(I
wrote this about four years ago but it is more relevant today to
where we are as a people.)
It
was a hot summer morning in mid-August in the South. You could say
that it was a typical day for the season, with high humidity with little
to no wind. I went about my business without really giving attention
to these details but that was about to change.
I
stood in quiet solitude and listened to the tree leaves as they began
to respond to a slight breeze. It was as though they were individual
instruments in a grand symphony, the pitch and tempo rising and
falling but in perfect harmony, each separate but still in sync.
The
wind was slight at first, barely noticeable except for the song the
leaves sang. I began to feel the cool wind as it caressed my face and
hair. The sensation grew in intensity! The wind blew stronger and
then subsided. It came in pulsating bursts, strong enough to take the
hat from my head and then at rest.
I
observed and felt this scenario repeated for several moments. And
then, a voice spoke into my spirit, “a rushing mighty wind.” Yes
Lord, I know it is You and I hear what You are saying! Our Lord,
Jesus Christ wants to reveal Himself through the Holy Ghost to change
our world. His desire is to fill you and me with the Holy Ghost,
endue with power (His Power) from on high, and turn our world upside
down. He wants the world to acknowledge His presence in us.
Jesus’
instructions to His disciples had been to go to Jerusalem and tarry
(pray) until the Holy Ghost comes. Luke 24:49, “And, behold, I send
the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of
Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” The Holy
Ghost is the power part of our commission to spread the Gospel
message. Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy
Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost
part of the earth.”
Jesus
fulfilled His promise in Acts 2:1, “And when the day of Pentecost
was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 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. 3 And there
appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon
each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and
began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance.” The presence of the Holy Ghost was “a rushing mighty
wind.” That is the way Christ wants to affect our world today. This
rushing mighty wind of God changed the world in the lifetime of those
very disciples.
In
Acts 17, the Gospel message had met with tremendous opposition. The
messengers of the Gospel put their lives at stake. The unbelieving
Jews of Thessalonica were so indifferent to the Gospel that they
sought to take Paul and Silas and give them to the angry crowd. Acts
17:6, “And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain
brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned
the world upside down are come hither also;” The unbelievers were
compelled to declare that these Christians had turned the world
upside down and had come to their city to do the same.
I
would to God that it could be said of this present generation of
Christians, they have turned the world upside down for Jesus Christ.
However, if we are to be instruments of this harvest, we must be
endued with power. It will take being filled with the Holy Ghost,
“the rushing mighty wind,” to fulfill Jesus’ commission and
finish our mission in these last days. Only the power of the Holy
Ghost can seal and protect us from the darkness and evil that has
flooded this world. The Holy Ghost in us will make us victorious in
this spiritual war. Lord, send Your Mighty Wind upon us!