John 15:3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.So the pruning did not take the branch away, rather, it purified it and made it able to produce good fruit. If you are like me, for many years I found this ...  Read More

John 15:1“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.Have you ever hung out in a vineyard? Weirdly, I have. I spent one year in the Napa Valley attending Pacific Union College. It was a great year. I had a great time, and I was able to hang out wi...  Read More

INTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENOne can study for decades how to properly grow and care for a vineyard to produce not only the best fruit, but a great wine.  Have you ever planted a garden, or grown something from seed to plant or fruit?  Sh...  Read More

Luke 9:59 He said to another person, “Come, follow me.”The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”60 But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.”61 Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.”62 But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand...  Read More

We need new wineskins because something happens with new wine. Gasses formed within the wineskin as the wine’s flavor, color, balance, and boutique grew. Because the new wineskin could expand and hold both the wine and the gasses.If the new wine is the grace and power of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, then we should expect that the new wine will continue to grow, change, and expand. How do ...  Read More

Moving from the personal to the community, often when we speak of old wineskins, we are talking about the traditions of the church that are no longer relevant nor effective as we spread the gospel. The way that the wine was brought to us previously might not be the way future generations and different worldviews engage most effectively in the gospel. Without being willing to change how we bring th...  Read More