The Flow of Love

My wife and I served for more than twenty-seven years in pastoral ministry. During that period of time we pastored two churches—one in South Texas for three years and one in North Texas for twenty-four years. In each of these churches, it became a great passion of mine to train our church members to operate in the gifts of the Spirit with confidence. 

One of the best ways I discovered to activate people in the gifts was to teach them the primary flows of the Spirit. Jesus taught His disciples the Holy Spirit would flow out of their innermost being. 

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive… (John 7:37-39). 

Jesus described the work of the Spirit in salvation as a “well of water springing up into everlasting life” in John 4:14. But here in John 7 He describes another dimension of being filled with the Spirit as “rivers of living water” that would flow out of us. The well in us benefits us. The rivers of living water flowing out of us benefits others. 

A companion verse to this passage in John 7 is found in Ezekiel 47: 

And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live…for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes (9). 

Wow! What a powerful revelation and verse. Wherever the river from within us is flowing, healing and life are the results. In order to release God’s healing power and move in the gifts of the Spirit, we must learn to recognize and follow the flow of God’s Spirit in us. 

The Holy Spirit in John 7:37-39 and Ezekiel 47:9 is likened to water. Water flows from high elevations to lower elevations. The Holy Spirit was sent from Heaven flowing into the earth, seeking out the low places of human suffering, weakness, and bondage. He seeks out those who are lost, hurting, and in darkness. You and I are now the channels (high elevations) He flows from to lift others up. Each of us in Christ are seated together with Him in heavenly places, as revealed in Ephesians 2:6. That doesn’t make us more valuable or better than others we are ministering to. It just gives us the privilege and responsibility to be the channels He flows through to lift up others from their low spiritual condition to their full new potential in Christ.

I want you to notice something from Peter’s message to the multitude on the day of Pentecost. He is quoting a passage from the book of Joel when he says: 

And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and daughters shall prophesy [move out in the gifts], your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams (Acts 2:17). 

Here in this verse Peter says in the last days God will pour out of His Spirit on all flesh. Yet in Joel 2:28, the same verse Peter was quoting from, it says, “I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh….” In Joel He said in the last days He would pour out His Spirit on all flesh. In the book of Acts, He said in the last days He would pour out of His Spirit on all flesh. Can you see the distinction? 

In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit did not dwell in men. In the New Testament we have the Holy Spirit abiding in all believers. We are now the vessels He pours out of to bless and help hurting people. The Holy Spirit indeed came to bless us, but also to flow out of us to touch and bless a hurting world that doesn’t know God as a good God who loves them unconditionally.

THREE PRIMARY FLOWS OF THE SPIRIT

There are three primary flows of the Spirit. If we will recognize each of these and cooperate with the Spirit when He is moving through us in this way, the gifts will flow freely through our lives. It is certainly possible to quench the Spirit and stop the flow of the rivers of living water God desires to pour out of us to minister to others. This is caused by us failing to recognize and cooperate with the various flows of the Spirit He is desiring to pour out of us to hurting and broken people. 

The first flow of the Spirit we need to learn to recognize and follow is the flow of love. 

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Romans 5:5). 

Love is poured out in our hearts in compassion toward others. Each person reading this who is born again can recognize this major flow of the Spirit. Have you ever had the compassion of the Lord rise up in you toward someone who is hurting or in need? Sure you have. The question is, what did you do with that? More importantly, what will you do with that in the future? The apostle Paul provides us with the answer in the following verse:

Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts… (1 Corinthians 14:1). 

Pursuing love and flowing with the compassion the Spirit is moving through you toward others is the best way to release the spiritual gifts in you. This verse and principle is so clear. The way we release the gifts in us is to follow the flow of love that moves us to minister to others. This is exactly how Jesus released the gifts through His own ministry. 

And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick (Matthew 14:14). 

Jesus understood that by following love, the power of God would be released through Him. The results were multitudes healed. We too need to understand that following love and compassion flowing out of us toward someone will release God’s power to meet their needs.

Several years ago, a man I’ll call Jeff began attending our church in Decatur, Texas, for a period of time. He had been in prison, had come to the Lord, and was being discipled by a group of men in our church. As I was driving through town late one afternoon I felt the prompting of the Lord to stop by and see him. 

Jeff was living with his grandmother and happened to be home that day. He invited me in and we sat down in the living room and were talking about the things of the Lord and what God had been showing him from the Word. I wasn’t there ten minutes before I noticed an elderly woman who was bent over and walking very slowly from their kitchen into another room in their house. The compassion of the Lord began to flow through me toward her to the point I could no longer focus on my discussion with Jeff. 

I asked Jeff who this woman was and he told me it was his aunt Grace. I asked him what was wrong with her. He said she had been that way for a while, but it had gotten worse lately and she was in a lot of pain. He said he thought it had to do with rheumatoid arthritis and the doctors had not been able to help her much. I asked him if he would introduce me to her and if he thought it would be okay to pray for her. He responded, “Sure, Pastor Greg, but she is Fundamental Baptist and I don’t know if she believes in that healing business too much.” 

I let him know God loves people from all denominations and wants to relieve them from their pain and heal them. Jeff introduced me to his aunt and told her I was “his preacher.” I told her I noticed she seemed to be in a lot of pain as she walked and asked her if I could pray for her. 

ACT ON COMPASSION

She said, “Sure sonny, a little prayer won’t hurt anyone.” At this time the compassion of the Lord was flowing so strongly through me toward her I don’t even remember all that I prayed. I just know that when I began to pray for her, I held one of her hands and put my other hand on her back and said, “In Jesus’ name, pain leave her.” She instantly stood straight up and said, “Whoa! That was a mighty powerful prayer, sonny.” It was like electricity was flowing through me to her. 

I believe a gift of healing was released through me that day to Jeff ’s aunt, Grace. She had been bent over at the waist and now she was standing straight up and moving around, lifting her hands and praising the Lord the pain was gone. Praise God! Everywhere the river of God’s Spirit in us flows, healing and life will manifest! 

Apostle Paul learned how to follow this flow of love as witnessed by his statement in the following verse: 

The love of Christ compels us… (2 Corinthians 5:14). 

God’s love in Paul compelled him, controlled him, and moved him. If we will let His love move us, the power of God and gifts of the Spirit will be released through our lives. As we learn to follow that flow of love and compassion in us, God will truly pour out of His Spirit through us on everyone that compassion flows to.

I know this principle may not be new to you. Each of us has had experiences where God’s compassion is flowing through us toward others. My encouragement to you is simply to act on the compassion that is moving in you toward others. Pray for them, call them, or reach out to them in some way and watch God manifest Himself and His gifts through you! 

But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way (1 Corinthians 12:31).

This statement by Paul to the Corinthian church is just prior to his description of love in First Corinthians chapter 13. In context, what he was saying by this statement was the more excellent way to see the gifts operate than just desiring them is to follow the flow of love. Which gifts are the best gifts? The ones needed most at the time. The best way to see the best gifts operate in your life is by following the flow of love shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Spirit!

Adapted from Greg Mohr’s Book, Flowing in the Supernatural

Watch Pastor Greg’s television series on Living a Supernatural Life to learn more.