Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37)
In John 3:8, Jesus likened the moving of the Holy Spirit unto the wind. In doing so, he painted a picture of the Holy Spirit moving in the spiritual realm as the wind blows in the natural realm. You can see the effects of the wind, but you can’t see the wind. Likewise, you can not see the Holy Spirit, but you can most certainly see His effects!
With this imagery in mind, we can then compare many elements of Christ’s Church to the components of a sailboat. The sails of the boat need to be filled with wind to create forward movement. To the church, as already stated, that wind is the Holy Spirit. Spirit-filled people are the sails of Christianity. They are the people who have given their lives to Jesus and are filled with the Holy Spirit, allowing His power to be the driving force behind the movement of their lives.
How would I describe a Spirit-filled person? I once heard RT Kendall determine some descriptions along these lines: they have had an experience with the raw power of God, can testify of an infilling of the Holy Spirit, excel in prayer and worship, and are familiar with and utilize the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I also believe they have faith in what the power of God can do and recognize the reality of spiritual warfare. As well, they sincerely desire the manifest presence of God and believe in the possibility of miracles.
But you need more than just sails on a sailboat to move without fail toward your destination. You must also have rudders, or you are sure to crash. The rudders keep you on course, and they keep you moving in the right direction. For that reason, I agree with a conclusion once drawn by Mark Driscoll, Word people are the rudders.
How would I describe word people? I believe word people remain focused on scripture and excel at understanding theology. They can discern heresy easily. And, they know their Bibles inside and out.
Are you a sail or a rudder?
Here’s the truth, you need to be both! Because God is Word and Spirit, He will never divorce the two. God wants to raise up word and Spirit-filled Christians and churches! The two are not to be separated but united.
What shall we do to accomplish this mission within ourselves and our church?
I invite you to watch this message, What Shall We Do?, to see how God designed you to be both a sail and a rudder because learning these essential principles will help you experience His infilling and direction to the fullest, as you play an even more significant role within Christ’s Church to advance the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth!
Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:38-39 NKJV)
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