Wind Tunnels for the Spirit

The spiritual energy for the church comes from two sources.  One springs from the hearts of the people of God and the other springs forth from the Holy Spirit.  The first is mentioned in Acts 1:14 where the Word says, "All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer..." and the second is set forth in words like "a sound of rushing wind" and "tongues of fire."  It is clear from reading the first few verses of the second chapter of Acts that the descriptive language is pointing to the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.  Churches do not flourish without a strong stream of prayer and the intentional work of the Spirit.  

There are several reasons why we know this is true.  The most obvious reason is that the Word of God speaks to this reality in the book of Acts.  Another reason for knowing comes from trying everything else and discovering that everything else is a promising source of spiritual life, but one that dries up very quickly.  Few of us can count the denominational programs and emphases that promised new life for the church and while they may have brightened the flame for a moment, they ended up not as wind and fire, but ashes and smoke.   

One of my favorite verses of Scripture is James 5:16.  While the New Revised Standard Version which is my main Biblical text reads it differently, I have always been partial to the old King James Version which renders that verse, "The prayer of a righteous man availeth much..."  To illustrate his point James goes on to lift up Elijah as one who prayed fervently and whose prayer God used powerfully.  There is no question that the Holy Spirit is ready to act in enabling the contemporary church to become the wind and fire church.  We can only wonder what would happen if the church was committed to praying until the doors and windows of the sanctuaries became like wind tunnels for the Spirit.