His Church at New River
His Church at New River
Minister of Record: Douglas Scofield
The Oregon coast's landscape is subject to change, especially when a huge storm generates very large, pounding waves to tear away features at the land's edge. More than 125 years ago, New River (south of Bandon, Oregon) did not exist. A large creek known as Floras Creek dumped its waters directly into the ocean about 16 miles south of Bandon. The winter of 1890 included such violent waves, and by that, God's hand built a huge berm of sand (foredune) extending along the coast for miles. The new foredune totally blocked Floras Creek's outlet, and to find its way into the ocean, the water flowed along a totally new course, collecting waters from several other small creeks and rills along the way. The waters became more than just Floras Creek, and so ... this became an 8-mile-long, gentle river (not a creek) paralleling the coastline northward.
The River of Life is a river containing waters from many, many lives. The lives of God's people flow together along the course of Christ Jesus. Every one in the river is baptized (immersed) in His New River.
The old lonely creeks and rills tumbled down the face of gnarly landscapes of bitterness, greed, lust and disobedience. But each one who abandoned that torturous ravine and dumped his waters into the New River ... the River of Life ... has come to joy and peace in the unity of the Spirit of God. This New River offers fresh, clean drinking water (Living Water) for the world's thirsty souls. The water is clean and alive only because of the Work of Jesus Messiah (Yeshua ha Mashiach). The dirty little creeks and rills have Christ's imputed righteousness upon them, being purified in the blood of the Lamb; that blood imparts its identity (DNA) on the waters of the New River. It's a river teaming with Life. From God's grace imparting faith in the waters, together with works empowered by the Holy Spirit, it produces the good works by which this spiritual New River is world-renowned. Nothing stops His New River.
The analogy above, describing a spiritual New River, is limited, and His Church at New River certainly desires every godly doctrine should govern the lives of God's people. All good doctrines should be upheld with HCNR, but not all of them can fit the analogy. Please allow the New River analogy to minister in your heart according to the ways of the Holy Spirit. Comments or questions are welcome. Please send to Douglas Scofield, using email.
HCNR is available to serve any Elder. The kingdom of heaven is a realm in which to gather. It is for the daily ministration (see Acts 6), among the several other purposes. All people are urged to offer themselves as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto God. Consider it as reasonable service, under the influence of faith through grace.
Mark 13:34 For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
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