Tuesday, October 18

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Acts 2:1-4

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what appeared to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

A couple of months ago – back in July – an unusually powerful storm from blew in from the west one morning. The storm was remarkable to me for two reasons; first, because it hit in at around 8:00 in the morning (which seems to me to be an unusual time for a summer storm to hit); and second, for what it did to one of the trees in our yard.

The morning was stormy to begin with – but then right around 8 am the wind really started to blow. Within a few seconds, it seemed, the wind was strong enough to make the table and chairs on our deck – and even the grill – begin to shake and dance. It felt like the back of our house was actually vibrating with the force of the wind. It was the kind of wind that you can hear – like a roar. My instinct was to tell everyone to get in the basement and take cover. Then, just as quickly, the worst of it seemed to pass.

I walked out onto our front porch and noticed what looked like a large tree branch lying in the middle of our driveway. I thought to myself, “That’s weird – I wonder where that came from?” Then I looked toward my left – and noticed that the tree at the corner of our porch – was gone. At least the top half of the tree was gone – snapped right in half. I realized that what was lying in my driveway was actually the top half of our tree!

We had that tree planted when our home was built over 8 years ago. It was about 20 feet tall and had a trunk about 8 inches thick – and that wind snapped that tree in half like it was a matchstick. When I tried to drag the top of the tree out of my driveway – it was so heavy I couldn’t budge it an inch. I remember thinking to myself, “What kind of power can do that?” Then, just as quickly, I realized I had only seen a fraction of what folks living in Missouri or New Orleans or the Bahamas have seen.

The power of that wind makes me think of the RUACH of God - the wind, the Holy Spirit of God. Only, instead of bringing destruction, the wind of God brings something miraculous!

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what appeared to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Imagine a tornado ripping through a junk yard and leaving in its wake a new car lot! Imagine a hurricane howling over an impoverished island and, instead of wreaking devastation, leaving a beautiful resort city! That’s what we see here! A small group of confused and somewhat uncertain followers of Jesus are gathered together in one house when the wind of God – the Holy Spirit – descends like “the blowing of a violent wind” from heaven. The result is not destruction, but the creation of the church of Jesus Christ! More than that, the Holy Spirit of God blew through and filled the hearts of individual followers of Jesus so that they were empowered to bear witness to him in ways they had never imagined.

If you have put your faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit is not only available to you today – but lives within you. The Apostle Paul wrote:

Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit… Ephesians 1:13

Did you know the power of God through the Holy Spirit dwells within you? Have you experienced the “wind of God” in your life? Can you see evidence of the Spirit’s power to create change? Take time this week to quiet yourself and listen intently for rustling of the wind of God in your heart!

Pastor Brian Coffey