How to be Flexible.

New Years Resolution

Why do we want to change? To be better.

Resolution For the Church.

I believe that God is telling me that I need to be bold and strong in order to fill my destiny..

I believe that God want to poor His Spirit on this Church to be His body.

Specifically I believe that God is wanting to put hands, feet, and mouths out to this community.

In a nut shell, I believe God is going to change things and we need to be flexible.

Today We Discuss How We How We are Going to Handle What God is Going to do.

Matthew 9:14–17 NIV

Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. “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 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, and both are preserved.”

Matthew 9

There is and Old Way

Down stairs in the basement a sign - 1913

For most of the history of this church the pastor here was also the pastor of honeyville and smithville.

Strong theological differences about various things caused

When Jesus came, he was ushering a new way of thinking.

That’s what the first miracle is about by the way. The old wine was gone. Jesus was ushering a new wine.. and it was going to be better.

Matthew 9:14–15 NIV

Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

Mt

John’s Disciples

John was the 1st Prophet in 400 years ...

They were saying, “Um Jesus, sir, in case your wondering, we fast. In fact, even though we know you are the Messiah and King, even the Pharisees know we are supposed to fast.

Doxology on the wall.

How to make wine.

Unshrunk Patch

Matthew 9:16 NIV

“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.

Luke 5:

:

Luke 5:36 NIV

He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old.

there’s a hole

We try this and that to fix the issues — Instead they get worse

3 things that will happen

The fabric doesn’t match

You ruin the new before it had a chance to mature

You ruin the old.

New Wine--- where to put it.

Fermentation will burst out of the old skin

Wineskins - the sturcture around which we house the spirit of God.

The way we worship

The way we present our message,

The traditions we have always done.

I am convinced that God want to reach the communities that surround us. In fact, If we we to fast and pray for His guidance I’m sure He would use us in way we simply didnt’ expect.

People will come — they will be weird.

It simply cannot look the way it did in 1913.

New Wineskin

Be flexible.

The old is better...

My children are going to reach their generation in ways that I simply didn’t expect. In fact, I don’t have a clue.

When we talk about stuff like that I am often left frustrated because.. that is not the way your “supposed” to do it.

If I want to reach people in my age and my culure, I will use a similar patch to house the wine.

But when God wants to do something new.. I must be flexible.

Conclusion

Be flexible.