and our church leaders. We are striving to be “good,” according to the particular performance standards by which we live, whether it be the Law of the Bible, today’s culture, “what’s right for me,” or the law of the gang to which I belong.
On the other hand, “walking by faith” is simply TRUSTING IN MY HEART that Daddy will lead me and change my sinful “want-tos” (Philippians 2:13)!
2.) I will “walk in the light” with my fellow believers, confessing my sins openly and transparently (James 5:16; 1 John 1:5-10). No, church is not for “good” people, but for wicked sinners who know, fully embrace, and openly proclaim that fact. They know it and rejoice in it, knowing they are fully and finally forgiven! New Testament church is more like an Alcoholics Anonymous or Celebrate Recovery meeting than traditional church. It is for wicked sinners, not a gathering of “good” people!
Paul gives us some insight into his experience with this truth and its necessity for spiritual leadership. We can see the understanding of this truth growing throughout his life and ministry. Initially, he saw himself as “the least of the Apostles” (in 56 AD in 1 Corinthians 15:9), the “least” of the 15 or so of the greatest Christians who ever lived!
Then five years later in AD 60-61, he saw himself as “less than the least of all the Saints” (Ephesians 3:8), the least worthy of all born-again believers.
Finally, toward the end of his life in AD 62-63, Paul had grown and matured in his view of himself to be the “chief of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). Paul’s progressive awareness of 1.) the depths of his sin, and 2.) the absolute certainty of God’s permanent and total forgiveness of it all, constitutes genuine spiritual growth that comes ONLY by “walking in the light” fully.
“Walking in the light,” embracing and proclaiming what the light exposes, and God’s unquestioned forgiveness of it, is a classic example of God’s bass-ackward, upside down, inside out way to think and live—the life-style of those in the biblical, New Wineskin church!
3.) I will be a vital part of what is a “participatory church” (not observational), knowing that my contribution is crucial to the life of that church (1 Corinthians 12:12-31; 1Corinthians 14:26). Christianity is not an individual sport! It cannot be played alone. When anyone experiences a new relationship with Jesus, they immediately want to talk about it with others. They cannot keep silent. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:14, “the love of Christ” is now controlling him, pushing him out, changing his “want-tos.” He implies that he is helpless to stop Jesus from doing so, as He now lives within Paul by His Holy Spirit (Galatians 2:20).
As this new believer experiences this, he will find himself wanting to talk with others who have experienced this as well. That is the New Winrskin of the biblical church. Everyone wants to participate; as with Paul, the “love of God” is motivating them, and they eagerly participate when they meet together! The two Scriptures above describe that participation.
Today we have discussed WHO makes up the earthly expression of the biblical church: 1.) little children, who 2.) walk in the light, and who are 3.) eager participants when they meet together. Next week, we will see how this New Wineskin fits together with the family and the civil government to ultimately achieve God’s eternal purpose of man ruling the earth
