There were three main feasts in the Jewish tradition, and they were all connected to times of harvest. The feast of Passover celebrated Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt. The feast of Pentecost, which came fifty days after Passover, celebrated the handing down of the Law of Moses. The feast of Tabernacles, also called the feast of booths or shelters, remembered God’s provision during Israel’s forty years in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt. Every year, people would come from all over Israel to the temple in Jerusalem and would build shelters around the wall of the temple. They would then live in these shelters for the duration of the feast.

John 7 tells the story of Jesus’ visit to the Feast of Shelters. He snuck into the festival on the last day to observe the sacrifice. The festival would end with a sacrifice on the altar. Once the offering had been given, a priest would fill a giant jar with water from the pool of Siloam. Siloam is translated as “sent” or “sent one”. Water in the Bible signifies life and the Holy Spirit. Another priest would bring a jar of wine. Wine in the Bible signifies the joy of life as well as sacrifice. The priests would pour the water and wine together over the altar after the sacrifice was given. The water of life mixes with the joy of life over the sacrifice, just as blood and water ran from Jesus’ wounds on the cross.

At this point in the festival, Jesus cried out to the crowd to come to him if they were thirsty. If they believed, come to him and out of their spirits would flow living water. Jesus was actually revealing himself as the Messiah at this point. His blood sacrifice brings living water – the Holy Spirit – who leads us to the greatest life we can get. In chapter 8, Jesus says “I am the light of the world,” referencing the time of the festival, on the last night, when giant lamps were lit on the altar and all attendees lit lamps of their own in response. He says “If you follow me, you will not wander in darkness.” Jesus revealed himself as the Messiah – both life and light.

He also revealed himself as the forerunner of the Holy Spirit. By promising to bring living water, Jesus was referencing the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1 - The word “earth” means atmosphere. Go into any and every place and bring me (Holy Spirit) and inhabit. When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you receive POWER. Go into the World, but not in a physical sense. Go into the world with the Holy Spirit’s power. Go into the world and change the ATMOSPHERE. Take the Holy Spirit with you into your daily physical life. We are growing something in the natural just as much as the spiritual. We go from one glory to another glory as we let the Kingdom of God lead us. We need to create this environment at Church and in all of our worlds.

This week – our Holy Spirit Conference - will be so much bigger in the spirit than what we see in the natural. When we build in the natural, it makes way for God to move in the spirit. The small group (CCC Atlanta) that we started with began to grow a small atmosphere that the Holy Spirit could live and operate in. Now we have a bigger, more intense environment for the Holy Spirit to live in. We have conditioned our world to house Him. When we leave the “church”, the atmosphere follows us. As we move deeper into our understanding of the Holy Spirit, the bigger the atmosphere that surrounds us. As we add members to the church, the bigger the atmosphere as a whole. The atmosphere is where change happens. Changed physical reality is a SMALL manifestation of the larger more important change in the atmosphere. Changing and growing your Holy Spirit environment is the key to changing the hearts of people and revealing the Holy Spirit to the World.

In Joel 2:28, God is beginning to pour out his latter rain: “Then after I have poured out my rains again…”

Water is a consistent theme in the Bible. Rain is caught in basins and forms rivers. Water equals life, and God’s rain and rivers equal divine blessing and abundant life.

When God rains down on us, we don’t want to waste it. We want to catch it all. The church acts as the catcher when God rains down on the earth. The rivers that are formed from God’s rain flow through the house of God. God wants this river to be a raging torrent to reach the world, and it is our job as the church to make this happen. When the church is flowing in the river, then the Spirit of God falls on all flesh.

This is why it is so important for us to become members of the house of God and serve it – to be missional in mindset and not consumers of the church. Just because you are saved and part of the family doesn’t mean you are a son or daughter of the house. Being a son or daughter requires relationship. “Your sons and daughters will prophesy … they will confound the wise…” When sons and daughters understand authority and submission, they are released to be a mouthpiece and receive wisdom way beyond their years.

Part of our job in building the house is to create this releasing environment. God wants to release you. This release comes from serving. When you come to Christ, you lower yourself – you become generous and serving. You submit to God and submit to others. The Bible says that the lowly shall be elevated to the mountaintop, and the last shall be first.

Psalm 1 talks about being planted next to the river. The Hebrew translation for this word is actually channel. Channels are man-made basins to catch and redirect water. See how God wants us to be part of his plan? God wants us to build the river. God wants us involved by creating a place for the latter rain to be caught. Then, people will start planting by the river and will prosper. Everything people need is in the water, and the house of God is the channel. The Bible says that a tree planted near the water will flourish, but a tree planted away from water will struggle to survive. We want the river to be wide, strong and well-built so that when God rains down – rains down his Spirit – we can catch it. That is why we are focusing so much on the Holy Spirit.

Rain in the Bible is equated to blessing. We are designed to be trees planted by the river. If we stay away from God’s river, we become malnourished and shriveled. Part of being planted by the river is being connected to the house of God.

The one word that describes us is “connect” – connect to God, connect to yourself, connect to others. Connecting up, connecting in and connecting out. This is part of being missional. It is not the call of God for us to be an island When the rain of God is caught and the Holy Spirit is allowed to move, it is easy to connect with God. We need to create that environment to bring people to God – an environment of faith and expectation. The church isn’t just here to get bodies in the seats. We are charged with keeping the river strong, flowing and pure, and fueled so people can feel the river in us and thus be drawn to God through us. God wants commitment. God told Gideon that he didn’t need a lot of people, but the ripe, committed people to accomplish the goal. The ones who are looking.

We don’t want to grow the church at the expense of growing people in God and planting them deeply by the river. We want people to discover their place in God’s house and in the mission. We want to produce, not consume. We serve the house of God – it doesn’t serve us. We want to play our part to make the river wider by serving, praying, submitting, encouraging. We want to build a river filled with servants that love to serve God and are willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill his purpose. We want an outpouring and we want to catch it.

We don’t want God’s rain to go to waste. This is part of our mission.