Full Expression

God is sovereign. Some believers throw this fact around as if to club someone to death. In the Old Testament days God would open the earth and swallow a group of disobedient people. This seems to be what some righteous people would like. Of course, they don’t want to die when they are disobedient. We are living in the New Testament days and God has decided to deal with us through His love. The fact that God is primarily using love as his motivation today does not imply that He is not sovereign. If possible, it makes Him more sovereign. Remember, our new relationship with God is very different from the world. The Almighty offers humans the opportunity to live as a holy person. Wow!

One beautiful difference today is that God actually responds in love to the yielded heart of a Christian. We will never guess the number of things that God has done on earth because of our requests. He loves our yielded heart even though He does not satisfy our selfish desires. The love of God is the biggest reason that Christians have unity in the church. God has ordained the church to be the town center for His unity of love. The Bible says: No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. (1 John 4:12 NLT). This passage explains that God can be seen through the love we express to others. Maybe we could say that we are the lighthouse of love.

We are required to walk this earth without the physical person of Jesus Christ. There is a special blessing for us who have never seen Him. When Jesus was about to physically leave the earth He talked about this to the Father. He said: Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. (John 17:11-12 NLT). The power in God’s names is because of His sovereignty. This means that the unity of love in a Church is encouraged and protected under the sovereign name of God. Christians today have a very special faith because of God’s love. Every Christian must join a local church in order to be united in the way Jesus taught. 

Experts want to know what can be done to refresh the stale attitude of a congregation. Becoming personally involved with others will always make things interesting. This is the unity of love that is available in Jesus. Here is part of the last message that the Lord preached to His followers: I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me … (John 17:22-23 NLT). Some people have said; I wish I knew how to show the world what the Lord means to me. Jesus made it clear that our unity in the local church does show the world that Jesus is our Savior. People must learn that attending church is not enough. It is necessary to actively show other believers that we do love them. 

The center of the Church is Jesus and He is all about our experience, not our knowledge. Jesus prayed that we would experience love and unity. But today people are collectors of information because they desire power. We have learned that to own the most information is a sure way to make a lot of money and to come out ahead of others. This is not the way to win with God. In order for us to experience a righteous life of unity we will be required to give-up many of our personal goals. Jesus is saying to us: Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. (John 12:25 NLT). In other words, a good servant adopts the goals of the Master.

The unity of love that we need can be blocked. It happens when we don’t fully experience Jesus because we still love our old life. Our selfish nature must die before the ways of Jesus will shine forth from our lives. God has created each of us and He certainly knows that we need to learn how to love others. We do have a reason: We love each other because he loved us first. (1 John 4:19 NLT). It takes great dedication to enjoy the unity of love that the Lord wants for us. This includes putting other’s welfare ahead of our own. This is what the Lord is asking for and His Spirit will gladly help us. When we actually become more intimate with Jesus, His love will cause us to seek unity with others.

Every local church is made up of different kinds of people, which means that the unity will feel differently to each of us. However, it is the unity of love that is created by the Spirit of God where we find peace. We can even feel this supernatural unity when we meet a born-again believer from some other place in the world. There are many different kinds of people in the world but having Jesus in our life is the common thread we seek. Christians are special: You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God… (1 Peter 2:9 NLT). Sometimes unusual people who don’t even speak the same language will feel a strong Christian love for each other. This is the kind of thing that can puzzle worldly people.  

The local church should have a priority of encouraging the unity of love. We need to be lenient when it is possible. This includes an attitude of willingness to excuse people at times who have made a mistake. Paul said: if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. (Gal 6:1 NLT). Yes, there will be some mistakes as we try to live as part of a family. However, when people advance in their spiritual maturity it will always be for the good of the group. Our behavior should never be determined by the worst member of the church. We are supposed to help everyone who will let us. Each of us should support the spiritual growth of our Church in the unity of love. Let the full expression of God’s love unite our church.

Living Water

The desert is a hot barren place where everyone is aware of their need for water. Thirsty people begin to worry that they will die. After a couple of days without water most people will pay any price for a cool drink. Our wonderful God invites people to drink all they want for free. Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come. (Isa 55:1 NLT). We are aware that this world is a dry spiritual desert. Some people do not know that free water is available. There are others that simply refuse to drink and will someday pay the price. There are also some people who feel that they will have to pay for God’s free water. But it is impossible to pay for salvation because of its great value. We must continue to tell folks that Jesus Christ is the spring of Living Water.

God’s water is more real than anything in this world. Spiritual water is invisible but it is a real influence in the Christian life. We cannot see the wind but it is a very powerful force at times. Jesus is the only source of saving waters. However, Christians have been given the privilege of telling the unsaved about this eternal water. Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. (John 7:37-39 NLT). No, there are not two sources of water. It is simply that Jesus and the Spirit are the same God. The Spirit lives inside of a Christian and the water of Jesus is able to flow out to other people. 

The church today has inherited the springs of Living Water and this gives them a most wonderful Bible history. We should be proud to become part of this record. After the great cleansing flood of our world, a man called Abraham was born. There were promises made to him that could only be kept through the Living Water that God eventually sent to earth. Many prophets told of Jesus and how that the Savior would be put to death in order to save humans from their eternal death. One prophet said: For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,… (Isa 44:3 NLT). The death and resurrection of Christ was for all the people of the earth. Paul taught that God’s Living Water is available for the Gentile as well as the Jew.

Spiritual water has come to this dry earth and is available for any person that longs for a relationship with God. This water is eternal and of great value. A thirsty person will beg for a drink when they are in need. When a person has a spiritual need they can go to the Savior for help. Paul talks about this in Romans: Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame. For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,  for, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Rom 10:12,13 NLT). However, when the Spirit reveals to a person that they are a sinner they can repent and live a new life. The new life of drinking from the spring of Living Water includes forgiveness, righteousness, peace, joy, fellowship, and eternal life with the Savior. 

God has planned our salvation from before the earth was formed. One old prophet wrote about the Living Water of God thousands of years ago. The Scripture says: See, I am doing a new thing! ...I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise. (Isa.43:19-21 NLT). We have been saved so that the spiritual blessings may flow in and out of us. This will make us into very different people. The love of God can overwhelm us because the spring of water never stops. This is the reason that Christians are always praising God. In Revelation we can read that living water will flow from under the throne of God forever. 

The assurance that God is our father flows to us with the living waters. Scripture says: The Lord will guide you always;…You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. (Isa 58:11 NLT).We see here that it is our responsibility to become a spring to others in this world. It is not hard because we simply yield to God and gratefully allow Him to work through us. In the foothills of Israel there is a place that has 2000 springs. The waters from the springs run together and form the Yarkon River. This river has provided water for humans for thousands of years. Our church is a place where many springs are located. It is our job to let the springs run into a river of life for our community. 

We can know for sure that we are saved. Paul said: The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. (Rom 8:16 NLT). This testimony is another reason the Holy Spirit was sent to live in us. The Spirit will become the motivation for our new Christian life. After the Day of Pentecost, the water began to flow through the children of God. It will be possible for us to understand many spiritual things as the grace of God becomes real in our life. One day our Savior was talking to the woman at the well and He spoke of this living water. The Scripture says: Jesus answered… Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13,14 NLT). What wonderful water that we can give away but it will still lead us into eternal life with God. God is offering us a glorious drink of water.