Living Water

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“For by one Spirit we were all baptised into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit” (NKJ). The NIV translation says, “For we were all baptised by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” The AMP, “For by means of the personal agency of one Spirit we were all, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, baptised [and united together] into one body, and all made to drink of one Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:13). It is important to understand the meaning of the two Greek words that are used in this verse of scripture, namely ‘baptisthimen’ (baptised) and ‘potisthimen’ (made to drink).

The first word ‘baptizo’ means “to immerse” - to draw water by dipping a vessel into another, or, to dye a garment by dipping it into a liquid. On a cold day you may relax in a bath and let the water warm you. In this instance, you have chosen to be immersed into something pleasant. Therefore, “baptism” is more to do with ‘immersion’ than ‘infilling’. It is the act of dipping a vessel into another! On the other hand, the second word ‘potizo’ literally means “to make to drink”, and it has to do with ‘infilling’. It’s used for pouring liquid into another vessel, or pouring fluid onto another object. It has to do with “being made full” or “fully absorbing” that which is being poured out. When you drink water (in the physical realm), you deliberately open your mouth to receive it before pouring it out. “Drinking” the Holy Spirit is very similar. It is the intentional act of receiving that which the Spirit is pouring out. We “drink” by simply believing (wholeheartedly) that the Holy Spirit wants to pour Himself into human vessels. Therefore, learn to trust in His grace, and in doing so, God will flood you with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Keeping in mind that God designed you to be continually filled (Ephesians 5:18). Why? Because He will never stop being a fountain.

In John 7:37 Jesus says, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” As mentioned before, ‘drinking' represents an active process of receiving. The ‘infilling’ of the Holy spirit cannot be received by a negative, or passive attitude. No one can drink except of his own active volition; and no one can drink with a closed mouth. As it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual. The Lord says in Psalm 81:10, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” God cannot fill a closed mouth. Simple though it may seem, there are those who fail to receive the fullness of the Spirit, simply because they fail to open their mouths (figuratively speaking).

Throughout the Word of God, water is a symbol (a “type”) of the Spirit of God, and is often used to represent Holy Spirit, that is, the divine nature and power of God. In Scripture, God the Father also refers to Himself as a “spring of living water” (Jeremiah 2:13; Isaiah 44:3-4). Think about water and what it means to us. Water is essential to life—we die without it. The average person can go about 60 days without food before he starves to death, but one can go only about three days without water - because it is so vital. In fact, the human body is mostly water. Whenever someone forsakes God, “the spring of living water”, he has no choice but to do what Jeremiah 2:13 says, “to throw out his own broken cistern.” Why is this? Quite simply, “it won’t hold water any more.” We see that just as actual water gives life physically and is integral to one’s physical life, so spiritual water (the gift of the Holy Spirit) gives life to the spirit man. Consider this same parallel between water and the Spirit of God in the following verses, where Jesus is speaking to a woman He met at a local well (John 4:13-14). “Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life’.” The Holy Spirit produces eternal life!

Like his Father, Jesus is also a fountain of living waters, and He stated that in John 7:37-39, On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within Him.” By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

The Holy Spirit would be given to all who believe in Jesus as Lord, but Jesus could not do this “pouring out” until after He was glorified, that is, raised from the dead and exalted to the right hand of God. Jesus was given the Holy Spirit “without measure” (John 3:34) so that He in turn could give it to others (who believed in Him). To the Church, Jesus first “poured out” the Holy Spirit of God on the Day of Pentecost (as recorded in Acts 2). In this classic verse, Peter is speaking to the amazed crowd assembled in the Temple on that historic day, and it is most significant that he also compares the gift of Holy Spirit to water.... Acts 2:33, “Exalted to the right hand of God, He [Jesus] has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out [like water] what you now see and hear.” The same Jesus is pouring out His Spirit ‘like water’ today! And we, who believe, are all being made to drink of the same Spirit.

In practical terms how do we receive this living water? In John 14:15-27 Jesus expands further on the promise of the Holy Spirit and the key truths He develops in this passage are:

Obedience flows out of a relationship of love (verses 15, 21, 23-24). Obedience does not flow from the law, or from the fear of punishment, but from a relationship of love (1 John 4:18).
The Holy Spirit comes to us as a counsellor, helper, advisor, or advocate (verse 16). He is constantly there to advise, help and to counsel us. But are we listening?
The Holy Spirit lives permanently within us (verse 16-17). So we can turn to the Holy Spirit at any time – He is constantly at work in us.
He is the Spirit of Truth who teaches us all we need to know (verses 17, 26). In John 16:13 Jesus says that role of the “Spirit of truth” is to “lead us into all truth”. This is not about intellectual understanding but about the experiential reality of the truths of the Bible. If my heart is firstly to experience God’s truth, the intellectual aspect of understanding will follow.
The Holy Spirit gives us a living relationship with both the Father and with Jesus, who come and make their home in our lives (verses 18, 20, 23). We are not left as orphans but brought into a relationship with the Father through the Holy Spirit. Similar Jesus says, “I will come to you” – but how? Through the Holy Spirit. Both the Father and the Son will come through the Person of the Holy Spirit - to take up residence in our lives.
We have an intimate love relationship with God (verses 20-21). We have become one with God, and He has become one with us – our lives and His are inextricably entwined together in love.
The Holy Spirit will bring us to a place of inner peace and rest (verse 27). To develop this relationship with the Holy Spirit, we need to come to a place of inner rest and peace, something that Jesus promises His followers in this passage.

Developing this relationship. This relationship with the Holy Spirit is both wonderful and incredible, but as with all human relationships it can be developed or neglected. If you’re feeling spiritually dry, it means you have neglected this relationship – the answer is to give time to reconnect with the Holy Spirit. “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (2 Corinthians 13:14) We experience the grace of the Lord and the love of God in our lives through the “fellowship” of the Holy Spirit. Fellowship involves companionship and communication and it has to be developed. We have to spend time talking to the Holy Spirit and listening to his voice. This requires discipline and practice otherwise the relationship will be neglected and you will disconnect.

In Psalm 131:2, David says “I have stilled and quietened my soul” – the Holy Spirit will normally communicate with us in a “gentle whisper” (a still small voice – 1 Kings 19:12). So we have to learn to still our souls (our mind and emotions) in order to hear His voice. Picture a lake – when the lake is still and calm, any small pebble that is thrown into it will be seen and recognised, but when it is stormy you could throw a large boulder into it and it would not be noticed. While our minds are in turmoil it will be difficult, if not impossible, to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. It requires diligence and effort to bring our souls to a place of rest and stillness (Hebrews 4:11). But with practise, we should be able to do this fairly quickly, even in the middle of the most trying and turbulent of circumstances.

We still our minds and souls by:

1.   Consciously focusing on the Holy Spirit and asking for his help and advice.
2.   Commanding our minds to be still (just like Jesus commanded the storm).
3.   Turning any distracting thoughts over to the Holy Spirit and committing them to Him.
4.   Rolling our cares onto Him, because He cares for us.
5.   Meditating on God’s word – the Psalms are very effective.

Here are some keys to communicating with the Holy Spirit:

Relax in His presence; a gentle sigh or groan can be as effective as a thousand words.
Speak slowly, softly and affectionately.
Speak briefly and minimally. You can use words or phrases rather than long sentences – and spend more time listening than talking!
Use the gift of tongues (if you’ve not received this gift, you can ask for it).
Use scripture as a basis for meditation and gazing on the beauty of the Lord.
Write down (journal) the things the Holy Spirit says to you.
Thanksgiving. It is always good to enter His presence with thanksgiving (Psalm 100:4).
Revelation. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you revelation – of God, of His truth and His purposes.
Use me! Ask the Holy Spirit to use you – to give you impressions or revelations for others – to become within you that river that will flow out to bless others.
Strengthen me! Ask Him for strength to deal with the situations you face in your life.
Teach me! He knows far more than you about any situation you face – so ask Him to teach you, to give you wisdom and revelation that will help you with your work or with any other issues you are facing. He wants to help you!
Most importantly, don’t let your life become spiritually dry! Drink daily from that living water! Open your mouth wide – He will fill it!

You have the privilege of enjoying a vibrant active relationship with the Holy Spirit – so develop this relationship with enthusiasm and diligence! And keep drinking…

Chris Demetriou, 21/03/2010