There is an image in the Bible that is used repeatedly to represent the church and the world. That image is the River and the Sea. The River is where life comes from; it flows into the Sea and brings it to life. The River exists for the sake of the Sea. There is no River that flows nowhere. A River always flows into the Sea, and where those two points converge, there is life.

Another analogy that can be used is the idea of two churches: the Gathered Church and the Scattered Church. The Gathered Church is the believers who gather together once a week to encounter God and be encouraged. The purpose of the Gathered Church is to become prepared to SCATTER out into the world and reach the lost. That is the Scatter Church. Each believer scatters out into the world—through work, friendships, etc…—and takes the life of God with them. Where the Scattered Church takes God, there is transformation.

God’s ultimate goal is to transform us into the image of Christ. We lost our form when Adam and Eve fell. Jesus has since worked to transform us back. The River in Ezekiel 47 symbolizes this transformation. We first come back to Christ. That is where transformation begins. The Gathered Church points to Jesus, and we meet Him there. Then, we begin to move into the River. At ankle deep, we are experiencing God. It is new and interesting; just testing the waters with our toes. At knee deep, we are being directed. God’s current is influencing our decisions in life—where we are going, who we are meeting, etc…At waist deep, God begins to work on who we are. He transforms our identity, our reactions, and our personality. Then, ultimately, we are at swimming level where the River’s flow takes us wherever it may will. That is the process of transformation, and it is in this transformation that we bring God’s life into the world.