New wine skins

This sunday we listened to Dave Gilpin speak. Dave is one of these speakers that can say just one throw-away sentence that suddenly open up new revelation. His message was about being predictably unpredictable, about unlocking the creative genius inside all of us. God is a creative God and we are made in His image so therefore we all have creativity within us. I know because I couldn't draw to save a life. Or paint...

Through out the Old Testament we see God encouraging people to use their creativity. Moses asked for authority, God gave him a stick. Gideon asked for a mighty army, God gave him clay jars and torches. Sampson needed a weapon and found the bones from a donkeys face. Time and again in my life I have asked God for things only to be given the bare bones of what I need. Its what I do with those bare, dry bones that will bring God glory.

However it was one throw away sentence from Dave, one little insight into another of his many revelations that sparked my interest. If I'm honest I never really understood the passage about new wine being poured into new wine skins. It seems flimsy an irrelevant, even as a metaphor. Yet when Dave starting talking about renewal, about creating something new in our lives, something clicked. The Holy Spirit is always looking to do something new, he is pouring out new oil, annointing, wine, whatever you want to call it, but if we want to take part in the new move of God, then we must become a new wine skin. If I want to be a used by God to bring salvation to this city, to this nation; if I am seeking God to come and move in my finances, in my relationships; if I want to see God's Spirit poured out on all the nations then I must become like a new wine skin.