Blowing in the Wind

 


‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

“Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.


Yesterday we reflected on being “born again”. We saw that it is a spiritual rebirth — we are reborn by the Spirit. Today let us reflect on the work of the Holy Spirit in the new birth. Jesus says, “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” He says four things about the working of the Holy Spirit comparing it with the working of the wind and it is very fascinating — and educational.


One. The wind blows where it chooses. The implication is that the Spirit is free, choosing to blow where it wishes, where it wills. He cannot be constrained by us, controlled by us. One of the reasons many ministries grew so powerfully when they started is because they let themselves be carried by the Spirit. However, when they began to try to control him, they began to die down. The Spirit will not be controlled.


Two. You hear the sound of it. Although we can’t see the wind, we can feel its effects in the rustling of branches or leaves, in sand and dust flying around us, in the pressure against our skin ... Likewise, although we may not be able to see the Spirit, his works are evident in his work of regeneration. We can see his effects in the fruit we bear.


Three. You do not know where it comes from. Reinforcing the implication that the Spirit is free, Jesus says that we do not know the origin of the movements of the Spirit. This also implies a mystery — that the Spirit works in ways that we cannot comprehend. Yet again, this tells us not to try to control him, because he is beyond us. Jesus says something similar when he talks about how the kingdom of God is like seed scattered on the ground. The seed sprouts and grows; but we don’t know how (see Mark 4:26-27).


Four. You do not know where it goes. Yet again, the Spirit will go where it will. We can’t decide what the Holy Spirit should do; he will do what he wants. How does this translate into life? I am very conscious about these truths with Holy Spirit Interactive, the ministry I shepherd. Rather than try to run it, either by personal choice, or by group mandate, we let the Spirit run it, going where he leads us, doing as he guides us. And as you can see, it’s working great. There are those who would try to stop it, but it’s like stopping the wind. 


So, even as we lead our lives, let us be led and guided by the Holy Spirit. We will find the Christian life far easier ... and greatly exciting.  


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