Why "WINESKINS" are IMPORTANT
Posted by: prophetic <prophetic@...>
Date sent: Wed, 16 Jun 2004 15:01:56 -0700
Hi Andrew,
You spoke of Deep repentance, and Agonizing prayer. These
two being realized, the other things of which you've been writing
would be of little concern. I disagree. In fact, really, I must say I
agree with you over all the other issues you have brought up (the
9 lies of today's institutionalized church), and they cannot be
minimalized. And I also agree with you regarding the communion
with the Lord in repentance and prayer. But I just can't agree that
repentance and prayer can result in something so much greater
that all the other very large issues you have brought up become
minimalized.
My observations of outpourings is that wherever the Spirit is
poured out on an incompatible wineskin (a wineskin is used in
biblical metaphor as a system or paradigm, and heart values as
well as religious understandings) is that the old wineskin (ie. men
doing it their way) would not accommodate the will and nature of
the new wine but try to contain it, control, manipulate, and even
market the outpouring of the Spirit.
-In some ways putting restraints, to redirect, to control and even
minimalize the expression of the Spirit. As always, there is also
the aspect of people trying to validate themselves and their
wineskins (systems, churches, ideologies, ministries, organizations)
by the fact that there was living water in their midst. (I have seen all
these, as most likely have you and most of the readers. It's normal
human behaviour.)
This, I think, is much what we've had in the past, and I for one am
not interested in that at all !!
A New Church:
I really think that although we've seen many 'revivals' come and
go, that what is being pent up is a revival to be poured out, on,
into and through a far superior wineskin than we have seen in
past 'revivals'. A new wineskin, as Jesus called it, is a vehicle
that is in harmony with the expression of the wine.
Jesus' own men first thought that leadership was an opportunity
for advancement, advantage, and personal glory (which he worked
out of them pretty fast). So also, much of our church heritage,
and present experience of 'church' is by and large made of the
same. Men have manipulated and used, rather than received the
Spirit. And so he through history, through every little pouring out
of the Spirit, quenched, grieved, and attempted to interpret the
Spirit with our own overlays. We have tried to contort him into our
boxes, and he just doesn't fit.
With so many historically large outpourings, (I have lived through
many small ones, and studied some of history), the outpouring and
it's potential diminished until there remains after each deluge, only
a seed of results. God, knowing all along what we would do, still
poured out his Spirit in varying degrees, and for varying short times
and seasons. -Knowing this would still serve many eternal
purposes. (without these outpourings, we would likely have no
momentum at all) But as I said, only a remnant of results would
remain after each outpouring.
THERE WAS NEVER A HOUSE TO RECEIVE THE LIFE IN AN
ABIDING WAY.
An ideal wineskin (metaphorically) doesn't impose it's shape on
the wine, but is prepared to move in harmony with the fermenting
wine. Rather than imposing a rigid preconceived shape to the wine,
it takes it's shape and finds it's purpose in the movement of the
wine. It lives for the wine, rather than the wine for it!
Our whole paradigm of many things must be entirely re-worked.
Many things inherited from the hundreds of dark years of the
church must be entirely re-defined! These are not inconsequential
to simply a need for new wine, but entirely fundamental to a
successful stewardship of this coming outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
This new Wine-skin must needs having been prepared of the Lord
through many years of doings and deeper yet undoings, that the
Lord himself have a vessel that will be entirely compatible with this
precious wine. (This, many of us have seen the Lord has already
been doing for some time now!!)
Although many outpourings in the past have not continued very
long due to men's very poor receptacles. As you have written in so
many of your excellent articles, most of the outpourings of history
have not continued long. Primarily due to the fact that there was
little on the receiving end that was compatible with the outpoured Spirit.
As many of us have hoped, this next outpouring may very well be
one final and greatest pouring ever, and hopefully one that is
sustained. A SUSTAINED REVIVAL is what we want. Not some
quick splash, we all get wet and have some fun, and then things
return to much the same as before. No, but the purpose of the
next outpouring must be for CONVERTING the Body, UNDOING
what has been misconstrued, and bringing in the HARVEST on
waves of His GLORIOUS PRESENCE. It is also for ANOINTING
many for DEATH, and to sustain them through DARK TIMES for
a GREATER RESSURECTION. It is to be unto a completed Body,
and ready for his return, bearing his nature, and carrying his glory
without misinterpretation!
One would expect that the wineskin to receive and give so great
an outpouring it's wanted expression would also be the finest, the
most compatible, the least contrived, the most true to God's heart.
And we would expect that for such an outpouring, God has been
preparing a vessel.
This vessel is first being seen in preparation in the millions of
hearts in whom the desire and vision for a new vessel is being
formed. There are multitudes who really have been going through
a breaking down of illusions, and a deep renewal process in
preparation for this outpouring. While of course, some of us will
fail (we're human), many are going to eventually succeed in
RECEIVING the Spirit on his terms.
To succeed we will not Lord it over others, or use the gifts to
promote or glorify ourselves. We will not merchandise the Spirit.
We will not manipulate situations where God is moving to extort
money, to build for ourselves empires, or to grandstand ourselves
or our gifts, simply to let God be shown off for who he is.
We will RECEIVE THE SPIRIT and will use every opportunity to
point towards the God who is pouring his life out. We will truly be
the generation that brings him fame rather than the shame that
has been. We will be a generation in whom true humility is
fundamentally part of our whole life form, in which leadership is
servanthood, and ministry is an action verb describing our labor of
service, rather than a noun describing our shameful displays of
titles, offices, and positions we have clamored for over one another.
Leadership and ministry as Jesus defines it will be lowly minded
again, not the high-minded way that has been often presented by
people that really should know better. There is a change coming,
and it is to take on the teachings of Jesus Christ seriously, as our
foundation. It's very hard to construe out of Jesus' teachings what
we see today of what has become called 'Church', and the
high-minded leadership format which has dominated the church
scene since the early beginnings of the Dark Ages, (which Jesus
and Paul both fore-saw and prophesied).
Back to the Revival:
The church, in those places which will truly RECEIVE THE SPIRIT,
will be outposts of love. Havens of help to humanity, outposts of
heaven to the needy of earth. -Not programmed and run by
bureaucrats. Politics, and position mindedness, clamoring for
advantage will be furthest from our minds. Ministry will no longer
be falsely so-called in this true church, under the guise of position
posting, with the nature of climbers. But 'ministry' will come to
describe the multitude graces of God upon all his people. It will be
the action and life they give in realized help, not the positions of the
fallen 'climber' system.
I for one am not looking for just another outpouring, largely lost
amongst jealous, carnal 'CLIMBERS'. But an outpouring to outdo
all others, and one in which the jealousy of God will not tolerate
the 'Nicolaitan' way.
-Kelly Joel Weiler.