![The Flow of Life with the Ministry of Life out of and for the Magnificent House of God (1) [picture: a magnificent view of the Himalayan Mountains]](https://i0.wp.com/agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/magnificent-view-him.jpg?resize=300%2C183&ssl=1 "The Flow of Life with the Ministry of Life out of and for the Magnificent House of God (1) [picture: a magnificent view of the Himalayan Mountains]")
This post is part of a review of a training held in October 2011 in Baarlo, The Netherlands – see at the end of the article for links to prior posts in this series. The general subject was “The Four Great Pillars in the Lord’s Recovery: Truth, Life, the Church, and the Gospel.” The first message was an overview; eight messages followed, two on each pillar.
The fifth message is on the second pillar, life, specifically—”The Flow of Life with the Ministry of Life out of and for the Magnificent House of God.”
This message has two main subjects; the first is our experience of the flow of life out of God’s house, as pictured in Ezekiel 47:1-12. The second is six aspects of the ministry of life produced by this flow of life for the building of God’s house, as presented in 1 Corinthians. The first subject is covered in this post, the second in our next post.
Ezekiel 47:1 “He [the Lord] brought me back to the entrance of the house, and there was water flowing out from under the threshold of the house to the east (for the house faced east); and the water flowed down below the south side of the house, on the south of the altar.”
To participate in the building of the New Testament house of God, the church of the living God (1 Tim. 3:15), we need to experience the flow of life. This flow is not physical but spiritual; we must remember John 7:38-39, “He who believes into Me…out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. But this He said concerning the Spirit.” The Spirit is the real flow in us.
The flow of living water requires our opening; in Psalm 81:10 the Lord tells us, “…Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” Lord, grant us a fresh opening to You every day. This flow comes out from the house and goes toward the east, the direction of God’s glory (Ezek. 43:2). The flow is not merely to supply us, but much more to transform us from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18) for a corporate expression of the Lord. May we all seek God’s glory (John 7:18).
The flow is on the south side, the right side of the house and goes by the altar. The right side is the place of preeminence as in Hebrews 1:3 and the altar speaks of consecration.
This flow must not only have preeminence with God but also be the governing factor in us. This is Revelation 22:1—a flow out of the throne, a flow that governs us while it supplies us. To take the flow as our governing requires our coming to the altar to consecrate ourselves.
At the beginning of this vision there is water flowing, but how strongly and deeply is it flowing in us? In Ezekiel 47:3-5 the Lord measured 1000 cubits four times. After each measuring the flow deepened—first to the ankles, then to the knees, then to the loins, and finally water to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.
The meaning of measuring is that the Lord wants to examine us, judge us, and possess us. We, the creatures signified by the number four, need to be thoroughly (indicated by 1000) measured by the Lord so that He can possess us thoroughly.
The deepening of the flow in us depends on our cooperation with the Lord’s examining, judging, and possessing. This repeated measuring is like the cycle in 1 John 1: the exposing light, cleansing blood, eternal life, and fellowship of life. Eventually we are fully captured by the Lord and we can swim in the flow but we cannot cross over it (47:5).
After we have been measured and possessed by the Lord, then the river causes everything to live and even heals the waters of the Dead Sea (47:8-10, 12). What an abundance of life flows out—living creatures swarming, very many fish, and trees that bring forth new fruit every month! “Everything shall live wherever the river comes!”
But, the river does not come to the swamps and marshes, the halfway places, to heal them (47:11). The Lord desires that we be either hot or cold, but not lukewarm (Rev. 3:15-16). If we are lukewarm, we will be rejected by Him and lose the enjoyment from the house.
Let us consecrate to be hot, to be absolute for the Lord and for this flow out of His house.
Our continued absoluteness will have two issues: 1) we will be saturated with all that He is in His life, nature, element, and essence for His corporate expression, and 2) there will be a strong flow of living waters bringing abundant life everywhere!
Lord, I give myself to You to be measured for the increase of Your flowing.
Sharing by bro. Don Martin – you can find him at The New Jerusalem – a Biblical view. “I’m collaborating with a few other bloggers for this review. For more appreciation of the messages of this conference you may review the prior posts as well as the comments. You are welcome to add your own comment.”
- The Four Great Pillars in the Lord’s Recovery: Truth, Life, the Church, and the Gospel (ITERO 2011) (agodman.com)
- The Progressive Issue of “Holding to Truth”—Four Great Pillars (holdingtotruth.com)
- Being Sanctified by the Truth to Move Out of Ourselves for the Oneness (holdingtotruth.com)
- The Truth: How to Find It and Why It’s Awesome (Clark’s Bible Blog)
- The Tree of Life (holdingtotruth.com)
I really enjoyed this message, listening to it again (from lsmwebcast.com) on the drive to another conference. This verse is really sweet:
Ezek 47:9And it shall come to pass, that every thing that lives, which moves, where ever the rivers come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters have come: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live where the river comes shall live.
Are you in the flow, or are you dead? You must be in the flow to live!
Have you been preaching the gospel, but not finding any seekers of God, that is no fish (ref. Matt 4:19)? Then you need to be in the flow from the house of God.
How do we deepen this flow? According to Ezekiel 47:3-5, the way to get it deeper is to be measured by the Lord. This is a little heavy, but in our experience it is true. We must allow the Lord to measure, to judge us. And where He finds us faulty, or short, we must simply say, "You're right, Lord. Amen. Forgive me, Lord, and grant me more grace."
I really enjoyed this message, listening to it again (from lsmwebcast.com) on the drive to another conference. This verse is really sweet:
Ezek 47:9And it shall come to pass, that every thing that lives, which moves, where ever the rivers come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters have come: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live where the river comes shall live.
Are you in the flow, or are you dead? You must be in the flow to live!
Have you been preaching the gospel, but not finding any seekers of God, that is no fish (ref. Matt 4:19)? Then you need to be in the flow from the house of God.
How do we deepen this flow? According to Ezekiel 47:3-5, the way to get it deeper is to be measured by the Lord. This is a little heavy, but in our experience it is true. We must allow the Lord to measure, to judge us. And where He finds us faulty, or short, we must simply say, “You’re right, Lord. Amen. Forgive me, Lord, and grant me more grace.”