Pentecost Sunday

first posted 05/29/04

Deuteronomy 16:9-12    The feast of Pentecost
Acts 4:18-21, 23-33    Speaking the Word of God with boldness  
John 4:19-26     Worship in spirit and truth

The feast of Pentecost was originally a harvest festival held in June, called the feast of weeks, because the ordinance of the festival prescribed its observance seven weeks (a “week” of weeks) from the time of the offering of firstfruits, celebrating the first harvest. The festival was to be observed in the house of the Lord, with a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings received from the Lord, and with rejoicing. God’s people are to keep God’s ordinances and commands in gratitude for what the Lord has done for them in freeing them from bondage to slavery to sin and death.

Peter and John had been arrested by the religious authorities for healing a lame man and preaching the Gospel of Jesus in the Temple. When they were brought before the Sanhedrin (religious court) Peter and John, filled with the Holy Spirit defended their faith boldly. The members of the court saw their boldness, and they were amazed because they recognized that the apostles were uneducated common men, but since the healed man was standing right there beside them they could not deny the apostles claims. Instead they charged the apostles to speak and teach no more in Jesus' name. But Peter and John replied, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God you must judge; for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:19-20). After further threatening them the court let them go, since they could find no way to punish them because the people believed in the miracle that had been done.

When they were released, Peter and John went to their friends and reported all that had taken place, and together they prayed to God. They recognized that the scriptures had foretold that the worldly authorities would oppose the Lord’s Messiah and this had been fulfilled. But the Lord’s plan had not been and would not be thwarted. The disciples prayed for boldness and power to proclaim the Gospel in the face of opposition. “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31). The congregation of believers was of one heart and soul, and they shared all their possessions freely. “And with great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:33).

Jesus had been talking to a Samaritan woman at a well. She was growing in her awareness of who Jesus is. She was beginning to recognize that Jesus was a prophet, so she asked him to settle a controversy between Samaritans and Jews regarding the correct place of worship; whether Jerusalem or Mt Gerizim, where the Samaritans had a temple, was the right place. Jesus said that the place is not important; it is the spirit and sincerity of worship in response to God’s goodness toward us that matters (John 4:21-23). “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). The woman expressed her faith that the Messiah was coming, and would reveal all things, and Jesus told her that he was the Messiah.

The feast of Pentecost was originally an agricultural festival celebrating the firstfruits of the harvest. (It was also the month in which the congregation had entered into the Covenant of Law at Mt. Sinai). It became the day of the birth of the Church through the dispensation of the Holy Spirit and the mission of evangelism to the world through the gift of tongues (Acts Chapter 2). The Holy Spirit is God’s gift of firstfruits (Romans 8:23) to believers; it is the first installment of eternal fellowship with the Lord in Heaven. We don’t have to wait until we die physically to begin that fellowship. The Holy Spirit is the “seal” –the official mark- verifying that we have been delivered from bondage to sin and death into the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30b). Those who do not have the Spirit of Christ do not belong to him (Romans 8:9b). The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of the promise of the New Covenant of grace through faith in Jesus Christ (see Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:24-27)

Peter and John were able to proclaim the Gospel boldly, in the face of threats and opposition by the religious authorities, through the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Lord gave them a mouth and wisdom which none could withstand (Luke 21:14-15; Mark 13:11). The congregation of believers prayed for boldness and power in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and proclaimed the Gospel with great power. I personally testify that God fulfills this promise.

It’s not where but how we worship the Lord that matters. God seeks us; we worship in response to what the Lord has done for us. We must worship in spirit and truth. The word "spirit" implies both the attitude of worship, and the enabling of the Holy Spirit, because we cannot truly worship the Lord without the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:15-16; 1 Corinthians 12:3). God is spirit. God’s Spirit is the Spirit of Christ dwelling within us; his Holy Spirit. The Samaritan woman believed in the coming of the Messiah and trusted that the Messiah would reveal himself to her (John 4:25) and he did so (John 4:26).

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus? Have you received the Holy Spirit since you first believed (Acts 19:2)? Have you sought the anointing of the Holy Spirit? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity?

Pentecost - Monday

first posted 05/30/04

Ezekiel 33:1-11    The Watchman
1 John 1:1-10    Gospel of holiness
Matthew 9:27-34    Healing the blind and mute

The Lord commissions his prophet to be watchman over God’s people. The watchman will be accountable to God for his faithfulness in proclaiming God’s word and warning of impending judgment. The watchman who is faithful in sounding the warning will be blameless, but watchmen who fail to warn others will be held as much responsible as those who disobey the warning. Those who do not heed the watchman’s warning will bear their own responsibility in the Day of Judgment. It will not be the watchman’s success which will be judged, but his faithfulness in declaring the warning (Ezekiel 33:9). The Lord does not desire the death of the wicked, but rather desires that the wicked repent and turn from their wicked ways to eternal life.

The Lord’s apostles declare the Lord’s eternal plan of salvation which they have personally witnessed in Jesus Christ and testify to, so that all might believe and come to know, so that we might share in their joy and fellowship with the Father and his son Jesus Christ. The message of the Gospel is that God is absolutely good, righteous and holy, without any evil at all. We cannot have fellowship with the Lord while walking in sin, but if we walk in obedience to God’s ways in faith in Jesus, then the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). “If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:10).

As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, asking Jesus to have mercy on them. Jesus entered a house and the blind men came to him. Jesus asked them if they believed that Jesus could heal them and they said, “Yes, Lord” (Matthew 9:28) Jesus touched their eyes and declared them to be healed according to their faith, and their sight was restored. Jesus told them not to tell anyone about their healing, but they went and spread Jesus’ fame throughout the neighborhood. As they were leaving a mute demoniac was brought to Jesus, and Jesus cast the demon out of the person and the person’s speech was restored. The crowd marveled, acknowledging that nothing like this had ever been seen in Israel, but the Pharisees said that Jesus had cast out the demon by using the power of the prince of demons (i.e., Satan).

The ordained clergy are to be God’s watchmen over his people. They are called to faithfully warn God’s people to obey God’s word. God’s people will be held accountable to God for their disobedience of God’s commands. God’s appointed watchmen will be accountable to God for their faithfulness in accurately preaching the Word of God and their faithfulness in warning of impending judgment.

Not only the ordained clergy, but all born-again believers are called to be God’s watchmen; to proclaim God’s word to all the people of the earth faithfully and accurately, and to warn all people of the coming Day of Judgment. All Christians will be accountable to God for their faithfulness as God’s watchmen. The Lord does not desire that any should perish but that all should come to eternal life; he sent Jesus into the world not to condemn the world but to save it (John 3:16-17; Romans 5:8). There is a Day of Judgment coming when all who have ever lived will be accountable to God (John 5:28-29; Matthew 25:31-46). Those who have trusted and obeyed Jesus will receive eternal life in Heaven with the Lord. Those who have rejected Jesus and have refused to obey Jesus will receive eternal death and separation from God in Hell. Jesus is God’s only provision for our salvation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6).

Jesus’ apostles are disciples who have come to a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ and have been empowered by his indwelling Holy Spirit and commissioned to preach the Gospel and warn the people of the earth of the coming Day of Judgment (Matthew 28:18-20). They have experienced the truth of the risen Lord and the joy of the fellowship with him through the Holy Spirit, and they are motivated by love to share that joy with others in obedience to the Lord’s command. The message is that we cannot have fellowship with the Lord while we are living in sin. We must confess our sin and turn from sin to faith and obedience to Jesus. Only through faith in Jesus are we able to turn from sin and become obedient to him.  

Jesus is passing by. Those who are spiritually blind and dominated by evil can call out in faith to Jesus and begin to follow him, and he will heal their blindness and free them from domination by evil. Some will recognize that Jesus is of God and acknowledge their own sinfulness, and they will be saved; others will refuse to acknowledge their sinfulness and attribute evil to Jesus, to their own condemnation (John 3:18-20). Once the blind men had regained their sight, they could not be restrained from telling what the Lord had done for them.

Has Jesus done anything for you? Have you said “yes” to the Lord? Is Jesus truly your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you sought the anointing of the Holy Spirit? Have you come to a personal fellowship with Jesus through his indwelling Holy Spirit?  Are you a faithful watchman?

Pentecost - Wednesday

first posted 06/01/04

Ezekiel 34:1-16    The shepherds of Israel
1 John 2:12-17    True relationship to God in Christ
Matthew 10:5-15    commissioning the disciples

The Lord prophesied against the shepherds (leaders) of Israel. The shepherds had misused their position to benefit themselves, without regard for the people. They had been feeding themselves on the sheep and clothing themselves from them, without feeding or caring for the sheep. They had not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bound up the crippled, brought back the straying, or sought the lost, and had ruled harshly over them.

As a result, God’s people had been scattered over the face of the earth and became prey for all the wild beasts because there was no shepherd to care for them. Therefore the judgment of the Lord is upon the shepherds; the Lord will hold them accountable for his sheep. No longer will the shepherds feed themselves. The Lord will rescue his sheep from the mouths of the shepherds; they will no longer be food for them.

The Lord promised that he himself would become the shepherd of his people. The Lord will search for his lost and scattered sheep and rescue them. The Lord will gather his flock and he will feed them with good pasture on the mountain heights in Israel. The Lord will give rest to his sheep. The Lord will seek the lost, bring back the straying, bind up the crippled, strengthen the weak, and watch over the fat and the strong. The Lord will feed his sheep with justice.

John reminds his Christian flock that their sins have been forgiven, and they have victory over Satan, and fellowship with God our Father through Jesus Christ. We are warned not to love the things of this world, because that would interfere with our love of the Father. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is of the world and is in opposition to the will of the Father. The things of the world will pass away, but those who do the will of God abide forever.

Jesus sent out the Twelve disciples of his inner circle. They were to go to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.” They were to preach that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. They were to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons. They were not to take money with them or seek payment for their work. They were to not to take extra clothes or food with them. Instead, they were to depend on the hospitality of those among whom they stayed. They were to come in peace. Anywhere they were not received hospitably they were to simply dust themselves off and go on to the next place, knowing that justice will be done on the Day of Judgment.

The prophecy of Ezekiel was originally written against the leaders of Israel. It is also a warning to the clergy of the Church, and to all Christians. Are there clergy today who regard the ministry as a career, and who seek their own status and enrichment without regard to the needs of the flock? Not only the ordained clergy, but all Christians bear the responsibility for ministry in Jesus’ name.

Are we as members of body of Christ seeking and ministering to the lost and hurting out in the world, or are we only interested in what we can receive from the Church facilities and programs. Are we only interested in the people out in the world if we can make a profit at their expense; are they just "sheep to be sheared" to us? Is our evangelism to proclaim the Gospel of the kingdom of Jesus Christ, or are we only interested in increasing our church membership to spread the financial burden of the congregation? Are we seeking the lost and the weak and the crippled, or are we only interested in the financially and socially strong to be members of our congregations?

Do we appreciate the forgiveness of sins, the victory over Satan and the fellowship we have with God our Father through our Lord Jesus Christ? Do we truly admit that we are sinners, or do we think of ourselves as good people, validated by our Church membership? Do we appreciate our victory over Satan in Jesus Christ, or are we even trying to resist Satan? We have the victory if we choose to resist temptation and claim that victory. Do we seek the fellowship with the Father that is only possible through the indwelling Holy Spirit, or do we settle for an hour of “spiritual entertainment” on Sunday Morning? Are we trying to be Christians without being disciples? Are we trying to be Christians one day a week, and live in the lusts of the world the rest of the week? Are we truly seeking God’s will for our lives, or are we seeking our own will and asking God to bless it?

The Lord’s promise to come, himself, as our shepherd was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Jesus is Emmanuel (God with us; Matthew 1:23; Colossians 2:8-9), the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-18; Psalm 23). Jesus’ mission is to seek and save the lost. Jesus will gather his flock into the good pasture of eternal life in Heaven. Jesus taught his disciples to carry on his ministry to seek and save the lost. Jesus' last instructions to his disciples before his ascension into heaven was to wait until they had been filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5) and then to go into all the world and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (the Trinity) and teaching them to obey all that Jesus had taught (Matthew 28:18-20). Is the Church making disciples?

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Do you have a personal fellowship with Jesus through his indwelling Holy Spirit? Are you following his instructions to seek and save the lost, and bind up and heal the hurting?

Pentecost - Thursday

first posted 06/02/04

Ezekiel 37:21b-28    Reunification of Israel
1 John 2:18-29    Loyalty to the true faith
Matthew 10:16-23    Coming persecutions

The Lord promised to gather his people from all the lands where they had been scattered and bring them into their own Promised Land. They would be reunited in one nation under one king. They will no longer practice idolatry or sin; the Lord will save them from their backsliding and cleanse them from their sins. They will be God’s people and God will be their God. The descendent of David and eternal heir to David’s throne will be their eternal king and their shepherd. God’s people will obey God’s word. They will dwell in the Promised Land eternally. The Lord will make an eternal covenant of peace with them. The Lord will bless and multiply them and abide with them. Then all will know that the Lord sanctifies his people, because his sanctuary will be in their midst.

All Christians should realize that the close of the age is at hand and that the antichrist (enmity against God) has come. The antichrist is expressed in numerous ways; in this instance as false teachers who have arisen in the Church and left the true fellowship because they were not truly Christians. True Christians are anointed with the Holy Spirit and are enabled by the Holy Spirit to discern the truth. Those who deny that Jesus is the Christ are of the antichrist.

“No one who denies the Son (Jesus) has the Father (God). He who confesses the Son has the Father also” (1 John 2:23). Believers must hold on to the apostolic, scriptural Gospel as they first received it, unaltered; thus they will abide in Jesus and in our Father. Jesus has promised us eternal life. John wrote this so that Christians would not be deceived, but

John acknowledged that when believers receive the anointing of the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Spirit will teach them all that they need to know and will keep them from error, provided that they trust and obey the teaching and leading of the Holy Spirit and abide in him.  Christians are urged to abide in the Holy Spirit of Christ, so that when Jesus returns, on the Day of Judgment, we will “have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming” 1 John 2:28). “If you know that (Jesus) is righteous, you will know that everyone who does what is right is born of him” (1 John 2:29).

Jesus sends his disciples out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so we are to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). Worldly people will arrest the disciples, and persecute them; they will be tried before governmental authorities; it will be an opportunity for the disciples to declare their testimony to the Gospel. Believers are not to worry beforehand what to say, because words will be given them by the Holy Spirit in that hour; it is the Holy Spirit which speaks through them, and not they themselves.

The Gospel will divide and create enmity within even close family relationships. Christians will endure hatred by the world for the name and mission of Jesus, but those who endure to the end will be saved. If persecuted in one place, go somewhere else. Believers won’t run out of options before Jesus returns.

The Lord spoke through Ezekiel prophesying the restoration and reunification of Israel during the period when Judah had been deported to captivity in Babylon. The prophecy was first fulfilled when the exiles returned to the Promised Land after seventy years, and completed the rebuilding of the Temple in 517 B.C. God’s word is eternal. God’s dealings with the Israelites are a parable and metaphor for what he is doing with his people to bring them into his eternal kingdom.

Through Jesus, who is the descendant and heir to the throne of David, God is gathering, restoring and uniting his people and leading them into his eternal kingdom of Heaven. Through Jesus’ death on the Cross as a sacrificial offering to God for our sins, God has established a new covenant of peace by the blood of Jesus (Matthew 26:26-28; 1 Corinthians 11:25; Hebrews 12:24). The Lord promised to bless, multiply (or magnify; i.e., enlarge their abilities) and abide with them, sanctifying them by his indwelling Spirit within them. Through Jesus Christ, God has made it possible for us individually and collectively to be his sanctuary through his indwelling Holy Spirit within us.

Believers are warned that there are many antichrists in the world today. Anyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ, or who denies the Trinity (God in three persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit) is of the antichrist. There are many “wolves in sheep’s clothing” out there today. There are false religions masquerading as Christian Churches. Believers (and seekers) need to receive and hold on to the apostolic (as transmitted faithfully by the original apostles), scriptural (as recorded in the Bible) Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In order to do that, believers must read the Bible for themselves, completely and regularly. Believers also must seek the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Without these two aids (scripture and the Spirit) they have no way of discerning the truth. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him (Romans 8:9b)! Jesus said that in order to see the kingdom of God one must be born again, by water in baptism, and by the anointing of the Holy Spirit (John 3:3-5). The infilling of the Holy Spirit is discernable by the individual (Acts 19:2); it is not something which must simply be believed without any manifestation (like "wishing on a star").

Jesus sent his disciples out as sheep in the midst of wolves. It is the indwelling gift of the Holy Spirit which protects and enables them to withstand the persecution they will encounter for the cause of the Gospel of Jesus. I have personally experienced and testify to the reality of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and to the faithful fulfillment of the promise of the Lord to provide his word through the Holy Spirit in the hour of testimony. The Lord wants us to be filled with and led by his Holy Spirit. We cannot please and serve the Lord without his indwelling Holy Spirit.

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the anointing of the Holy Spirit? Are you proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit?

Pentecost - Friday

first posted 06/03/04

Ezekiel 39:21-29    The Lord’s Spirit upon his people
1 John 3: 1-10      God’s love, and our response
Mathew 10:24-33    The disciple becomes like his teacher

The Lord will reveal his glory, his judgment, and his influence in world affairs to the nations. The people of God will know that the Lord is their God, and the nations will know that Israel went into captivity because they betrayed their covenant with the Lord so that he hid himself from them. The Lord has promised to restore his people and have mercy on them. They will forget their shame and their treachery when they have been restored to their land and dwell securely there with none to make them afraid. They will know that the Lord is God, because God sent them into exile, and God gathered them again from their enemies’ lands, vindicating God’s holiness. The Lord will no longer hide his face from his people when he pours out his Spirit upon them.

The Lord has shown his love for us by calling us his children, and that is what we are. The world does not acknowledge us because it does not know God. We are God’s children now. What we will become has not yet been revealed, but when Jesus appears we shall be like Jesus. We shall see him as he is, and everyone who has that hope purifies himself as Jesus is pure. Sin is lawlessness, and everyone who sins is guilty of lawlessness.

No one who abides in Jesus sins and no one who sins has either seen or known Jesus. Whoever does right is righteous as Jesus is righteous; whoever commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The reason Jesus came was to bring to an end the works of the devil. No one who has been born of God commits sin, because God’s nature abides in him. By their deeds it can be seen who is of God and who is of the devil. Anyone who does not do right or who does not love his brother is not of God.

A disciple is not better than his teacher, nor is a servant above his master. The best that can be hoped for is for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the world has accused the Lord of being Beelzebul (the prince of demons; Satan) the world is even more likely to malign the Lord’s servants. We are not to fear worldly people. Nothing will remain concealed or unknown that will not come to light. Therefore what the Lord reveals to us is not to be hidden but to be boldly made known and proclaimed to all.

We must not fear those who only have the power of physical death over us. We are to fear only the Lord, who alone has the power to condemn the soul to eternal death in Hell. The slightest things in this world are governed by God’s will. God even knows exactly how many hairs we have on our heads. We are highly valued in God’s eyes, so we need not fear but trust ourselves to his will and his care. Everyone who acknowledges Jesus before men will be acknowledged to God by Jesus. But Jesus will deny before God those who deny Jesus to the world.

Over and over again, God has demonstrated in his dealing with Israel that his purpose and intent is to gather to him people who will be obedient to God’s will. God’s dealing with Israel is an illustration of what he is doing through Jesus to gather his people to his eternal Promised Land in Heaven. The Lord disciplines his people so that they will learn obedience, and he has promised to restore them and pour out his Spirit upon them. The Lord will reveal his presence and have fellowship with his people through the Holy Spirit.

Believers are God’s children now. What we will become when we are fully mature is not yet known, except that we will be like Jesus. Those who are hoping and longing for Jesus’ return follow Jesus’ example of purity; they resist temptation to sin.  Sin is disobedience to God. One cannot abide in Jesus and indulge in sin. A person is born of God when God’s Holy Spirit abides in that person. If that person is truly born of God he does not sin because God’s nature dwells in him. Those who commit sin have not God’s nature but the devil’s nature dwelling within them.  Our deeds reveal whether we are truly born of God.  

God considers us his children, and he treats us like good parents treat their children. He disciplines us so that we will learn to be obedient to his will and grow up to be like him. He delights in us like a good parent delights in his children. We need not fear him any more than a child needs to fear good parents. If we acknowledge Jesus and do what he teaches, we will be acceptable to God, but if we reject Jesus and refuse to obey him we will be rejected by God. Do you know who your Father is? Can others tell that God is your Father?

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you been born of God through his indwelling Holy Spirit? Do you have personal fellowship with the Lord through his indwelling Holy Spirit? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity?

Pentecost - Saturday

first posted 06/04/04

Ezekiel 47:1-12    The sacred river
1 John 3:11-18    Love of the brethren
Matthew 10:34-42    A cup of cold water

Ezekiel received a vision of a sacred river arising from the threshold of the Temple, south of the altar. As Ezekiel followed the flow of the river eastward it became deeper and deeper as he got farther out from the Temple. Out five hundred yards (roughly) it was ankle deep; another five hundred yards and it was knee-deep; then waist-deep; then too deep to pass through. Ezekiel saw that a great variety of trees lined both sides of the banks. The water of the river flowed east into the arabah (the valley of the Dead Sea).

When the waters of the river flow into the Dead Sea, the stagnant waters of the Dead Sea will become fresh, and will give life to a great variety of animals. There will be a great variety of fish in the (formerly) Dead Sea. “But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt” (Ezekiel 47:11). On the banks, there will be all varieties of trees for food; they will not loose their leaves, and they will bear fruit every month of the year because they receive the water from the sanctuary. “Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing” (Ezekiel 47:12b).

The heart of the Gospel is the message of love. Cain is the example of the wrong response to the Gospel. Cain murdered his brother out of jealousy, because his brother’s deeds were righteous and Cain’s deeds were evil. That’s the same reason that the world hates the Church. We can be assured that we have passed from death to life as we love our brethren. Anyone who does not love remains dead. Hatred takes the life of the one who hates. Jesus did the opposite; in love he gave his life so that we might live. We are to follow his example. We are to show our love in acts of compassion; saying that we love one another without acting compassionately is hypocrisy.

Jesus wanted his followers to realize that the world was in oposition to his Gospel. Jesus’ mission will not bring peace in this world; his Gospel of peace and unity will bring division and conflict because the world will oppose the Gospel. Jesus’ Gospel is the Gospel of love, but his followers must not let love for the things of this world take precedence over their love for the Lord. Anyone who is unwilling to die to their own will in order to follow the Lord’s will is not a worthy of Jesus. He who finds his life in this world will loose it, and he who looses his life for Jesus sake will find true life.

Jesus said that those who receive Jesus’ disciples with hospitality will receive Jesus, and those who receive Jesus receive God. Anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will receive the same reward that a prophet receives. Anyone who welcomes a righteous person because the person is righteous will receive the same reward that a righteous person will receive. Whoever gives the newest, least mature follower of Jesus even the smallest favor because the follower is a disciple of Jesus will not go unrewarded by God.

Ezekiel’s vision is of a river of life-giving water arising from the throne of God (the Temple), increasing in volume as it flows outward, giving life in the midst of the wilderness and to a Dead Sea, reversing the downward spiral from Paradise to wilderness brought about by sin and the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden. Instead, as this river flows outward the desolate wilderness becomes a new fertile paradise in the eternal kingdom of Heaven. (Compare with Revelation 22:1-5). Jesus is the fulfillment of this vision. Jesus is the source of the River of Life.

On the occasion of the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths) which began on the fifteenth of the seventh month (September-October), commemorating the wilderness wanderings of Israel, Jesus stood up on the last day of the feast and proclaimed “If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:37-39). T

he context of this proclamation is important. As part of the observance of the Feast, water was carried in a golden pitcher from the Pool of Siloam every day for seven days and poured upon the altar as a reminder of the water from the rock which had been provided for the Israelites in the wilderness, and as a symbol of the messianic hope. Jesus is the fulfillment of that symbol.

The basic philosophy of the world is to “look out for number one;” to “do your own thing.”  Self-centeredness led Cain to murder his brother, and resulted in exile from paradise and broken fellowship with God. We’re all sinners and all have fallen short of God’s righteousness (Romans 3:23). The penalty for sin is eternal death and separation from God (Romans 6:23).

Jesus came to show us a better way; the way back to Paradise and eternal life in fellowship with God (John 3:16-17). Only through Jesus are we forgiven and restored to fellowship with God (John 14:6). Only through the Holy Spirit dwelling within us are we able to follow Jesus’ example. The Holy Spirit is the River of Life that flows outward from Jesus and gets deeper as it flows through the hearts of his disciples.

The ways of this world are in opposition to the ways of God. Each individual must choose whether to follow the ways of this world or to follow Jesus. We cannot expect to be able to follow Jesus and avoid conflict with the world. Those who are open to Jesus’ disciples are open to Jesus and only those who receive Jesus have fellowship with God.

Jesus is God’s only provision for forgiveness and restoration of fellowship (Acts 4:12) No one can come to God any other way but through Jesus (John 14:6). Those who welcome a prophet because they recognize that he is proclaiming God’s word will receive the same reward that the prophet receives: eternal life in Heaven with the Lord. Those who welcome a righteous person because they recognize and approve his righteousness will themselves be judged righteous. (And of course the converse will also be true.) How we respond to the messengers of the Gospel will define our response to the Gospel.

Cain’s murderous response to his brother’s righteousness resulted in his condemnation and exile from his life and from God (Genesis 4:8-16). Hatred paradoxically takes the life of the one who hates. Love lays down its own life so that others may live, and in dying to self, finds eternal life. Jesus laid down his life so that we might live, and Jesus was raised from death to eternal life, as an assurance and promise that as we follow him we too will live eternally. Jesus is our example of selfless love, and only in him (and he in us through his indwelling Holy Spirit) is it possible for us to follow him.

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Do you have personal fellowship with Jesus? Have you received the Holy Spirit since you first believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you part of the River of God flowing through the wilderness or are you part of the wilderness?