2. The New Testament
Having Both the Concept of
Plants Absorbing Water and the Concept
of Drinking the Living Water of the Divine River to Flow Rivers of Living Water

The New Testament has both the concept of plants absorbing water and the concept of drinking the living water of the divine river to flow rivers of living water (1 Cor. 3:6; John 4:10, 14; Rev. 21:6; 22:1, 17b; John 7:38-39). In 1 Corinthians 3:6 Paul said that he planted and Apollos watered. There we can see the concept of plants absorbing water. In John and Revelation, we see that when we drink the river of living water, we flow rivers from within us.

Do we want to absorb a little bit of water from a nearby stream, or will we be "crazy" to drink of the living water and flow rivers out from within us? Are we satisfied to stay in Psalm 1? Where should we go? We should go to Revelation 22! Revelation 22 is the last "psalm." In Psalm 1 we absorb a little water bit by bit. Sometimes a river may be dry, with no water for the tree to absorb. But in the last "psalm," in the last chapter of Revelation, a river of water of life is flowing for us to drink. This is much higher than absorbing water as a tree.

3. The Concept of Likening the Saints to a Tree
Not Being as High as the Concept of Unveiling
the New Testament Believers as Branches
of the True Vine—Christ—in John 15

Moreover, the concept of likening the saints to a tree is not as high as the concept of unveiling the New Testament believers as branches of the true vine—Christ—in John 15. Today are we merely trees or are we branches? If we are trees, we stand by ourselves. That is poor because Christ is separated from us, and, in a sense, we are competing with Him, since He is a tree and we also are a tree. But the New Testament revelation eventually shows us that we are not actually God's plants by ourselves. We are God's plants by being grafted into Christ to be made branches of Christ as the great true vine. It is higher to be the branches of the true vine than it is to be an individual tree.

The local churches are not many trees. The churches are actually one tree with millions of branches. This one tree is Christ, the great vine tree, and we are the branches of this tree. We are the members of Christ (1 Cor. 6:15a; Rom. 12:5). All the churches are one Body, one tree. All the believers are members of this Body and the branches of this unique tree.