(I
wrote this some time ago but it is most relevant today to where we are as a
people.)
It
was a hot summer morning in the South. You could say that it was a typical day
for the season, 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 burst, 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 see and acknowledge His presence in us.
Jesus had instructed His disciples 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, that 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!
