I. GOD, AS THE SECOND CRYSTAL
IN THE WRITINGS OF JOHN, BEING UNVEILED
AS THE FOUNTAIN (SOURCE) OF LIFE

In this message we come to the second crystal in the Gospel of John. The first crystal is the Word. In the beginning, that is, in eternity past, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. God, as the second crystal in the writings of John, is unveiled as the fountain (source) of life. I am burdened to present a living, vivid picture of what God is and of how God is to us. In this message I want to stress that God our Father is a fountain. The fountain is the real source, this fountain emerges as a spring, and the spring gushes out a river. In 1977 I went with some other brothers to see the Holy Land. We went to the foothills of Lebanon where there was a fountain and a spring gushing out a river, the river Jordan. This is a good picture of our God.

Very rarely is God presented to people in this way. From now on we should present our God to others in this way in our gospel preaching, not by big congregations but by our speaking to individuals in our functioning as prophets and as sons of God. We should say to people, "Have you ever got to know that God is a fountain, Christ is a spring, and the Spirit is a river?" Many people would open up to us when we preach the gospel in this way. Because they have never heard such a thing, they will want to know more.

Hymns, #1151 speaks of our experience of God the Spirit as a river:

1. Drink! A river pure and clear that's flowing from the throne;
   Eat! The tree of life with fruits abundant, richly grown;
   Look! No need of lamp nor sun nor moon to keep
   it bright, for
   Here there is no night!
   
   
• Do come, oh, do come,
  Says Spirit and the Bride:
  Do come, oh, do come,
  Let him that heareth, cry.
  Do come, oh, do come,
  Let him who thirsts and will
  Take freely the water of life!
  
  
2. Christ, our river, Christ, our water, springing from within;
   Christ, our tree, and Christ, the fruits, to be
   enjoyed therein,
   Christ, our day, and Christ, our light, and Christ, our morning star:
   Christ, our everything!
   
   
3. We are washing all our robes the tree of life to eat;
   "O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah!" — Jesus is so sweet!
   We our spirits exercise, and thus experience Christ.
   What a Christ have we!
   
   
4. Now we have a home so bright that outshines the sun,
   Where the brothers all unite and truly are one.
   Jesus gets us all together, Him we now display
   In the local church.