All for the River: how the cross serves the Spirit
Introduction
I’ve been feeling a bit down lately. I see individuals growing but the wider Church seems as immature as ever, and conversions seem rare. It feels like huge effort for little fruit. At least I no longer respond to such pressures by striving. Thankfully it’s all in the Lord’s crucified hands (Rev 1:17-18). What happened at Perth Prayer Tuesday morning speaks not only to my condition but to a malaise of powerlessness affecting many of God’s children.
One of the brothers was enthused by seeing the Canning River in flood whose surges reminded him of the unlimited power of God. Personally, I will never forget being at the Iguassu Falls with 3 million litres of water pouring over it a second. I could not help but be moved to think of the amazing never-ending torrent of the love of God. If “the river of God is full of water” (Ps 65:9), that is, if God’s presence and power are undiminished, why does the river often seem reduced to a line of pools as in a time of drought. After all Jesus promised, ““If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:37-39), As I began to pray about our spiritual condition the Lord surprised me about how to keep the river running.
Blockages
Many of us experienced a dynamic Spirit-water cleansing us from sinful dispositions at our conversion (John 3:5; Tit 3:5). With time however, when we feel like we are not making the grade – in marriage, work, health, or spiritually, we “naturally” feel dispirited, disappointed, ashamed or embarrassed. In the presence of God, we feel as if we are falling short of the glory he requires (Rom 3:23). This is a deception. We are thinking as if we are fallen people. Paul warns us, “to set the mind on the flesh is death” (Rom 8:6). If you think as if you are a spiritually dead person you will feel spiritually dead. As a remedy we need to reckon with the fact that we are justified people who cannot be condemned, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom 5:1 cf. 6:11). We should never allow our own consciences to put us down (1 John 3:20). No blame for the Christian means no shame. The washing dynamic of the water-Spirit is the remedy for our down states. In Christ “our hearts are sprinkled clean from a guilty conscience” (Heb 10:22) and “hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom 5:5). But how do these promises become real in our experience? Here is what the Lord showed me.
The Image
A clear and distinct image presented itself to my mind’s eye, but one needing prayerful interpretation. I could see a river running at full bore, but in its centre was an upright cross so all the water was surging around it. I could sense all the turmoils of human life being taken into the cross where they were overcome, purified and transformed by the limitless love of Jesus. What emerged as the Spirit passed through the crucified Lord was a new level of energy.
With the holy death of Jesus is the beginning of his glorification (John 12:27-32) it releases an outpouring of the Spirit through human nature in a way previously impossible. Since Jesus has been glorified the Spirit now runs with full power (John 7:30). Through the cross the Spirit’s own life was transformed. The death of Jesus empowers the Spirit to be poured out in a way previously impossible. Speaking metaphorically, the cross is like a turbine energising and spinning out the river of God running through it. We can all be a part of this dynamic action whereby the cross releases life in the Spirit.
The Cross Serves the Spirit
Here’s the promise, “to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” (Rom 8:6). Where a mind set on the flesh sees blockages to abundant living a spiritual mind sees opportunities to manifest the victory of Christ crucified and intensify the running of the river of life. Paul’s numerous beatings, degradations, rejections etc. became opportunities for the river of the Spirit to run with more and more power through his life. As by faith he took the evil circumstances of life and placed them on the altar of the cross in his heart the Spirit poured dynamically through him into the lives of others (Acts 19:6, 2 Cor 6:4-7 etc.). In our time I can think of folk who have discovered this energising of the Spirit. People in prison or caught in drug addiction who have found Jesus and knowing their justification in Christ have been set free from all shame. When we see that God’s purpose is to use the harassing circumstances (2 Cor 12:7) of our lives to energise the Spirit through us everything will change. “All” we must do for this to transpire is to live a cross-shaped life. This is the secret of the river of God ever running through our personal lives and the Church.
Conclusion
The Spirit wants to flood our lives with the life of Jesus. Incredibly, we can bless the Spirit by being the place where the mind set of the flesh is crucified so that He runs through us with intensified power. This transformation requires a new level of serving in the way of Christ. In refusing to serve himself Jesus instead became a servant of God and of us all (Mark 9:35; Phil 2:7). He served the Spirit’s longing to be poured out as a river of life for the healing of the nations by laying down his life (Rev 22:1-2). Our lives are called to be the fruit of the Spirit (Col 1:10) for the glory of God. They will be so to the degree we can live as servants of the Spirit. We are to take all the naturally depressing circumstances of life captive to obey Christ (2 Cor 10:5) so the Spirit can fill our lives to overflowing. As the River flows out of us it will bring the life of Christ wherever it goes (Ezek 47:9). This is the message of the image of the cross in the centre of the raging torrent, a message and promise for our languishing time.