Today, we're kicking off a 7-week series based on Ezekiel 47. This scripture is the basis for my new book, Liquid Church, where I tell the story of Liquid Church and the incredible people (that's you!) who are saturating the state of New Jersey with the Gospel of Jesus Christ! In the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, we learn that the prophet Ezekiel received a divine vision from God of a not-so-ordinary river flowing from the Temple in Israel, which represents the house of God. In his vision, the river represents God's Holy Spirit flowing...gushing...ROARING down the street of a Heavenly City. Truly, this vision represents a river of REVIVAL saturating everything in its path with the love and power of God!
Ezekiel 47 is a prophetic vision of the New Testament church flowng in the power of the Holy Spirit... ankle deep, knee deep, and finally waist deep... and the farther it flows, the deeper it grows! The vision shows us that if you want to go deeper in the Holy Spirit as a believer, then you've actually got to get OUT of the church and go into the city... where the enemies of God live.. to reach thirsty people who are far from Him with the good news of Jesus Christ! In fact, this river has the power to produce these 3 things in the lives of those who believe:
#1) Life
"Wherever the river flows, life will flourish..." - Ezekiel 47:9
In Ezekiel's vision, the Dead Sea in Israel comes alive with the LIVING WATER of the Holy Spirit. This is significant because the Dead Sea is 10 times saltier than the Ocean... and nothing can live in it! See, in Christ, dead things are miraculously made ALIVE! Like the Dead Sea in Ezekiel's vision, what is dead or dying in your world that the Spirit of God needs to revive and restore?
#2) Fruit
Once God's river of life flows through, his living water begins to produce fruit! In this way, a spirit-filled church produces a whole harvest of new believers... a crop of Salvations in Jesus Christ! Now, that's revival!
#3) Healing
Ezekiel's vision shows us that wherever the spirit of God flows out of the church, it brings healing to broken places. Broken lives. Broken families and marriages.... Isn't that the church at its best?
3 THIRSTY FRIENDS
See, Jesus' dream for His church is transformation of dead and broken things to be made alive, whole, healed and growing in Christ Jesus! That's why this Fall, we're encouraging EVERYONE to start praying and asking God to identify 3 Thirsty People in each of our lives... so we can commit to sharing the living water of Christ with them! This is how revival starts! If all 5,000 people at Liquid Church led 3 friends to the living water of Jesus this Fall, that means 15,000 lives would be touched by the Holy Spirit!
Friends, I believe God is getting our region READY FOR REVIVAL! Let's welcome a fresh outpouring of His Holy Spirit in our families...our church...our campuses...our state...our nation! It's my hope that his Holy Spirit will flow through you this Fall as our whole church dives deeper together!