LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
Living Waters Magazine Nr. 24
November - December 2003
Toward the perfect man
There are two levels of fullness or perfection that God wants us to reach: perfection as believers, and perfection as the Church. For this reason, on the first level, Paul fought: "to present every man perfect in Christ Jesus." (Col.1:28), and to the Galatians it was, "until Christ be formed in you" (Gál.4:19). This points to a personal perspective.
Then there is a second perspective of perfection or maturity: that of the Church. The mystics - and, in general, the great men of God of the past- only saw the individual believer's maturity. But this perfection doesn't have the same glory as the perfection of the Church, just as the beauty of the stone is not that of the building, nor the member that of the complete body. Ephesians calls us to be "a perfect man", and this man is Christ (the Head) and the Church (His body).
The individual believer's perfection is necessary and to be desired, but the perfection of the complete body is more desirable. Without a doubt, the latter is more difficult, because it requires the believers to leave aside their individuality and accept interdependence and mutuality; it requires them to be equally conscious of their value in the body as well as their faults. In short, it demands that they accept following the way of the cross.
Let us not forget that it is the beauty of the Church which satisfies the Lover's heart. It is the lover who occupies the central place in the last chapters of Revelation, and whose glory is described with such exceptional characteristics.
Summary
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
The Trend of World Events
A prophetic vision of the latest world events.
Christian Chen
COVER THEME
The Race Toward Maturity
Maturity is reached by means of the experimental acquisition of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus. Roberto Sáez
Joseph in the School of God
Joseph's life was marked by valuable learning experiences, represented by his vestments.
Eliseo Apablaza
The Garden of God
A double scene of the garden of God and the same expectation from God: to find soft aromas and sweet fruits within it.
Rubén Chacón
Those that Follow the Lamb
Who are those that follow the Lamb? Those that have spent long vigils of the night sighing for the Groom.
Rodrigo Abarca
The Sadness of God
The eternal purpose of God doesn't merely consist in saving man, but that Christ's life be expressed in the believers.
Andrew Webb
Discipline
When we really understand what discipline of God is, we will not react against it.
Stephen Kaung
LEGACY
Training in the House of God
The House of God is the place of training for spiritual conflict.
T. Austin-Sparks
REPORTS
Would God Stop the Rain?
I told the children he was more powerful than all their gods put together. Now they waited to see...
Lee Moran