The Wind of Change

 

Nothing that God does is ever by chance. He is meticulous in his plans, paying absolute attention to even the most minor details to ensure that everything happens in proper order, at the appropriate time, and in a way that fully complies with God's Word and Law. God has complete control of all things in his infinite wisdom and great foreknowledge, so his perfect will and plan will be carried out.

 

When I think of all the things that God has done in my life, in the lives of others, and in the Church, there can be no doubt that his hand has guided us every step. Considering where he has brought me from in the past, the many paths of life that I have walked, and then to see where I am today, it is nothing short of a miracle that I have been led to this hour and this place to perform work for the Lord.

 

It may seem like life has been just a series of coincidences; things just happened, many of which we had so little control over. You may have felt like a ship driven in the wind, going wherever life took you, out of control, and headed for the rocks. Some of you have even crashed upon those rocks; I know I have, and you saw those days of sorrow and heartache when life became almost unbearable because of the burdens you carried.

 

But somehow, God brought you through it all, and the time came when you heard him call your name for the very first time. It may have been a still, whispering voice in your heart that told you it's time to make a change. On that day, the winds of change blew upon your heart as the Spirit of God began the first steps of turning your life around.

 

When Nicodemus came to Jesus in the darkness of the night in John chapter three, there was great symbolism there. Nicodemus was a picture of humanity being held in the tight grip of darkness through the power of sin. Men dwell in spiritual darkness, and there is no power within them to break free, but then comes the light of the gospel with the power to dispel the darkness.

 

Nicodemus moved among the shadows to avoid being seen by other Pharisees who would certainly condemn him for going to Jesus. Still, something inside of him was pushing him toward Jesus. It was the wind of change, the wind of the Holy Spirit blowing across his path in life, moving him closer to the Lord so that he might find the answer to being set free.

 

When Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again, Nicodemus's mind was not ready to receive spiritual truth, and he couldn't understand what Jesus meant or how such a thing could be possible. How can a grown man be born again as an infant? In the natural sense, it was an impossibility, and when we look at the condition of the heart of a man or woman lost in the darkness of sin, it's impossible to break free. Since we are spiritually dead, how can we have any effect at all upon the supernatural? Flesh cannot break spiritual chains. Before spiritual chains can be broken and we can be free, there must be a change in us. We must become more than just a creature of flesh and blood, lost in a world of darkness. Knowing that we can do nothing within ourselves, the Love of God begins to reach out to us as the wind of the Spirit blows and calls us to go to Jesus in repentance.

 

At the foot of the cross, as we behold the Savior and surrender our lives to him, a change happens as the Spirit of God blows across our dead soul and breathes new life into it. We are Born Again of the Spirit, and we become a new creation, a new creature with a new life. This new birth brought about by the wind of the Holy Spirit gives us the power of the supernatural so that now we can break free from the unnatural chains of darkness because the blood of Jesus crushes the force that held us.

 

I'm glad the Winds of Change are still blowing today. The wind of the Spirit is moving across the face of the hearts of men as the Love of God reaches out to those who need a Savior!

 

My prayer is that the Wind of the Spirit will blast through the Church, bringing a mighty outpouring of the Holy Ghost and Fire! I pray that a mighty wind of revival will sweep across this nation, renewing righteousness and faith in Almighty God! My prayer is that the Winds of the Holy Spirit will tear down walls of doubt and fear, that the Spirit of God will break through the hard hearts of those in our families who don't know Jesus or refuse to serve him, and bring them to the place where they too will be Born Again!

 

We genuinely need a Hurricane force wind of the Spirit, bringing the right kind of change! While a gentle move of the Holy Ghost wind goes a long way, we need a shaking of the very foundations of our society, an awakening to bring us out of our sleep and help us see how far we have fallen. We need a mighty rushing wind again, and it must begin in the House of God! It's time that the Church experiences the power of Pentecost again!

 

We live in a time when it's not popular to be Pentecostal. As you travel the highways, you'll rarely see that word posted on a church sign anymore. "Pentecostal" has become synonymous with strict legalism, and people shun Pentecostal churches because they don't want to be accountable for living ungodly lives.

 

But regardless of whether we have the name "Pentecostal" on the church sign, we need a fresh outpouring of the Holy Ghost and Fire! We need that mighty rushing wind of the Spirit of God to invade our sleeping churches again! We are powerless and weak without the Wind and the Fire of the Holy Ghost!

 

It's not a question of whether God wants that wind to blow. It's a question of whether we, as the people of God, are willing to put ourselves in a position where there is freedom for the Holy Ghost Fire to fall! We have to get ourselves ready and prepare for His arrival. We have to get back to the same conditions that brought the mighty rushing wind in the first place.

 

What are those conditions? Let's examine the description of the first outpouring of the Holy Ghost and see.

 

Acts 2:1 -  "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place."

 

What does it mean when the scripture says the day of Pentecost was fully come? We all should know that the Feast of Pentecost was celebrated 50 days after the Passover. At the Passover, the paschal lamb was sacrificed and eaten, symbolizing the coming Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who would also be sacrificed at the Passover. He is our Bread of Life, and we are to live by the power of his sacrifice.

 

Fifty days after Jesus was crucified, in fulfillment of the commandment of God given to Israel at Mt. Sinai, the Day of Pentecost was celebrated on the day after the 7th Sabbath after the lamb was sacrificed. The Day of Pentecost was observed on the first day of the week, exactly 50 days after Passover.

 

On the morning of that 50th day, 120 people had gathered together to pray in obedience to the command from Jesus just before he ascended into Heaven. The Church was told to tarry in Jerusalem until the Comforter would come, and if there was one thing they needed, it was a Comforter.

 

The Church is powerless without the presence of the Holy Ghost. Without the Fire of God, we cannot conquer sin and death! Without the Fire of the Holy Ghost, the words we speak fall upon the ground and accomplish nothing! The Fire of the Holy Ghost gives sermons the power to touch the hearts of men! That Fire is what makes these pitiful words that I write burn into your spirit and change your life! Without the Fire of the Spirit, there's no power to change anything!

 

It's not by might, not by power, but by the Holy Mighty Rushing Wind and Fire of the Holy Ghost. A heart can be changed, a life rescued from sin, and a soul Born Again into the family of God! We've got to have that Fire!

 

On that Sunday morning, the first day of the week, 50 days after Passover, 120 Jews who had come to believe in Jesus gathered to celebrate the Feast of Passover. They gathered together with their minds set on just one thing! They wanted to see the coming of the Comforter that Jesus had promised.

 

I think that's a priority of the Church that we've lost! Our priority should be that we won't make a move without the power of the Holy Ghost leading us and giving us the Fire of God to do a work for the Lord! We should want that Fire! We should be willing to wait for it, pray for it, and desire it with all our hearts. And when we come together, it should be for one purpose – to see the Mighty Rushing Wind of the Holy Ghost blow in our midst once again!

 

One hundred twenty disciples of Christ were there. One of the reasons there were so many is that they had come together in Acts 1:15 to elect one among them to take the place of Judas. That's where Matthias was selected to be numbered among the 12 disciples.

 

With the election over, the Passover finished, the Day of Pentecost coming on, and knowing that something wonderful, powerful, and great was coming from Heaven. As Jesus had promised, these 120 came together to wait, pray, and prepare themselves as best they could for whatever was coming.

 

There's a clue to seeing the Winds of Change blow in our midst. We have to prepare ourselves, believe that the promise of the Holy Ghost is real, and then pray and wait for him until he comes!

 

So many in the Church come together these days just to be entertained or to ease the conscience of lukewarm and half-hearted Christians! There's no feeling of expectancy that something powerful might happen in the meeting! The program is set! The worship is designed and planned. The recording equipment is in place, and the entire service is so controlled that there is no place for the Wind of the Spirit to blow.

 

We need to throw out the programs! Forget what we have planned, and we must allow the Holy Ghost to move and blow wherever and however He wants!

 

Flashing lights, loud music, jumping up and down, making a lot of noise, and putting on a good show is not the same as a genuine moving of the Holy Ghost! When the real Fire of God falls, all that can't compare! We've got to have the real thing, not a manufactured form, but a Holy Ghost-inspired Worship! I love the excitement, and if the Spirit says flash the lights, jump to the music, then go for it, but the worship needs to come from the heart, stirred by the Holy Ghost and filled with the Fire of God, not some man-inspired pep rally.

 

What does it mean to be in "one accord"? That's our next clue to having a mighty move of God! It means that the desires of their hearts, the thing they prayed for above all else, the thing that their thoughts were concentrated upon, and the whole purpose of their coming together on this day, at this hour, at this moment in time, and the only thing they had to talk about, was the hope and belief that the Comforter would come!

 

No one in the crowd stood there uninterested, not focused on why they were coming together. No one was over in the corner sleeping. No one was in a corner, reading a scroll, discussing sports events, or discussing current issues. There was not one among those 120 whose heart wasn't burning for the promise of God that was to come. No one was lukewarm! They all had that burning desire to see something from God! There was absolute sincerity in every heart!

 

It's no wonder we don't often see the mighty rushing wind of the Holy Ghost in our churches much anymore when there are so many distractions in the midst. There's a ringing cell phone here, a computer game noise coming from over there, a crying child here, and someone snoring over there; someone is staring off into space, daydreaming on the left side, and someone else talking on the right side about things that have no connection with the service. I know that some things can't be helped, but how can we expect God to move when all this is happening?

 

Holy Ghost wind will never blow if there is so much division. When there are so many in the Church with a don't care attitude. They only want to see the service end so they can rush out the door and beat the Baptists to the restaurant or get home before the football game starts on TV.

 

They were all in one place. We don't know where that room was, but most scholars believe it was in the temple complex. Acts 2:46 tells us that they were in the temple daily with one accord, and on this 50th day after Passover, they were probably in the temple at the time of the morning prayer meeting. They did not forsake the assembling of themselves together. Being in one accord, they were too excited, lived in anticipation of something great coming, to miss being there. They understood the importance of coming together for mutual support, edification, corporate worship, and prayer, and they were faithful to meet together as the Body of Christ to be ready for the coming of the Wind of Change!

 

Acts 2:2 - "And suddenly there came a sound from Heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting."

 

Suddenly – how can it be suddenly when they've been praying, waiting, and anticipating something for ten days? It was because when the wind of the Spirit began to blow, it happened quickly and in a powerful way. It swept across the room like a storm, bringing a fire, and the voices of praise and worship filled the room!

 

The quiet prayer meeting became a Holy Ghost revival, and those who suddenly became Pentecostal began to shout and praise God as never before! That's why Pentecostal worship is loud and exciting! When the Fire moves, something has to shout! How can we quietly sit there unless there's no actual fire of the Spirit in us?

 

How can we be so quiet if there is a Wind and a Fire down in our soul? Somebody ought to be shouting! Somebody ought to be praising! Somebody ought to be alive and demonstrating the might move of God down in their soul!

 

Lord, give us some life! We need Fire, a mighty Wind, and a powerful move of the Holy Ghost to change us. We need to be a people who are genuinely Pentecostal and full of the Holy Ghost!

 

Acts 2:3, 4 -  "And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

 

How do you know the Holy Ghost is moving – when the people begin to speak in other tongues because of the Fire of God that's inside? When the Holy Fire of God lights on your heart, soul, spirit, and mind, how can you sit still and not let it be known? Let me light a match and stick to your foot, and I think you'll jump and dance a little! Light that match and stick to your hand, and you'll be raising your hand and moving around to get away from it! Lord, light a fire in our seats so we will learn to stand, shout, and worship with real Spirit and in a true heart! Lord, send the Fire of the Spirit upon us and light us on Fire for you!

 

The Holy Fire of God was for each of them, not just a few, but all of them! Nobody was left out! All those who were in one accord, hungry for the coming of the Comforter and looking for the promise, felt the fire fall! If you don't feel the Fire, you must get in the right frame of mind and spirit. You'll never feel the Fire until you want it, are looking for it, believing in it, and crying out to God for it! The Holy Ghost will never come to someone who doesn't want him!

 

Acts 2:4 - "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

 

They were all filled – every last one of the 120 became Pentecostals that day! Do you realize that all 120 members of the early Church in that room became Pentecostals? No, they weren't members of a legalistic, condemning, judgmental attitude religion like so many try to make it out to be. Being Pentecostal means that I believe in the baptism in the Holy Ghost and Fire with the sign of speaking in other tongues, regardless of what they sound like, and that I either have experienced the infilling of the Holy Ghost or I'm doing my best to receive Him!

 

I'm praying and waiting with great anticipation that we will experience the Winds of Change in the Church, not just my home church, but the entire Church! We need the revival of the Holy Ghost and Fire! The Church needs to get in one place, in one accord, and get serious about seeing the Holy Ghost in our midst! Unless the Fire falls, we'll dry up on the vine and cease to have any impact upon our world!

 

Jesus told the early Church to wait for the Holy Ghost before they went forth to fulfill the Great Commission! That didn't mean they didn't try to win converts for fifty days, but they didn't venture out into the world to preach the gospel to every nation until they were filled. They needed the power, the Fire, and the Spirit's wind before they could make a difference!

 

Just as Peter went from a fearful disciple, hiding in the shadows, running in shame from his denial of Jesus, and finding himself living in defeat and trying to find a place of repentance to being a man on Fire for God and winning over 3000 souls in a single day – so will the Holy Ghost empower us to do a greater work for the Lord!

 

If you think you've seen God move, then get ready for the greatest move of God you could imagine as the Holy Ghost and Fire begins to move in your heart and soul! There's no denying his presence when the Fire is there! There's no doubting his power when the Winds begin to blow.

 

I'm ready for the Winds of Change! Are you ready? Do you want to be Pentecostal, or are you satisfied just being mediocre in your experience with God?

 

The Holy Ghost wants to blow across the Church like a mighty rushing wind, but it's up to us to be in the right place, at the right time, in the right frame of mind! He will come suddenly; when he does, there will be no denying his presence as the tongues of fire light on each of us! Wind of change blow! Fire fall on us today!