The Types of the Holy Spirit - Part 2: The Water & the Wine

REVIEW
 
Last week, we began a new series on the Holy Spirit which we are calling, “The Types of the Holy Spirit.” And what we are doing in this series is looking at the various descriptions used of the Holy Spirit throughout God’s Word, understanding that there are many of these physical examples and analogies used in the Bible used to describe Him—such as oil, water, wind, fire, wine, etc. So, there is no shortage of illustrations that the Lord has used in the Bible to describe the Third Person of the Godhead.
 
So, last week, we began by looking at by far the most popular symbol of the Holy Spirit that we see used in the Word—the DOVE. But we learned that this does not mean (contrary to popular opinion) that the Holy Spirit is some sort of spiritual bird. No, we saw that He is not a dove, but rather this describes the personality and traits that He possesses.
 
So, we looked at the event where Jesus was baptized in the Four Gospels—and saw that He was said to either descend “like a dove” or “in bodily form like a dove.” Therefore, this describes the Holy Spirit both descending “in the manner” that a dove does and also His form “appearing to be” like a dove.
 
So, we asked the question: What is a dove like? And we saw that a dove is gentle, tender, and peaceful. So, perhaps the gospel writers described the Holy Spirit resting upon Jesus like a dove because He glided down so smoothly and so softly and landed on Him as a dove would. And our take away from this was that He’s not going to force Himself on us. He will come when we want Him and in the manner in which we invite Him to. Yes, He’s gentle and tender like a perfect gentleman. Therefore, He is not going to force Himself on us and make us do something we don’t want to do. Church, evil spirits possess people. They are the ones who make people do things they don’t want to do. Therefore, if one cannot control themselves, then it isn’t the Holy Ghost; it’s another spirit.
 
So again, the Holy Spirit must be yielded to and cooperated with. Therefore, the Holy Spirit and His gifts are subject to us as to how much we desire to let Him flow. And if you don’t believe that—then just look around you. If we believe that the Holy Spirit is just going to do whatever He wants to do in us and we are not seeing a plethora of gifts flowing in our lives, then that means He doesn’t want to move that often. But no, I can assure you, the problem is not with Him desiring to work; it is with us learning to yield to His work. Amen?
 
So, the Holy Spirit operates like a dove—gently and graciously. He leads and guides us in an unassuming way—inspiring us, yet not driving us. Another way of saying this is that is He is “harmless” just like Jesus said we are to be in Matthew 10:16— "harmless as doves.”
 
Then we looked at another type of the Holy Spirit—the most common type, mind you—in the Scriptures. We saw that He is often described in the Scriptures as OIL.
 
And we saw that in the Old Testament, various people and things were “anointed” with “oil”: Originally, it was used exclusively for the anointing of the priesthood as well as the articles of the Tabernacle and subsequent temples in Jerusalem. However, it was used later to include the anointing of kings for their role. So, the oil was used to anoint the kings, priests, and the articles of the Tabernacle. And why? We saw that it was to consecrate them and to also make them “most holy.”
 
So, we saw what this means to us today: Jesus has made use kings and priests unto our God (see Revelations 1:6). And we saw what this means—if we have been made kings and priests, then God must have anointed us too! Amen! Therefore, we are “anointed” to be His children (those born [again] to be His kings) and to serve Him (i.e. priests). Therefore, we are the ones anointed to be kings and priests in this new and better covenant (see First Peter 2:9)!
 
But it got even better: We also saw that we are now the Temple and Tabernacle of God—for He does not dwell in temples made with hands, but now dwells in the temple of our bodies. So, we learned that if we are the Temple of God today, then we must be anointed by God! Therefore, we are anointed to be indwelt by Him. Glory!
 
Yes, we learned that the common misconception that some Christians are anointed and some are not is wrong. We saw in First John 2:20 that we all have an anointing from the Holy One. It doesn’t say that we hope to be anointed or we will be anointed by Him someday. No, it says that we all—every born again, Spirit baptized believer—has an anointing from the Holy One Himself!  Therefore, when Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to…” this means that we have been anointed with the same anointing that He was anointed with! Therefore, the same Spirit that He had, we have! Amen!
 
You see, church, all throughout the Scriptures when we see someone being anointed with oil, that is symbolic of the Holy Spirit being poured out on them—either to equip and empower one for a particular office or to set free and deliver one from a particular bondage. We saw it used the latter way in James 5:14-15 where the anointing with oil is seen as a method to bringing healing and deliverance to the afflicted. This, of course, is not saying that there is inherent power in the oil itself to heal someone; rather, it is using oil as a contact point between the minister and the one receiving ministry. And since “oil” is symbolic of the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the anointing of the sick with oil is a symbol showing how it is the power of the Holy Spirit to set the captive free.
 
But we also saw that being anointed was another way of saying that the Hand of the Lord is upon us! Therefore, we learned that if God’s Hand is on us, then we ought to get our hands on people! And we saw that the very last sign that Jesus said would follow those who believe in Mark 16:18 was “they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
 
Church, ministering God’s healing power to the sick is part of what we have been delegated the authority to do in Jesus’ name. It is a sign that is supposed to follow these kings and priests! And the truth is—if we have been called to do it, then we have been anointed to do it!
 
Therefore, while we want to be “harmless” as the Holy Ghost, we don’t want to be “harmless” to the kingdom of darkness. It’s the anointing that breaks the yoke (see Isaiah 10:27). And those yokes and burdens are what the evil spirits put on people; not the Holy Spirit. He is in the yoke destroying business, not the yoke building business. Therefore, let’s get on His team and start putting our hands on people—letting the anointing destroy the sickness, oppression, poverty, etc. that the enemy has bound people with. Amen.  
 
THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY GHOST
 
So, now that we’ve looked at both the Dove & the Oil—which both describe how the Holy Spirit comes upon us (i.e. descending upon & being poured out upon us)—let’s look at another type of Him that will echo this truth—water.
 
You see, just as when one is baptized in water he or she is totally immersed in the water, when someone is baptized in the Holy Spirit they are immersed in the Spirit—meaning, they are not sprinkled with a little bit of Him to where He only affects a relatively small portion of them. Like when one truly is “baptized” in water, they get soaking wet. Likewise, when one receives the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit, they get soaked in Him—meaning, it’s not just their spirit that gets sprinkled; their whole man gets wet. That means our heart is affected, our soul gets affected, and our body gets affected. We get soaking wet in the Holy Ghost! Amen!   
 
Notice how Jesus compared being baptized with water to being baptized with the Holy Spirit: In Acts 1:5 He said, “for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” So, what does it mean to be “baptized” with the Holy Spirit? Well, notice here that Jesus made the comparison to John baptizing with water to us being baptized with the Holy Spirit.
 
You know, even the baptism of John has been misunderstood: People today baptize incorrectly because when you look up the word “baptize,” it literally means to be “immersed or dunked” in water, not “sprinkled.” In other words, to be baptized in something means to be completely dipped or plunged into it.
 
So, if being baptized with water means to be immersed, dipped, dunked or plunged into the water itself, then it is to be understood that being baptized with the Holy Spirit also means to be immersed, dipped, dunked or plunged into the Holy Spirit Himself. Amen!
 
Saints, this is the difference between having the Holy Spirit “within” us and having the Holy Spirit “upon”: Sure, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us when we are born again and He regenerates our spirit, but there is a subsequent Promise which is what Jesus was talking about here where the Holy Spirit doesn’t just dwell in us, but He comes upon us. Amen!
 
I remember a time when I was attending Charis Bible College in Colorado Springs and a discussion came up in the breakroom about what is the difference between receiving the Holy Spirit at salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This question was being debated and then, by what I believe to be a word of wisdom, the Lord gave me the answer right then and there: You see, when one is born again, they receive the Holy Spirit to where He comes and regenerates, renews and then seals their spirits (Titus 3:5 & Ephesians 1:13). Yes, He dwells in that born-again believer’s spirit, but the hidden man of the heart is the only part of us that He affects. Amen!
 
This is where the baptism of the Holy Spirit (or, the Holy Spirit coming upon us) comes in: You see, while it is certainly important for the Holy Spirit to affect the spirit of man and perform that first work of grace in our lives, what about the other parts of man? What about the body and the soul?
 
You see, the question that was getting raised in that CBC breakroom that day was— “Did we not get all of the Holy Ghost when He came to live in our hearts at our salvation experience?” Well, sure, we didn’t just receive a part of the Holy Spirit when we were born again and another part of Him when we were baptized in Him. No, we received all of Him when we were born again but He did not receive all of us.
 
Let me substantiate this statement, further by us considering the different terminologies that are used to describe this second work of grace:

1. FILLED: There are several Scriptures that reference being “filled” with the Holy Spirit. Well, if a cup is “filled” with water that means that it is not just one-third full or two-thirds full; No, for a cup to be full means that the entire cup is affected by the drink, not just a portion of it. Therefore, to be “filled” with the Spirit means that the whole man is filled; not just the spirit, but the soul & body too.
2. BAPTIZED: As I alluded to earlier, to be baptized with the Spirit means to be immersed, plunged and dipped in the Spirit, not just sprinkled. So, in other words, when we are baptized in the Spirit, it is not just my head, hands, legs etc. that gets wet; all of me gets wet when I am submerged in water. Likewise, to be baptized in the Spirit is to have every part of you—spirit, soul and body—experiencing the life-giving water of the Spirit!
3. UPON: As we’ve made the point of, the Spirit’s baptism is referred to as the Spirit coming upon us as well. So, what we see in this is that the Spirit literally comes upon our outward man, to affect our senses, to empower us to live the things that our spirits have already been touched by. Amen! 

 
Therefore, from these terms we see how the Holy Spirit is supposed to be poured out “upon” us to where we are completely “immersed” with Him and totally “filled” by Him. Amen!  But my point is that just the phrase “baptism in the Holy Spirit” shows us that the Holy Spirit is likened to water. Now there are other benefits to water rather than just the symbolism of us being washed in Him that is being used in the water baptism. Let’s look at some other Scriptural examples of this to see other benefits of the Holy Spirit in our lives. …
 
WELLS & RIVERS
 
Now it is clear the role that the Holy Spirit plays in our salvation. Yes, we are told in Titus 3:5 that we were saved, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” Amen. So, both the washing and regeneration (i.e. new birth) that transpired in our salvation were done by the Holy Spirit according to this passage. In fact, Jesus said to the Samaritan woman in John 4:14— “…But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” So, say this with me: “The water that Jesus has given me has become in me a fountain of water that springs up into everlasting life!” Amen! Now it is clear that fountain of water is the gift of salvation. We see this echoed in Isaiah 11:3 when the prophet said, “Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” Church, this is the fountain of water that springs up into everlasting life—the well of salvation. But it is also to be understood that the Holy Spirit is the one who put that well of salvation on the inside of us in the first place. Yes, that water had to originate from another body of water. And that originating body of water is the Holy Ghost.  
 
This is why Jesus said what He did in the seventh chapter of the Gospel of John: He said in John 7:37-39, “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
 
Now the timing of Jesus’ statements here is significant—for it was on the last day, the great day of the Feast of Tabernacles. But that is a lesson for another day. The point is that Jesus cried out that He who is thirsty could come to Him and drink—which He went on to say that this is simply believing in Him which would result in rivers of living water flowing out of our hearts. Therefore, we see again the association made between our salvation and water. But notice what John goes on to tell us in verse 39— “But this He spoke concerning the Spirit whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” Ohhh, so now we are seeing that the Holy Spirit is who Jesus was really speaking of here! Therefore, the Holy Spirit was prophesied to be those rivers of living water that would flow out of our hearts.
 
So, this goes back to my point regarding the difference between the baptism of the Holy Spirit and receiving the Holy Spirit at salvation. When one is saved—being washed and regenerated by the Holy Spirit—a well or fountain was placed within us. But although wells and springs contain and produce water, they are not rivers of living water. That’s what the Holy Spirit produces—rivers, not wells or fountains! Yes, His presence in our lives is like the difference between having a well in us and having rivers of living water in us! Glory!
 
ARE YOU THIRSTY?
 
Now I want you to notice that Jesus equates “water” in both John 4:14 & 7:38 to “life” (i.e. springing up into everlasting life & rivers of living water). What this teaches us is that the Holy Spirit is our life and as we learn to daily “drink” from Him, we experience and walk in “the God kind of Life.” You see, just as “water” is absolutely essential to physical life, the Holy Spirit is likewise a necessity for spiritual life.
 
First Corinthians 12:13 says that we, “…have been made to drink into one Spirit.” The Greek word used that is translated “drink” not only describes an individual drinking water; it also describes a piece of land that has been irrigated. The Holy Spirit will refresh us as rain refreshes a desert, giving us irrigation when we feel dry.
 
This is what I believe God promised us in Isaiah 44:3 when He said, “For I will pour water on Him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants.” You see, “water” refers to “refreshment” and “the source of life,” right? Therefore, just as “water” is needed to live; so is the Spirit. Just as “water” is used for refreshment; so is the Spirit.
 
So, I ask you today: Are you thirsty? No, not physically, but spiritually, emotionally, etc. Are you truly satisfied and content in your heart? If not, your problem might be that you need to drink of the Spirit. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve never drank of Him before, just that you need to be washed in Him again. Like water, we have to continuously drink in order to stay hydrated. And like the Holy Spirit is who washes and refreshes us, He is also who we drink and derive our life from.
 
WATER TO WINE
 
Now speaking of drinking, that leads me to the next type of the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures—Wine. Yes, like we see in Jesus’ first miracle, we are going to also turn the water into wine right now!
 
So, let’s look at a couple of examples in the Bible where the Holy Spirit is compared to “wine”:
 
First of all, on the day of Pentecost, when the disciples were filled with the Holy Ghost in that upper room, we see that while the majority were amazed and perplexed by what they were hearing (i.e. the disciples speaking in other tongues and declaring, in their own tongues, the wonderful works of God), there were others mocking who thought that they were drunk with wine (Acts 2:13). But then we see Peter correcting them saying, “For these are not drunk, as you suppose…” (2:15). Notice this phrase— “as you suppose.” So, they were drunk alright, just not like those people thought!
 
You see, most people “suppose” that the reason this group of people thought they were drunk was just by the tongues they were hearing, but when you hear people praying in tongues have you ever mistaken that with someone being intoxicated? I haven’t. So, what this shows me is that the effects of the infilling of the Holy Spirit can easily be mistaken for the effects of being filled with alcohol.
 
Of course, the Holy Spirit does not come to make us senseless and silly; He makes us sharp and bold. Many have abused those verses in Acts to defend bizarre and ungodly behavior. I believe in the joy and power of the Holy Spirit, but much of what we have seen on display is just the flesh. So, what was it that made the onlookers assume that the believers were drunk? It’s because they were acting under a new influence. They were behaving abnormally. They were speaking and moving in a way that was different. No, they weren’t belligerent, but they were bold! They weren’t incapacitated, but they were joyful.
 
The Holy Spirit is compared with wine, not because He brings foolishness and chaos, but because He brings boldness and joy. Just as people receive wine in celebration, so are we to receive the Holy Spirit with gladness. His presence, like wine, marks the occasion. Wine represents the joy, prosperity, and boldness brought about by the Holy Spirit.
 
Which leads me to my next point:
 
 
 
FILLED WITH WINE OR FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT?
 
Ephesians 5:18 says, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.” Notice that the apostle Paul here compares being drunk with wine as being filled with the Spirit. One expositor states that the word “drunk” means “to be filled.” So what Paul was literally saying was “don’t be filled with wine, but be filled with the Spirit.”
 
But notice that Paul makes the point of saying that being drunk with alcohol leads to “dissipation.” The word “dissipation” comes from the Greek word “sozo” which is the word translated “salvation.” But this word “sozo” has the alpha negative “a” before it which gives the word “sozo” the exact opposite meaning that it has on its own. It literally describes the opposite of that which has a saving quality about it. Therefore, it rather has a destructive quality. So, Paul was describing how living a drunkin’ lifestyle just leads to destruction and bondage, but how having a Spirit-Filled lifestyle has the opposite effect. It leads to freedom and wholeness!
 
Why do people like to get drunk anyways? It is because it frees them from their inhibitions. Yes, they become free to do the things they normally wouldn’t do. Another reason is because it makes them joyful and fun to be around. Likewise, full of the Holy Spirit, we become free to be ourselves and become joyful and fun to be around.
 
You know, Jesus must have been fun to be around if the kid’s all liked Him, right? Children aren’t drawn to sour-pusses, I can assure you. Speaking of Jesus, Hebrews 1:9 says, “Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than your companions” The Holy Spirit is called the “oil of gladness” because that is what is produced in a believer who is full of the Holy Ghost—JOY! Joy unspeakable and full of glory!
 
You see, the believer does not need wine to experience joy. Wine can only give unfulfilling counterfeits of what the Holy Spirit offers. The Holy Spirit is the wine of Heaven—and the good news is that He is free and He doesn’t give you a hang-over either! So, in essence, Paul is saying, “Hey guys. Don’t get drunk on wine because that just leads to bondage. But instead, be filled up with the Spirit and experience the new wine!” In other words, one doesn’t need alcohol in order to have a good time and enjoy life; learning to drink of and being filled with the Holy Spirit can give one what they felt like only alcohol could give them. Amen.
 
Now someone might say, “Well, I am Spirit-filled but I am not experiencing all of those effects of the Holy Spirit!” Well, there is a difference between having been filled with the Spirit and currently being full of the Spirit!
 
You see, in this verse, when the Apostle Paul says, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,” he is talking to a church of people who had already received what we call the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We see this in Acts chapter 19, when the apostle Paul came to Ephesus and asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit since they believed and they were subsequently all filled with the Holy Spirit (see Acts 19:1-6). Therefore, this church was already introduced to the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
 
So, why does He tell them here to be filled with the Holy Spirit? What we need to understand is that there is one initial infilling of the Holy Spirit, but there are many subsequent refilling’s: You see, the phrase “but be filled with the Spirit” in Ephesians 5:18 literally means in the original Greek “be being filled” or “be continuously filled.” Therefore, this is an instruction to stay full of the Spirit of God.
 
Yes, there are numerous instances throughout the Book of Acts that state that a believer was filled with the Holy Spirit even after they had been initially baptized in the Holy Spirit. So again, there is evidently one initial infilling of the Holy Spirit but many subsequent refilling’s. But we have to choose to keep being filled. We have to remember; we are experiencing as much of God as we really want. If we want more, we will press in more. God is looking for people who are seeking Him with all their hearts to move mightily on His behalf.
 
STAYING FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
 
So, a good question then is: How do we stay full of the Holy Spirit? Well, let’s look at the next verse and find out how:
 
Ephesians 5:19 says, “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” A major key to staying full of the Spirit is the words that come out of our mouth. In other words, just as our mouth is the primary way one fills their belly with wine, our mouth is the primary way one stays full of the Spirit. Paul said here that we are continuously filled with the Spirit when we let “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” come out of our mouth. So, what are “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs?”
 
“Psalms” suggests what we would call “scriptural music.” In almost every usage of the Greek word “psalmos” the Psalms of the Old Testament are what is being referred to. So, singing “psalms” would be singing the Psalms of the Old Testament obviously, but it could also include singing other portions of Scripture. The term “hymns” literally describe “festive songs” or “songs of praise specifically addressed towards God.” A hymn differs from a psalm in that while a psalm is generally scripturally-based, a hymn is a song that comes of human origin. Some examples of “hymns” could be “I Sing Praises to Your Name”, “Holy, Holy, Holy”, or “the Doxology.” Then Paul said that the third and final songs that we should sing are “spiritual songs.” The word “spiritual” literally means “non-carnal.” So “spiritual songs” are “songs that are not of human origin”—that is, songs that are given by inspiration of the Spirit. This would include singing in tongues or simply just singing a song in our own understanding that the Holy Spirit puts in our hearts and that did not originate from man.
 
Someone might say, “But it is not always convenient to sing. What do you do in those times?” That Is why Paul’s next phrase in Ephesians 5:19 is “singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” In those times where it is not appropriate to sing aloud, we can make melody in our heart to the Lord. We can always maintain that inner communion with Him. God is a spirit so we can worship Him (or, fellowship with Him) in spirit (i.e. not naturally). So, when we cannot let it come out of our mouth, we need to let it continue in our heart.
 
Actually, this singing and making melody in our heart is always important to do. Sometimes we can just let songs come out of our mouth without our hearts being behind the words. If all we do is just sing psalms and hymns without our hearts truly being involved it will do absolutely nothing to keep us full of the Spirit. That is why Paul went on to say “singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” This means that the songs that come out of our mouth should be aimed at the Lord. That is, that we are not just singing but that we are actually singing to the Lord—making Him the object of all the words that proceed from our mouth. This is getting our heart involved in our psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.
 
Paul goes on to say in Ephesians 5:20— “giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Along with letting the praises of God come out of our mouth we need to let thanksgiving flow from our lips as well.
 
Psalm 69:30 says, “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving.” The first phrase in this verse is a description of Ephesians 5:19 and the second is a description of verse 20. This Scripture shows us how we magnify the Lord. It is through giving thanks to Him! And although this is not the intended meaning of David, when we thank God always for all things, we will magnify God on the inside of us! In other words, we will have more of the Holy Spirit filling our bodies.
 
Notice that Paul said, “giving thanks always for all things.” We are to give thanks all the time and for everything! Someone might say, “How can we be thankful all the time and for everything?” Well, for example, if your car breaks down you can still thank God that He gave you a car to drive before it broke down and that He will provide for you to drive it again in the future. You can always find something to be thankful for in everything. You can always find something positive to thank God for in every situation. And keeping this kind of positive and grateful outlook is a major key to staying full of the Spirit of God! Here is a good place to mention complaining. The opposite of praising and being thankful is complaining - this is how we quench the Holy Spirit. So avoid complaining at all costs.
 
Finally, Paul says in Ephesians 5:21 that we are to stay full of the Spirit, “submitting to one another in the fear of God.” Someone might say, “What does submitting to other believers have to do with being filled with the Holy Spirit?” Well, when you are submitting, you are serving, and when you are serving, you are giving out. And this is how one stays filled up with God—by giving out to others. Amen.
 
But the main point I am making is the importance of praise, worship, and thanksgiving coming out of our mouths regarding maintaining a Spirit-Filled life. Amen. This is how we drink in the Spirit, when His praises come out of our mouth. And just like we need to bathe regularly so that we won’t stink in the natural, we need to be "bathed" in the Holy Spirit continually so that we won't stink spiritually.
 
NEW WINE
 
Now do you remember how those mockers in Acts 2:13 said, “They are full of new wine”? They don’t know how true that statement really was—because yes, the disciples were indeed full of new wine! “Full” in respect to them being full of the Holy Spirit, and full of “new wine” in respect to them being filled up with the One Who had just been given to us—the newly arrived Holy Spirit, who is typified as wine.    
 
Now do you recall when Jesus said in Mark 2:21-22, “No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”?
 
The “new wine” referred to here can describe our salvation or the Holy Spirit Himself. I choose to believe that it describes the Holy Spirit because of these other comparisons in the Scriptures to the Holy Spirit being like wine. The salvation experience, in my opinion, is when the old wineskins are replaced with new wineskins. Once the new birth occurs, we have the capacity to house the new wine!
 
So, it starts with being born again—drinking of the waters of salvation—becoming renewed wineskins. And then we are capable of receiving the new wine of the Holy Ghost. But then we must continually be filled with this new wine—staying full of Him to where it is not just us having the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit having us. This yields the joy, the happiness and the abundant life—the Spirit filled life! Lord, fill our cups to overflowing today! Amen!