Earth, Wind, and Fire Part 2

The Wind of God: Understanding the Power of the Holy Spirit

Part 2 of the Earth, Wind, and Fire Series

We're continuing our series on the Holy Spirit, which we're calling "Earth, Wind, and Fire." Last week we discussed the person of the Holy Spirit—the earth, the most important person on earth. This week we're focusing on the wind of God, the breath of God, what the Greeks call pneuma—the power of God and the Holy Spirit.

This is Pentecost Sunday, an amazing time for the church. My prayer this week has been that God would supernaturally put a desire in us for spiritual gifts to be made manifest in our church—that it would be evident that God is alive and active among us.

The Fulfillment of Pentecost

A Historical Connection

Let's turn to Acts 2. When Luke writes about Pentecost, he's deliberately choosing that moment because it represents the fulfillment of a Jewish feast. Christ fulfilled Passover when he died. He fulfilled unleavened bread when he was buried. He fulfilled first fruits when he rose again. Now, on the day of Pentecost, the fourth feast is being fulfilled, and the church is about to be born.

When the day of Pentecost had fully arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4, ESV)

The Wedding Proposal

Pentecost started back on Mount Sinai. God told Moses, "I want you to take the people up to the mountain." According to Jewish writings, this was actually a wedding proposal. God was saying to Israel: I want to bring you out of Egypt. I want to bring you to myself. I want to make you my treasured possession.

This is wedding language—the same language a young man uses when he wants to marry a woman. God was proposing to His people.

When God came down on Mount Sinai in fire, the Jewish tradition speaks of 20,000 tongues of fire being released. The people saw thunder and lightning, and they became afraid. They told Moses, "You go up the mountain and find out what the Lord wants. We'll just do whatever he says." But notice: they wanted rules, not relationship. They wanted to accommodate God, not encounter Him.

The Bread and the Oil

Here's something beautiful: the Feast of Weeks—Pentecost—is the only Jewish festival where they use leavened bread instead of unleavened. In all other feasts, they use unleavened bread because yeast symbolizes sin, which permeates the whole dough.

But on Pentecost, they would take two loaves of leavened bread, pour oil all over them, lift them, and pray: "Lord, thank you for mingling—like the oil mingles with the bread—thank you for mingling your unleavened life with our leavened life."

This prayer was spoken for centuries before Christ ever stepped on the scene. These feasts were dress rehearsals of what was about to happen.

When the day of Pentecost fully arrived, God mingled His unleavened life with His leavened people. Why? Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. When the veil tore, the Spirit of God left that temple and now dwells in the hearts of His people. This is the fulfillment of Pentecost—and the birth of the church, called the bride of Christ.

The Breath of Life

Jesus Breathes on His Disciples

In John 20, after His resurrection, Jesus comes to His disciples:

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

Then notice what happens:

Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you." And when he said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit." (John 20:21-22, ESV)

The Power to Give Life

Throughout Scripture, the breath of God—the wind of God, the pneuma of God—is the power to bring things that were dead back to life.

• In Genesis, God breathed into the dust, and man came alive.
• In Ezekiel, God breathes on dry bones, and they come to life.

God wants to bring you to life. This was the birth of the church—a witnessing people unified from all different backgrounds, all different nationalities, all different belief systems. We celebrate the diversity God has made in us, but we must understand: the most important and most relevant thing about you is that you are a child of God. It's the truest thing about who you are, and it's the truest thing that will last the longest.

The Church Is Not Spectatorship—It's Participation

Charles Spurgeon said: "Without the Holy Spirit, we can do nothing. We are ships without wind."

We can give sermons, put messages online, have great marketing, and draw a crowd. But we can't manufacture the Spirit. It's either miraculously breathed on by God, or it's not.

We don't need a better marketing strategy. We need the Spirit of God. Our city is longing for it. People are tired of debate about beliefs. They need to encounter the power of God. Paul said: "We preach of those things which we have seen and we have heard." The most powerful testimony is the one with experience—"I was there when it happened. I was in the room."

The Gifts of the Spirit: Given for the Common Good

Understanding the Purpose

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul writes:

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of service, but the same Lord. And there are varieties of activities, but the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:4-7, ESV)

The gifts are given for the common good—not as badges of honor, but as tools for service. John Stott said: "Spiritual gifts are not given as badges of honor, but as tools for service."

The Problem of Consumerism in the Church

I think the reason we don't see spiritual gifts operating as they should is because we've moved to a consumeristic way of doing church. We choose a church because we like the worship band, the preacher's personality, or the merch. But here's the real question: Is God present in their community?

If spiritual gifts are given for the common good, and you're not involved with the body, how can you expect God to give you a spiritual gift? Most of us are so disconnected from the congregation that if God gave us a word, we wouldn't even know how to deliver it.

We've developed a platform-driven church rather than a congregation-driven church. But God didn't call us to raise up lighthouse personalities. He called us to be the body of Christ—where each one of you feels and knows that you are empowered by God to make a difference.

Connection Is Essential

Let me ask you: If God gave you a gift, would you be in a close enough relationship with anybody in the church to use it? Other than your family or one friend who brought you to church?

Spiritual gifts feel awkward when a random person comes up and says, "I have a word for you." But when someone you know—someone you've spent time with, someone who clearly cares about you and your family—gives you a word, it carries weight. They're not being a "hotshot." They're being thoughtful.

This is how we must think about spiritual gifts in Scripture. Spiritual gifts make a tangible difference in the community. So the question is: How are you connected to the body?

The Nine Gifts of the Spirit

There are nine gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. I'll organize them into three categories:

Three Gifts That Say Something

1. Prophecy

Paul says prophecy is the most profitable gift for the entire congregation. Prophecy is about alignment—hearing the Lord's direction and voice. It's about being in tune with what God is saying to His church.

2. Languages (Tongues)

This gift has two dimensions:

• A private prayer language between you and God
• A congregational language that requires an interpreter

Paul himself prays in languages more than anyone, but he does it in private. When someone speaks in languages in the congregation, there must be order and an interpreter, so the church is edified.

Remember: The tongue of the prophet is subject to the prophet. The Holy Spirit will not possess you like some horror film. He works with you, not against you. You have control. The Holy Spirit is not overriding your will—He's empowering it.

3. Interpretation of Languages

If someone gives a message in a different language, someone should interpret it so the church understands what God is saying and receives edification.

Three Gifts That Do Something

1. Faith

God will give some of you the ability to have faith for awesome things. You'll believe God for the building, the land, the breakthrough. You'll have faith when others hesitate.

2. Gifts of Healing (Notice: plural)

Healing comes in different forms:

• Physical healing
• Emotional healing
• Psychological healing

Different people have the gift for different kinds of healing. But here's what's crucial: You don't need a platform or a title for God to hear you. Don't look for someone on stage to pray for you. God hears when you pray. "If you say to the mountain, 'Be removed and cast into the ocean,' it will be done." Why? Because God said so, and God is your Dad.

Bring heaven to earth where you are. Don't wait to go somewhere else. Pray here. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

3. Working of Miracles

These are things "no eye has seen, no ear has heard." I've seen God do miracles in the most unlikely places—food appearing when the cupboards were empty, impossibilities becoming possible. God is the God who makes a way where there is no way.

Three Gifts That Reveal Something

1. Discerning of Spirits

There are three voices in our lives:

• Our own voice (the loudest)
• The enemy's voice (trying to get us off track)
• God's voice (the still, small voice we must tune into)

Discerning of spirits means you can tell which voice is speaking and whether someone is operating from the Spirit, the flesh, or evil.

Important caveat: This gift is not a license to judge people. It's not an excuse to go around saying, "I don't think she's of God" or "I don't think he is." The gift is given to edify and build up the church.

2. Word of Knowledge

This is a specific word or piece of knowledge you need for the next season of your life—revealed in the right time, in season.

3. Word of Wisdom

Wisdom is what you do in the gray areas of life when it's not spelled out in black and white. When you're at a crossroads and don't know which way to go, a word of wisdom can guide you. Someone might say: "God's telling me, do what's in your heart" or "God says don't go that way; it's a dead end. Go this direction instead." They may have no clue about your situation, but the word comes in due season and builds up God's church.

Healthy Use of Gifts Creates Awe of God, Not of People

The Test of Alignment

When you want to know if a church is getting out of alignment, watch what happens when gifts are used. If people start focusing on a personality—thinking that person is the healer, that person is special—you're out of alignment.

The Holy Spirit only tells you what the Father and the Son are talking about. He only draws attention to Jesus.

When spiritual gifts are working correctly, people don't leave saying, "That person is awesome." They leave saying: "What a great God! What a powerful God! He's alive, He's active, He's hearing us, He's doing awesome things!"

The Grace Gift

The word for gifts in the New Testament is charisma—which means grace gift. It's all it means.

Nothing makes people more self-conscious than prayer and the gifts of the Spirit. I remember one story from my time in New York City. An older lady came to me with tears streaming down her face. She said, "Pastor, I need you to pray. We need to believe God. My grandson is five years old, and he has more brain tumors than we can count. The doctors say he's going to die. But I'm believing God is going to heal him."

My first instinct? I became self-conscious. I thought, "Oh man, maybe I should just pray to comfort her... maybe pray for the child's peaceful passing." But then I realized something: It was never about me. It's never been about you. It's always been about Him.

A grace gift. You can't earn it. You can't deserve it. He gives it for the common good.

The Invitation

As we stand and seek God, the invitation is simple: Receive. Not self-consciously. Not thinking, "God, I don't know if I can..." Don't look inwardly. Look to the cross. Look to Him.