"New & Old" Matthew 9:16-17

"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 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."

 One of the wonderful things about God is that He is patient and thoughtful.  He understands our weaknesses and limitations, and He is willing to work with us within the context of our inadequate paradigms.  We cannot comprehend the greatness, the goodness, the majesty, the glory of God -it is beyond our understanding.  So, God patiently and lovingly fills to overflowing whatever box we try to put Him in.  That's just the way it is.

This is why, I believe, Scripture often speaks of God doing a new thing, a new song, new wine.  It is not because God has changed or changed His mind -it is more because He is greater than we comprehend, with God there is always more.

Sometimes we look at our past experiences with God and desire that God just continue doing what we have become comfortable with.  So, if God met our needs at a mega-church we tend to think that every church ought to aspire to be a mega-church.  If we encountered God a home-church, we tend to think that all churches should be home-churches.  If our hearts are moved by the ancient hymns and creeds, we tend to think that modern worship is shallow and flippant.  If we feel His presence in modern praise and worship, we tend to think historic hymns are boring and irrelevant. If we hear His voice in Scripture we tend to think that we don't need His Spirit speaking and giving direct revelation to our hearts and souls.  If we have experienced prophetic revelation and words of knowledge we tend to lessen the importance of Scripture.

God is patient and slow to anger, but He does have a perspective.  He desires that both the old wine and the new wine are preserved.  The new is good, but the old is also good.  Take care not to ruin either -the old and the new are both reflections of God.