The Shifting Winds

Over the last few weeks, many people have been anticipating Pentecost. As we transitioned from Passover and Resurrection Day, there has been an eager awaiting of what Pentecost would reveal. So many people saw the significance of Passover, as all over the world, we all literally had to seal ourselves in our homes and wait, much like was evidenced all those years ago when Moses was preparing to lead the Hebrew nation out of Egypt. Years later, when Jesus had ascended many days after his resurrection, he instructed is followers to wait in an upper room for the comforter that would come in his stead.

History records that when the day of Pentecost had fully come, there was 120 people in that upper room waiting (Acts 1:15 & 2:1) when a mighty rushing wind filled the room. It seems that even today, as Pentecost is upon us, there is an anticipation of a literal Pentecostal wind shift. The question that has been upon my mind is simply what will this shifting wind present for this present-day hour? The Church is now all over the globe and the Holy Spirit is already present. Yet, this does not exempt the possibility of another outpouring.

It was not more than 100 years ago that America experienced its own upper room outpouring in California in a small church that became known as the Azusa Street Revival. At this revival, racial barriers were broken, all manner of healing burst forth, and the Holy Spirit birthed forth new expressions in the American churches that had previously not known the full power that had been suppressed.

Even more recently, just prior to the turn of the millennium came the Toronto Blessing in Canada.  At this revival, the Holy Spirit released an expression of joy and laughter that, for many healed hearts in a new way. Souls that had been dry and emptied were now filled to overflowing, unspeakable joy. These are not the only Revival outpourings in modern history, but just a couple to illustrate a shifting wind that was needed for the time. 

The upper room outpouring that was experienced by the original 120 became evidenced by tongues of flame resting upon them. I don’t presume to know if we will see this during this Pentecost. However, I feel that a similar type of outpouring could be possible, especially in light of this being the decade of the mouth. Knowing that this is a decade in which, according to the Hebraic calendar, our mouths are emphasized for the purpose of speaking, declaring, prophesying and interceding in prayer, we must have an expectancy that at some level flaming tongues could quite possibly an expression that could come forth from the shifting winds.

I’m reminded of the prophet Jeremiah who said of the word of God being so strong in him that if he even tried not to mention Him or speak of His name, it became like a burning fire within him (Jeremiah 20:9). I believe that we are at a precipice in which the people of God need to now, more than ever, to become emboldened by God to speak. I don’t simply believe that the call of the Church today is to simply preach the Gospel; though that too is much needed. As much as I’d like to see a revival for the Church, I’m more expectant of a revolution and a reformation among the body.

The Apostles that emerged from the upper room were not the timid, fearful, and wayward young people that walked with Jesus for three and a half years. Those young people emerged changed people who radically transformed their communities and every place the Lord led them by the Holy Spirit. I’m expecting a generation of people who are emboldened to speak to the ills of racism, injustice of all kinds, infanticide and abortion, domestic and child abuse, human and sex trafficking, those that are facing persecution and much more.

It’s my prayer that as we celebrate this Pentecost, we’re all expectant of a fresh outpouring globally. Whatever way in which the Holy Spirit chooses to show forth in the shifting winds of this season I pray that those who are open to receive will also find, like Jeremiah, the difficulty in trying to contain how the Holy Spirit desires to be expressed in this generation.