Let me tell you why the majority of believers today live in spiritual poverty despite having access to unlimited power. It’s not because God is withholding anything. It’s not because you’re not chosen or called. The reason is simple but shocking. Most Christians want new wine, but they refuse to become new wineskins. They cry out for the power of Pentecost while clinging desperately to their old ways, their old comfort zones. their old nature. And here’s what Jesus made crystal clear: You cannot put new wine into old wineskins. Matthew chapter 9 verse 17 settles it. The old vessel cannot contain the new power. There will be tearing, breaking, destruction. On the day of Pentecost, something unprecedented happened. The mockers saw it and said, They are full of new wine. they meant it as an insult but brethren they stumbled onto the most profound spiritual truth god had indeed filled those disciples with something brand new fresh from the throne powerful beyond measure utterly transformative but here’s what you must understand before those disciples could receive that new wine they had to become new wineskins something had to die something had to be completely transformed Let me tell you what happened that day, and more importantly, what must happen in your life if you truly want God’s power. Now, beloved, let’s understand what really took place before that upper room explosion. These weren’t spiritual giants to begin with. Peter was a fisherman who had cursed and denied Jesus three times. John was just another working man from Galilee. Acts chapter 4, verse 13 tells us they were uneducated and untrained men. But something radical had happened to them between Jesus’ ascension and the day of Pentecost. They had been waiting, yes. But more than that, they had been dying to themselves. They had been surrendering. They had been allowing God to transform them from old wineskins into new wineskins. The old Peter who denied Christ had to die. The old nature that operated in fear and self-preservation had to be crucified. And when the day of Pentecost fully came, they were ready. Acts chapter 2, verse 4 declares, They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now think about what this really means. The Holy Spirit had such complete control that even their words weren’t their own anymore. Every syllable, every phrase, every declaration came from the Spirit himself. This wasn’t partial filling, Church. This wasn’t somewhat influenced. This was total, absolute, complete possession by the Holy Spirit. These were new wineskins, filled with new wine. But here’s where it gets interesting. The crowd that gathered had two completely different responses. And brethren, these same two responses exist in the church today. Some people saw what was happening, and they mocked. They are full of new wine, they said with contempt in Acts chapter 2, verse 13. They couldn’t understand it, so they dismissed it. But wait until you hear about the other group. While some were mocking, 3,000 people felt something completely different. They didn’t just observe from a distance they opened their hearts and tasted it they experienced it they were cut to the heart they cried out desperately men and brethren what shall we do what made the difference between these two groups the mockers wanted to stay in their old wineskins they wanted to remain comfortable with what they knew they rejected the very transformation that would have allowed them to receive what god was pouring out but those three thousand They were willing to change. They were willing to become new wineskins. And when Peter told them in verses 38 through 40, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, they didn’t argue or negotiate. They surrendered. They died to the old. They became new vessels ready to receive new wine. Now let me tell you something about this new wine that will transform your understanding. This wasn’t something recycled from the past. This wasn’t just an emotional experience. This was utterly new. New inspiration, new manifestation, new power. It had a freshness about it, a beauty about it, a quality about it that made everyone who tasted it desperate for more. John chapter 7, verse 46 says, No man ever spoke like this man. Why? Because this new wine produces something that has never been seen before. It came straight from heaven, from the throne of the glorified Lord Jesus himself. You see, beloved, this is God, manifested in human flesh. This is the very life of the risen Christ, flowing through yielded vessels. 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 4 tells us we are meant to be partakers of the divine nature. Not just believers, not just followers, but partakers. We’re designed to share in the very nature of God himself. But here’s what you must understand: this divine nature, this new wine, this fresh outpouring can only flow through new wineskins. John chapter 7 verse 38 promises, He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But those rivers only flow from vessels that have been completely transformed. Now here’s what most Christians don’t want to hear, and this is where the church today has missed it completely. Jesus made it absolutely clear in Matthew chapter 9, verse 17. New wine requires new wineskins. This isn’t optional. This isn’t a suggestion. This is a divine law. You cannot put new wine into old wineskins. Why? Because the old vessel cannot expand. The old vessel cannot contain. The old vessel cannot handle the pressure of what God wants to pour in. There will be tearing, breaking, complete destruction. Think about what this means for us today. If we’re going to receive this new wine, this fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit, We cannot remain in our old ways. We cannot cling to our old methods, our old traditions, our old comfortable Christianity. We cannot hold on to our need for control, our fear of surrender, our spiritual mediocrity. The new wine demands a new vessel. Complete transformation. Everything of the old nature put to death. Utter surrender. Listen carefully, because this is crucial. Being a new wineskin means you’ve allowed God to completely remake you. It means the old you has died. It means you’ve stopped trying to maintain control, and you’ve given God absolute possession of your life. When Peter and John walked in this new wine power as new wineskins, something remarkable happened. Acts chapter 4 verse 13 says, People realized that they had been with Jesus. There was something so real, so authentic about them that it couldn’t be denied. Why? Because they had been transformed. They had become new wineskins filled with new wine. These uneducated, untrained men stood before the religious leaders with such boldness that those leaders were astounded. What changed them? They had allowed themselves to be completely transformed into new vessels. They had let God have such total possession that the glory of Jesus radiated through them. The scripture says that when people looked at them, they glorified God. Not the men. God. That’s what happens when new wineskins are filled with new wine. People don’t see the vessel anymore. They see the contents. They see Jesus. But here’s where it gets even more powerful, beloved. Zechariah chapter 10, verse 1 speaks of asking the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain. James chapter 5, verse 7, talks about the farmer waiting patiently for both the early and latter rain. Now listen to this. It is a settled thing in the glory, decided before the foundation of the world, that the latter rain has to be greater than the former. If Pentecost was the former rain, what will the latter rain look like? What will happen when the fullness comes and the heart of God is completely satisfied? Some of our hearts have been moved by what we’ve experienced so far. We’ve tasted drops of God’s power and thought we’d arrived. But, brethren, we’re crying out for something greater. We’re believing for the fullness. we’re desperate for the Latter Rain that will exceed anything the church has seen before but here’s the truth the Latter Rain requires even newer wineskins it requires vessels that are even more surrendered even more transformed even more dead to themselves you cannot contain greater glory with the same old vessel you won’t believe what I’m about to tell you this transformation isn’t a one-time event The Spirit is continually working within us to change us. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verses 16 and 17 give us the ultimate vision: For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. We’re being prepared for that moment. Philippians chapter 3 verse 21 promises that Jesus will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to his glorious body according to the working by which he is able even to subdue all things to himself. This transformation is God’s work, but we must yield to it. We must allow the Spirit to keep making us newer and newer wineskins, capable of containing more and more of his wine. We must get more desperate every day, more thirsty every day, until 1 John chapter 4 verse 17 becomes our reality. As he is, so are we in this world. Now let me tell you something about the cost. When Jesus became the sacrifice for humanity, Hebrews chapter 5 verse 7 says it meant strong crying and tears. It meant the cross man would but glory heavenward. 1 Timothy chapter 3 verse 16 calls it the mystery of godliness, glory descending on a cross. When Jesus cried, It is finished, in John chapter 19 verse 30, he wasn’t just ending his suffering. He was opening the door for you and me to become new wineskins. He was making it possible for ordinary people to be completely transformed and filled with extraordinary power. But becoming a new wineskin requires the same kind of death Jesus experienced. Not physical death, but death to self. Death to your own will. Death to your own agenda. Death to everything that makes you an old wineskin. Beloved, this isn’t just about having nice spiritual experiences. This is God’s eternal plan for humanity. From the very beginning, God’s purpose has been to fill us, to immerse us, to clothe us upon with his Spirit. But he can only fill new wineskins. Romans chapter 8 verse 19 speaks of creation, groaning and waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God. What is creation waiting for? New wineskins filled with new wine. Believers who have been so completely transformed that God himself is manifested through them. The world doesn’t need more old wineskins pretending to have new wine. They need to see the real thing. They need to see God incarnate in humanity. They need believers who are so yielded, so transformed, so filled that rivers of living water flow from them naturally. Habakkuk chapter 2 verse 14 gives us God’s ultimate goal. For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. That’s the vision, church. That’s what God is working toward. But how will the earth be filled with God’s glory? Through new wineskins filled with new wine. Through believers who have allowed themselves to be completely transformed, who carry the presence and power of God everywhere they go. We are meant to be partakers of the divine nature, as 2 Peter, chapter 1, verse 4 declares. We’re designed to manifest the life of Jesus to the world. But this only happens when we become new wineskins. Now, brethren, let me tell you something that desperately needs to be said, even though it’s going to make some people uncomfortable. The vast majority of Christians today are old wineskins crying out for new wine, and they can’t understand why they never receive it. They pray for revival, but refuse to be transformed. They cry out for God’s power, but won’t surrender control. They want the benefits of Pentecost, but won’t pay the price of becoming new wineskins. And then they wonder why their Christian life is dry. powerless, and ineffective. Understand this. When you become a new wineskin filled with new wine, you carry the very authority of Jesus Christ himself. You’re not just another struggling believer you’re a carrier of the divine nature. You’re a vessel through which God manifests his power and glory. But this authority only flows through new wineskins. It only operates through those who have died to themselves and been completely remade. There must be nothing felt, seen, or spoken about, except the mighty power of the Holy Spirit working through a yielded vessel. When you’re a new wineskin filled with new wine, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead operates through you. The same authority that spoke worlds into existence flows through you. The same spirit that moved at Pentecost moves through you. But it requires complete transformation. It requires total death to self. It requires becoming utterly new. Brethren, we stand at a critical moment in history. God is preparing to pour out the latter rain, and it’s going to be greater than anything we’ve seen. But here’s the question that will determine your destiny. Will you be a new wineskin ready to receive it? Or will you remain an old wineskin and miss it entirely? I’m telling you today with all the authority of God’s Word. You cannot have new wine in an old wineskin. It’s not possible. It’s not optional. It’s not negotiable. If you want the fresh outpouring of God’s Spirit, if you want to walk in the power of Pentecost, If you want to experience the fullness of what God has for you, you must become a new wineskin. This means death. Death to your old nature. Death to your comfort. Death to your control. Death to everything that makes you unable to contain what God wants to pour into you. But oh beloved, what glorious life comes after that death. What incredible power flows through new wineskins. What amazing things God does through those who have allowed themselves to be completely transformed. The world is waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God, not old wineskins with old wine, but new wineskins filled with fresh wine straight from the throne. They’re waiting to see believers in whom God is so fully manifested that when they look at us, they see Jesus. This is your moment. This is your day. Will you allow God to transform you into a new wineskin? Will you die to everything old so you can receive everything new? Will you surrender completely so that the Holy Spirit can fill you until you overflow? You cannot stay where you are and receive what God has for you. You must be transformed. You must become new. You must let the old wineskin die so the new wineskin can be filled. Glory to God. Let there be a cry from this church today: Lord, make me a new wineskin. Transform me completely. Kill everything of the old nature. Make me a vessel that can contain and carry your new wine. Fill me until I overflow. Fill me until rivers of living water flow from me. Fill me until people see Jesus and glorify you. The latter rain is coming, church. It will be greater than the former. But only new wineskins will receive it. Only those who have died to self will be filled. Only those who have been completely transformed will walk in the fullness of God’s power. Don’t miss this! because you’re unwilling to change. Don’t forfeit your destiny because you’re clinging to old wineskin Christianity. Let it all die. Become new. Receive the new wine that God is pouring out. Father, in the mighty name of Jesus, we come before your throne with desperate hearts crying out, Make us new wineskins. We confess that we’ve tried to receive your new wine while remaining in our old condition, and it cannot work. Today, we surrender everything. We let the old nature die. We let our control die. We let our comfortable Christianity die. Transform us completely, Lord. Remake us into vessels that can receive and contain the fresh outpouring of your Spirit. We want the new wine, the latter rain that is greater than the former. Pour it out, Father. Fill these new wineskins until we overflow. Fill us until rivers of living water flow from us to a dying world. We refuse to remain old wineskins. We choose transformation. We choose death to self. We choose to become vessels for your glory. Fill us now, Holy Spirit. Take complete possession. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen. I believe with all my heart that as you’ve understood the new wineskin requirement today, you’ve been confronted with the most important decision of your spiritual life. The revelation you’ve received about complete transformation and total surrender is already working in your spirit, creating holy dissatisfaction with old wineskin Christianity, and igniting a fire to be completely remade by God. Comment below with I am a new wineskin and share one specific thing you’re letting die so you can become a new wineskin. Your declaration might inspire someone else to surrender to God’s remaking process today. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit that notification bell for rare, timeless, and anointed teachings that will help you grow spiritually and walk in the authority Christ intended for you. Here’s your daily practice. Every morning this week, declare out loud, Today, I die to the old wineskin. Today, I surrender to transformation. Today, I become new, so I can receive God’s new wine. Throughout the day, when you’re tempted to operate in old patterns, stop and consciously yield that area to the Holy Spirit for transformation. You’ve become a new wineskin. But what fills it? You’ve surrendered to transformation, but what’s the more so that makes it all worthwhile? How did a rich man with everything discover he had nothing until a whistling boy showed him the secret? What’s the difference between being saved and being baptized in the Holy Spirit that even African boys could explain better than most preachers? Why do most Christians stop at salvation when God has a double cure available? Check out this next video to discover the baptism in the Holy Spirit that transforms empty vessels into overflowing fountains. Learn the much more abundant life Jesus promised, and experience the fullness that makes you whistle with joy, regardless of your circumstances.
By Smith Wigglesworth