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How the Spirit Leads Us - Part 7
Zac Poonen

Zac Poonen (1939 - ). Christian preacher, Bible teacher, and author based in Bangalore, India. A former Indian Naval officer, he resigned in 1966 after converting to Christianity, later founding the Christian Fellowship Centre (CFC) in 1975, which grew into a network of churches. He has written over 30 books, including "The Pursuit of Godliness," and shares thousands of free sermons, emphasizing holiness and New Testament teachings. Married to Annie since 1968, they have four sons in ministry. Poonen supports himself through "tent-making," accepting no salary or royalties. After stepping down as CFC elder in 1999, he focused on global preaching and mentoring. His teachings prioritize spiritual maturity, humility, and living free from materialism. He remains active, with his work widely accessible online in multiple languages. Poonen’s ministry avoids institutional structures, advocating for simple, Spirit-led fellowships. His influence spans decades, inspiring Christians to pursue a deeper relationship with God.
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This sermon emphasizes the importance of living a life that blesses others, comparing it to a well that satisfies only personal needs versus a river that flows to bless many. It encourages listeners to aspire to be like godly men whose impact continues even after they have passed away. The message draws from Ezekiel 47, illustrating the progression from a trickle of water to a river symbolizing the Holy Spirit's work in transforming and empowering believers to bless others abundantly.
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A well satisfies only your own needs. You will never thirst again, that's great. But a well and but a river satisfy the needs of others. That river flows and hundreds of miles away, somebody's blessed by your life. And then another river flows in another direction, hundreds of miles away, somebody's blessed by your life. By your life. There are many godly men who are dead and gone to heaven. But the rivers that started flowing from their life, think of people like Tozer and Watchman, you think the river is not blessing people today? They themselves are gone to heaven ages ago. My brother, sister, think that you can live a life in such a way that your life will be a blessing to people even after you're dead and gone. What a wonderful thing. Don't you want to live like that? Are you just satisfied with enjoying a few of these worldly pleasures? Don't you want your life to really count for God on the earth that you're not satisfied with just being washed? You're not satisfied with the well that satisfies your own needs? You want to be not one river, but many rivers. But it won't start as a river, it will start as a little trickle. I'll show you this verse in closing. Ezekiel 47. Here's another New Covenant prophecy. This is the verse that Jesus was quoting. As the scripture has said, as the scripture has said, where did it say? Ezekiel 47. He brought me back to the door of the house and the house is the temple which is your body, the temple of the Holy Spirit. This is picture language. And from under the threshold of the house, water began to flow. A little trickle from under the door, you know, it's like, here's a temple from under the door, a little trickle of water is coming out. Here's a person who's got a well inside, it satisfied his own need. Now the water is flowing out to bless somebody else. Here's a brother who's washed with water, he's got a well of water. Now it's flowing out of him to somebody else. And he brought me in and says the water was trickling. Last part of verse two, just trickling. Very little. You're a blessing to one person in six months. Okay. Praise the Lord. You're a blessing to one person in six months. Good. It's a trickle, but it's just beginning. And then he went out from there and then the water became deeper. It reached up to his ankles. Oh, that's more than a trickle. And he went a little further and the water reached up to his knees. Verse four. And then he went a little further and it reached up to his loins. Last part of verse four. And then he went a little further and it was a river. I couldn't walk anymore. It was a river enough to swim. What's the difference between all the others and the last step? And the last step is when his feet go off the earth. Till then his feet are on the earth, he's experiencing the Holy Spirit, experiencing the Holy Spirit. But finally he gets detached from the world and he's swimming. It's wonderful. There's a lot of difference between walking on the floor of a swimming pool and swimming in it. I hope you know that. You can walk up and down, up and down, get thoroughly wet and come back. You won't enjoy it as much as if you know how to swim. That's what happens. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. And it says these waters go out and they begin to flow into the sea. Verse eight. And the sea becomes fresh. Can you imagine a river making the whole of the Arabian Sea fresh? What a river that is. It flows into the Bay of Bengal and the whole Bay of Bengal becomes fresh. He said the sea becomes fresh. And everywhere the river goes, things will live. Verse nine. There'll be many fish. Jesus took that picture and said, you know what that's a picture of? Come to me. Thirst for a life where not only your own needs will be satisfied, but everywhere you go, you'll be a blessing. It's bow our heads before God for a moment. God wants to make your whole spirit, soul and body holy. So that from your innermost being, the temple of God, rivers and rivers will one day flow. It may start as a trickle. What does he ask you to do? Open the door and say, Lord, I want you to do it in me. I give you permission to pull out any wretched sin, lust from my life. I can't do it. I'm enslaved. But you can deliver me from that. Lord, I give you full permission to deliver me from that wretched habit that I'm enslaved to. A habit that I'm ashamed of. Lord, I give you permission to deliver me from it right now. Completely. Let him pull it out. Convert it into a horse you can ride on. Thank you, Father. You'll do it. I believe there are hungry hearts here this morning. And I believe you've heard their cry. Little young children are crying out to you that you'll fill them with the Holy Spirit to satisfy their need. Lord, help them never to forget what they heard today. Oh, it's so easy to hear something be stirred by it and forget it in a few days. I pray, Lord, that they'll never forget what they heard today. And they'll never be satisfied until they come into a life filled with the Holy Spirit. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
How the Spirit Leads Us - Part 7
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Zac Poonen (1939 - ). Christian preacher, Bible teacher, and author based in Bangalore, India. A former Indian Naval officer, he resigned in 1966 after converting to Christianity, later founding the Christian Fellowship Centre (CFC) in 1975, which grew into a network of churches. He has written over 30 books, including "The Pursuit of Godliness," and shares thousands of free sermons, emphasizing holiness and New Testament teachings. Married to Annie since 1968, they have four sons in ministry. Poonen supports himself through "tent-making," accepting no salary or royalties. After stepping down as CFC elder in 1999, he focused on global preaching and mentoring. His teachings prioritize spiritual maturity, humility, and living free from materialism. He remains active, with his work widely accessible online in multiple languages. Poonen’s ministry avoids institutional structures, advocating for simple, Spirit-led fellowships. His influence spans decades, inspiring Christians to pursue a deeper relationship with God.