God is a Fountain of Living Waters Flowing Into Us and With Us Into the New Jerusalem

God’s intention in His economy is to be the fountain of living waters to His people so that He may gain an increase, a counterpart – the church! In both the Old and the New Testament we see how God wants His people to drink of Him and be immersed into Him so that He may gain an increase – the church.

Christ is the Bridegroom, and His people who drink of Him as the living water become His increase, His counterpart, the bride. We need to forsake anything else besides God and drink of Him as the unique fountain of life so that He may gain His heart’s desire, the church! Here, in the church, there’s a river of water of life flowing out from the house of God as He measures us (see Ezek. 47:1-12).

The Triune God flows out from eternity to reach out His people and quench their thirst. The more God flows into us as living water, the more the flow of life increases and we abandon our self-effort, we forsake our direction, and we allow the river of life to carry us on!

The Triune God flows into us in the Divine Trinity in three stages: the Father is the fountain, the Son is the spring, and the Spirit is the river – and the destination is the eternal life, the New Jerusalem! The more the Lord measures us, the more the flow of water of life increases in us, and we are being flown into the New Jerusalem, the totality of the eternal life!

All we need to do is be open to the Lord and enjoy the flowing river of water of life moment by moment!

Drinking of God as a Fountain of Living Waters to Become the Church, His Increase

Why does God liken Himself to a fountain of living waters to His people? If we read the Bible with the glasses of God’s economy on, we will realize that God needs to be the fountain of living waters to His people because He has an economy, which is to produce a counterpart – a bride – for Himself (see John 3:29a; 4:14; Rev. 19:7-8).

Drinking of God as the fountain of living waters causes us to be His church for His increase; the more we drink of the living water, the more we become God’s enlargement on earth, His fullness, for His expression (see John 4:14; 3:29a, 30a; 1 Cor. 12:12-13).

As seen in John 4, whatever we drink we worship. We may drink of the things in the world like pleasures, entertainment, Internet, Facebook, computer games, gadgets, apps, etc – whatever we drink, we also worship. We don’t merely “spend time relaxing” by watching a movie or playing a game; if we don’t drink of God while doing these things, we worship idols.

God the Father is seeking worshipers in spirit and in reality, some who drink Him all the time. We need to return to the Lord and worship Him only by drinking of Him, and we will become His increase, His enlargement, to be His counterpart.

John the Baptist said, He must increase (John 3:30). Christ is the Bridegroom, and we are the Bride, His increase. No matter how fancy and modern are the cisterns we hew and build up for ourselves to hold water – they are broken, they hold no water, and they cannot quench our thirst.

Nothing apart from God as the fountain of living waters can quench our thirst and satisfy us! Nothing apart from God dispensed into our being through our drinking of Him as the fountain of living waters can make us His increase for His expression (Rev. 22:1, 17).

The Water of Life is Flowing from the House of God

In Ezek. 47:1-12 we see a vision of the water flowing out from the house of God. In the proper church life today there’s a river of water of life, which becomes in us a fountain of life springing up unto eternal life.

This river flows from the right side of the altar, and the more the Lord measures us and judges us, the more the level of water of life increases. The water increases in its size, its depth, its quantity, and its width by the work of God’s measurement.

Initially the level of the water of life is small and we can still walk and move about, but as the Lord is measuring us and examining us, the flow increases until, at one point, the water overtakes us. God’s desire is to flow from His house as a stream of living water so deep that we can swim in. As the level of water increases, we abandon our natural effort, we forsake our direction, and we let the water carry us wherever it may go.

The Triune God as the water of life flows out from eternity to reach His people and quench their thirst (see John 4:14; Rev. 22:1, 17). In the church life as the house of God, the Triune God flows in and among His believers, and He flows them unto eternal life, the New Jerusalem.

We need to stop fighting with the Lord, we need to cease from trying to pursue our own goals and directions, and we need to simply allow the Lord to judge us, measure us, examine us, and increase the flow of life until it carries us along to consummate God’s purpose. Just drink God, let Him fill you, and let Him flow you into the New Jerusalem!

The Flowing Triune God Flows into His Believers and Flows With His Believers to the New Jerusalem

In the Gospel of John we see that the Triune God is flowing into man and becomes in man a fountain springing up unto eternal life (John 4:14). This expression “unto eternal life” shows us the destination of the flowing Triune God. The totality of the eternal life is the New Jerusalem.

The Father is the fountain, the Son is the spring, and the Spirit is the river flowing into us and with us into the New Jerusalem to be the New Jerusalem (see Rev. 21:10-11; 22:1). Through drinking God as the water of life, something happens within us: this living water springs up and flows out of us and with us unto eternal life, unto the New Jerusalem.

The flowing Triune God mingles Himself with us and makes us fully one with Him in His flow, and together God and man will flow into the New Jerusalem to become the New Jerusalem. We end up in the New Jerusalem by flowing in it!

The eternal goal of God’s economy and the goal of the flowing Triune God is the New Jerusalem. “Unto eternal life” also means “to become eternal life” – we become the New Jerusalem by allowing God to flow into us and flow us into the New Jerusalem!

This is very mysterious and deep. We are now in the process of becoming the New Jerusalem by drinking God as the living water and allowing Him to flow in us and flow us into the New Jerusalem!

Hallelujah for the fountain of life! The Triune God is flowing into us and flowing us into the New Jerusalem! Lord, keep flowing in us. We open wide to You. Measure us. Increase the flow. May You increase and we decrease. Lord, spring up in us, flow into every part of our being, and flow out of us unto eternal life. Flow in the proper church life as an ever-increasing flow of life. Lord, gain Your increase, Your counterpart, the church! Have a free way to flow until You gain Your church fully prepared to match You and marry You!

References and Further Reading

• Inspiration: bro. Minoru Chen’s sharing in the message and portions in, Life-study of Jeremiah (msg. 4), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on the Crystallization Study of Genesis (1), week / msg 7, The River of Water of Life.
• Further Reading:
  # Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John (msgs. 14-15).
  # A Word of Love to the Co-workers, Elders, Lovers, and Seekers of the Lord (pp. 23-24).
• Hymns on this topic:
  # Therefore with joy shall ye draw water / Out of the wells of salvation. / And in that day shall ye say, / Praise the Lord! / Call upon His name, / Declare His doings among the people, / Make mention that His name is exalted. / Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: / For great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.
  # Measure us, measure us, measure every day; / Measure us, measure more, measure all the way, / Till we know that the flow is a mighty flood, / Sweeping over all the earth for Christ the Lord.
  # From my spirit within flows a fountain of life— / The Triune God flowing in me; / God the Father’s the source, Christ the Son is the course, / And the Spirit imparts life to me. / Lord, I treasure the sweet flow of life, / And my soul-life at last I lay down; / O Lord, deepen the pure flow of life; / At Your coming may life be my crown.