LIVING BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. (Part 4).
John 3. Verses 7-8 read:
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
Jesus’ teaching on the concept of the new birth was new and a surprise to Nicodemus. Jesus asked Nicodemus not to marvel because he stressed on the need for him to be born again. Beloved, the new birth is a must for all men. Without it, men remain isolated from God’s life and are bound for eternal damnation. The words of Jesus dawned on Nicodemus. Similarly, it is God’s desire that this situation will happen to all men to cause a spititual turnaround in their lives.
Jesus took the opportunity to throw light on the operations of the Holy Spirit, one of which is the new birth, by comparing it with the movement of the wind as follows:
- The Holy Spirit moves just as the wind moves. He is a Spirit of expression, who expresses the purpose of God on earth.
- Just as the wind blows where it chooses, the Holy Spirit has a will and he chooses his direction of movement without consulting any man. He does this at the counsel of his will.
- Just as the wind makes a sound to indicate its movement, even so the Holy Spirit gives signals of his moves. Men must be spiritually alert to pick these signals.
- Like the wind, it is difficult to tell the movement changes of the Holy Spirit. To flow alongside the Holy Spirit, one must be sensitive to the changes in the Spirit’s direction of motion. A walk with the Spirit calls for flexibility.
The new birth follows the pattern of the Holy Spirit’s movement. Once the Spirit moves in a man’s way, he must take advantage of the opportunity. He must not let it pass by without connecting to it. Yes, the sojourn in the spirit begins with the move of the new birth, which is a must for all men.
SHALOM 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏