A Flowing River and a Tree, this is the first line of a classic hymn. These two represent a certain way that God takes to carry out His eternal purpose.
A Flowing River and a Tree
Spending Personal Time with the Lord
A story from the Fall 2018 College Conference held in Wanship, Utah
The Bible verses in the College Conference emphasized the importance of eating Christ. For example, John 6:57 says, “As the living Father has sent Me and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me.” For us to actually experience this, we were sent off to spend personal time with the Lord. During that time, I practiced singing to the Lord, reading His word, praying, and simply learning to spend time with Him, even learning to just communicate with Him.
Another aspect of eating Christ that stood out to me in the conference was that whatever we are surrounded by, that is what we take in to us and that is what we end up expressing. On the one hand, this is quite serious, as we could end up with “Garbage in, garbage out.” On the other hand, if we’re taking Christ in, then we’re expressing Him. – Eli
An Exceedingly Good Land – How to Possess the Land
In this Bible study we reviewed the history of the children of Israel, as they left Egypt and the things they experienced on their way to the Good Land. The Lord really led us to focus on two matters: Confessing our Sins, and Eating Christ – through His Word.
Although we are on a college campus, reading many books and articles and studying topics thoroughly, our eating of Christ in His Word is something special. We must come to His Word, linger there, contact the living Person there, and learn to exercise our spirit, our deepest part, to receive Him, digest Him, and assimilate Him.
Why did God bring us to this university? To meet other Christians and mutually help one another to… POSSESS THE LAND!
Download this short Bible Study: An Exceedingly Good Land 09
The Tree of Life – Christ Sacrificed So That We Might Eat
Wednesday, October 4, 2017, 6pm.
And if your offering is a meal offering made in a pot, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. And you shall bring to Jehovah the meal offering that is made of these things and present it to the priest, and he shall bring it to the altar. And the priest shall take up from the meal offering its memorial portion and shall burn it on the altar, an offering by fire, a satisfying fragrance to Jehovah. And that which is left of the meal offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; it is a thing most holy of Jehovah’s offerings by fire. (Lev. 2:7-10)
And from it he shall present one out of each offering as a heave offering to Jehovah; it shall belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offerings. And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering; he shall not leave any of it until the morning.
(Lev. 7:14-15)
What two categories of offerings can you see in the verses above?
And He said, A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to the father, Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me. And he distributed to them his living. And not many days after, the younger son, having gathered everything together, went abroad to a distant country and there squandered his estate by living dissolutely. And when he had spent all, a severe famine occurred throughout that country, and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed hogs. And he longed to be satisfied with the carob pods which the hogs were eating, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself, he said, How many of my father’s hired servants abound in bread, but I am perishing here in famine! I will rise up and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants. And he rose up and came to his own father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion, and he ran and fell on his neck and kissed him affectionately. And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his slaves, Bring out quickly the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fattened calf; slaughter it, and let us eat and be merry… (Luke 15:11-23)
What do you enjoy most from this famous parable of the prodigal son?
And to Adam He said, because you listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree concerning which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it… And Jehovah God made coats of skin for Adam and for his wife and clothed them. (Gen. 3:17,21)
Can you see the similarity between the parable in Luke and these verses in Genesis?
Further reading: The Tree of Life, chapter 6, published by Living Stream Ministry
The Tree of Life – A day in Your courts is better than a thousand
Wednesday, September 20, 2017, 6pm.
Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall by no means hunger, and he who believes into Me shall by no means ever thirst. (John 6:35)
As the living Father has sent Me and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me. (John 6:57)
And out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, as well as the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Gen. 2:9)
Use these verses (above) to describe God’s intention for man.
They are saturated with the fatness of Your house, / And You cause them to drink of the river of Your pleasures. (Psa. 36:8)
With You is the fountain of life; / In Your light we see light. (Psa. 36:9)
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:4)
Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world; he who follows me shall by no means walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12)
In My Father’s house are many abodes; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. (John 14:2)
What does the “house” in the verses above refer to? How do these verses relate to each other?
One thing I have asked from Jehovah; / That do I seek: / To dwell in the house of Jehovah / All the days of my life, / To behold the beauty of Jehovah, / And to inquire in His temple. (Psa. 27:4)
A day in Your courts is better than a thousand; / I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God / Than dwell in the tents of the wicked. (Psa. 84:10)
Is there something in these two verses that touches you?
Further reading: The Tree of Life, chapter 4, published by Living Stream Ministry