” ‘Come to me and drink,’ [Jesus] invites. Not sip . . . taste . . . sample. But gulp. Long, refreshing swallows of him. Consume Christ. To drink Jesus is to receive him into the driest parts of our lives. As we do, ‘rivers of living water will flow out.’ “- Max Lucado
“On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ By this he meant the Spirit.”- John 7:37-39 (NIV)
In Chapter 10 (“The Coming Wave: The Spirit As a River of Living Water”) of Help is Here, Max Lucado portrays the spiritual landscape of eighteenth-century America. Spiritual indifference pervaded the land. In addition, people often attacked the gospel when the topic arose. Universalism was in vogue – no one’s a sinner, everyone gets saved. And judgment? – archaic and barbarian.
Sounds exactly like today. Furthermore, thirty percent of millennials feel lonely, and major depression is on the rise. And, Max quips, “Our belief in God is down while our belief in ghosts is up.”
However, Pastor Lucado encourages, at the right hour God opens the floodgates and releases the Spirit like a flowing river. Most significantly, Jesus spoke those words on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles. A yearly reenactment of the rock-giving miracle of Moses. Also, on the last day of the feast, the priest walked around the altar seven times, dousing it with seven vessels of water.
Perhaps Jesus chose to command the people’s attention at that very moment. Above all, Jesus stood and spoke in a loud voice.
Finally, Max observes, a river or creek running through a Texas ranch makes it more valuable. In fact, real estate lingo refers such a ranch as having ‘live water’. Thus, Max concludes:
“The presence of Spirit-filled Christ-followers . . . does the same to society. We refresh . . . soothe . . . soften. The Holy Spirit flows out of us into the dry places of the world. This is how revival happens. We drink Christ and, consequently, leak life.”
Today’s question: When do you most need refreshing swallows of Jesus? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Pentecost Peter or Passover Peter?”