Come With Concentration
Before turning to the main text, a brief illustration set the tone: when the Queen of Sheba visited Solomon, she came having heard of his wisdom, but chose to concentrate fully on the king rather than be distracted by everything else around him. What she saw exceeded even what she had heard, and she left having asked Solomon hard, honest questions, which he answered fully. In the same way, believers are invited to come before God not with shallow requests, but with real, concentrated seeking, remembering that they stand before Almighty God, not before any lesser authority.
Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 47:1-12
The prophet is shown water flowing from beneath the threshold of the temple, from the south side of the altar. As a man measures the water at intervals of a thousand cubits, its depth increases: ankle, knee, waist, and finally a depth too deep to cross except by swimming. This river flows east, down into the valley, and into the sea, healing its waters wherever it goes. Fish multiply in abundance, trees line its banks bearing fruit every month, their leaves never withering, used for both food and medicine. Only the swamps left disconnected from the flow remain unhealed.
Ezekiel: A Prophet of Vision and Hope
Ezekiel's ministry emphasizes that God speaks to His people through vision. He was established as a watchman to warn the exiles against idolatry and rebellion, yet in an era where prophets of doom were common, he remained a prophet of hope. Among his visions was that of a four-faced being, bearing the face of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle, widely understood to point toward Christ, who Scripture presents from four angles: His conception (Matthew), His ministry (Mark), the announcement of His birth (Luke), and His life and identity (John). Every sermon, every theology, ultimately centers on Him. He is, as Scripture testifies, without true comparison.
When the Glory Departs
In 2 Kings 21, King Manasseh's idolatry, a mixing of the worship of God with the worship of idols, caused the glory of God to depart from His people. Ezekiel traces this departure in detail: from chapter 10 through chapter 43, the glory moves gradually away from the temple, until it is gone entirely. Where there is no presence of God, a church risks becoming little more than a gathering, an orchestra, or a social club rather than a living temple. When the river stops flowing, division, comparison, classism, and empty ritual can take its place.
The Three C's Behind the Return of the Glory
By Ezekiel 43, the glory returns. What brought it back was not the people's prayer, fasting, or good deeds alone, but God's own character, consideration, and choice. What was lost is not always lost forever; restoration is possible, not because of human effort, but because of who God is.
The River Begins at the Altar
In the vision, the river started as a trickle at the pulpit itself. This matters: Ezekiel himself had once been among the exiles, carrying the marks of captivity, and needed his own purging before the flow could begin. Where the river of God is to flow through a church, it must first flow through those who minister at the altar.
The River Reaches the Dead Sea
As the vision continues, the river grows from a trickle to a stream too deep to cross, flowing eastward until it reaches the sea, even the Dead Sea, a body of water so saline that nothing naturally lives in it. Yet Ezekiel sees this same lifeless sea suddenly filled with fish. No situation is too hopeless, too "dead," for the river of God to reach and transform. Trees once withered come alive again and bear fruit for food, with leaves used for healing.
From John 11 to John 12: Testimony Follows Resurrection
John 11 tells one of Scripture's saddest moments: Lazarus, a friend of Jesus, dies, and Jesus arrives only after the funeral, when hope seems entirely gone. Even Jesus wept alongside the mourners. Yet that same chapter turns, in John 12, into an invitation to celebration, as Lazarus is later found reclining at a feast, alive. To every John 11, there is a John 12. To every Friday, there is a Sunday. What looks like a permanent ending may only be the moment before restoration.
Abraham and Isaac: The Obedience That Releases Provision
In Genesis 22, God calls Abraham to offer his son Isaac. Abraham obeys without delay, rising early the next morning. Along the way, Isaac notices the wood and the fire but no sacrificial animal, and asks his father directly. Abraham's response carries the heart of faith: "God will provide." Earlier, Abraham had told the young men accompanying them, "We will go and come back," a declaration of confidence that carried Isaac's own faith through the test. What sustained Isaac was not blind assumption, but the character of a God who has never failed His people.
Conclusion
The river that once flowed from the altar in Ezekiel's vision still flows today, from the presence of God, through those who minister, to every dry and hopeless place it touches. No dead situation, no departed glory, no silent season is beyond the reach of that river. What is required is a return to God's presence, a willingness to be purged, and a faith that, like Abraham's, can say with confidence that God will provide.
God Seekers' Conference 2026 · Theme: "Tarry for the Spirit" (Acts 1:4-5; Luke 24:49) · PIWC-Takoradi Auditorium
