We are a transition generation, similar to the children of Israel wandering between Egypt and their Promised Land. The wilderness had a very specific purpose, because, though they were out of slavery, slavery was not out of them (as evidenced by complaining). And slave-minded people would not have been able to steward the Promised Land. For us, Egypt represents both the religious and the world systems, and the Promised Land represents the kingdom of God. Our transition has the same purpose: getting the slavery mindset out of us (also known as maturation). Many of you are in a season of simply learning to BE… a season sandwiched between the “doing” of religious slavery and the rest-governed activity of a king who rules and reigns from heaven to earth.
The cosmos even speaks of this transition, as earth has moved out of Pisces (the fish, religion) and into Aquarius (the age of outpouring). Because the Father is pouring out new wine, there must be a new wineskin. The old wineskin is a religious structure of shame, fear and control that keeps people immature and that focuses on laws, rules, regulations, and external guidelines, while the new wineskin is a structure of love, joy and peace that works from the inside out BY THE SPIRIT.
The law appeals to the nature of Adam, who chose to be his own source and who ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This fallen wisdom is described in James 3:15 as “earthly, sensual, and demonic.” In other words, it’s all about the temporal realm, the flesh, and the demons connected to them. By stark contrast, James 3:17 describes heavenly wisdom as “pure, peaceable, gentle, easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy”… all issues of the heart.
We’re moving from external, law-driven motivation to internal, Spirit-led motivation and focus. We’re moving from without to within… that place of oneness with God that is the “kingdom within us.” Both we and our wineskins must change.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are (mature) sons of God.
-Romans 8:14
It is the Greek word “huios” used here, which speaks of a mature son, rather than the word “technon,” which refers to a child.
So the hallmark of maturity is being led by the Spirit… which, in turn, produces the fruit of the Spirit. And true spiritual growth can only happen by the Spirit.
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.
-John 6:63, NKJV
So, while we do have external guidelines to help us as we grow, the end goal is that we be led by Holy Spirit from the inside out. And the very purpose of our guidelines is to protect the flow of Holy Spirit. We are to do things “decently and in order,” but God’s order and man’s order are two very different things. And Jesus defines God’s order for us…
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.”
– John 3:8, NASB
This reveals that God’s order has to do with the flow of Holy Spirit, rather than only externals. The flow of Holy Spirit is precisely and Divinely ordered, but because His thoughts and ways are higher than the mind of man, it sometimes appears chaotic (like “in the beginning”). The wind is ordered, but it is not rigid or inflexible like the law. We are not here to teach people how to follow rules, guidelines or structures. Any religious institution can do that. We desire to focus on the frequency and the flow (or lack of flow) of Holy Spirit. In essence, our job is to help people become sensitive to Holy Spirit and to each other, which is a manifestation of the greatest commandment to love God and to love others as we love ourselves.
So, the goal of everything we do together is the flow of Holy Spirit. We don’t want to GRIEVE Holy Spirit by lawlessness, selfishness, carnality, or mixture. And we don’t want to QUENCH Him with heavy-handed control. Gatherings of sons should be safe places where His gentle yet powerful Dove is free to move. And it should be a safe place for us all to learn about and grow in His sometimes mysterious ways, which are foreign to our Adam-nature and many years of habit.
Right now, stop and ask yourself if you actually perceive the flow of Holy Spirit… in your time with Him, in worship, in teachings, in corporate gatherings. If you do not, don’t get under condemnation. Trauma and deep pain and subsequent coping mechanisms can block that flow and desensitize us. Just keep showing up in His presence, and He will do the transformation from the inside out. If you are still a very young or carnal believer, you may not recognize His flow as well as you will later. And if you have been calibrated to the mind of man or the religious system, it might take some time to recalibrate. Remember that Sampson did not recognize that Holy Spirit had left him, but Yeshua knew that virtue had flowed out of Him (in other words, He felt the reception and outflow of God’s Spirit into and through Him).
This was recently released at All Things Restored, along with some practical keys and powerful impartation. To watch the entire video, click HERE
Remember… You are His wind dancer!
Virginia