There Is Still A River!

Several months ago I posted on this subject. Today I revised some of what I wrote back in the summer. I added a couple of thoughts that are on my mind…

We desperately need the flow of God's river in our lives!

Psa 46:4 [There is] a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy [place] of the tabernacles of the most High.
Psa 46:5 God [is] in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, [and that] right early.

There is a river…we all know rivers in the natural are fed by smaller creeks and streams that over a period a time and miles causes it to grow into a larger river.

But this scripture tell us there is a river that moves in the opposite way: this river flows and the flow of this River feeds smaller streams into the city of God!

We know this is a prophetic passage pointing us to the New Jerusalem and the river of life that flows through it even now as we speak: but this also is applicable for this hour!

There is a river! The river of the Holy Spirit…all His gifts and His abilities…now flows for all mankind! And out of that river is smaller streams; the stream of salvation, the stream of grace and mercy; the stream of joy, the stream of deliverance, the stream of healing!

There is also the repentance stream, the prophetic stream, the emergent stream, the faith stream, the evangelistic stream, the outreach stream….all these, if they are attached to the main river are all viable streams of the Spirit that God intends to service or minister to the Body of Christ! We need all the streams that flow from the river of God to meet the needs of people. We will never impact society simple arguing over semantics and minor doctrinal issues that minister questions in people's minds more than Godly edifying which is in faith!

There are people who absolutely believe if you are not a full time pastor or a full time foreign missionary, you are not a legitimate minister! I even had one minister send me word through the grapevine (go figure) that evangelists were simple cowards; too chicken to tough it out as a pastor.

The key thought here is staying connected to the main River!

Some of the circles of evangelists I have run with in the past are convinced the only way a church or ministry is viable and anointed is if they are constantly doing outreaches; other ministries I have been acquainted with think the only true ministry is youth and children's ministry. Still others feel if you are not moving in the prophetic or healing flow, you are not legitimately touching your city. Others feel like the repentance message (or stream) is the only true word and ministry needed in the church at this hour.

Who's right? If your ministry comes from and is anointed and ordained by God and is attached to the flow of the Holy Spirit, you are a legitimate ministry! The flow that is moving through your life and ministry is not meant to make you famous or get you on TBN, or get you recognized with your denominational hierarchy, it is meant to meet the needs of people you come in contact with and minister to! Again, the key point is: it must be connected to and flow from the River of God!

I guess I write this as one who is just now after 30 years of preaching the Gospel finding where he fits in! I'm not saying this out of pity or needing validation from anyone! All I know, there is a stream of the Holy Spirit running through my life and through your life! And I have come to accept the stream in me will be accepted by some and rejected by others! Don't be distracted or discouraged if the stream of God doesn't look like someone else's stream! If the stream that is running through your church now doesn't look like the churches down the street, rejoice! Be happy that God has called you to be different!

My heart cries for a maturity to come to the leadership of churches and for denominations; a maturity that will allow them to be able to embrace different streams of the Holy Spirit and allow them to flow through their local congregations…

And my heart cries for a maturity to come to those whose stream of the Holy Ghost is different…that they will not be haughty…nor offended if their stream is not embraced and accepted just yet…but they will learn that all our streams must flow under the leadership of the pastoral gift/office in whatever local house we are in!

There is a River… and all its streams…make glad…the city of our God!

Let the river flow!!!!!