• Preface

~ The Riches of Christ

Monthly Archives: September 2015

The River of God

08 Tuesday Sep 2015

Posted by Mark Sankey in The Riches of Christ

≈ Leave a comment

The River of God

(Revelation 22)

The river that flows from the throne of God is a beautiful, simple, yet powerful picture of the life of God which is in, and we might well say, is, the Holy Spirit. The river is the Spirit. Here is the vision John saw when he was brought in the spirit into the New Jerusalem. This is the city of which John Bunyan wrote many years ago in Pilgrim’s Progress. You never heard of that my friend? Check it out. He called the destination the Celestial City. By any name it is our goal. Why go there? The Lamb is there, seated on His throne. It is the desire of the bride, of whom we are members, to be with her Bridegroom. That is the motivation that drives us on. Only love for Jesus will provide the strength for us to endure to the end. Only keeping ourselves intimately knowing Him will see us through.

Consider for a moment that this man, John Bunyan, wrote his book from a prison cell. Paul wrote his letters while under arrest with Roman guards. Jeanne Guyon also wrote from a prison cell. And Watchman Nee did the same. Do we see a pattern here? Might we count them all apostles? We may hesitate to say yes but they certainly wrote to encourage those who, like Abraham, were seeking that city whose builder and maker is God. These are all alive and remain as gifts to the church which is His body. They all are sent ones (apostle means “sent one”), sent from the throne of God, to inspire, encourage, and impart something of the resurrection life that is in the Spirit of God to whomever will receive it.

These all were baptized into the river that flows from the throne; they were immersed in the Spirit of God. Their lives and words bear witness to that. Ezekiel’s vision of the river that became waters for him to swim in, is that picture for us to pursue in reality now. The angels, and messengers of God here today, call us to go into the deep of that river, be baptized into the Spirit of God, and be carried away. Are you willing to let go and let God, as we often hear? What still holds you? What may still distract us from the heavenly vision?

I recently was in a service in what we might call a traditional church. One of the hymns sung that morning used the phrase, “the river by the throne.” In Revelation 22, the writer specifically wrote, “a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” Somewhere in our past, we began to focus on some future, distant, bye and bye rest for our weary souls. We stopped pursuing Him and earnestly desiring spirituals. We left our first love. We left that communion of, and with, the Holy Spirit where He brings us new revelations of Jesus Christ Himself. We stopped allowing Him to lead us deeper and deeper into the river.

Today, fears of the unknown, of being lost in fanaticism, of being out of control, keep us from a heavenly pursuit. The days grow darker; His coming draws nearer. Acceleration is heard more and more frequently. Sounds redundant, doesn’t it? I hear the Holy Spirit emphasizing that word, “acceleration”. Through the centuries, the church which is His body has sensed an urgency. But the Spirit is never rushed. God is not in a hurry. He still waits on high to have compassion and pour out mercy. Let us press on to know Him, staying close to His throne, the source of the river and place from which His authority proceeds.

Recent Posts

  • All Things Work Together
  • An Eternal Conflict
  • Spiritual Seasons
  • He Will Finish His Work
  • He Will Complete the Work

Recent Comments

Cheryl McGrath on Little Stones and Growth…
Cheryl McGrath on Teachers and Fathers
Cheryl McGrath on A Throne of Grace
Becky Johnson on A Throne of Grace
Mark Sankey on Life in the Spirit

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • January 2022
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • November 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • January 2016
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015

Categories

  • The Riches of Christ

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Recent Posts

  • All Things Work Together
  • An Eternal Conflict
  • Spiritual Seasons
  • He Will Finish His Work
  • He Will Complete the Work

Recent Comments

Cheryl McGrath on Little Stones and Growth…
Cheryl McGrath on Teachers and Fathers
Cheryl McGrath on A Throne of Grace
Becky Johnson on A Throne of Grace
Mark Sankey on Life in the Spirit

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • January 2022
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • November 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • January 2016
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015

Categories

  • The Riches of Christ

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • therichesofchrist.com
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • therichesofchrist.com
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar