CHANGING WINESKINS AND GARMENTS

Mar 2:21-22  No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles. KJV

 

Jesus made this statement to address the mindset of the Pharisees and disciples of John regarding fasting. Notice that he used the allegory of garments and wineskins to convey the concept of a mentality. In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians and Colossians, the same concept of garments is communicated with regards to the renewal of the mind.

 

Eph 4:17-32  This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 

Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 

Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 

But ye have not so learned Christ; 

If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 

That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 

And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 

And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 

Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 

Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 

Neither give place to the devil. 

Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. KJV

 

Col 3:8-14  But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 

Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 

And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 

Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. 

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 

And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. KJV

 

A person’s lifestyle, will always be a product of his mentality; he will either rise or fall, fail or succeed based on what he esteems as his ideologies, convictions, perceptions or belief systems. One’s paradigm may be established based on his sociological or cultural backgrounds, his experiences or the quality of knowledge that he has been exposed to.

 

When Jesus begun to preach, his first message was;

Mat 4:17  …Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. KJV

 

Repentance deals with a change of mind that subsequently results in a change of way or direction. Repentance comes from the Hebrew word,shuband the greek, metanoeo. No amount of prayer and fasting can serve as a substitute for a renewed mind. Carefully consider Paul’s exhortation in his letter to the Romans;

Rom 12:1-2  Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? I encourage you to surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship. 

Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes. TPT

 

True transformation is therefore a product of a change of mindset.

 

Wine in Mark2:22 serves as a symbol of the anointing of the Holy Spirit, because of its ability to intoxicate men with joy and laughter and stimulate boldness to exercise belief for the impossible. In the same way, when the Apostles in the upper room experienced the outpouring andinfilling of the Holy Ghost, they were able to do great supernatural exploits for the Kingdom of God.

 

Eph 5:18  And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 

 

But notice, new wine requires new wineskin, in other words, a change of mentality, that is consistent with the mind of Christ.

When the Apostle Peter addressed the crowd on the day of pentacost, notice his message;

 

Act 3:19  Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 

 

Repentance orchestrates an alignment to the will of God, that alignment then postures an individual to receive refreshing from his presence.

 

For God to bring breakthroughs in the lives of men, he first has to address their thinking patterns.

 

2Co 10:3-5For although we live in the natural realm, we don’t wage a military campaign employing human weapons, using manipulation to achieve our aims. Instead, our spiritual weapons are energized with divine power to effectively dismantle the defenses behind which people hide. 

We can demolish every deceptive fantasy that opposes God and break through every arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God. We capture, like prisoners of war, every thought and insist that it bow in obedience to the Anointed One. 

Since we are armed with such dynamic weaponry, we stand ready to punish any trace of rebellion, as soon as you choose complete obedience. 

 

It takes the revelatory work of the Holy Spirit in conjunction with his word to open up our understanding of the will of God constituting of his ways, patterns, strategies and purposes. It is why the principle thing to be sought out according to the book of proverbs is wisdom.

 

Pro 4:5-9  Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. 

Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. 

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. 

Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. 

She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. KJV

 

Paul had to pray for the Ephesians and Colossians;

Eph 1:17-19  That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 

And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power… KJV

 

Col 1:9-11 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 

That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; KJV

 

Carefully observe Paul’s encouragement to the Colossians

Col 3:16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 

 

That same word serves as a mirror (James 1:23-25) that the Holy Spirit uses to bring transformation conforming the believer to the very image of Christ from glory to glory.

 

2Co 3:17-18  Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 

 

The mind of Christ is the one adjusted to think entirely from God's perspective.Once your mindset has been changed such that it cannot resist God, then he can bless you and walk with you.

 

Amo 3:3  Can two walk together, except they be agreed? KJV

 

Romans 8:6-8 Now the mind of the flesh [which issense and reason without the HolySpirit] is death [death that comprises all

the miseries arising from sin, both hereand hereafter]. But the mind of the[Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [bothnow and forever].

[That is] because the mind of the flesh[with its carnal thoughts and purposes]is hostile to God, for it does not submititself to God's Law; indeed, it cannot.So then those who are living the life ofthe flesh [catering to the appetites andimpulses of their carnal nature] cannotplease or satisfy God, or be acceptable. AMP

to Him.

 

Mat 13:15  For this people's heart is waxed gross, andtheirears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see withtheireyes, and hear withtheirears, and should understand withtheirheart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 

Mat 13:16  But blessedareyour eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. KJV.

 

Victor Smith