BLESSING: REPLENISH & FILL THE EARTH WITH THE GLORY OF GOD- Part 2

A DEMONSTRATION- THE WEDDING OF CANA

Genesis 1:28
Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”(NKJV)

I've been writing on this blessing of God first spoken over man that included filling the earth.  Yesterday I wrote about how we are not only to fill the earth in a natural way but God has filled us to be poured out.  Today in part 2 we see a beautiful picture drawn at The Wedding of Cana. 

FILLED TO BE POURED OUT

In the same way the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost filling those that were waiting with power and boldness, after he first poured out to them, he poured out through them to bring the good news of the gospel and the power of God to a world in need of salvation. This power not only gave them the boldness to speak but it was the equipping for signs, wonders and miracles that would bring deliverance from all manner of evil!   In the same way the life of Jesus was poured out in his earthly ministry,  the life of Jesus Christ would continue to be poured out only now it would be through those upon whom the Holy Spirit was poured out.

This was demonstrated in pictorial form accompanied by the miraculous at the beginning of Jesus' ministry at the wedding of Cana.  Notice it was on the third day!

Water Turned to Wine 

John 2: 1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”

Wine in the bible is a type of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus comes to a world that has no wine.  They were living in a time when the voice of God had not been heard for an over 400 yr. period of time.  When we bring the Holy Spirit to a world that doesn't know God we are pouring out the oil of joy, the refreshing living water and the wine of God that makes glad the heart of man.

John 2 cont'd:  4 Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” 

At that time Jesus said his hour had not come.  At this time the day nor the hour for Jesus´ return has not yet come.   Until he comes, we pour out what has been poured in, bringing his Spirit until he comes.

John 2 cont'd: 5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” 

His mother knew what everyone else didn't know.  She knew he would make things right.  She knew he had the power to fill their lack.  Remember Jesus had that power because the Spirit of the Lord had come upon him and anointed him.  That was spoken by Jesus himself in Luke Chapter 4.  That power would be demonstrated by doing what he said to do, whatever that may have been!   Today we know whom we serve and we know he has the power to fill the lack in this world and it's him through the Holy Spirit that is the treasure in our earthen vessels and it's of his Spirit we pour out in the same way they would pour wine from earthen vessels to the guests at this wedding.  Today we are led by the Spirit, just doing what he says do to meet the needs and it's through that and speaking his word that the world sees the power of God continually poured out!

John 2 cont'd:  6 Now there were set there six water pots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. 

We are the water pots. We are the containers.  The passage in II Corinthians 4 says, "We have this treasure in earthen vessels."  An earthen vessel is a water pot!  In this case what started out as a water pot turned into a wine pot.  We have been filled and we cannot keep it to ourselves.  As we allow him to pour himself through us, he turns the water into wine and bring joy to a lost and hurting world that is suffering from a lack of joy!  He was never intended to be kept to ourselves but in fact Jesus had told them when the Holy Ghost came upon them, they would become witnesses of him!

John 2 cont'd:  7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the water pots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.

We are the water pots and we have been filled.  The brim is the edge and it's the same word that the edge of the Jordan was translated into from the Old Testament Hebrew text.  It's a crossing over from Old to New; from a life of sorrow into dancing and joy; from a life without to a filled and satisfied life!  Coming out of Egypt represented salvation but crossing the Jordan represented the infilling and the victory that came with it.  It is through the infilling in the water pots of our hearts that we are filled with the power of God to be witnesses but it is also the power of the Holy Spirit that leads us into all the promises of God; it's the Holy Spirit inside that satisfies our lack; and it's the Holy Spirit poured out that runs over; it's the Holy Spirit inside that guarantees our inheritance in this life and in the life to come!  When we allow ourselves to be poured out, we are bringing the same new life to others that we have received.

John 2 cont'd:  8 And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. 9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 

The time is now!  We are to draw out now!  We are told there is no time to waste and this is no time to wait.  The harvest is ripe right now!  People just need to taste and see that Jesus is good and when they get a taste, they're going to be glad they took that drink!  When we share Jesus to a world that is without, there is a taste that goes with it and the taste is good.  The bible says to "taste and see that the Lord is good."  When people taste, they may not know exactly what they're tasting and where he came from but they know it tastes good.  The bible says you don't know the ways of the Spirit- that he's like a wind.  You don't know where he comes from or where he goes but you see his effects.  The people may not have understood exactly what had happened but the one doing the pouring knew!   The one doing the pouring,  knew the source of the wine- it came from Jesus!  The one doing the pouring knew that it was their job to do what he said!  The one doing the pouring knew they were the ones appointed to pour out!  Without them pouring out, the wine wouldn't flow!  We know Jesus and we know that it's his anointing that is poured out from us that creates a taste that people respond to!  Could it be that one key to a great move of God is every person that calls themselves a Christian getting filled and every person that calls themselves a Christian pouring out.  There are enough Christians on earth that if each one influenced one person to be saved, the entire world would be saved in a very short time!

10 And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”
11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
12 After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.

In the same way that this event marked the beginning of the miracles of Jesus, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on The Day of Pentecost marked the beginning of the church spreading the glory of God through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus life was poured out but the end result marked the beginning result which was the best.  He truly did save the best for last and he endured the death so that he could offer the best- the pouring out of the precious treasure of the Holy Spirit.  But child of God, pay attention to the next passage that says they did not stay there many days.  We do not have many days to spread the good news through the preaching of the gospel and the demonstration of his power.  When Jesus return on this earth, it will seem like just a blinking of the eye since he walked this earth in light of eternity.  Jesus is coming soon! The harvest is ripe and we don't have much time.  We must be poured out now!  There's no time to wait!  It is now ordained that we take that infilling  of the precious treasure of the Holy Spirit and as Jesus was poured out, our lives are to be poured out. 

When Jesus was pierced through in his side, his earthen vessel spilled out upon the earth.  It's in pouring out that the earth is filled.  It's in pouring out that we continue to walk in all the fullness of God in being fruitful, multiplying and filling the earth.  Jesus has done everything he was appointed to do at the time of his ministry.  Now he has appointed that we carry on his ministry on earth.  We not only fill the earth with a natural blessing in food, water and wealth but we fill the earth with all of the goodness of God that has been placed inside of us. We are vessels meant to be poured out.  It's in this way the earth will see, know and become recipients of the glory of God.  We're the vessels. He's the water and through our fullness we pour out to bless others.  It's in being poured out that we continue to walk in the blessing of God to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth!  Be blessed and better yet, be a blessing!

Scriptures taken from The New King James Version

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%202:1-12&version=NKJV

BLESSING: REPLENISH & FILL THE EARTH WITH THE GLORY OF GOD- Part 1

FILL THE EARTH WITH THE SPIRIT OF GOD

Genesis 1:28
Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”(NKJV)

BLESSING:  FILL THE EARTH

Part of the blessing God spoke over man was to fill the earth. We have seen how we fill the earth with all manner of fruitfulness, whether spiritual or natural fruit.  Did you know that when God blessed us he ordained that we be blessed, spirit soul and body.  He spoke a blessing of increase over us in every area.  This blessing was spoken to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and on and on through the generations down David and then through the generations to Jesus who has passed that blessing to us!  Through Christ, we have inherited all the fullness of God and blessings both natural and spiritual.

SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS

When we were filled with the Spirit, God blessed us in filling us with a treasure that we carry in earthen vessels.  We were blessed with spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 1:3-13 tells us we are blessed with all spiritual blessings, we are made us holy and without blame, we are adopted us as sons, we are accepted, redeemed, forgiven and given us an inheritance.  It goes on to say we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, the guarantee of our inheritance.  The Holy Spirit is the guarantee that we are sons of God!(NKJV)

The Holy Spirit is a treasure.  He's a treasure carried inside of us that although our lives are poured out as an offering to him, his life is manifested in and through us.  That manifestation of the life of God reaches out to a needy world and brings life and glory to those upon whom he is poured out!

2 Corinthians 4:7-12  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.12 So then death is working in us, but life in you.(NKJV)

SEALED AND FILLED

The bible says in Acts 2:1-4 that on the day of Pentecost, those followers of Jesus who had obeyed him in waiting in the upper room for the promised outpouring of the Spirit were filled.  This is when the Holy Spirit was poured out.  It was these believers that received this outpouring that went beyond the seal.  Every believer receives the seal of the Holy Spirit but not every believer received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  It was these believers that received the infilling and a baptism of the Holy Spirit that empowered them to be witnesses.

Acts 2:1-4  When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (NKJV)

It was at this event that the life of Jesus was poured out upon and into the 120 when the Holy Spirit came upon them! Five hundred had received instruction to attend this event but only 120 had obeyed in waiting.  Is that an indication of a church that doesn't rely on the power of the Holy Spirit today? In another scripture there is a verse that talks about a form of godliness that lacks power.  I hope it isn't the case but there's a reason the bible says only 120 received this infilling.

Every believer has a well of salvation but not every believer is filled with a river of life that flows out of them.  Jesus in John Chapter 4 spoke of a well (a fountain) for every individual but in John 7 he spoke of a river that would flow out of individuals.  It's one thing to drink for yourself and be refreshed with your own salvation but it's another thing to be a vessel poured out!   Upon believing you receive a well of salvation in your innermost being but only upon drinking of his Spirit through a mighty baptism in his Spirit that fills to fullness do you receive a mighty river that flows out of your innermost being!

John 4:13-14 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (NKJV)

The well above speaks of a fountain springing up to everlasting life but the passage below speaks of a river of living water flowing from an individual!

John 7:37-39 on the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (NKJV)

It's the infilling of the Holy Spirit that causes you to speak the Word with boldness.  From out of the mouth of the speaker comes the very living Word of God to bring conviction and life to the listeners.

Acts 4:31
And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

When's the last time you saw a place visibly shaken by the power of God after believers assembled together and prayed.  This was the model of the early church and there's no "Amen" to the book of Acts.  In the same way the first believers had to rely on the Holy Spirit for boldness and power, we should be relying on him today!  If our meeting places are not visibly shaken by the power of God then maybe we need to re-think whether we're relying on that power!

FILLED TO BE POURED OUT

In the same way the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost filling those that were waiting with power and boldness, he poured out from them to bring the good news of the gospel and the power of God to a world in need of salvation. This power not only gave them the boldness to speak but it was the equipping for signs, wonders and miracles that would bring deliverance from all manner of evil!   In the same way the life of Jesus was poured out in his earthly ministry,  the life of Jesus Christ would continue to be poured out only now it would be through those upon whom the Holy Spirit was poured out.  Be blessed and better yet be a blessing by filling the earth with the glory of God! Amen!


(This was a really long post so I've divided it into two parts: Be on the lookout for Part 2- the demonstration at the Wedding of Cana!)