When The Wind Blows-Pg 1

The following is a teaching of Brother Clendennan who started the School of Christ all over the world.  I pray this message blesses you as it has blessed me.

When The Wind Blows - Part 1  Series #16:  The Holy Spirit  -Lesson #13

Acts 2

 ¹And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

 ²And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

 ³And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

 ⁴And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The word "wind" is translated from both Hebrew and Greek words meaning "breath," to breath, to blow.   The Greek word "pnyoo-mair" is translated from a word here which means "a current air," breath, breeze, and is a figure of breath.  It's wind, it's spirit, a vital principle, mental disposition, superhuman, ghost, life, spirit.  The Hebrew word is "ruwach" translated "wind," which means breath, sensible or even violent spirit.  It's expressions and functions are air, and anger, and blast, breath, cool, courage and mind.  It is not always the wind of God, it can be demonic. 

Ephesians 4:14 - ¹⁴That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

"Wind", "Water", and "Fire" are symbols of the Spirit of God, and represent different functions of the the Spirit.  The blowing of the wind is always the preparation for the flowing of the river.  "He that hath clean hands and a pure heart...shall receive the blessing from the Lord...(Psalm 24:4,5)  The blessing is the flowing of the river, for all God has is in the river of the Holy Ghost that Jesus said was to flow out of the believer.  The wind of the Spirit always blows away the chaff - like the ancient winnowing of wheat.  The wind of the Holy Ghost is the fan God uses to blow away the chaff.

First of all, the wind exposes.  Our attitudes, sins of disposition, things that we have excused, are by the wind of the Spirit, shown to be idols.  As the Word of God is preached under the annointing, things that men believe that are not wrong, will suddenly become wrong as the wind is allowed to blow.  In our haste and desire for blessings, we have ignored the Holy Spirit as the wind of God in His purging and purifying work.  We have preached the wrong side of the message.  The result is we have the tragedy of attempting the work of God with hands that are unclean, and a heart that isimpure.  We have preached about the blessings that will only come when revival comes and the river flows.  Our message must be repentence, restitution, and prayer; the things that will bring revival.

We have preached the wrong side of the message and out of this tragedy has come two extremes.  First, out of the frustration of not being able to work the works of God has come the imitation spirit that is so prevalent today.  His imitation could not have come had we not ignored the Holy Ghost in his purging, purifying work.  The church is full of flesh, and cannot work the works of God, so she imitates them.  The other extreme coming out of this tragedy is discouragement, backslidings.

The same Holy Ghost, who brings God's blessings, also exposes everything that is not God.  When Ananias and Sapphira fell dead, the devil did not kill them.  The same power that raised Dorcas from the dead killed them.  The Holy Spirit, when preached in His fullness and the wind is allowed to blow, exposes and purges those things that God will not tolerate.  He must be free to purge, the power needed for service is short-circuited by impurity.

The life of the Spirit will not operate where sin is tolerated. 

Titus 1:15  - ¹⁵Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

God first looks at the offererer, before He looks at what is being offered.  He is more concerned about what is in your heart, than what is in your hand.  "...be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord" -Isaiah 52:11.  "For your labor, your service, your ministry, worship and prayer to be offered and accepted by God, they must proceed from apure heart.  Jeremiah said, "Cursed is he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully..." Jeremiah 48:10  "Without holiness no man shall see (see means to know) the Lord."  This says, to be of any service to the Lord, you must walk in holiness.

There is a Bible based standard of righteousness and separation from the world which must be adhered to if God is to use us.  It has been said by one that we have worked so hard to avoid the error of salvation without works, that we've produced a salvation without obedience.  The church has reached the epitome of apostasy (abandonment of faith) when she calls obedience legalism.  Obedience to God is what faith is all aboout.  Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey me, you will do what I tell you to do."  Fools mock at sin.  The tragedy of all tragedies is that sin has become a laughing matter in the church.  There is an absence of Godly fear, and Holy anger against unrighteousness.  In much of today's theology, there is outright lawlessness.  Grace to many has become a license to sin. 

In the book of Jude, he speaks of godless men, who would change the grace of God into a license to sin.  Paul confirms this doctrine, in Romans 6, "...Shall we sin that grace may abound?"  The answer was "God forbid.  How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein."  The lie is being taught that we are under the grace so it doesn't matter how we live.  This teaching has brought the values and morality of the world into the church, andhas the audacity to call it grace.  True grace teaches us "...denying ungodliness and worldy lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly, in this present world"  (Titus 2:12)  It is indeed a dark day when men find encouragement to sin in their knowledge that God is a God of grace and mercy.

Jude 1:4 - ⁴For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

When the wind does not blow, sin is treated softly in the pulpit.  When the Holy Spirit doesn't have a free course to blow, to expose sin is largely ignored.  That is what you find across the church today.  I have preached , and the whole while I could feel the pastor pulling on my coat tail.  He was afraid that I was going to say something that would offend.  This is the time of "user friendly" and the average church does not allow preaching against sin.