New Wineskins
April 4th, 2008 by Kyle
In James 4:8 it tells us that if we draw near to God He will draw near to us.
I recently had an experience in which I felt that God was reminding me of this fact. As an intern, I find that sometimes I get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the day and forget to give God the place that He deserves in my life. Sometimes I find that I do not spend enough time in the scriptures and in prayer and many of the other spiritual disciplines that God has provided us all.
This all started to hit me as I was reading in Mark 2:21-22. The meaning was lost on me so I consulted a commentary and found an interesting take. Namely that Jesus was theologically attacking the Pharisees talking about how those who worship God will be so different from the Pharisees and their methodology that their worship will be something different, a new wineskin. Whether or not this is the absolutely correct view on this, that statement struck me. I think that I need to reevaluate my motives.  I think of the joy that the Psalmist takes in God’s law in Psalm 119 and think that perhaps maybe that is what Jesus was talking about. Perhaps these Pharisees were simply going through the motions and it is impossible to put exactly what God want us to be full of, His Holy Spirit, His power in our life into something like that.
So I think some of the things that I am doing are simply old wineskins. I need to rekindle my joy for the scriptures and make an attempt to connect to the God who is behind them. I need to stop simply reading to find something to talk about, but reading because of the joy that it could –no, will- bring. If you are, in fact out there in internet-land, finding yourself in the same position, take strength from the fact that someone out there is going through this trial with you.
Kyle,
Your message reminded me of a lot of things we all are going through.
Last eve I was at a Kim Clement meeting where we were being
led in worship. We heard about fiery trials which produce the gold,
and how many of us are at the end of the season of a fiery trial and
now it’s time for the gold to be exposed that God deposited within
us.
It seems to me that where the Pharisees missed the mark the most,
is that they did not seem to be doing the work of deliverance that
the judges of the Old Testament would do. Without the spirit of wisdom, the Law becomes the letter which kills. Without truth and
mercy together, it becomes the letter that kills.
Kyle, you say you are an intern, so I assume you are going into
ministry somewhere full time. For those of us who have not had
elders to go to for matters we were not able to reconcile, please
consider this from Jer 22: “He judged the cause of the poor and
needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know me? saith
the Lord.”
If the Pharisees had been deliverers, would they not have known
Jesus when he came to them? Wouldn’t they have said among themselves, “Isn’t this the voice of him who we heard in our hearts
when we searched out matters of judgment and justice, and found
out what was right?”
If the Pharisees had been there for people, (to hear their cause and
be deliverers) they would have known the Lord.
We need elders who will be there for people when they need someone. Please have that vision and prepare for the future.
I believe God is raising up Davids, Deborahs, Gideons, Samsons,
and others who walked in Hebrews 11. I’ve heard it and I know
it’s so. God is raising up an Army. Let them be an army of deliverers.
We will need to be flexible and at times unyielding.
Kyle, I resonate with your observations. I realize that most of my life I have looked for my afirmation from the leaders I could see around me, looked for more than they could ever have given, and found only resentment and frustration. Also having grown up without a good understanding of how to relate to HIM, but being more “comfortable” praying to Jesus, who “understands”, I find that I know in my head all that should resound through my heart and life, but for so much want of fortifications, I am starved of soul..Hopefully with grace I can built up my heart in Him..Keep yearning and believing. Jason