Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 20

January 20;   John 7:38;   75/260(VI);   ‘Rivers Flowing’

John 7:38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."

The Lord Jesus was talking in this verse about a Christian being baptized in the Holy Spirit.  ‘Rivers…flowing’ emphasizes the power of the Holy Spirit flowing out of the spirit of a Born Again, Spirit filled Christian.  Ephesians 6:12 teaches that our enemy are demonic forces.  We need the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit to defeat them.  The Lord Jesus’ ministry began after the Holy Spirit came upon Him.  If Jesus needed the power of the Holy Spirit, we surely do as well.  Salvation in John 4 is likened to a fountain springing up to eternal life. Salvation has to come first, but do not stop there.  The Lord Jesus commanded His disciples to remain in Jerusalem until they were baptized in the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2 the disciples and others were baptized in the Holy Spirit and prayed in tongues.  They began to minister exactly as the Lord Jesus did.  They had to in order to continue His ministry.  The baptism in the Holy Spirit emphasizes power.  Water is so powerful.  Rivers flowing implies the miracle working power a Christian receives when the Holy Spirit comes upon them.  Christians need the Holy Spirit’s power to effectively do the work of the ministry.  The Holy Spirit empowers us to preach and teach with great authority.  By the Holy Spirit’s power upon a Christian healings, miracles signs and wonders take place.  The last thing in the world we, as Christians, were created to do was to live a boring, ineffective life.  Receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, begin to flow in His power and open the door to Christianity as it was meant to be.