In Ezekiel 47, the prophet Ezekiel has a vision where God’s presence flows like a refreshing river out of the eastern gate of the temple, which was later known as the mercy gate. And wherever the river went it brought forth life. In John 7:37-39, God’s people participated in a water ritual that looked forward to the fulfillment of that prophetic vision. It was during that water ritual that Jesus stood up and shouted out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink, and out of him will flow rivers of living water.” We believe that this call still stands today. Jesus is calling all those who are thirsty to find satisfaction in Him. And he promises that His Spirit will not only grant life and satisfaction in us, but that He will also cause rivers of His Presence to flow through us.
At Mercy Gate we hang our hope on this one truth: that Jesus alone can satisfy the thirsty soul!
Part 1: The Sip That Satisfies
John 7:37-39
Jesus boldly declared during an ancient religious ceremony that HE was the fulfillment of what that ceremony was intended to represent — that HE was the living water that would satisfy the thirsty soul. Even today, HE is the source of living water that flows to us and through us through the outpouring and ministry of his Spirit.
Part 2: A Distinct People
Ezekiel 47
What is to distinguish us as the people of God? How are we to be distinct from the world? We see demonstrated in Ezekiel 47, as it looks back through the Old Testament and forward into the New, that God’s presence is to be the distinguishing characteristic of God’s people! Will Mercy Gate Church be known as a group of people where God is clearly present among us?
Part 3: God’s Empowering Presence
Ephesians 1:15-23
How does our church name inform our mission? It often seems that something is missing from the 21st-century Western church, but what is it? Martyn Lloyd-Jones suggests that, “The great need of the church from every standpoint is a great visitation of the Holy Spirit, and it is only as she receives this will she be enabled to understand again, to grasp and to preach to others, the saving message of the gospel of the Son of God...nothing is more vital.” The presence of God must empower the mission of the church.
Part 4: Everyone Gets To Play
1 Corinthians 12
The mission of Mercy Gate is to make followers of Jesus. How does the Holy Spirit empower us to carry out this mission? In addition to the miracle of regeneration, there are a variety of ways in which the Spirit of God powerfully bears witness about the Risen Christ to us and through us. When we eagerly pursue and participate in the Spirit’s mission of building up Christ’s body, he is eager to empower every member of his church to collectively carry out that mission!
Part 5: Filled With The Spirit
Ephesians 5:18-21
The church that is distinguished by God’s empowering presence is a church that is continually filled with the Spirit. What did Paul mean when he commanded the Ephesians to be filled with the Spirit as opposed to drunk with wine? What does it look like to be filled with the Spirit, and what does this have to do with our corporate worship gatherings?
Part 6: Pay Attention To What You Hear
Mark 4:1-25
Just as we must receive the seed of the Gospel with a heart of faith that bears fruit in obedience, our daily walk with the Lord by His Spirit must proceed in the same way. To grow as a church in our dependence on the Spirit and his filling, gifts and empowering we must step out in faith-filled, fruit-bearing obedience. Our fruitfulness as a Gate of Mercy and Living Waters will be determined by the extent that we use what we’ve been entrusted with.