As we begin the first week of term two of our school of the Spirit, I announced that term two was all about seeing the release of the prophetic, yet in announcing this, I did not really know where the Lord by His Spirit was leading us. However, after a time in prayer the answer was revealed.
In Ezekiel 47, we have the story of the prophet being shown a river that was flowing from the temple, from the entrance or the threshold of the Temple. This river continues to flow eastward and again another river flows from the south side of the Temple. Later we hear the waters trickling to the east flow into the sea where they make the water fresh.
The prophet is then returned to the Temple and shown the trees that are growing along side the river flowing east and the life they bring to all around them.
A similar picture is given to John in Revelation 22, in this case John is told the trees which are growing along side the river are the tree of life which bear fruit each month and that the leaves of the trees are healing for the nations.
In both of these pictures we see the key element is the water which is flowing from the Temple, it is this living water which brings life and healing to those it touches. As we continue to think on scripture relating to water, it is impossible to forget Jesus' teaching of living water which He refers to being the Spirit in John 7:38 and onwards. Again in John 4 when speaking to the Samaritan women makes reference to this water which will cause those who drink to never thirst again.
Yet when we read on in John 7 we find that those who thirst after this water are the ones who will receive it. Jesus therefore says that those who are thirsty for the Spirit are those who will receive it. Thirsting after the Spirit is therefore a pre-requisite for receiving the Spirit. Jesus also speaks of hunger and thirst in the be-attitudes of Matthew 5:6 saying that it is those who will be filled.
So if we wish to be filled (present tense) then it is vital that we are thirsty and hungry for this living water which is the Spirit. Yet it is not just the inflow of God's Spirit that we are designed for but also the outflow. That is to see a constant flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Just as the water from the Temple continued to flow to become a blessing to the nations and those in whom it touched, so too are we designed to see God's Spirit in our (the temples of His Spirit and living stones) lives flow out of us to touch and bless others.
In Australia, when a river is in flood during the rainy season, often it will over flow and create what we call "Billabongs" or small pockets of water which have been left alongside the original flow of the river after the flood waters have receded. These billabongs though initially can be cosy and somewhat beautiful areas of a river after a time can become stale and stagnant and all that is trapped in them slowly but surely begins to die. The moral of the story is simple, to remain alive, fresh in God's Spirit we must remain in tact with the source of the river of God. I often explain it like this, consider yourself a vessel that has both an in flow and out flow, as you are poured out to be a blessing to those around you, it is imperative that you are replenished and re-filled with the source of your blessing being the Holy Spirit.
God would have His temples of His Spirit to be a blessing to the nations, it is therefore vital for our continued use within the Kingdom of God to keep returning to the Holy Spirit to be filled up with His presence and power.
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