New Wine - Day 5

The Greek words for “new” and “old” don’t merely denote age but “nature” or “essence.” Old wineskins are already stretched, thin, rigid, cracked, and brittle. New wineskins, by nature, are elastic, full of oils, supple, thick, and can be sewn and shaped.

"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, spill it, and destroy it. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.”—Luke 5:37-38  

In some respects, we are talking about our old and new nature. Our old nature was often brittle, breaking, and full of cracks that let all the great stuff out. The truth is that they have been empty for a while. 

Some of us have come from living lives that started as full but emptied quickly. We either caught the things we were chasing and found them to be empty, or we never could catch them, and we ended up living lives of quiet desperation, wondering why we couldn’t ever hit our targets. We run around like a dog chasing a ball our owner never threw. 

Others come from places that promised us fulfillment but lacked anything to sustain our flexibility. As the old wine dried up or was used up, we became rigid, brittle, and somewhat unyielding in our resolve to ensure that things stayed the same. We are slowly turning to dust without the old wine even being present. 

This is particularly difficult when you realize that the old wine was given to you by your old church. Just because we call them churches doesn’t mean that the organizing principle is the new wine. The new wine is Jesus, so if you have come from a place where Jesus is an afterthought, an honorable mention, or something other than the core of who they are, know that the old wine will dry up as it can’t be renewed. 

I shouldn’t have to say this, but I do. When Jesus is lifted, there is a renewal of the spirit and an outpouring of new wine. However, when something else takes priority over the message and the life of Jesus, historically and in the church, those wineskins will dry out eventually. 

I pray you have not been to a church like the one mentioned above. I hope that whatever community you are a part of is nothing short of a beacon of light and life for your community in how they speak of Jesus! 

However, if your experience was something different, know that now you have come to a place that believes not only in new wineskins but also in new wine, and we believe our natures have been changed due to the new wine that God is pouring into our hearts. 

JOURNAL

1. Have you ever been to a church like the one mentioned above? 
2. Did you leave? 
3. Did you stay? 
4. What can you do to change it? 
5. How can Crosswalk help?