The New Wineskin of Mutual Submission
“No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak. If he does, its fullness (Greek:πλήρωμα plērōma) pulls away, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. 22 Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.” (Mark 2:21-22 New American Bible) “submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Eph 5:21).
Introduction
Christians who see themselves as prophetic “on the edge”, reforming and reviving people, frequently use the language of “new wine in new wineskins”, but rarely seek the Lord about what this might mean for us today. Today’s message concerns what the Spirit is saying now for the Church in 2022 (Rev 2:7 etc.). This revelation began to unfold when a serious prayerful brother asked me, “What is the new wineskin?” Immediately and effortlessly the open conflict between Paul and Peter (Gal 2:2, 6, 11), the two most influential leaders in the Early Church came into my mind. Since then, the Spirit has been expounding the life of Paul so that I can freshly obey his command, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” (1 Cor 11:1 cf. 4:16; Phil 3:17; 4:9; 1 Thess 1:6; 2 Thess 3:9). The wider context for the confrontation between two holy men contains a vital key for the Spirit to reconstruct the lost wineskin in the Church in Perth.
Not from Man
In dispute with the legalistic “circumcision party” (Acts 11:2; Gal 2:12; Tit 1:10), Paul elevates the supernatural nature of his apostolic calling. “Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead… For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Gal 1:1, 11-12). The authenticity of his apostolic authority derives exclusively from direct revelation, not from the old wineskin of human tradition (cf. Matt 7:28-29). Direct revelation is the norm for scriptural authority, “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place.” (cf. Rev 1:1). The more direct the heavenly revelation the more extensive the authority. Jesus expounds this truth to his original followers, “Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:18-19). This testimony appears easy to accept, but what Paul says next shakes the foundations of our contemporary hierarchical Church structures (Heb 12:25ff.).
The Lowest of All
“Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain.” (Gal 2:1-2). After preaching “my gospel” (Rom 2:16; 16:25; 2 Tim 2:8) for 14 years, Paul is directed by a heavenly revelation to travel up to Jerusalem, not to preach, but to have his gospel message tested by the apostolic leaders in Jerusalem (cf. 1 Thess 5:19-21). It was a heaven-sent opportunity from Jesus for Paul to take the lowest place in relation to the rest of the apostolic band (Mark 10:42-45). His obedient submission embodies what it means to be the Church of Jesus (Phil 2:5-11). Paul is a paradigm/model of how “the Church submits too Christ” (Eph 5:24), for our submission to Jesus is real only to the degree that we submit to each other (Eph 5:21)! Paul’s lowliness makes him the fully mature disciple who obeys “all that Jesus commanded” (Matt 28:18-19 cf. Eph 4:13). His genuine apostolic life-posture is foundational for what comes next in the Galatians narrative, and how God keeps on recreating the new wineskin in the Church.
Authority to Confront
Paul had supreme authority to openly confront and shame Peter with a public charge of hypocrisy “to his face” (Gal 2:11 cf. 1 Tim 5:19-20). This wasn’t any allegation, it was in relation to the gospel (Gal 2:14), he had authority to do this because he (Paul) was a gospel-shaped man. He knew how to take the lowest place in the will of God, so that he could be exalted according to the wisdom of God (1 Pet 5:6). In this he images the all-submissive authority of “the Chief Shepherd” (1 Pet 5:4). Paul’s authority to confront Peter was without limit because it flowed from his heart obedience (Rom 6:17) in respectfully laying his message down at the feet of the Jerusalem apostles who were in Christ before him (cf. Acts 4:35). He was imitating the perfect example of Jesus, who, “being in human form…emptied himself (and) humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross….therefore God highly exalted him..” (Phil 2:8). This pattern of humiliation for exaltation imparts spiritually irresistible authority.
Apostolic Order in the New Wineskin
The “Council of Jerusalem” (Acts 15) was the most important gathering in Church history after Pentecost. It would decide whether the old wineskin of the Law of Moses would be a condition of church membership, the argument of the “circumcision party” (Acts 11:2; Gal 2:12; Tit 1:10), or be opened to the Gentiles by grace and faith alone. Crucially, “the apostles and the elders, with the whole church” (Acts 15:2, 22) were present in the presence of the Spirit (Acts 15:8, 28) to test the rival claims. Remarkably, it is James, the spiritual father of the “circumcision party” (Gal 2:12), who is inspired by the Spirit to impart the final prophetic interpretation of the Old Testament that opens up the Church to the new wineskin of the gospel (Acts 15:13-21; Am 9:11-12). As the whole Church submitted to the whole Church the “fulness” (πλήρωμα plērōma) of the gospel (Mark 2:21 a literal translation of Jesus’ parable) shaped the creation of the brand-new wineskin. Such transformations can still happen in local congregations, suburbs, council areas and cities when “apostles, elders and the whole church” gather to submit to anyone the Lord raises up to speak his Word in the power of his Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 14:26-33). Who do you know (Luke 18:8) who practices such radical submission to the Body?
Conclusion
In the eternal wisdom of the Father, Peter and Paul needed to (temporarily) separate to experience the full healing power of the gospel for the sake of the long-term unity of the Church across the ages (2 Pet 3:15-16). Imitating your apostle (Gal 2:7-8), are you willing in faith to pray that your apostles and elders will call the whole Church in your locality together for mutual submission. And are you willing to personally encourage them to subject to such mutual submission? The new wineskin is a scary thing for ordinary mortals like us so naturally disposed to our own stubborn opinions. But in Christ we are not ordinary mortals (Rom 8:11; 2 Cor 5:17). Let’s make room in the Spirit for others to speak to us the Word of the Lord (1 Cor 14:26, 29-31) for our growth in Jesus. May we not be found among the “insubordinate” (Tit 1:10).