Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.” The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.
John 3:7-8 ESV
The first church I pastored was in Oklahoma, where violent weather was not uncommon. The front doors of the church looked out on the street. If the sanctuary doors were open, I could stand in the pulpit and see the houses on the next block and the traffic passing by while I preached.
One Sunday morning there was a nasty thunderstorm. The roar of the wind was audible in the sanctuary. When an usher opened the door to see what was happening, I could see the rain crashing against the glass doors in waves. The trees shook. The smaller ones bent almost to the ground. Leaves and limbs danced in the street. The wind was obviously blowing. Then it hit me: I wasn’t really seeing or hearing the wind itself. I was seeing the results of the wind.
Jesus, like many of the Bible’s authors, often uses natural pictures and plays on words to make His point. Here He does that to get Nicodemus thinking more supernaturally. This new birth comes from the Spirit. Like the wind, it is out of your control. You can’t see it. You can’t force it. You can’t stop it. You only know it has come by the effects it leaves behind.
The new birth is more than praying a prayer and joining a church. It takes the work of the Spirit to change a person. As Paul told the Corinthians, you become a “new creation.” The Spirit of God changes us in a moment. Then we learn to walk to a different drummer. Baptism pictures what happens in us: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4 ESV).
Our old man died. Our new man was raised. Now life is about more than making it through the day, making a living, and finding things to entertain or distract us. Walking in new life means living on a different plane, with a different set of priorities. It means learning to follow this Spirit-wind in every part of our existence.
Like a newborn babe, it takes time. Sometimes the wind blows strong and loud. Other times it is only a gentle breeze. The same air that knocks down trees is just as real when I am simply breathing it in and out. Walking in new life is learning to be air-aware at all times.
God has given us three things to help us learn to walk in the breeze of the Spirit:
- His precious written Word, the Bible. It is food for our spirit. “But he answered, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’” (Matthew 4:4 ESV)
- His Spirit inside. He is in you to teach you who you are and what you have. “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.” (1 Corinthians 2:12 ESV)
- A community of other believers. We need instructors, encouragers, and role models.
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV)
“Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” (Hebrews 13:7 ESV)
Here’s the point: We were created to live in a community where the Word is taught, the Spirit speaks, other believers walk with us, and leaders set an example. The wind is blowing. Don’t miss it. See you in church!
