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Drinking the Living Water

Drinking the Living Water

In John chapter 4, we read the story of Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well. As Jesus graciously approaches her and they engage in conversation, He quickly refocuses her heart and mind and begins to speak to the longing of her soul—of a water that would quench her deepest thirst and need and which would become a well within her that would flow out to others. She asks for this water.

This encounter affords us the opportunity to examine some of the Bible’s object lessons about water that can teach us about what Jesus is offering us:

  • Water composes the largest portion of our physical being and is required for life.
    • Genesis 1 tells us that water covered the face of the deep and that the Spirit hovered over the water.
    • We are made of water, and the life-animating energy, the breath of life, comes from God, the Spirit of God.
    • Without water, we will die, and without the animating life energy, the Spirit of God, we will die.
  • We must drink water regularly, or we will dehydrate and die.
    • We do not have life in ourselves; we must stay connected to God and daily partake of Him, or we will decay and die. (This was also symbolically taught by the daily sacrifice in the Old Testament sacrificial system.)
  • Water refreshes.
    • The Holy Spirit brings life to our bodies, minds, and spirits and refreshes us (Romans 8:11).
  • Water cleanses, washing away dirt.
    • The Holy Spirit cleanses our hearts and minds from sin, fear, selfishness, guilt, and shame (Titus 3:5).
  • Water cools a fever.
    • The Holy Spirit cools our tempers, irritability, jealousies, and rage, changing our demeanor from pushing to get our own way to trusting Jesus with our lives and how things turn out (Galatians 5:22).
  • Water puts out fire.
    • The water of life, the cleansing presence of the Holy Spirit, increases our faith and extinguishes all the fiery darts of Satan, the fiery darts of fear, hurt, resentment, and various temptations (Ephesians 6:16).
  • Water has three states: solid, liquid, and gas.
    • God has three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (John 1:1–13; Luke 11:13).
  • Water can be polluted.
    • The life energy, spirit, breath of life, that God breathed into Adam was pure love, but Adam contaminated his life, his spirit, with fear and selfishness, and we are now all born into sin, conceived in iniquity (Psalm 51:5), born with spirits contaminated with fear and selfishness because this is the only life, the only spirit, with which Adam and Eve had to reproduce life (2 Timothy 1:7).
    • Jesus came to purify the wellsprings of life by eradicating fear and selfishness and restoring in humanity the pure life of love and trust. And through Jesus, we can die to the old life of fear and selfishness and be reborn and receive the new life, the new spirit of love and trust, with its animating and motivating energy. This is the water of life offered to the woman and to you and me (Galatians 2:20).
  • After the earth became polluted with sin, water was used to cleanse it—and at the end, the Spirit of God, His unveiled glory, will wash over the earth and cleanse it from all sin (Isaiah 33:14, 15; 2 Peter 3:6, 7).

  • Water symbolizes the cleansing of hearts and minds in baptism—but the H2O doesn’t cleanse the soul from sin; it represents the Holy Spirit cleansing the heart and mind when we submit and surrender and are immersed in heart and mind into the cleansing power and presence of the Holy Spirit; i.e., experience baptism of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13).

  • Water coming from the rock in the desert represented the pure Spirit of God coming through and from Jesus to humanity, the Spirit that heals, purifies, recreates us in righteousness, and gives us eternal life (1 Corinthians 10:1–4).

  • In Elijah’s day, it did not rain for 3.5 years. This was an object lesson for the lack of the Holy Spirit because God’s people had turned their hearts away from Him to Baal. Rain is symbolic of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon hearts and minds, which brings the harvest of spiritual fruit. And while we need the latter rain today more than ever, God will not pour out His Spirit to empower people to lie about Him, to bring forth fruit of a satanic character. What is needed for the final outpouring of the Holy Spirit is for people to embrace the truth about God as our Designer, our Creator, which is predicated upon rejecting the imposed-law lie and understanding that God’s laws are design laws. Then the Holy Spirit will be poured out to finish the work, empowering people to tell the truth about God, for the hour in human history has come for people to make a right judgment about God and return to worshiping Him as Creator and to stop presenting Him as a cosmic dictator and source of inflicted pain, suffering, and death (Revelation 14:7).

  • When Jesus turned the water into wine at the wedding, He gave a powerful and beautiful object lesson. The wedding is symbolic of Jesus uniting with His bride, the church, but only when the church is washed and purified.

“Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:25–27 NIV84).

The water in the clay jars represents the purifying presence of the Holy Spirit, the cleansing power of God. The wine represents the sinless righteous life of Jesus. The clay jars represent human beings who are made out of the clay or the dirt of the earth. Turning water into wine inside the clay jars represents the water, the Spirit of God, working inside of us, convicting us of sin, and revealing the truth in love, which brings us to repentance. In repentance, we open our hearts and minds to God, and the cleansing water of the Holy Spirit removes our guilt, removes our shame, removes our fear and selfishness, and we receive the wine, which is symbolic of the blood, which is symbolic of the life of Christ. Thus, we experience a new life, with new motives, the life of Jesus; it is no longer our old selves that live but Christ lives in us (Galatians 2:20). We become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).

It is not enough to simply have the guilt and shame washed away; we must be reborn with a new life, a new spirit, which is the wine, the life of Christ animating and living within us.

The living water is the pure cleansing, vitalizing, animating presence of God, the eternal truth, love, and presence of God restored into humanity in and through Jesus Christ. He offers the same living water to us that He did to the woman at the well. Drink of the water of truth and love, and when you do, you will not only be cleansed from the guilt and shame of your past, but you will stop living a fear-based life, always seeking for self, and, instead, you will be reborn with the righteous life of Christ, a life of love and trust that will become a well of love and truth that will flow out of you to others.

Drink the living water! Drink deep and drink often!

 

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Testimony 25

I just want to say thank you so much for your conversations via YouTube. I regularly tune in to your lectures, “Let’s Talk” sessions, and many others. Through these I’ve found greater depth and meaning to God’s word. Thanks for all that you do and please continue. I’m currently working in the middle of Silicon Valley at Stanford University. I feel like God really has me in the right place right now and I’m sensing that your teachings might be part of it.

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I’m a youth leader in South Africa. We as a youth group are currently using a lot of the material on the Come and Reason site. Since we’ve started using the material, our youth group has grown.

R. V. N., South Africa

 

Testimony 60

Just watched watched lesson 10 in the 1st quarter 2021 bible study classs on Isaiah. I want to thank you for your intellectual spirituality; it’s not an oxymoron! From the point of view of a teacher I also enjoy seeing how much personal pleasure you clearly take in not just tasting, but feasting on God’s word – it reminds me of Jeremiah not being able to hold it in! It makes me smile that your cup is so full and overflowing that you make it to Tuesday’s lesson (on a good day). It just goes to show the richness of God’s Word.

God bless the Come and Reason Team from our church here in Great Britain.

Andrew H., Great Britain

 

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I just wanted to personally thank you for your teachings and insight into scripture. I came across your website via my cousin who suggested I look into “Healing the Mind” information. My youngest daughter has been struggling over the last couple of years and it all came to a head this spring. When I started listening to the “Healing the Mind” lectures my own life began to be transformed. I began sharing with all my daughters the concepts you laid out so clearly. I ordered your book and soaked it up. I just want to say “Thank You!” My walk with the Lord has been refreshed and renewed. Your obedience to the Lord is a blessing to so many.

R. K., Anderson, SC, USA

 

Testimony 24

I wanted to thank you very much for presenting your understanding of God. I’ve always been troubled by this question: Why did Jesus have to die? Since my conversion I understood that The Father & Jesus are one, I did not have issues with that. But was there not any other way to save us than for Jesus to die? I guess I actually had a question about God – if He is so wise, how come He did not find another way? I did not see the real ‘beauty’  in the cross. Only when you explained the picture in the medical context, Jesus providing medicine for my selfishness, have I started to finally ‘see the light’. Thank you so much. Your seminar, “Healing the Mind,” are absolutely marvelous & have shared them with my family and many other people, including colleagues at work. Thanks, thanks, thanks. May God bless you abundantly in your ministry.

M. W., Australia

 

Testimony 13

I borrowed “Healing The Mind” DVDs from a friend and showed them at my home for a small gathering of women friends. Neither of my friends are Adventist, but they both enjoyed and embraced the messages you taught. In fact, one of the ladies prayed out loud in our group and that was the first time she had ever had public prayer.

J.B. ,Dalles, OR, USA

 

Testimony 2

I continue to enjoy your lessons every week. The more that I research your conclusions, the more I am convinced that the Holy Spirit has lead you to distill out the essence of human redemption. Thank you for your courageous stand for the truth.

S. G., TX, USA

 

Testimony 39

[This ministry is the] biggest blessing I have ever received! Your DVDs and lessons could not have come at a better time in my life. I have experienced in the past year many difficulties that, if it wasn’t for this wonderful view of God that I have discovered through this ministry, I would not have been able to respond in love and forgiveness. My heart is being transformed everyday by the Calvary-looking God you teach. Hallelujah!! I have tears in my eyes as I write, because my life has taken a complete turn from where I was heading.

I am from Central America. Most of my family is scattered in different parts of the world and all have the same view of God that I had growing up; a distant, exacting, and ready-to-punish-us-with-tragedy type of God. So, I have been translating lessons for my family and, to my surprise, they have also been sharing them with others! I can already see the difference. My brother has often said, “Thank you for sharing, I have never heard it this way!” My other family members are taking an amazing turn from a message of “repent or burn” towards a loving God, pleading to us that we won’t reject him because he loves us eternally.

Bless you for all you do.

Sofia S., Ashfield, MA, USA

 

Testimony 27

Your teachings about our heavenly Father have changed my life. Thank you sooooooo very very much! I know He’s doing some serious healing in my heart and life and I look forward to each new day to learn something new about Him and to just hear you speak about Him. Thank you, forever.

Nancy S.

 

Testimony 54

I had a lot of pressure, as a pastor’s kid, to conform and be “good.” I was good at being “good.” I thought my life was going along well until it all started falling apart and I could not figure out why! In my search for “why is this happening to me, God?” I came across your book, “Could it be this Simple,” and God started revealing to me the many distortions I held about His character, His principles, and how He has designed His universe to operate. I remember thinking, “Wow, I have had this all backwards.” I was happy and angry all at the same time. Happy to have the light of truth break through the darkness, revealing a wonderful, beautiful way of understanding God and His plan for His children, and angry, because I felt deceived and cheated by the church, my family, and myself!

My heart thrills when I listen to your bible study lessons. Literally I have gone from death to life. It is a journey I look forward to every day, as God reveals areas this distortion affects. Praise GOD! I will ever be grateful to God for this ministry and your cooperation with the Spirit!

Karen S., Portal, AZ, USA

 

Testimony 28

I have been following your Bible study class for about a year now. I must say I am impressed with how your ministry has grown. I took it upon myself to listen to all your lesson podcasts from the past and they have both enriched me physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I have learnt a lot from this class. I have also noticed how the class has grown in spiritual strength. One of the things that benefited me is that now I am not afraid of God. I use to be, but now it has melted away. The second thing is that you helped me to have a real life relationship with God. Now He is my friend that was always there and I love having him with me all the time. Thirdly, because of this class, it inspired me to take over and lead a class. I have called it “Let Us Reason Together,” adapting your inquisitive style and creating a class of free thinkers.

T. Banda, Malawi, Africa

 

Testimony 48

I just want to tell you how blessed I have been reading “The Remedy!” It has become a daily part of my devotional relationship with God. In it I have found a God of love and a God that loves me! The bible has come alive for me! It is the first time that I can say that I have felt hope fill my heart as I have read God’s word. This is good news I can share! Thank you, Dr Jennings! Thank you for your heart for others. I can’t put into words how this has set me free! It has strengthened my trust and love for God.

Jason H.

 

Testimony 68

Your message of design law vs imperial law is so uplifting and makes so much sense- it is a game changer for me. The fact that Jesus’s death is not a big payment by an angry God is , quite frankly, a relief.

Laura G., London, Ontario, Canada

 

Testimony 5

We listen to your bible studies lessons in our class in Montana. You actually were the main reason I decided to get a laptop, so I can go to your site and listen, read, learn, and print the class notes. I am so grateful to learn the correct view of God and his character. Now, to just have others have an interest in knowing, so I can share it with them. Good thoughts your way.

R. N., MT, USA

 

Testimony 45

I have been confused for years about what [christianity] calls [its] most disgusting teaching. It has never made much sense to me and for that reason has been evermore empty. I have listened to your class off and on and have struggled determining what is truth, because of the resistance design law encounters in the church. So, I thank God for your ministry. What you teach makes sense. It’s logical and backed up by the power of love. I have never seen that in Christ until now. I am astounded by the insight that is found when we look at God’s ministry through design law. All strength to this message, as I believe it to be the power of God.

Brendon S.