Hi.

My name is Caleb Adkisson, and this is my blog. I am a Bible student and evangelist in St. Petersburg, FL. I plan on using this space to publish some of my Bible study notes, musings, and weekly bulletin articles.

Why “The Good Wine”?

Wine is a major motif in the Bible that represents blessing, abundance, and fellowship. Melchizedek brought out bread and wine when he blessed our father, Abraham (Gen. 14:17-19). Isaac’s blessing on his son, Israel, asks, “May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine” (Gen. 27:27-29). Psalm 104 tells us that God gives wine to gladden the heart of man, and wine was among the blessings for covenant faithfulness (Deut. 7:12-14).

Jesus chose wine as a symbol of his ministry, because true abundance and fellowship come through him. He manifested his glory at Cana of Galilee by turning water into high quality wine (John 2:1-11). He used wine to elevate his ministry above the pious innovations of the Pharisees: “And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good'” (Luke 5:39).

Most importantly, Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper as a meal of bread and wine. Christians feast each week on the body and blood of the Lord Jesus, receiving the rich spiritual blessings of Christ. It is both a remembrance, like the Passover (Luke 22:14-20), and a proclamation that the Lord shall return (1 Cor. 11:26). The Supper is a key element of our fellowship; it is no coincidence that we sometimes call the Supper “Communion” and Christian fellowship “the communion of the saints.”

Jesus inaugurated his ministry with words of richest blessing (Luke 4:18-19):

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
     because he has anointed me
     to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
     and recovering of sight to the blind,
     to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Like Jesus, we preach the rich blessings of God in our message of repentance. This is why I have chosen to call this blog “The Good Wine”: because it is about Jesus, who is the source of our richest blessings, true fellowship, and the life eternal.