Column- Is the river of living water flowing within you?

[瑤翰 김요한]

Column - Is the river of living water flowing within you?

1. Professor K, a Korean professor at Fuller Theological Seminary in the United States, once said that the greatest obstacle to the kingdom of God is the church, which some people were surprised by and others criticized.
Of course, the church he was referring to is clearly the so-called church in the world. We cannot disagree.
We know well that the temple in Israel became a burden, a tool used to crucify Jesus Christ, the one sent by God.
The temple, given as a shadow of forgiveness of sins and an encounter with God, was blinded by the sacrificial offering business of a privileged religious class, preventing them from discovering Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

2. Some people have had a hit with the book "After being saved".
However, all he said was that even after salvation, we must fulfill our responsibilities and duties.
It is true what he said, but we see that it has become a 'after salvation' where things do not go as he said.
Even for him, it's becoming clear that the aftermath of salvation isn't all that great.
In the Old Testament, humans were the agents of action, and we had to strive to become perfect by keeping the "248 dos and 365 don'ts."
However, in the New Covenant, Christ comes within us, and when we deny ourselves, carry our cross and follow the Lord, the Spirit of the Lord works within us, and we become.
When car steering wheels were mechanical, they were entirely human-powered. But now, with engine power, steering is effortless.
That's why Paul declared, "Whereunto I also labor, striving according to his working,  which works in me mightily." (Colossians 1:29).
This is truly after being saved.

3. I read an article where an honest pastor confessed that he wished the river of living water flows within him, but that it doesn't.
For those who believe in Jesus, receive forgiveness of sins, and claim to walk with Jesus, the river of living water promised by the Lord never flows within their bellies.
The river of living water is realized by the Holy Spirit, whom God sent after his death on the cross, his being raised, and his glorification (John 7:38-39).
In other words, it only exists in those who, after His death and resurrection, have the Spirit of truth, who ascended to heaven and declared, "I will come again," dwell within them.
For those who claim to walk with Jesus but participate in contemplative prayer or the New Apostolic Movement in an attempt to experience the Holy Spirit, this is not the case.
These movements are not rivers of living water, but rather ditches that occasionally flow and then cease.
A river flows from its source to the sea.
If it stops flowing, it is not a river.

4. No matter how hard you search the Old Testament, the river of living water is not real.
No matter how hard you try to visualize Ezekiel's vision, it is only a prophecy of the future, not a reality.
The living water that flowed in Eden, the vision Ezekiel saw, the river of living water of the new heaven and new earth, now flows within those who believe in Christ as Lord.
However, even if it is true, it is never realized by words.
In Christ, I, who was in Adam, am freed from the law of sin and death by the law of the Spirit of life, and am set free from the dratted old self.
It is a righteousness that is achieved by hearing and believing how I, who was in Adam, was transferred into Christ and what kind of relationship I have with Christ, and following Christ's path through baptism.
This is truly an amazing freedom, a sense of self-worth, and the privilege of being an heir of God.

5. Today, the Korean church says that even though we believe in Jesus and have received forgiveness of sins, we are still sinners, or that even though we sin, Jesus paid the price for all the sins we have committed and will commit, so if we simply believe in Jesus, we will receive forgiveness of sins and go to heaven.
It's just sweet talk.
If we do this, the church becomes the greatest obstacle to the kingdom of God.
It is true that Jesus gave his body on the cross for our sins, but the Spirit of truth came in us for the presence of Christ anointing.
A new covenant has been established, where we are not just walking with Jesus, but we are in Christ, and Christ is in us.
If we hold fast to this new covenant with a heart that loves the Lord, the spirit and life of the Lord will be revealed in our spirit. (John 14:20-21)
This is the Lord's promise.
From then on, we become evergreens trees attached to Christ, the Tree of Life.
That is the relationship between the vine and the branches.
However, because Adam's fallen toxicity and malignancy remain, the tissues and components are different, and the flow is minimal. However, if you constantly bear the Lord's death and repeat the cycle of death and death every day, at some point you will experience the Lord's spirit and life flowing within you like a river of living water.
That's why I recommend, and continue to recommend, that you read John 14-16 100 times.

Written by Pastor. Yohan Kim
Translated by Missionary Nancy Kim
COME AND SEE WORLD MISSION
TO GOD BE THE GLORY