The Bubbling Forth of the Spirit's New Wine

Today I'd like to share a brief devotional meditation with you about the importance of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

New Wine in New Wineskins
Jesus said, “Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." (Mat 9:17)

Why is it that men pour new wine into new wineskins, which are more flexible and stretchy, rather than into old wineskins, which are more rigid and brittle? This is because the fermentation of wine produces CO2 gas that is 40 times the volume of grape juice. When that is kept in a closed container, as is necessary for fermentation to occur, it must be able to expand as more and more carbon dioxide (CO2) is produced. As mentioned, old wineskins are brittle and do not expand like new ones do, so putting new wine into old wineskins would result in both the wine and wineskin being lost. But putting new wine into new wineskins results in both the wine and wineskin being preserved.

Since the fermentation of wine produces CO2 gas that is 40 times the volume of grape juice, just imagine how much gas is produced by one liter of wine. Liquids are typically measured in liters in a lab and gases are measured in cubic centimeters (cm³). Therefore if the volume of CO2 gas produced by one liter of grape juice during fermentation is 40 times that volume, then it would produce 40 x 1 liter or 40 liters. 1 liter = 1,000 cm³, so 40 liters = 40,000 cm³. That's an enormous volume of gas compared to the relatively much smaller volume of liquid!

Fermentation Gas a Type of the Holy Spirit
The gas produced during fermentation of new wine is a type or illustration of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, Who is infinitely greater in power than the believer who is not Spirit-filled. There is a bubbling up of the Spirit within the Spirit-filled believer that cannot be contained by religious forms, customs, structures, and organizations. Even the human body cannot contain it, which is why it comes out of the believer in various manifestations of power like speaking in tongues, prophesying, gifts of healing, miracles, joyful laughter, dancing, lifting up the hands in worship, etc. Groups (such as denominations or religious institutions) that are bound by their religious forms, customs, and structures cannot control this, so they don’t know what to do with it. That's why when they encounter Spirit-filled people in their midst, it can result in a breakage like a broken wineskin, whereby the Spirit-filled person runs out, much like new wine runs out of a broken wineskin.

What is fermentation? It is the process of sugars being broken down by enzymes of microorganisms in the absence of oxygen. It’s an anaerobic process, which is why it can happen inside a sealed wineskin. Those enzymes break down the glucose in the juice, and that is what produces the gas. Those gas bubbles are a byproduct of the sugars being broken down by the enzymes. The gas bubbles just appear seemingly out of nowhere from within the fermenting liquid. The gas bubbles up from within the wine. That reminds me of the living water that Jesus said would bubble up from within the Spirit-filled believer.

A Gushing Fountain
Jesus said, “’Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.” (Joh 7:38-39).

On another occasion, Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (Joh 4:13-14).

The expression “welling up” in that verse is from the Greek word “hallomai”, meaning to jump; figuratively to gush: - leap, spring up. Therefore, Jesus was saying that the living water He gives us, which is the Holy Spirit, will become a spring of water gushing, bubbling up, or springing forth like a fountain. This water of the Spirit bubbles up to eternal life. That reminds me of one of the Hebrew words for "prophet" in the Bible.

One of the three Hebrew words for "prophet" is nabi, which literally means "to bubble up" like a fountain. It describes one who is stirred up in spirit. Likewise, the Hebrew word most often translated "prophesy" is naba, which literally means to "bubble up" and to "flow forth."

Be Being Filled
Paul wrote to the Ephesian Church, "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." (Eph 5:18). The Greek word for "be filled" here is pleroo, which means to be filled to the full or to be filled up. But the verb is in the present continuous tense, meaning that it is an ongoing daily process that we submit to, not a one-time thing. You could say, "Continually be being filled" with the Spirit.

Closing Words

I hope that this brief article has helped to show how every believer who has received the gift of the Holy Spirit has this ever-expanding, ever-bubbling fountain within, which gushes forth to eternal life. If you are a true believer in Jesus Christ, and you have never received the baptism with the Holy Spirit, then let me encourage you to ask the Heavenly Father for it today, since He promised to give this gift to His children (Lk 11:13; 24:49; Ac 1:4; 2:38; 10:45). Open up your heart today as much as you are able to, and receive this wonderful, free gift. And if you have already received, then continue asking for more each day, and be continuously filled with the Spirit as the Scripture says to be (Eph 5:18). The resulting, ever-expanding power that will be in you will be greater than anything you could bring to the table on your own.

Attributes: Images used per the Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only. Fountain in Geneva, Switzerland by Matt Jones under free license through Unsplash. Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission.  

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Main Directory for this blog at Home, such as Baptized with the Spirit, The New Wine, The Spirit Without Limit, The River of God, The Gift of Speaking in Tongues, Have the Spiritual Gifts Ceased?, Ten Divine Expressions for Spirit Baptism. and Gifts and Fruit of the Spirit: What's the Difference?, You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." 

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The New Wine

The Lord has a new wine for us that is unlike the old wine in many ways. It's the new wine of the Spirit.

When Jesus was baptized in water, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove and remained.  After he was in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil, he returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit (Luk 4:14).  He read from the prophet Isaiah, declaring that the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him to preach the good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, and proclaims the year of the Lord's favor (Luk 4:18-19).  

But the Pharisees and teachers of the law had tasted the old wine.  It was good enough for them, and made them feel good.  So they tried to "put Him into a box," so to speak.  They attempted to place human expectations on Him, based on their old models, which he would not accept.  Instead He told a parable about new wine, which explained what He had that the religious leaders didn't.  Let’s see what the new wine does:

Makes Old Wineskins Burst

We all know that wine is made from crushing grapes, releasing the juices. Then the juice is fermented, so that it converts to alcohol.  This process of fermentation releases gases as the chemical process occurs.  This process takes time, and while it is happening, there needs to be a place for the gases to go.

"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined.” (Luk 5:37 NASB)

Greek: G4486 rhēssō  - hrace'-so - break (forth), burst, rend, tear.  See Luk 5:37.

Old wineskins will easily crack, if they are put inder high pressure from gases of fermentation.  So nobody would ever put new wine into old wineskins.  Instead, the new wine should be put into new wineskins.  The new wine represents the Holy Spirit and his operation.  This will never fit into the rigid forms of godliness and old structures of traditional religion. If we attempt to do so, it would result in a burst and spillage, since the old forms could not contain it.

Breaks Old Nets

Although the disciples had been fishing all night, they knew Jesus had power and authority, so they obeyed when He told them to put out into the deep water and let down their nets.

"When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break;" (Luk 5:6 NASB)

The Greek word here for “burst” is diarrhēssō (dee-ar-hrayce'-so), meaning "to tear asunder: - break, rend." (Strongs). See Luk 5:6

Jesus said to Simon, "Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men." (Luk 5:10 NASB). So this miracle was meant to illustrate how the Lord will enable us to catch men for Him.  It’s a picture of bringing souls to Christ, under the power of the Holy Spirit, in obedience to the Lord’s command.  It’s in contrast to the old, traditional church system and way of operating.

After Peter got the new wine on the Day of Pentecost, he preached and the Holy Spirit brought thousands of souls into his net for Christ.  The new wine breaks old nets.

Breaks All Barriers to the Spread of the Gospel 

Although Jesus told the leper, after he healed him, to “tell no one,” the news about Him spread even farther.

“And He ordered him to tell no one, ‘But go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’ But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.” (Luk 5:14-15 NASB)

The new wine breaks through all barriers to the spread of the gospel.

Makes “Holes in the Roof” (Bursts Buildings)

I remember once when I was in the small village of Gradina, Bulgaria back in 1993.  This was soon after the fall of communism. I was part of a Spirit-filled missions team that was ministering there, and I was privileged to be the one to preach on that occasion. The house where I was preaching was full, and the people outside removed the windows, so they could stand outside to watch and listen.  All glory to Jesus!  It was not about me, since I was completely unknown to the people of this village.

During Jesus ministry, there was a paralytic man whose friends heard that Jesus was healing people at a certain house. So they brought the paralytic to the house, but could found the place full of people, and the entrance blocked.

“But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus.” (Luk 5:19 NASB)

Notice how Jesus always stayed connected to the Father, where the flow of this wine came from by the Spirit.  But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray. (Luk 5:16 NASB)

It was because of His communion with the Father that the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. One day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. (Luk 5:17 NASB)

Due to the crowds, the desperate people made a hole in the roof, so they could let their friend down in front of Jesus.  The new wine is like this.  It bursts buildings.  People will make a new opening in the building to get some of the new wine.

Breaks Old, Religious Barriers 

Matthew Levi, the tax collector followed Jesus, and all his sinner friends wanted to do the same along with him. It was not typical or accepted for a rabbi to keep company with such sinners.

The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?" And Jesus answered and said to them, "It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." (Luk 5:30-32 NASB)

The new wine breaks all those man-made social barriers, so that sinners will be attracted to righteousness, getting radically saved, and bringing many of their friends into the kingdom.

Makes Old Garments Tear 

“And He was also telling them a parable: No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old.’” (Luk 5:36 NASB)

The word "tear" here comes from the Greek: schizō - skhid'-zo - break, divide, open, rend, make a rent. See Luk 5:36. This word "skhidzo" is also used in Luk 23:45: “the veil of the temple was torn in two.” The veil was part of the old, and could not contain the new.

So the new wine is like a new piece of cloth, which will shrink when it is washed.  If it is sewn to an old garment, then when it shrinks and the old garment doesn't shrink with it, this will cause the new cloth to tear.  Besides, the color of the new will not match, since the old cloth is faded and the new is not.  So the new wine or new garment doesn't fit at all with the old.

 

Putting it All Together

This new wine is so much better than the old wine, however, those who have already tasted the old wine prefer that to the new one.  But for those who have not tasted the old wine, when they taste the new one, they leave everything for it.

The disciples Peter, James, and John did this. “When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.” (Luk 5:11 NASB). They had the best day ever in their fishing business, and that’s the day they left all that to follow the Lord. 

Matthew Levi also did the same thing.  “And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him.” (Luk 5:28 NASB)

This new wine cannot be put into old wineskins.  It makes old wineskins burst, old garments tear, and old nets break.  When we follow the Lord obediently in the power of the Spirit, it will make holes in the roof, because the old entrances will not longer be big enough. It will burst buildings, so they cannot contain it.  It will also break down man-made, religious barriers that keep sinners from coming to Christ, and will break all barriers to the spread of the gospel.

This new wine flows from the Father in heaven by the Spirit, so you have to stay connected to Him through the Lord Jesus Christ.  It means that when the Lord is doing amazing things through you, that are blowing everyone away, you have to get alone with the Lord in prayer to seek His face.

Don’t settle for the old wine, although it may taste good and make you feel good.  Cry out for the new wine that is much better and more powerful beyond all comparison.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. The "Celebrate the Bloom" fine art © 2013 is by Dee Lessard. All rights reserved by the artist. The "Miraculous Draught of Fishes" image from the Wikimedia Commons is a photograph by Alexander R. Pruss of an oil on canvas painting by Jacobo Bassano in 1545, which is in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, USA. The "Jesus Laughing" image © 2013 is from Praise Prints by Ralph Kozak.  All rights reserved by the artist.

Author's note:  For more about the new wine, also see Baptized with the Spirit, The Bubbling Forth of the Spirit's New Wine, Ten Divine Expressions for Spirit Baptism, and Holy Fire Baptism. If you enjoyed this post, you  may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.