The Grand Canyon, the Bonneville Dam, the Fukushima Power Plant, and a smooth river rock all have something in common: they’ve all experienced the power of water.
There’s a traditional Japanese belief that water is the most powerful material on earth. Given enough force, and/or enough time, nothing can stand up against it. But water is also powerful because it is one of the most essential materials on the earth.
Water sustains life. Water cleanses. Water heals. Water refreshes.
The Holy Spirit is likened unto different things. Wind. Fire. Oil. These all have significance, but the Holy Spirit being likened unto water is the most insightful description of His work.
It’s by the Holy Spirit being likened to water that illustrates how we are baptized into the Body of Christ,
“Jesus answered, ‘Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’” (John 3:5)
It’s by the water of the Holy Spirit that we are transformed,
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5)
It’s by the Holy Spirit being likened to water that we are given power,
“John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now…you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:5, 8)
And the Holy Spirit’s life-giving water not only flows to, and within us, it also flows from us,
“He who believes in Me…out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)
After Peter and John had been arrested, interrogated, and threatened by the Jewish rulers, they returned to their brothers and sisters in Christ. They cried out to God in prayer. Then we are told,
“When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31)
These are the same people who were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and saw thousands of people come to Christ, and many miracles to follow. Now we are told that they were “all filled with the Holy Spirit” again. What happened? Did the Holy Spirit leave them?
The powerful water of the Holy Spirit is not a static body of water. It’s not like a lake or a pond, but like a river or an ocean. Flowing. Moving. Changing. We do not possess the Holy Spirit, He possesses us. The Holy Spirit immerses us in the love and life of God’s kingdom. Not just once, but ongoingly.
As we live, minister, serve, give, etc., the Holy Spirit’s strength and power within us dissipates. Like the people we read about earlier, we also need to press in again to God for a new filling of the Holy Spirit. We need to submerge ourselves again and again in the Holy Spirit’s deep oceans, and experience the refreshing power of His water.
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