August 5, 2017 WWJWMTD by Steve the son of John

Water is supposed to become Wine

Once in a while, I write an article that runs against traditional mainline Christian theology. This is one of those articles, “Water is supposed to become wine.”

All of us know the story of Jesus turning the water into wine. It is the first of many miracles that Jesus performed. He did not want to be responsible for taking care of the wine at a marriage dinner that Jesus’s mom (Mary) was overseeing. My guess is that one of Jesus’s sisters was getting married (Gospel of John 2: 1-11).

Anyhow, Jesus was pushed again (commanded) by His mother to get more wine to the tables of the guests. Jesus did not want the responsibility but complied anyway. (Sound familiar to the article I wrote 2 days ago titled, Pushing Jesus Around.)

What is interesting is the sequence of events that changed the water into wine is as follows. First, the pots of stone were sanctified and ready to be used. Second, the pots were completely filled “to the brim with water.” Third, The servants were told to get ready to empty the pots by serving what was inside them to the wedding guests, i.e., what was poured out was a surprise to everyone but God.

God has never wanted you to pour ‘only water’ out of your life to others. You are to produce wine—this is the end result of the activity of God in your life. Biblically, water is for preparation of ministry. Water is used in baptism and the words of God (water) are for personal growth and maturity, but it is not for what is to come from and out of you. Water is only water but the wine that comes from water has all of God!

If your life (your pot) is ready for service and you have been filled with the Word of God (water) then God wants to change the word of God (water) in your life into wine (to the activity and presence of the Holy Spirit). These ‘types’ we find in Scriptures (I John 5: 6-8). John states, these three things agree in one: the blood of Christ, the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.

You cannot have the word of God in your life without the blood of Christ cleansing us from sin. And, you cannot have the Holy Spirit in your life without the Word of God first filling up your life. Last of all, you cannot have a ministry without the Holy Spirit in your life—having now changed the water into wine—before you minister to others around you. Yes, it is the Holy Spirit that God seeks to flow from you, and we all know what the wine of God’s Spirit does to us—read Acts chapter 2.

Let’s get this one simple biblical truth correct. Christ told His disciple (about 450 men and women) to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit. They first had to get their lives in line with His teaching, His redemptive power of His blood shed for them and to believe in His all words and commands (the water of God) in their lives. It took 40 days to accomplish that but by then only 120 disciples are now left in the upper room. But, the 120 that were still waiting for the Holy Spirit promised by Christ finally were filled with water—the word of God in their lives filled to over-flowing, and were now ready for the Holy Spirit to come into them, changing the water into wine, to be poured out to the masses. (I could give many examples and multiple Scriptures from various books of the Bible to support this truth—water to wine.)

The blood of Christ should bring us to the Words of Christ filling up our lives to producing the Holy Spirit flowing out of our lives to others. It is the power, authority, fruits & gifts of the Holy Spirit that should be coming out of our lives. Think about it—from water into wine—this is God’s will, His glory and the hope of Christ in us.

Ask God for His miracle of changing His Word in you into a Spirit drive life.

Note: I am sure it need not take 40 days to change God’s word/water into wine/Holy Spirit in any one’s life. It could only take minutes with God, but Pentecost was a turning point for Christianity, Not only did God have to unit 120 people, but He made sure all of what took place in the 3 ½ years of Jesus’s ministry with His disciples was grounded and secure in their lives before this miraculous event took place.

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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