Oh God, give us the new wine of the Holy Spirit

No believer can live a victorious Christian life without the power of the Holy Spirit.

Similarly, the Church cannot accomplish its ministry on earth without the help of the Holy Spirit. This is why we must constantly seek for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon us for the ministry.

In Isaiah 24, the prophet paints a gloomy picture of sadness and desperate crying due to the failure of new wine in the city.

Wine is supposed to make the people happy, but rather than merriment, sorrow and sadness pervaded the entire city. This represents what happens when the Holy Spirit is not acknowledged in the Church or when His role is minimised in the Church

“The new wine fails, the vine languishes, All the merry-hearted sigh. The mirth of the tambourine ceases, The noise of the jubilant ends, The joy of the harp ceases…There is a cry for wine in the streets, All joy is darkened, The mirth of the land is gone” (Isaiah 24:7-11 NKJV)

The Holy Spirit’s outpouring on Pentecost day was the fulfilment of the yearning of many hearts for the new wine. On Pentecost day, the disciples were mocked as being filled with new wine, but Peter retorted that, “For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:15-16 NKJV). Paul says in Ephesians 5:17-18, that it is God’s will that we ‘be filled with the Spirit.’ Not just once, twice, but over and over again!

Whereas wine can ruin one’s judgment leading to debauchery, in contrast ‘being filled with the Spirit,’ leads to empowerment, self-control and a life exhibiting the fruits of the Holy Spirit! It is the nature of Jesus to keep on giving His life to us.

Certainly, there is the cry for new wine in the Church. New wine is symbolic of the Holy Spirit and has various illustrations in the Bible. First, Jesus spoke of the new wine in association with the move of God (Matt 9:17).

Second, new wine is also associated with the harvest. Amos 9:13 states, “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills…”

Third, where there is new wine, new wineskins are needed. That is, God pours out His Spirit into new, holy vessels. “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. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins…” (Matthew 9:17 NIV).

The statement of the master of ceremony at the wedding, at Cana of Galilee, when he tasted the wine Jesus made out of water is very revealing.

It is indicative that God has reserved the best of His Holy Spirit’s outpouring for this season. “And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!” (John 2:10 NKJV).

He commented that Jesus “kept the good wine until now.” God has reserved the new wine of the Holy Spirit until now for a reason. The new wine produces the same results in every age and time. If we ask for Him, He will produce the same result with us now.
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