Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. (EZEK. 47:9)

It’s time for some concrete thinking. What is this river of life? I think we can agree that it represents the presence, power, and love of God in the person of the Holy Spirit. We must get more concrete still. The problem with leaving it at this level of abstraction is what I call “nebulousity.” We can wait years for something nebulous to happen to us before we move into action. We can pray for signs and wait for wonders as though these were the markers that what we were looking for had finally happened. Or we could move in faith. The great river of the life of the Spirit of God is moving. Pentecost is the now-open, never-closing season of the movement power of God (which is the holiness of love), flowing like a tide across the face of the earth. We only need to move with the current.

What if God is waiting for a sign from his people; that we would flash a signal of faith—not faith as easy believism, but faith as action. This is not faith, as in if we will do this then God will do that. No, it’s the faith that finally moves on the reality of because God has done that, we can now do this.

Remember what Jesus said. The river of life is not something outside of us. It is the life of God within us’so where the river flows everything will live. The Holy Spirit-filled people of God are the river of life. The necessary implication of that? Everywhere the people of God go everything will live.

While this may be simple, it is not easy. It’s not as simple as showing up. No, this is about growing up. More on that tomorrow.

PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER
Father, how might we make a move of bold faith that signals to you our real belief? What would it look like to cast our nets into the deep waters? We are inquiring of you and asking you to nudge us in a direction. Show us a way. Thank you for the promise that everywhere the river goes it brings life to dead places. We believe it. We want that belief to become real faith. Come Holy Spirit! We pray in the name of the original mover, Jesus. Amen.

CONFERENCE TOGETHER
Where might your band take the river of awakening to a place in need of life? What could that look like? What holds you back?