the Wine

By Odon Bulamba

People from overseas love wine from NZ – not only because NZ has the best grapes but God gave NZers the best brain for invention, for example NZers were the first to fly an aeroplane (although America believe they were). People from overseas have given respect to NZers and it’s a blessing.

“And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.” Mark 2:22

New wine into an old container will result in both the wine and the container being lost. When making wine it requires fermentation – the juice becomes angry and changes shape and smell. Yesterday it tasted sweet and tomorrow it tastes sour. The wine continues to change and can be kept on shelves for many years and can still be drunk if it has been kept in the bottle – but not if it is kept in a wineskin.

We NZers are like wine – God has given them an intelligence that is growing bigger. It used to be China but everyone is heading to NZ (e.g. Weta productions - the Hobbit) and there is a secret behind this: what does God want for NZ?

A new wine in an old container results in the loss of both the container and the wine. We as Christians don’t have anything to lose – we are only here to gain. God gives us the best position to be successful in everything and to enjoy whatever God has given us. If I have zero money, I’m successful. If I have more money, I’m successful. If I’m hungry, I’m successful.

We Christians think that success is when we find what satisfies our desires and this is what happens when you put the new wine in the old container: lose everything. For example, if I give you $5 million, you won’t sleep, you will lose control and be afraid of murderers and thieves. If someone gives you a Bible which is eternal life, you won’t even care if someone steals it, yet if you want to be successful for God, you need the Bible.

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ Mathew 22:37

God has given the church a mind (head) which is the most important part of life because the body follows the head. It has eyes and the body understands what it sees. You can think, smell, hear and the mind controls all of that. If your mind is the centre and that is why God wants you to love Him with all your mind. My heart brings ideas but my mind decides.

Our best weapon as Christians is our mind and it is written 92 x in the Bible. If you have intelligence, everything that surrounds you will run away. Solomon asked for intelligence and wisdom, not material things. He was the best king ever on the earth and he had everything. Your mind can make you foolish or wise.

We were given authority to cast out evil while satan doesn’t have any power to cast us out. That power comes from God and when satan tells you to steal, your mind can say no. God helps us to think before any situation. The baby comes out head first and we place crowns on a person’s head meaning the head is important and we have to know how to use it.

There is a season to make wine where you work hard taking care of what you have planted. Even after harvest, the workers continue to work hard to produce wine. On the wine bottle, the workers don’t write their own name but they write, “made in NZ”. But for us Christians, whenever God blesses us with something small we have to take the glory. For example, if I pray for healing for someone and they are healed, I will testify how I prayed and forget to mention Jesus.

The first commandment in the Bible is to glorify God only. If you leave your Bible behind, your mind will tell you. God has given you enough intelligence for every situation. Israel was given enough manna for each day and the Israelites didn’t have to store any. We are very intelligent in material things but not in spiritual things.

Our life is short. The farmer knows the harvest season will end soon and he works hard so he doesn’t lose the grapes. NZers have a natural ability to work for a short amount of time and produce something great in that time.

Mathew 16:23, “Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

We should have the things of God in mind. We have to ask ourselves if our decision is a good one or a bad one. Some people are pioneers of satan and they push people to sin or push people to lose their joy. Christians are children of God, new creatures and if we sit somewhere without moving we will ferment like old wine and whoever tastes us will find us bitter. This is when people can’t even tell you are a Christian.

The manna means that God’s grace is enough. We don’t have to say we are hungry spiritually because God has given us His manna and we don’t have to tell people we forgot to read the Bible or to pray or tell God we are weak because His grace is enough. Be careful not seek your own glory. Act as a Christian, love God and yourself and share what you have with others. Before to pray for yourself, pray for others.

My mind is a weapon...do I know how to use it? Have I trained my mind to be ready for attack? When satan comes do I surrender or do I fight?

“So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly.” Ecclesiastes 7:25

If you want to use your mind as a Christian, you have to seek knowledge and know what is good and what is bad, who is God and what you should or shouldn’t do and ask questions like, ‘what will I gain if I do this? What is God’s glory in this?’ We have to remember we are here today but tomorrow we will stand in front of God. We have to use our mind properly to feed others and to pray for others and to lead our actions correctly.

NZ is blessed because NZers have a big heart and they give and God gives back. NZers are completely humble and everybody lives a simple life. They respect authority and God but NZ need spiritual light. How do we Christians help NZers spiritually? What do we do with our minds to help NZ? God fulfils dreams so tell God what your dreams are for yourself and the nation of NZ and your dreams to help others and to glorify God.