The history of the early Church was not a seamless development; there are hints throughout the New Testament of the struggles and difficulties that accompanied the nascent Jesus movement. For example, there seem to have been tension between the followers of John the Baptist and those of Jesus. “The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?'” John the Baptist is pivotal in the unfolding of salvation history but his understanding of the action of God was not identical to that of Jesus and some of his disciples had a hard time moving in the new direction. We should not be surprised, therefore, that the “new wine” continues to challenge believers today.
JULY62019
By Church Staff