All of us have a desire for God to pour out new wine into our lives and Churches.
We all want to see God move in a way that we have never seen before.
But are we truly ready for new wine? Are we ready to embrace change?

Luke 5:37-39
And no one pours new wine into old wine skins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wine skins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wine skins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’ ”

We have to learn to love the new wine if God is to do a new thing.
Let’s have a look at some of the differences between old wine and new wine.

1. Taste
New wine is tangy and sharp.
Old wine is smooth and rich.

When the new harvest comes it won’t all be smooth and good tasting!
There will be some sharpness when it comes.
New people or ideas that we have never done before.
When the harvest nets go out, not all the fish caught are clean and ready.
Actually most of us took some time to get cleaned up when we started coming to Church!

2. Price, Availability and Stock
New wine is inexpensive, available at any time and sold in bulk.
Old wine is expensive, saved for special occasions and rare.

The gospel of Jesus is for anyone to receive anytime and anywhere.
It’s not just for a select group of special or holy people.
A new wine Church is a welcoming and growing Church with people increasing as God brings them.

3. Knowledge
You don’t need to be an expert to drink new wine.
Old wine is an art form, it’s studied and written about, and only experts can appreciate it.

Lack of knowledge about God or the Bible should never be an obstacle for someone to be apart of Church and to getting to know Jesus.
We shouldn’t have any barriers preventing people from coming to Church, serving Jesus more, getting baptised or becoming leaders.

4. Pride
There is no pride in new wine.
There is much pride in old wine

If we become prideful in our achievements and knowledge, it distances us from people who haven’t yet learnt what we have learnt from God.
We need to be humble like Jesus, serving others and realising we are not better than anyone else.
And in the end pride comes before a fall.

5. Harvest Time
New wine comes at the harvest time now.
Old wine represents a harvest of the past.

If you want to have a harvest, you must be ready for the new wine that comes along with it.
Old wine is from a harvest in the past.
New wine is from the harvest today.
It may have been a great harvest then, but God wants to do a new thing now.

6. Label
For new wine the label doesn’t matter.
For old wine the label is incredibly important (year, vineyard, country etc).

New people coming to faith in Jesus don’t care about titles.
God gives us a new label and takes off any old labels or names we may have received in the past.
Sometimes we think that titles are important, but in God’s kingdom titles don’t mean much.
People follow the leader, not their title.

7. Age
New wine is young.
The age of old wine is very important and the older the better.

Age doesn’t matter to God.
He is ready to use you as you are. Young, old or in between.
You are not too young to walk in God’s plan, or too old to have missed out on it.
There is no seniority in God’s kingdom.
Of course we respect and honour people but age does not mean anyone is a better person or leader.

I pray this excites you about new wine and a new harvest!
New wine is not always easy to receive but it is essential for growth and revival.

Are we just saying we are ready for new wine, ready for change?
Or are we truly stretching and taking chances with the next generation to be ready for the new harvest?

Jesus teaches that new wine will not last in old wine skins.
We must learn to be continuousy renewing our wine skins and thinking if we want Jesus to pour out new wine into our lives and Churches.

I am praying and believing for a great outpouring of new wine for you and your Church.

Rod.
Lifehouse Tokyo