New Wine Needs New Wineskins

New Wineskins

I was just sitting musing one evening. I wasn’t thinking about very much – in fact I was browsing Facebook and catching up with people. Suddenly – the Lord is like this; He does things suddenly - the Lord broke into my thoughts. He gained my instant attention with this question – “Why do you think that most churches could actually miss out on the coming revival?” Well, that got my attention quite quickly. I was stunned as I have always thought that a great many churches will be involved. I have imagined great unity as churches come together in revival. Yet here was God asking me if I had any thoughts as to why most of them could actually miss out on it all !!!

“OK”, I thought to myself, “Better follow this up – you know – it could be important.” The Lord knew my thoughts of course and He continued, “Read Luke 5:36-38 and we will talk further.” Don’t you just love the fact that we can get alone with our Lord and Father God for a conversation? Such an incredible privilege!!

So I read the passage - Luke 5:36-38 (NKJV)

“Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

“OK”, I thought, “Lord, I don’t understand. Please tell me more.”

What the Lord told me at that moment has changed my thinking about revival and its consequences for ALL of us.

“Unless the church changes its own old wineskin for My new one, how can they expect to hold the new wine of revival without breaking or bursting?”

I asked for some clarity on this and He simply said, “How can a church that has not changed and is still using the ‘old wineskin’ expect to hold My new wine?” In other words, how can any church that continues in its old ways expect to receive revival, and cope with the changes associated with a revival?

So, churches as well as people need to prepare for revival. There needs to be a new holiness in the church as well as in us. It is said that a church that prays together, stays together. In our last church, we had an astonishing ratio attending prayer meetings – around 60-80% of the membership!! Here, there is a quickening of peoples spirits and evening prayer and worship sessions are suddenly attracting over 30% of the membership – and its growing fast. I think this is exceptional and we are so very fortunate to belong to this particular body of believers. We appear to be willing to prepare for revival – even though I am not sure everyone appreciates the real cost of such a move of God in our midst.

How about your church? Is your leadership encouraging these things? Are the people willing? Is your wineskin being renewed so you can hold the New Wine?