Wind and Fire

Today is a day called Pentecost or Pentecost during the church season. One year consists of 12 months, 52 weeks. Remember that every day and every week is a gift from the Lord to us, and we must live everyday like a special day and a holy day, but according to the church calendar, we have to commemorate three seasons in particular.

According to the ecclesiastical order, the first feast is the Christmas that Jesus was born. The second season is Easter, when Jesus rose again. The third season is Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples after Jesus' ascension. On Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost, these three seasons, the Lord gave us each special gift. On Christmas, the gift of Jesus was given. On Easter, the gift of Jesus was given again through the resurrection of Jesus. On the day of Pentecost, the gift of the Holy Spirit was given. Perhaps because the Lord gave these gifts, Christmas has a tradition of giving and receiving gifts.

Christians as well as non-Christians celebrate Christmas by giving and receiving gifts. Easter celebrates the season by sharing the gift of Easter eggs. However, there seems to be no special tradition at Pentecost. It seems that many Christians even pass the Pentecostal Day without knowing when and when the Advent is.

On Pentecost there are no gifts to give or receive, such as Christmas or Easter, and there is no special tradition to say, is it a season without much significance? It's not like that. Advent is a meaningful feast that brings us back to the nature of being human through the Holy Spirit.

What do you think "I" is? A chemical analysis of the human body states that 65% oxygen, 18% carbon, 10% hydrogen and 3% nitrogen, and the remaining 4% are other elements. But none of us would define "I am a complex of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen." In addition to chemical composition analysis, you will be able to analyze the human body in a number of scientific ways. But nothing gives an answer to what it is essentially.

What do you think "I" is? As believers, we want to have a spiritual experience. If it were me, could I define myself as a human being who wants a spiritual experience? Is that my essence? Our essence is not human beings who want to have a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings with human experiences. These are souls experiencing the physical world through the body of man. Our essence is the soul.

It is said that life is from 40. I heard it 40 years ago when I was in middle and high school, and at that time, everyone accepted the word that life is from 40. However, now that the world has developed, life expectancy has increased, and since when it comes to life, I can't hear that life starts at 40. Now life seems to begin at 60 or 70. Whether life is from 40, 60, or 70, everyone is talking about mental maturity. It would mean that only by that age, you can contemplate life and live a mature, well-deserved life.

Your physical age depends on when you were born. According to their physical age, they became adults by the age of 20. This is because physical growth and maturity are completed by the age of 20. However, there are times when we talk about mental age, not physical age. It is said that life should start at 40, but it means that mental growth and maturity are to some extent completed around 40.

But we, as believers, have one more age. Spiritual age. On a religious level, life begins when a person wakes up spiritually and wakes up spiritually. This spiritual age has nothing to do with physical or mental age. Because spiritual age begins with a moment of conversion. Because it begins with the realization of a new world. This new world is a spiritual world.

The direction of life changes when we realize that there is clearly a world that is invisible but completely different from the visible world. A new life begins when we realize that there is a world of greater dimension called the dimension of faith above the level of logic and reason. Therefore, there is a huge difference between the life of a person who lives and who does not always remember this simple sentence that the essence of existence is the soul, not the body. There is a huge difference in the purpose and direction of life and the way and appearance of walking the way.

God is spirit. And we, created in God's image, are spiritual beings. As spiritual beings, we live in this world for a while in the form of a physical body.

The content of our lives changes according to the answer to the question, "What is the nature of being?" Our essence is the soul, and because we are spiritual beings.

Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost are three seasons a believer should remember. In each of the three seasons, the Lord gave us gifts. Christmas gave the gift of the baby Jesus, Easter the gift of the resurrected Jesus, and Pentecost the gift of the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Holy Spirit was given in the image of wind and fire. The word “wind” itself is Ruah, which means “spirit” in Hebrew. The wind is invisible, but it certainly exists.

This article has been reported in the newspaper. A group of migratory birds is said to be infected with the virus. However, the virus was a disease that caused the migratory birds to lose their sense of direction. Virus-infected migratory birds have begun a long, long journey that has to fly elsewhere as the seasons change. At first, however, these birds, which were flying well in the V-shape, gradually lost their V-shape and started to fly. Eventually, the virus-infected migratory birds did not reach their destination and died prematurely.

In our ears there is an organ that holds the sense of equilibrium.

Just as the migratory birds are equipped with an internal compass, as our bodies have a physical compass, a compass exists in our souls. It is the Spirit of the Lord who speaks with us in a small voice and guides us. The problem is that many people in the world live their lives without the spiritual compass. Isn't your spiritual life losing direction like these migratory birds? Isn't the spiritual compass living a life without function?

It's easy to tell if the spiritual compass is working properly or if you are living your life under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is to check whether you are bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life. “Love, joy, peace, patience, mercy, goodwill, loyalty, gentleness, temperance”, to see if these nine fruits of the Spirit are bearing fruit in life. Those who live with love in their hearts will bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Those who have gratitude and joy bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Those who live without losing peace of mind bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

John 3:8 says, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” The Lord says that people born with the Holy Spirit are like the wind. Even if you can't see the wind, you can clearly see where the storm has passed. Likewise, the work of the Spirit of the Lord is clearly seen in the lives of people born of the Holy Spirit.

Are you worried? When it comes to problems, people around the world tell you to work harder to solve them. When the mind becomes nervous and urgent in the midst of a crisis, people around the world ask to struggle. However, in the same situation, those born by the Spirit are those who can take a step back. People who can truly empty their hearts. Those who pray for the Spirit of the Lord.

In Shakespeare's Hamlet, there is a line saying, "It's a problem whether you live or die." The question of whether to live or die for the people of the world is how to get what I want in all situations.

However, the question of whether to live or die for those born with the Holy Spirit depends on what kind of person I become in any situation.

The wind is invisible, but it certainly exists. And this invisible wind has great power to cause huge waves. Be born with the Holy Spirit. And watch the miracle happen.

According to Acts 2:2-3, “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 seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.” The wind blows and fire rises. And the wind brought fire.

If you put a silver ore into a fire and light it, the impurities in the ore melt and burn away, leaving only pure silver. When only silver remains, it is cut and trimmed to suit the purpose and processed into a beautiful gem. How do you know that the impurities in the gemstone have been removed and only pure silver remains? It is said that it is time for the person can see his or her own reflection on it. It is said that silver is free of impurities only when it is visible.

Today is Advent.

On the day of the Holy Spirit, the wind brought fire. I want the impurities in us to be purified cleanly by fire. I hope that this fire will burn out all the unnecessary impurities on the inside. So I hope that you will be a beautiful gem for everyone you meet in your life.

Advent is a day of wind and fire.

I pray that all of us to be renewed by the wind of the Holy Spirit on this advent. I sincerely hope that we would be a burning flame for the Lord and live the life the Lord wants.

Let’s us pray together.