Scripture
As they make music they will sing, “All my fountains are in YOU.”
~Psalm 87:7, NIV
Quote
If you have no JOY, there is a leak in your Christianity somewhere.
~Billy {tell it like it is} Sunday
There is a Fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins; And sinners, plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains. The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day; and there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away. Fountains have always existed but today we have artificial fountains where water is projected upward by means of electrical pumps and we see them every where. In the old days, fountains were all natural and very rare. A geyser like Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park are created by heat due to volcanic activity beneath the surface of the ground. This water contains so much sulfur that it is not fit to drink but this natural fountains spray water hundreds of feet into the air. Old Faithful at Yellowstone sprays water 184 feet high every 91 minutes. You can set your watch on it; that is the reason they call it Old Faithful.
Jesus is older and infinitely more faithful. The direction of all fountains is upward, never down. Gravity induced natural fountains are created when the underground reservoir is so full that it has to have an outlet. Jesus is like bubbling spring or fountain. He has so much love it cannot be contained. Matter of fact, Jesus told the woman at the well, “Those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” In Ezekiel, Jesus is the Fountain that begins beneath the temple foundation and becomes a river, a river too wide to cross and too deep to touch bottom. The springing, bubbling, upward motion of the fountain is a perfect symbol for joy. When our joy builds up and we can’t contain it, we erupt with singing, shouting and dancing. Biblical dancing is nothing more than happy feet. Jesus didn’t say much about dancing but Jews were and are great dancers. I don’t dance in public because it would be a huge distraction but I have to dance from time to time in my private worship.
I am convinced that we need to do some shouting and dancing in worship. I think it needs to be lead by the praise leader and choreographed to some extent. We need more songs that contain “shouts.” The ancient Jews would put us to shame in worship. Unfortunately the thing that has hurt Baptist is individuals getting in the flesh and drawing attention to themselves. This is why we need to do it in unison. A fountain can also be a symbol of cleansing which is what William Cowper had in mind when he wrote the hymn, ‘THERE IS A FOUNTAIN.’ In either case: JESUS is the Fountain.
I can’t believe it, the GRACE BARN is loaded again, this is like 18 years in a row–fantastic! Another great turn out last night.
It may have been all in my mind but it seemed awfully hot yesterday. I’m ready for another week of rain or a cool spell like the one we had a couple of weeks ago. I’m not complaining. God is good.
Pray for Lilly G. and Tracey B.