“The Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind.” 1 Kings 19:11
Dear Ones:
The wind is a very powerful thing. The effect that it has on the sea is phenomenal, in that its power is revealed by the effects it has upon the waves, how quick they rise, and how devestating they become. In the passage stated previously, we find Elijah at Mount Horeb. He is there, living in a cave, and is alone, except for the presence of the Lord. The Lord, knowing his servant very well, asks him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9) Elijah’s response reveals his attitude of utter devotion to God, but also, the acceptance of a thought that is totally false. He has come to believe that he is useless and alone. It seems that the Lord will use the wind to shake Elijah awake, bringing him to his senses to understand that the Lord IS with him. Though the wind is a very real force, one which breaks mountains and rocks, it is not enough to “restore” Elijah to that place of faith which he had previously. It will take something beyond the wind to change him. It will take the One who is the Author of the wind, the very essence of the wind, to meet him. ONLY the manifest presence of God, by His word and power, can change this man of God, delivering him from false ideas, rendering him fearful and fruitless.
On the day of Pentecost, there came a sound from heaven “…as of a rushing mighty wind.” Like the experience of Elijah, there was a “wind,” or sound of it. The Lord, not the wind, is the issue. It will be when the Holy Spirit is “poured out” on the day of Pentecost that the true and lasting effect of God’s work and power are not only known, but seen. The effects of the “wind” of the Spirit would be seen in that place where the disciples were gathered. The ramifications of the moving of the Spirit that day, would extend to the “uttermost parts of the earth.”
How then is the Christian to live, in light of the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy concerning the outpouring of the Spirit? The Christian begins with something that has been DONE. It has been accomplished. By the finished work on the cross by the Lord Jesus, Christ redeemed all believers. It will be by the “finished,” or accomplished outpouring of the Spirit, that Christ reveals Himself to and through the members of His body on this earth, His church. So, the Christian always begins with a fact accomplished.
Secondly, he proceeds to appropriate the truth and reality of the promise, specifically, that of Pentecost. For this he needs a vision, a true understanding of the meaning and application of Pentecost’s declaration and power. On one occasion, Paul found believers in Ephesus who, though they believed in Christ, they had not known about “receiving the Holy Spirit.” They told Paul, “We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Spirit.” (Acts 19:2) It would be after Paul explained to them the meaning of being “…baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, ” that they believed God according to the truth that they now embraced, and were baptized. They then received the Holy Spirit, and were changed. A clear vision of this “outpouring” of the Spirit is necessary if the believer would appropriate the Spirit of Christ in His fulness, and for all things.
The effects of Pentecost were remarkable in that they were seen in first a small group of disciples. The purity of the “fire” of the Spirit, and power of the effectual working, like the wind, would transform the believers of that day and time in such a way, that the beginning of the testimony of Christ would be known, not only in the then known world, but unto this day, to the extremities of the earth.
Dear Father, Give us a vision of Thy power working in and through us by the Spirit of Pentecost. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Love, Dad