Burn Your Wineskins...

 

Back in May, a group of us were praying. We were seeking God for the new "wineskin" (a symbol of the current "framework" for what God is doing). 

Where did God want us to be, and what would be the "structure" of that church, ministry, or whatever? We then started to feel that we were being overly concerned with the "wineskin" over the "wine". We felt the Lord saying,

"Forget the wineskin. I want the new wine of my Spirit to flow freely over Wales. Just let it flow and wash away all religiousity. Let it wash away all preconceived ideas of how I want to move. Just let the new wine flow!"

We prayed, in response, 

"Lord, we burn all of our wineskins. We declare that there is no wineskin!! 

Let your new wine flow over Wales!"

I have thought much about this over the past six months since that prayer meeting. Sometimes in our attempt to keep things Biblical we can miss what the Spirit is saying. That's a hard thing to accept, because we are taught that everything has to line up with Scripture, right? Maybe? Let me explain.

One of my former Bible College Lecturers, who later became a mentor to me when I was pastoring in the States, challenged my thinking with these two comments:

1. Just because it's in the Bible doesn't mean it's relevant:

He was challenging my propensity, at the time, to say, "It is written, it is written!" (a false practice from my word of faith days), and that's when he said, "Just because it's written doesn't mean it's relevant". He went on to say, "It is the Holy Spirit who makes what is written relevant. He provides the context". See, when I was taught in college, I was taught to NEVER quote the Bible out of context. However, many years later, when I went through the New Testament and looked at when Jesus, and the apostles, quoted the Old Testament, most of the time is was out of the context of the original use. That blew my mind. So, when my mentor challenged me with that statement, it was easier for me to adopt because I had already been on that journey of exploration. 

There is a reason why Jesus didn't say, "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in TRUTH and SPIRIT" (John 4:24), Jesus, better than anyone, understood the important role the Holy Spirit plays in the revealing of Truth. We must accept that it is SPIRIT first, then (and) TRUTH. And, as I said in my last blog, we cannot understand the Truth unless the Spirit reveals it. Not by information, but by revelation, that is how we are supposed to live. Information is only good if it leads us to revelation. 

OK, then my mentor threw this gem my way that still excites my heart:

2. The book is subject to the author:

This was life changing to me. I was ALWAYS an information/knowledge man. I loved reading and studying the Bible, and amassing knowledge, and being quite legal about Scripture, and could be quite pharisaical about it too. I was an "It is written" person. But my mentor helped me by freeing me from being an "it is written" man, to being a "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" man (Rev 2:29). This statement about the "Book" (Bible) being subject to the author was revolutionary to me. Scripture serves God, He is not limited by Scripture. He is infinitely more than Scripture. The Bible is what God deems appropriate to reveal of Himself, His Son, and His Spirit, to us. 

In Wales, one of the biggest demons is the relgious spirit. This principality must be subdued in prayer and obedience to the Holy Spirit. The religious spirit is a master at sounding biblical, theological, and "right". This is how it deceives masses. It instigates debate better than anyone, and keeps the church (small "c") locked in disagreements, instead of destroying the works of Satan. This is why we need the Voice of God through the Holy Spirit, in order to help us live in Spirit & Truth. Those of you who have been turned off by some of the crazy aspects of those called charismatics/pentecostals (I hear ya!), must be careful that in your pursuit for Truth, do not become an enemy to the purposes of God (remember Gamaliel's warning in Acts 5:38-39), because it will always be Spirit & Truth. 

The Day of Pentecost was way wilder than the Toronto Blessing, way wilder than the gold dust cloud at Bethel, and even the 1904 Welsh Revival. So, if you are guilty of rejecting these modern-day moves of God, you may well have been found guilty of denouncing what happened on the Day of Pentecost. You possibly would've rejected the beautiful thing God did with Cornelius and Peter. Or Paul getting bit by a snake and surviving. AND, the whole of Jesus' life and ministry. Why? Because if you're criticising and denouncing that stuff today, you may be playing into the hands of the religious spirit that is the prevailing spirit in the church (small "c") of Wales. 

Back to our wineskins. We like theology that fits in our "wineskin", whether it be charismatic, reformed, evangelical, orthodox, and each denomination represented in those groups. We are wary of anything outside of our ragged, crumbling, wineskin. What God is about to do in Wales will require us to burn our wineskins. Spirit & Truth is how we are called to worship. If you are cessationist, you will have to deal with the issue of that error, and face the Holy Spirit. Equally, those who are "charismaniacs", and I'm referring especially to those who refer to themselves as "mystics", they are engaging in christian witchcraft, and have erred from Truth. They will have to face Truth and reconcile their lives to Spirit & Truth. Even those who may not be as extreme as these "mystics", any charismatic/pentecostal who lives more by feelings and experiences than they do by the Truth of the Scriptures, need to reconile their ways. Eitherway, on both sides, we will be expected to burn our wineskins, to slay our sacred cows, and let God be God in Wales.   

Lord!! Let Your new wine flow over Wales.Sort it all out for us. Lord, we choose to lay in the way, in order that Your new wine can flow over us. 

I found this cool video from two years ago of wine running down a street in Portugal. LORD, let your new wine flow down our streets. We come out of our church buildings and LAY IN THE WAY!!!

Mwy Arglwydd...