Matthew 9:17 (VOICE) [bible-link v=”Matthew+9%3A17&version=VOICE” c=”light”]
You wouldn’t pour new wine into old wineskins. If you did, the skins would burst, the wine would run out, and the wineskins would be ruined. No, you would pour new wine into new wineskins—and both the wine and the wineskins would be preserved.
Isaiah 43:19 (VOICE) [bible-link v=”Isaiah+43%3A19+&version=VOICE” c=”light”]
Watch closely: I am preparing something new; it’s happening now, even as I speak, and you’re about to see it.
I believe God is preparing us for ‘new’.
As Senior Pastor, it starts with me. Last year, I recall sitting in a car listening to ‘New Wine’ by Hillsong Worship, and knowing in my spirit that this was a word for me and for those who call Civic home.
Doing new things is not foreign to me. As a school teacher, my methods were often questioned by others because I thought out of the box. I cut the legs off tables so students sat on the floor, and brought a beehive into the classroom. While my methods caused a stir among some, the reason that I did things differently was to improve the learning environment for young people.
As we move into new things ahead, our ‘why’ will remain the same: To reconcile humanity with our loving Heavenly Father. The ‘how’ and ‘what’ will change with the changing times.
To embrace something new means to let go of something old. What this looks like for one person will be different to the next, but I believe this is what God is preparing us for, individually and together as Civic Church.
Just as the grape is pressed and crushed to bring new wine, we also are to embrace the tests that produce the genuineness of faith. In doing this, we’ll see His purposes fulfilled, in and through us.
Are you ready for new?
