Westside Church of Christ

The stately oak stands majestically on the edge of the forest. It appears immovable, then it sways. Some force has acted upon it. Leaves flutter and limbs shudder, but there is nothing that can be seen that caused it. We know what happened but it is invisible. We can feel it, but it remains outside of our vision. We see only the evidence, not the cause.

The Hebrew language has a word that can mean either wind or spirit. The ideas share similarities. We see dust swirling, weeds tumbling and hair all a mess because of it; but it is invisible. In some way, it makes a sound. The crowds on the day of Pentecost heard a noise like the wind. Jesus used it to describe the journey of those who have been born of the Spirit (John 3:8). Where it starts nobody knows, nor can we anticipate its destination. Predictability goes out the window.

This life is a great big unknown. We can detect part of what’s going on through our senses, but it is a very small piece of the whole. The vast majority is in greater hands than ours, ones that we cannot see. Skeptics question the existence of God because they cannot see Him, but have ever heard someone say that they don’t believe in wind? They’ve never seen it either, only how it moves things.

We struggle with prayer. We recognize that we don’t really know what to say or how to say it. It is in those moments when our thoughts are scattered and our vocabularies fail that this invisible Spirit comes to our aid (Romans 8:26-27). He knows exactly how to translate our confusion into the will of God and deliver that message. No, we see none of this. We know it by faith. The Lord said so. The Spirit takes our prayers to the ultimate authority in the perfect way.

Faith is our confidence in invisible realities (Hebrews 11:1). We trust what we cannot see. No one has ever laid eyes on God, but Jesus gave us a portrait of what He is like through His time on earth (John 1:18). The Spirit came on Mary to bring that One into this realm. That is a substantial piece of evidence of what the Holy Spirit is all about. He created the Savior inside a young virgin. His presence will work inside of us to make us more Christ-like, too.

The Spirit has been active since the very beginning when He hovered over a dark chaotic creation. He is a witness testifying on behalf of those who are led by Him that they are children of God (Romans 8:14-16). Like the wind, He remains somewhat mysterious and out of our field of vision. Our eyes may not see Him, but as the wind affects the mighty oak, He moves Christians, too.

Call to Praise: Acts 3:1-10

His word on it: Acts 4:12

Sermon: “Power in That Name”