New Wineskins for a New People

… no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If you do, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, new wine is poured into new wineskins." 

Mark 2:22

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Matthew 28:18-20

Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." After He had said this, they watched as He was taken up, and a cloud hid Him from their sight.…

Acts 1:7-9

Author, pastor, church planter extraordinaire Ralph Moore, founder of The Hope Chapel Movement, writes the following: “It’s not about fitting more people into an existing model - it’s all about new models and multiplication!”

That is such a truthful and impactful statement. It is one we would do well to reread, memorize and implement…

The Church of North America seems to still hang on to certain outdated and failed structural models and methods. We love big numbers because, of course, they undoubtedly mean success. Lots of money in your bank account? You’re a success! Lots of high numbers in your GPA? You’re the smartest! Double digit baptisms this past year? You’re a faithful church!

But is that really what the Bible (the authoritative Word of God for those of you who are interested) teaches?

In Acts 1:8 Jesus lays out what we feel is the only pattern for churches that should matter.
    Receive the Holy Spirit
    Receive the Holy Spirit’s power
    Witness at home
    Witness locally
    Witness regionally
    Witness globally

Nothing about numbers. Nothing about procedures. Nothing about policy. Nothing about rules. Nothing about reports. Nothing about self-promotion. Nothing about success.

Just Jesus. Just the Spirit. Just living out our faith in the world.

This is the model we should be implementing. This is the model we should follow. After all, wasn’t it Jesus who said, “Follow me”?

If there is anything we (the North American Church) can learn from the pandemic and the consequences which have resulted; if there is something we can take from the gun violence in our society; if there is one thing we can determine from the legislated killings of countless humans in the womb - it is this: the church has been and is focused on the wrong things and as such, it is ill-equipped to provide workable, doable answers to society’s transgressions.

In other words, we are too shallow and have not truly “launched into the deep” of God. As Luke records in Luke 5: “When Jesus had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch."

The Church, unfortunately, still believes in “Robert’s Rules of Order” and “The Peter Principle” as the only way the church should operate. We do not go to Acts 1 and 2. We do not go to Matthew 28. We talk about Jesus but do not follow Jesus. Yet we fuss and fume when the world does not act like us…all the while we are not acting like Jesus. 

The church, much to Jesus' chagrin, has been superficial.

Richard Foster says, “Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.”

The Psalmist describes what the world needs - a deep people of God - like this: They are “like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth fruit in its season, whose leaf shall not wither…” 

Psalm 1:3.

Pastor Joe Chambers writes, “As Foster points out (in his writing), the number of firmly rooted trees on the Christian landscape is growing smaller, and it’s largely because of an unwillingness to wait on God. We tend to replace waiting on God with hurried attempts at pursuing growth on our own. And so, we settle for shallow roots destined to yield only mediocre growth.”

Friends, the way the church in North America has done things is past. We have been focused on shallow things: numbers on paper, butts in seats, names on the roll. We have focused on the shallow and ended up with mediocrity - both personally and communally. 

It is past time we go deeper. It is time to quit trying to fit people into our mold. It is time for new wineskins. It is time to go back to the Bible and forward into the kingdom.

Before we go, what are some things you think the church needs to do to reach your community? What are some new things we must focus on? Where are the new areas we need to go into? What are the new models that will help the church multiply? How would you “go forth and multiply” God’s kingdom? Please let us know what you think!