This week, Damon Baudoin shares his reflections on the importance of new wineskins.
 |
| Damon Baudoin,Student Minister |
If any of you have heard any of Nelson Plasencia's messages or
edifications to the church lately, you have heard something to the effect of
spiritual life being likened to a battle. Nelson's specific statement
that I have heard him say is "in the middle of the battle is where
the conditions are the most intense". As I preached this past Sunday
morning, there are a few things I didn't have time to share that remind me of
what Nelson has said and how we should engage in the spiritual war that is
around us.
GOD is always changing the atmosphere around you because of the
battle between good and evil. It's an all out war! A spiritual war! How many of
you actually believe that when you are engaged in war that you sit in the same
spot year after year, you park in the same spot year after year, you sing the same
song, year after year. No! If you comfortably stay in the location and position
you initially chose, you will lose sight of the mission and grow numb to the
strategies of your enemy...YOU WILL DIE!!!
We need to trade our old wine skins in for new ones. It is
extremely beneficial to surround yourself
with people who aren't scared of new wine and ready for a new wineskin. I like to
be around people who are fresh! You know, the kind of people who stay fresh in
the Spirit of God and are actually on a MISSION from Heaven! The next
generation of Christ Followers is here today. The new wine is the group of
souls that walk in the church doors every Sunday looking for salvation and
discipleship. The next generation is looking for something fresh and real, not
stale and fake.
The next generation doesn't want church folk's insecurities about
their faith and twisted personal beliefs, they want the truth of God's word..."Greater
Things Than These!"
You know how the old school folks are sometimes. "This new
generation needs to know how much I suffered as a child in the recession, they
need to memorize the book of Revelations word for word, and clean the toilets
before they can even be greeters in the parking lot!"
 |
| Greater Things! |
Maybe modern day church has gotten it all wrong! Maybe God already has men and women READY to
believe in "Greater Things", THIRST for "Greater Things"
and will PERFORM "Greater Things".
Look at what God did with David. While David was king, he stored
up treasures to pass on to Solomon, millions of dollars worth of treasures.
Solomon has been known for his wealth, but in reality it was the inheritance
that was passed down from David. Solomon never had to work as hard as David did
for what he had. Solomon never fought a war, but David came home with blood
splatters on him all the time. David never belittled his son Solomon and told
him he could never do anything because, "You haven't been through what I've
been through"....
When will the churches of America not be so concerned about their own comfort, and instead store up treasures for the next generation? When will
we teach the next generation to change the wineskins in order to hold the new
wine.
Wouldn't it be miraculous if when new wine shows up at our church,
they wouldn't have to go through the hell, heartache, hurts, habits, and
hang-ups the previous generation went through? They wouldn't have to walk away
from the Lord for 15+ years then come crawling back still feeling inferior and
worthless. We want to be a body of Christ that sees potential in others, and
INVESTS in their lives spiritually on our clock, not only on Sunday mornings.
Let us persevere in what God has for each of us and trust in what
Jesus teaches us in John 14:12-14 so that we can experience Greater Things as
God gives us new wine.
No comments:
Post a Comment