It is true that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.  But today we live in a post-modern world where moral relativism rules and people no longer seek the truth.  Hearing will lead some to Christ but others will not accept.  Thankfully the Gospel has an answer.  Jesus Christ commands us to not only share the Gospel but also pray for the sick.  God is a miracle working God and is longing to show a lost and dying world that He is real, power, loving and supernatural.  Can this be accomplished with intellect alone?  Healing is as vital to the Great Commission as is preaching but how can we be administrators of God’s healing power?

God gives us step by step instructions on how to be a tree of life full of healing water.  Ezekiel 47 has dual meaning.  The most common interpretation is a picture of Jesus Christ on the Davidic throne in Jerusalem during His millennium rule with a river of life streaming out from beneath His Temple bringing life to whatever it touches.  However this passage has another context.  Christ wants us to wade deep into the waters of the Holy Spirit becoming full of gifts and fruit so that we can see broken hearts healed and dry land revived.

Ezekiel describes a host guiding us on a tour of the Temple, down the banks of a river leading to the Dead Sea.  At first the water is flowing ankle deep.  The Hebrew suggests that the water was only as deep as the soles of his shoes.  As the Holy Spirit flows from us, the Temple, it effects our shoes.  God instructed Moses to take off his shoes, you are standing on holy ground.  It wasn’t the dirt that was holy, it was God’s call upon his life to go to Pharaoh and say “let my people go”. Our shoes represent our profession.  A construction worker wears construction boots.  A hockey player wears hockey skates and a preacher wears preaching shoes.  The shoe fits the job.  Moses turned from his old ways and focused on freeing his people from the slavery of the world.  We must hear God’s call, take off our shoes, turn to His purpose of winning souls and put of the shoes shod with the preparation of the Gospel.

At the next stage of the river it was knee deep.  Have you ever tried to walk in fast flowing river water that is up to your knees?  The river tries to drag you in its direction and you have to fight to go your own way.  When we are knee deep in the Holy Spirit, praying fervently on our knees it is tough to resist the call of God and go our own direction. 

A short distance downstream the waters reached his waist and then it was so deep that it could not be crossed.  Imagine trying to cross the Niagara River flowing waist and chest deep.  The result is that you have no choice but to go the direction of the river.  God wants us to be so immersed in the flow of the Holy Spirit that we will swim with Him and go His direction and His direction alone. 

As they made it to the banks of the river he noticed that there were many trees by the river and where it entered the sea the waters were healed.  Two weeks ago I was in Israel and traveled this very route down from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea.  This wilderness is so dry almost nothing lives.  The Dead Sea has no outflow and nothing could possibly live in it.  My family and I stopped by the Sea and floated it the buoyant water that is 33% salt.  This healing water is so powerful that it makes the desert bloom and brings teaming life to the Dead Sea.  The Prophet reports that as they fished their nets were full with “exceedingly many fish”.  The trees were full of fruit that offered healing in their leaves.
Our society resembles the desert and the Dead Sea.  Spiritually dry with no sign of life or healing.  God wants us to be agents of life as fruit trees full of humility, kindness, love, joy, peace, purpose, faithfulness, meekness and temperance.  He wants us to be streams of healing waters that will lay hands on the sick, pray for healing and preach that by His stripes we are healed.

Ezekiel gives us one warning that the swamps and marshes will not be healed.  A swamp is full of water but there is no outlet.  Too often we pray to be filled, blessed by God but do not cry to the Lord asking how we can be a blessing.  At Christmas time we focus on blessing others with gifts, kindness and goodness.  Let’s ask God to make us instruments of healing, sharing the Gospel with a lost and dying world. We must be outlets of God’s blessings in the fullness of His Spirit, moving is His direction under the Lord’s calling.  The result will be revival.  Every community that has exercised the fullness of the Great Commission has experienced revival.  It is now our turn. Merry Christmas and May 2010 be a year of revival.