Notes
Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us. So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.
Ephesians 2:18-22
In my vision, the man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple. There I saw a stream flowing east from beneath the door of the Temple … Measuring as he went, he took me along the stream for 1,750 feet and then led me across. The water was up to my ankles. He measured off another 1,750 feet and led me across again. This time the water was up to my knees. After another 1,750 feet, it was up to my waist. Then he measured another 1,750 feet, and the river was too deep to walk across. It was deep enough to swim in, but too deep to walk through.
He asked me, “Have you been watching, son of man?” Then he led me back along the riverbank.
Ezekiel 47:1a, 3-6
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Acts 1:8
From front to back, the Bible is a reclamation story; it’s about God reclaiming what belongs to Him. The hope God offers to Ezekiel is the same hope He offers to us now. God resides in His temple - His people - and He flows out of us to bring His life and purpose to those we encounter. We are God’s house and through us, He does great things in our world. God revitalizes you so that He can restore not just you, but those around you as well.
The enemy wants you to have short-term satisfaction so that your long-term success is destroyed. And remember, other people are not the enemy. The Church is intended to grow and expand, and it does that by reaching other people with the Good News of Jesus.
When I returned, I was surprised by the sight of many trees growing on both sides of the river. Then he said to me, “This river flows east through the desert into the valley of the Dead Sea. The waters of this stream will make the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure. There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will become fresh. Life will flourish wherever this water flows.
Ezekiel 47:7-9
On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)
John 7:37-39
Don’t depend on what you can do; depend on God, who is all-powerful and has authority over all things. God is trying to develop swimmers, not waders. If you’re not participating in what God is doing, you’re missing out on so much of what He created you to do.
Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing.
Ezekiel 47:12
Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.
Revelation 22:1-2
Man rebelled against God, but God is reviving and restoring humanity and the rest of creation. We bring about restoration by talking about the Good News, so that people know the King is coming. And when Jesus comes back, He is coming as a warrior to put evil into the abyss forever. We can look forward to the future when things will be made new and we will reside with Him for eternity. God is looking for us to repent and turn to Him.
Group Questions
- How is the Bible a reclamation story?
- Who is the enemy and how does he try to keep us off track?
- What can hearing the Good News do in someone’s life?
- How can we be a part of how God is reclaiming and restoring people?
Prayer
Work in us to work through us. Let your Spirit flow out of us to those around us so that they can see their need for you.