New Wine, New Wineskin Series

Have you ever walked into a church and felt that, while things seemed busy and well-organized, something was missing? It’s like the Spirit of God is present, but there’s a sense that He’s being held back. It’s almost as if the structure, the way things are set up, isn’t allowing the fullness of His presence to flow freely.

Jesus once spoke about wineskins and wine—a simple yet powerful analogy that points us to a profound truth. In those days, wine was stored in animal skins, but fresh wine needed a new wineskin, one that was flexible and could expand as the wine fermented. An old wineskin couldn’t handle new wine; it would burst and lose everything. The same goes for the church. God’s Spirit is always moving, always fresh, always pouring out new wine. The question is, do we have the right wineskin to contain it?

Today, I want to take a look at the wineskin of God’s Kingdom—the structure and the heart of the church that aligns with the flow of the Spirit. Are we ready for a fresh move of God, or are we clinging to old ways, old methods, that can't handle the new thing God wants to do?

I. The Necessity of a New Wineskin

In Matthew 9:16-17, Jesus tells us, "Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined." New wine calls for a new wineskin. Jesus is warning us here—new movements of God’s Spirit can’t be forced into rigid, old frameworks. They require a fresh, flexible container that can stretch with the Spirit’s movement.

Imagine trying to put a new vision, a fresh outpouring of God's Spirit, into old, outdated traditions. It just doesn’t work. You can’t contain a vibrant move of God in structures that were designed for a different season. But how often do we try to make the Spirit conform to our preferences, our routines, our way of doing things? We get comfortable, don’t we? We get used to the way things are. But God is always calling us forward, calling us higher, calling us to a new place.

Church, we need to ask ourselves—are there places in our lives, in our churches, where we are using old wineskins to try and contain new wine? Are we holding back God’s Spirit because we are afraid of change, afraid of the unknown?

II. Characteristics of the Kingdom Wineskin

What does a Kingdom wineskin look like? Let’s take a moment to break this down.

First, it’s flexible. The early church was a perfect example of this kind of flexibility. In the beginning, they were a small Jewish community in Jerusalem, but soon the Spirit of God pushed them out. They moved from Jerusalem to Samaria, to Antioch, and eventually to the ends of the known world. They didn’t cling to old traditions for the sake of comfort—they moved with the Spirit.

And it’s not just about flexibility; it’s about being organic. Paul describes the church as a body in 1 Corinthians 12. It’s not a rigid, mechanical organization—it’s a living, breathing organism, a family, a body where every part has a role to play. A healthy church is a place where growth happens naturally, where gifts are nurtured, and where the Spirit flows freely. The wineskin needs to be big enough to allow God’s Spirit to move through every member, not just the leadership.

It’s also about diversity in unity. The early church was a beautiful mess of different cultures, backgrounds, and social classes. Jews and Gentiles worshiped together, the rich and poor shared meals, and men and women prayed side by side. The Kingdom wineskin accommodates diversity, not by enforcing uniformity but by celebrating the unique ways God works in each of us. This kind of unity in diversity is what makes the church a powerful witness to the world.

III. The Purpose of the Wineskin

The wineskin is not about the structure for its own sake. It’s about holding the wine—the new life and power of the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 4:11-13, Paul tells us that Christ gave some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip His people for works of service. The wineskin is there to build up the Body of Christ so that we can all reach unity in the faith and maturity in Christ.

This means that everything we do in the church—every program, every ministry, every tradition—should have one goal: to facilitate the move of the Holy Spirit. If a program doesn’t do that, if a tradition holds back the Spirit, it’s time to let it go. We can’t be focused on maintaining structures for the sake of tradition. Our wineskin should be functional, not just beautiful. It should serve a purpose—holding the wine, not showcasing itself.