Give The Gift Of Living Water

Living Water

In John 4 Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at a well and said to her. "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you give me a drink. You would have asked of Him and He would have given you living water". Again in John 7:37-38 Jesus is talking about "Living Water", He says "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water." So what is this "living water" that Jesus talks about? Well the next sentence, John 7:39 tells us, This He spoke concerning the Holy Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive. So let me give you a context of what Jesus said this on these two events. In the first event Jesus is talking to a woman, one on one, telling her that if you drink of this well water you will be physically satisfied for a time but the body will continue to thirst. In other words the things of the world will only satisfy for a short time. But if you believe in me you will find a drink of salvation that bring everlasting life. It is spoken of in Isaiah 12:3 "Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation." What Jesus is talking about if you believe in Him you will be saved and receive the Holy Spirit in you.

Now in John 7 Jesus is in a large crowd during the last day of the feast of Tabernacles and he talks again of living water. To understand this event we need to understand what was taking place on that day at the feast of Tabernacles. The Tabernacles feast or celebration was held every year to remember the time the Israelites spent in the desert and followed God. Tabernacles are small temporary structures like tents. The Israelites would come into Jerusalem from all over to celebrate and they would put up these small tent like structures and stay in them for a week. Each day the priests of the temple would go down to the pool of Siloam with a clay vessel and get water and bring it back to the temple and pour it out on the ground as a drink offering to commemorate or remember when God in the desert gave them water out of the rock as seen in Exodus 17. But what of that rock in the desert? Well Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:4 "All drank of the same spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ."

So on the last day of the feast of Tabernacles they did something different. On the last day the high priest would take a golden vessel down to the pool of Siloam (sent one) and fill it up and then he would march up to the temple with it and enter through the south or "water" gate. The Water Gate had special eschatological significance because it was identified by some rabbis as the south gate of Ezekiel’s Temple through which the water of life would flow to all the land as seen in the prophecy of Ezek 47:1-5(more on that latter). Then the high priest would pour out the water in front of the alter, and the high priest would read this verse from Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground: I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring. Now this last day of the feast is called the Hoshannah (save now) Rabbah. This last day speaks of the future and the prophecy of the coming Messiah. Now the high priest would lead them in a prayer for the coming of Messiah. So in this context as people are praying for the coming sent one who is going pour out the spirit Jesus stood up in the crowd with thousands there gathered in the city and said "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water." Wow! As they prayed for Him to come Jesus proclaimed that he was among them, the "Sent One" had arrived. So at first he told an individual (woman at the well) that she would have living water in her. But here Jesus speaks of a river flowing out of us. This is seen in the prophecy of Ezekiel 47. Here Ezekiel saw a river flowing out of the temple coming out from under the altar and it became a wide river that flows and brings life. This is the spirit flowing out of us The temple equates our body. And the source is the altar or sacrifice. And as Ezekiel walks the water gets deeper and deeper. Just like as we get farther in our walk the spirit gets to flow more and soon it is a stream in which we can no longer touch bottom and it flows and takes us. So there is a picture of two parts to the filling of the Holy Spirit. The first is so we no longer thirst, so we have the drink of salvation. But the second is when the Spirit flows out and gives life to others. When all we do is hold the water it stagnates with time. But when we let it flow out to others we can receive more and it becomes a flowing river. So ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit and then look to give the gift to others.

If this interested you here is a link to an incredible man who teaches this in a far superior and dynamic way than I can. So check it out http://www.joncourson.com/teaching/teachingsplay.asp?teaching=S514

So now that we have talked of a Spiritual drink and a sacrifice that starts the flow of the Spirit in your life. Here is a place to give in a sacrificial way, and to give a physical drink to those who don't even have that. Millions of people on the earth don't have clean water to drink. Over 4500 children will die today of water-related diseases, but and you can help. There is a non-profit organization called Charity Water.

Charity Water brings safe drinking water to people in developing nations. 100% of public donations directly fund water projects. They have helped thousands and have already funded more than 3800 projects worldwide. So here is a link where you can be a part of it. After all Jesus said as you do to the least of these you do to Me. http://www.charitywater.org/

Another opportunity to do something of value

Well it's Thanksgiving and most of us as a nation have a lot to be thankful for, even in tough economic times like these. So here is another opportunity to do something of value (not just a Christian opportunity. . . . . don't want to go there) and here is why you should help.

More than 1 billion people live in absolute poverty.
500 million people are at the edge of starvation.
200 million children are being exploited as laborers.
Half of the human beings on the planet live on less than $2/day.
1.5 billion people do not have enough money to buy food.

For those who are Christian or have a Christian set of values.
So what is a follower of Christ called to do according to the Bible?
Ephesians 2:10 "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them" So we are made to do "good works". What would these "good works" look like? John the Baptist who Jesus called the greatest of the Prophets said In Luke 3 that unless you bear "good fruit" you will be cut off from the branch. What did "good fruit" look like to John? He said in Luke 3:11 "He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none, and he who has food , let him do likewise."

What does God promise to those who help others by giving? God says TEST ME!
Malachi 3:10-12) "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. {11} I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. {12} "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty." It is the only place in the bible where it says to test God.


“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Luke 6:38)"

So here is a great place to help people who need a hand up to get to a place where they can help themselves.

It is called Kiva. Kiva's mission is to connect people, through lending, for the sake of alleviating poverty. How it works is you loan money to someone who can't get a conventional loan so they can start a business and help themselves get out of poverty. http://www.kiva.org/about/

Kiva works and is low risk. As of November 2009, Kiva has facilitated over $100 million in loans at a repayment rate of 98.95%.

Kiva was born of the following beliefs:
•People are by nature generous, and will help others if given the opportunity to do so in a transparent, accountable way. (THAT'S YOU)

•The poor are highly motivated and can be very successful when given an opportunity.
(THAT'S THEM)

•By connecting people we can create relationships beyond financial transactions, and build a global community expressing support and encouragement of one another. (THAT'S US)

Kiva partners with existing microfinance institutions around the world (they call them Field Partners). These organizations have expertise in microfinance and a mission to alleviate poverty facilitate Kiva loans on the ground. These Field Partners know their local area and clients and do all the leg work required to get Kiva loans to the entrepreneurs posted on Kiva.org.

Lenders browse loan requests and select which ones they'd like to fund. Lenders can fund as little as $25 and as much as the entire amount of the loan. To help streamline the loan transaction process, loan requests posted by the Field Partner are rounded up to the nearest $25 increment. Kiva aggregates funds from Kiva lenders and provides them to the Field Partner.

The Field Partner collects repayments from Kiva entrepreneurs as well as any interest due and lets Kiva know if a repayment was not made as scheduled. Interest rates are set by the Field Partner, and that interest is used to cover the Field Partner's operating costs. Kiva doesn't charge interest to its Field Partners and does not provide interest to lenders.

If there is already money in the Field Partner's account, or once their payment is received, Kiva uses these funds to credit the appropriate lenders with their loan repayments. Lenders can re-lend their funds to another entrepreneur, donate their funds to Kiva (to cover operational expenses), or withdraw their funds via PayPal.

Kiva is Global and it helps those who can't get help in other ways
81.82% of Kiva loans have been made to women entrepreneurs who are often in male dominated societies where help would not be available.

Here is an example of what Kiva does

Pendo Luisi from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
PENDO, age 27, was a kindergarten teacher until she had her second child 9 months ago. Seeing that her teacher’s salary would not be enough to support her household, which includes her younger sister, 2 children, and an assistant, she left teaching and began selling merchandise door-to-door. She sells new handbags, shoes, bed sheets, and fabrics, and makes about $10-$14 a day from this trade. From the profits, she opened a small snack shop 3 months ago and now hires a shop assistant so that she can continue selling door-to-door. The shop brings in a profit of around $3-$5 a day. With her savings and a new loan, Pendo hopes to open a new business, a café.

Pendo belongs to the group Dhahabu (Swahili for “gold”), which consists of 36 other members who keep each other accountable and insure one another in paying back their loans.

Her loan amount was $175.00 and she paid it back in four months.

Once you get paid back you can just help someone else (the gift that keeps giving and giving).

Why Should I Give To People In Need?

This country even in tough economic times is blessed with unparalleled wealth. There are many people in this country living better than kings might have in other times. People with multiple houses, multiple cars, multiple televisions and computers. I have worked for ladies who had more than 100 pairs of shoes. All the time while there are people of this world who don't even have shoes. People who don't have a home. There are people in this country that throw out more food than whole families could eat, while people in the world are dying of starvation. We have probably more people dying of over eating than starvation in this country.
Many of the people of this country that I'm talking about call themselves followers of Christ. And they are one of the reasons Christianity is on the decline in the United States.

Here are some facts to think about, they are a few years old but close enough for this discussion.

Eighty-five percent of young people outside the church who have had connection to Christians believe present-day Christianity is hypocritical. Inside the church, forty-seven percent of young people believe the same thing.

80 percent of the world’s evangelical wealth is in North America.
Giving by churchgoers was higher during the Great Depression than it is today.
Self Proclaimed Christians give an average of $13.31/week to their local church.
Only 9 percent of “born-again” adults reported tithing in 2004.And let's take a peek in on our neighbors in need:

More than 1 billion people live in absolute poverty.
500 million people are at the edge of starvation.
200 million children are being exploited as laborers.
Half of the human beings on the planet live on less than $2/day.
1.5 billion people do not have enough money to buy food.

So what is a follower of Christ called to do according to the Bible?
Ephesians 2:10 "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them" So we are made to do "good works". What would these "good works" look like? John the Baptist who Jesus called the greatest of the Prophets said In Luke 3 that unless you bear "good fruit" you will be cut off from the branch. What did "good fruit" look like to John? He said in Luke 3:11 "He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none, and he who has food , let him do likewise." Jesus put it this way in Matthew 25:31-46. "When the Son of Man comes in His glory (When I, Jesus, come back), and the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the thrown of His Glory." "All the nations (that means everyone)will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as the shepherd divides his sheep from the goats." "And He will set up sheep on His right hand and goats on His left." "Then the King (Jesus) will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me'." "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'When did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink'? "When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or naked and clothe You?' 'Or when did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?' "And the King will answer and say to them, "Assuredly I say to you, inasmuch as you did to the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' "Then He will also say to those on the left hand(the goats). 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 'for I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' "Then they will also will answer Him saying Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger, or naked, or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' "Then He (Jesus the King) will answer them, saying 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' "And these (the ones who did not help others) will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life."
So that puts it pretty plainly. We ("all the nations")will be divided between the ones who help others and the ones who don't. The ones who help others eternal life. The ones who don't eternal punishment.
So doesn't that contradict that we are not saved by our works? No because if we are saved by belief and faith in Christ we will follow Christ and bear fruit of the spirit that is love. And we will as Jesus said follow His commandments the greatest of which are Love the lord you God with all your heart and love your neighbor as you love yourself. Following Christ means to lay down our lives for others just as He did. So how do we find a place or a way to help "the least of these"? Here is a place I have found, that could use any help you could give.

LIFE GIVING MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL INC. It is a small ministry done by two of my friends Michael and Marianna Purinton and their friends in Uganda James and Merry Kizza . Michael went to Uganda and made connections by helping build and orphanage and school. And now helps by sending funds to keep it going. Here is what Mike says "On last count I had was 134 kids in the school. This school is different because the kids don't have to be Christians to come. Every kid in the village is welcome."

Mike and Marianna are not wealthy just loving. Mike is an electrician.

Here are some messages sent by James Kizza in Uganda to Mike and Marianna.

(May 26th 2009)
Hello dear Pastor Mike and Marianna Purinton.How are you in the name our Lord Jesus Christ? Hope in him all are good. On Sunday at around 9.30 pm when we were coming from mission Mulago hospital we met the thief they bitten us with Merry and Matovu ,they bitten us badly and at this moment Merry is admitted at Namirembe hospital because she is in critical condition ,she is pregnant and the doctor said that she may get operation because the child in womb does not shaking in.!!Pray for us because the situation is not easy for us. The thief took our amplifier and Little money from my pocket. The good news the house its already finished for roofing for two rooms and door but the windows are not yet .Slow but sure. So my brother Mike thank you for the work you are doing here and I thank you very very much. In few days i will send to you the snap and see your work. Pray for Maria and the Children are crying because they are missing their Mother at home ,when they ask me where is their mother I tell them that she is in hospital and I carriage them that Mam will come at in the name of Jesus. Any information about Merry i will let you know.
Have a nice time.
James
(July 21st 2009)
Hello dear Pastor Mike and Marianna Purinton.Hope you are fine in the name of Jesus.How are family members?We are fine at home but last week i visited to Bukomero to see how is there but the famine will kill the people!They don't have food and water!I went there last Saturday but when i found that situation there ,I came back on that very day but yesterday on the money you sent I bought 200kg of maize flour and took them ,but dear MIKE pray for Uganda the famine started to kill some people in some arias ! How was the weekend there? We are good and your grand kids are fine.
Send my greetings to all that we love you so much.
Let me wish you the best and may God bless you.
James

(Sept. 21st 2009)
Dear Pastor Mike and Marianna Purinton.Its so good in the name of Jesus Christ,this morning we have got the Baby Boy, God is good !All things we had expected to be God decided that will not happen on Merry ,because Doctors told us that according to the damages she got when we had the problems with thieves that she can get operation! But all are good and the Baby no any complication has happen.
Thank you for you prayers.
Have a nice time.
James
(Nov. 20th 2009)
Dear Pastor Mike and Marianna Purinton,hope you all fine.How is Ministry? We are O.K and we are getting rain every day.God is good because the people were going to die the hungry ,there is no food in the village but now the hope has come in the minds of the people because We have the rain. Let me wish you the best and and may God bless you.
James

(Feb 10th 2010)
Hello dear Pastor Mike and Marianna Purinton,hope you all fine.lam so happy for the great work you are building this Ministry and lam so happy that you are joining hands with us to build the word of our Lord in this Nation, thank you so much.
Yesterday I got the money on account there is 1900,000= thank you very much ,The beginning of the school was so good but the parents sent many Pupil at our new school! According to the environment of that aria no help no what, the parents see it as a miracle of our school ,I told them all you are seeing here its on the head of Mike Purinton. The money on account let me buy the uniforms of the kids and maize flour for the pollage for drinking on lunch .On Monday Merry is going to be very busy on sewing the uniforms. and am going to save some little money to pay the teachers but so far We are still have three teachers because are very expensive.As soon as we finished the uniforms lam going to send the photos of the kids. Today i have sent the photos of our buildings ,one of the photo you can see the house of teachers and the other one it is class rooms play ground it is behind of the houses .In the other photo you can see the Baby David James with Isaac ,the other one are your grand children at the Church. You will see more development in next photos. We wish you the best and may God bless you.
James and Merry.
We love you so much


(Feb 25th 2010)
My dear Pastor Mike Purinton and Marianna,hope you are all fine.All are going well in Bukomero and at Church.God is working in us.Thank you so much for all you are doing.
So far we have 57 pupils in our school ,others were stoped because the classes are not enough but next term i promised them because we are going to make expand the rooms pray for this work .All these not me but You mike.
So you can see the kids at their school and teacherd.
Have a nice time.
Yours James Kizza

(June 2nd 2010)
Dear Pastor Mike and Marianna Purinton.
How are you dear? We praise the Lord for the work you are doing here.God is good.I james Kizza ,i THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WORK GOING ON IN BUKOMERO .sa far we have 110 students ,in the photos those are children of primary one.Dear Mike you can wonder the parents are very happy for your work here. We have six teachers and one chef kook.You know the pupils have to get a break fast. Every Teacher getting 80000= the cooker 60000= thats your you doing it.Thank you Mike. Every parent will benefit in you in the name of Jesus and many people will benefit in this project.
This day I have received the parcel you sent in last year 2009 and will tell you
For the big work we are doing there and the land owner promised to give us more two acres let us pray for that.if we get it we can make the pray ground for the pupils and the other part to build staff quarters. In the mango tree that is our new building ,in the other photo I was purse with teachers. God is good all the time. We wish you the blessings.
James beans

(Oct 2010)
Dear Pastor Mike and Marianna Purinton,how are you dear ? We are fine but this day we have lost our Church member!!! She has gone to meet our Father ,she have been a good person ,hamble and leader.Let her soul rest in peace. Dear Pastor Mike ,yesterday I recieved the two boxes of pencils and other things,thank you so much ,all will be happy and every child must must get on the gifts you sent ,they will be very happy. Let us pray God you to be with us next year,Glory be to God.
Have a nice week.
James

As you can see that Michael and Marianna have made a difference. When Michael got there several years ago they had to choose between the children to save and the ones who would die due to lack of funds to buy food. Today they have a school building and some hope. Still life is on the edge for these people but they are making progress.

So if you want to join Mike and Marianna and James and Merry give hope to this poor village in Uganda. Send a check made out to LIFE GIVING MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL INC. Send it to Michael and Marianna Purinton PO Box 18201 695 Oak Dr. Munds Park, AZ 86017. To call them 928-286-9481. A little will go a long way and there is no administration costs.