Matching Wine and Wineskins

People say it is what a person is on the inside which counts, and this is true.  This inner focus is likely pushing back against our human tendency to measure ourselves by externals.  We can obsess superficial and transitory aspects like the appearance of our body - the size of our nose or be self-conscious about a mole - more than the character of our hearts.  Jesus taught the words and deeds of a person is an extension of the inner reality:  out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matt. 12:34).  We can conclude therefore both the heart and conduct of a person is important.  Man looks at outer appearance, but God looks at the heart.  If the heart of a man is right before God, he should take intentional steps to see his conduct and words reflect that reality.

Jesus told a parable in Mark 2:21-22:  "No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. ²² And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins."  New fabric shrinks, and new wine expands because of the fermentation process.  One point Jesus is making here is how there should be an agreement between the torn fabric and the fabric used to make the patch; there must be agreement between the new wine coupled with new wineskins.  If new wine is placed into an old wineskin the production of carbon dioxide will cause the brittle wineskin to rupture and all the wine will leak out.  New wine requires a new wineskin.

When a Christian is born again through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, we are made new on the inside.  But we continue to live in a body of flesh saddled with a mind indoctrinated by the world and sinful habits.  A personal application for all to consider is a person who is born again must choose to live life in a new way according to God's Word.  A new spirit requires a new way of thinking, a new way of living.  Focusing on modifying behaviour without inner transformation is like buying a new wineskin for wine that has turned to vinegar.  Transformation within and holding onto the old life is untenable, like new wine in an old wineskin.  The old wineskin will burst and the wine will be wasted.  Like in the Parable where the seed fell on thin or thorny ground which sprang up yet remained without fruit, so it is for the professing Christian who is ensnared in worldly living.  Since God has changed us on the inside, we must be willing to continue changing on the outside too.

When a professing believer finds Christianity boring, reading the Word fruitless, and fellowship with believers tiresome, it may be that person has not been transformed within by the presence of the Holy Spirit.  He has laboured to appear as a new wineskin, but his original vinegar flavour has never changed inside.  Listen to what G.K. Chesterton says about the natural man and his appetites:

There comes an hour in the afternoon when the child is tired of 'pretending'; when he is weary of being a robber or a Red Indian.  It is then that he torments the cat.  There comes a time in the routine of an ordered civilization when the man is tired of playing at mythology and pretending that a tree is a maiden or that the moon made love to a man.  The effect of this staleness is the same everywhere; it is seen in all drug-taking and dram-drinking and every form of the tendency to increase the dose.  Men seek stranger sins or more startling obscenities as stimulants to their jaded sense.  They seek after made oriental religions for the same reason.  They try to stab their nerves to life, if it were with the knives of the priests of Baal.  They are walking in their sleep and try to wake themselves up with nightmares. (Chesterton, G. K. The Everlasting Man. San Francisco: Ignatius, 2008. Print. page 159)

People who become bored with Christianity and church resemble the pretender G.K. Chesterton speaks about.  It is not seen as strange a man should embrace the hobby of playing golf for years and sell his clubs to buy a bicycle, but people scratch their heads in disbelief when a man serves at church for years and walks away.  It is not for me to judge the hearts of others, but before God I am responsible to examine my own heart and conduct.  Is my inner man reconciled to my outer man?  Are my affections and desires in line with the will of my Father in heaven?  Too many professing Christians in word are not indeed Christians, for their conscience has been inoculated by their knowledge and service.  When we have increased the dose and we lose our buzz, the famished souls of men will search elsewhere.  Has following Jesus become stale?  Jesus Christ makes new creations, and a genuine new creation required newness of life.  Let us ensure our lives are reconciled to this truth.

Addressing Source or Symptoms?

Head colds are common ailments usually caused by viruses.  Symptoms include a sore throat, blocked or runny nose, and sinus pressure.  There are many over-the-counter medications which can alleviate the symptoms in varying degrees.  It is important for the sufferer to realise the runny nose is a problem and an irritation, but it is not the source of the problem:  the runny nose is indicative of a virus the body will overcome in due time.

It would be silly to think the source of the head cold was eliminated by jamming Kleenex in the nose or irrigating the sinus with a saline solution.  Treating the symptoms of a chronic illness or disease never touches the root cause.  It would be foolish to load up on caffeine to fight fatigue when the body is suffering anemia or heart disease.  Morphine is very good at numbing pain, but it does nothing to mend a broken bone or remove bowel cancer.  Unless the source is dealt with directly, all efforts to treat the symptoms will not promote healing or restoration.  Efforts to remove white patches off tonsils with a wire brush will only add complications to pain.  The alleviation of symptoms without discovering and addressing the cause is problematic as well, for it masks the insidious nature of the sickness which will continue to rage unchecked.

It may be we only want our symptoms relieved, but wisdom demands we discover the source of our symptoms and seek a genuine cure.  The symptoms of spiritual illness are often played out in the physical realm.  A lack of peace, joy, or contentment should be an impetus to seeking God and His counsel through the Word.  Waywardness of eyes and thoughts are often indicative of a wandering heart from steadfast faithfulness to God.  We can toil against the lusts of our flesh and eyes and not realise the problem is not with all the temptation offered in the world but the sin which sits enthroned in our own hearts.  We are called to guard our hearts, for from the heart springs all the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23).

Sinful conduct and habits is like a spiritually runny nose and fever:  it is an indicator something inside us is sick and in need of a physician's care.  It may appear passive to allow a virus run its course, but in truth the body is working overtime to see the viral threat destroyed.  God designed our bodies with an intricate defense system which identifies and attacks all threats to the health of the body, and God allows feelings we classify as bad, sickness, waves of depression, and circumstances so we might recognise our need to repent and refocus our trust on God once more.  It is not more self-control in one area we need, but to abide in Christ's love by making God's will our practice in all our lives.  Resist the urge to force superficial change in yourself by modifying behaviour without considering the implications of how your actions reveal your heart.  Unless a heart is humbled before God in faith and surrender, lasting transformation is not a viable option.  Efforts of the flesh to clean our exterior resemble a man with a fever who scrubs his inflamed tonsils with a wire brush - and that is an ugly picture indeed.

The Illegitimate Son

The strong negative stigma of having children or being born out of wedlock today has lost much of its former potency.  Not long ago even in western cultures children considered "illegitimate" or of dubious origin were mocked and shunned.  In the Bible we read that Jephthah was driven away from home by his brothers because he was the son of another mother.  Being deemed a bastard had legal consequences as well.  For instance, an illegitimate son could be denied an inheritance and could not be a rightful heir.  In Bible times there were strong consequences even in regards to worship.  Deuteronomy 23:2:  "One of illegitimate birth shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD."  The exact meaning of the words translated "illegitimate birth" has been hotly debated by Jewish Rabbis, but the point is this:  the illegitimate nature of a person's conception had a far-reaching and often negative impact on life.

Even as a man and woman are necessary to conceive and bear children, so children have need of both their father and mother to raise them.  I cannot imagine how my life would have been impacted as a child without my dad or mum.  It used to be a boy who never knew his father was called a "child without a name," and I imagine the lack of a name would be the least of his worries.  I am grateful to have been raised by both my parents, but the day came when I left their immediate care.  Now I live on the other side of the world, and though the internet, technology, and modern transportation keeps us closer than has ever been possible, a divide remains.  A man need not leave a city, state, or country for a divide to exist.  The day comes when a son or daughter leaves home, embarks on a career, is married, and the nature of the parent/child relationship changes.  As much as a parent always wants to "be there" for their children, no one will live forever.  Praise God He has offered to be an eternal, heavenly Father who will always be there for His children.  He is not limited by distance or advancing age:  He provides, protects, and corrects us faithfully.

This morning I was listening to a message by Jon Courson and he reminded the congregation:  "Sin is not bad because it is forbidden; sin is forbidden because it is bad."  A good father who loves his son will discipline him.  If we have embraced a life of sin and are not under conviction or being chastised by God in a painful way for it, it may indicate we are not children of God at all.  Sobering words!  Listen to what Hebrews 12:5-8 says:  "...My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; ⁶ for whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives." ⁷ If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? ⁸ But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons."  People can be downright gleeful in their sin.  It may even seem for a prolonged season they are unaffected by sin which works for their ruin.  God loves all people, but those who have received His love through being born again by the Gospel, in His love He will swat us.  He will even allow us to go into oppressive captivity for a season, taken captive by Satan to do his will.  God ultimately inflicts sharp pain to correct His children - all working towards our ultimate restoration, deliverance, and refinement.  If we are bastards and not sons of God by the blood of Christ, then we cannot legally receive any inheritance of eternal life from Him.

Don't despise the chastening of the LORD, believer.  And we need not concern ourselves that God isn't chastening others as we think He ought.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and He knows very well how to manage His own flock.  He does not need advice from the sheep of how to best do this.  He is a loving Father who knows the hearts of  His children perfectly.  God knows the best way to discipline each one, and we must answer the call as His child to act as an obedient, reverent, and faithful child towards Him.  The words of Jesus to Peter when he asked concerning John ring in my ears as an appropriate application.  John 21:21-22 says, "Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?" ²² Jesus said to him, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me."  God is our good Father, and let us concern ourselves with being good sons and daughters.  Praise the LORD for His correction which prevents us from self-destruction!  It is better to be spared from future sin by pain now than for God to spare the rod and refuse to accept us as sons.  I would rather have a good Father who inflicts pain motivated by love than to live in my sin and suffer without help or hope.  What would you prefer?

Upheld by Love

As I reflect upon the trip I took to Cambodia in 2015, this image (courtesy of Vanny Phal, an amazing chemist and sister in Christ) is the one indelible memory of the trip.  To me it sums up the truth I realised in a very personal way.  I always want to be the strong one who helps others, but there are times when I am weak and need to be upheld by my sisters and brothers in Christ.  The sweet scene depicted in the photo played out for me as a literal parable.

During one of our medical clinics in a mountain village, I noticed this little man starting to fade into sleep as he patiently sat on the bench.  His mother was having dental work done, so his big sister picked him up, held him, and gently rocked him to sleep.  I watched amazed for over an hour as this little girl held her brother who was half her size without complaint or visible discomfort.  I had no idea how this scene would unfold in a personal way and in dramatic fashion.

After our time in Cambodia came to a close, we flew to Singapore before returning home to Sydney, Australia.  It was in Singapore I began to feel unwell.  It began with what I thought perhaps was hunger or indigestion, and I was glad to be boarding a flight heading home.  I had not been seated for a minute before I felt like it would be advisable to go to the toilet - just in case.  When I found the toilets locked, I leaned against a bulkhead to think and suddenly...I found myself lying on my back in an aisle, surrounded by concerned staff who asked me to tell them my name.  I had fainted and been unconscious for almost a minute!  After convincing everyone I was right as rain and was seated, I promptly fainted again.  I was deemed unfit to fly and wheeled off the plane utterly humiliated and disappointed to be denied passage home.  But I understood.  They did the right thing.

Eventually I did make it home, after being diagnosed with food poisoning.  What I haven't explained is how God used two women from our church who accompanied me on the trip to uphold me.  One of them literally caught me as I fainted so I didn't injure myself when I lost consciousness.  The other decided to stay with me in Singapore, denying herself the chance to fly home, so she could ensure our flights were quickly rescheduled and I was properly cared for.  You see, I was the little boy in the picture.  God provided two sisters in Christ to uphold me.  What I must remember is that I am still that little boy:  weak, frail, unable to be strong all the time, with genuine needs I cannot meet myself.  Just today I was so encouraged to hear from a sister in Christ that she is praying for me, upholding me and the ministry here in Sydney in prayer.

Sometimes God will use you to be the girl in the picture, but more often than we care to admit we resemble that little boy:  in need of love, care, and support.  Praise God for the family He has provided in Christ and all the support we receive we will never know about.  Thank you friends and family who faithfully support my family and me in countless ways.  God has made us a Body, the church, and when all its movements are governed by the love of Christ there is nothing more beautiful.