June 2022 (5 June - 2 July). See the Resource Pack PDF for information on the weekly subthemes and the daily prompts and Bible readings which shape our Daily Worship. See the Bible Study Questions PDF to see the material adapted for small Connect groups or personal Bible study.

 

The Wind of the Spirit can be like the breath of God

 

During the month of June we enter the season of Pentecost.  This is a time when we begin to think about the change that came over the fearful followers of Jesus.

The Wind of the Holy Spirit brought new life and understanding to men and women who had been hiding in the upper room fearful of their lives.

All one hundred and twenty of them had a miraculous communal experience of a mighty wind blowing through the room where they all were hiding and they all had the same experience of great heat, like tongues of fire resting on their heads.  This had a purifying and life changing effect on all of them.

They became bold and spoke out to others all around them about the mighty power of God. Those who listened were also baffled because they could understand what they were saying despite the fact that they couldn’t speak Aramaic. In other words the Holy Spirit used them to speak directly into the lives of peoples from all different nations and languages who had gathered in Jerusalem.

This month we will be asking ourselves the question: do we need to encounter a new visitation of the Wind of God in our churches? Is this what is needed in order that we can speak to others about Jesus?

During the month of June we we will study together and reflect upon what the Bible teaches about: God’s purposes for his creation, how the Holy Spirit works shaping us into the likeness of Jesus, why we need to understand our human limitations, and finally that there is always a daily cost involved in following Jesus.

While it would be astounding if in our gatherings to worship we could experience the wind and the fire, those earlier followers’ experience, scripture still teaches us that going in search of such experiences will in themselves never help us uncover the mighty presence of God. We will come to learn that the most powerful experience of God being with us is the still small voice within us saying “ What are you doing here?”, encouraging us to re-think our priorities. The voice deep within saying, “This is the way walk in it”.

The Wind of the Spirit need not always be noisy to be disturbing. The Wind of the Spirit can be like the breath of God whispering in our ear  “Come follow me…”

 

Flying kites, lifted by the Wind of the Spirit

 

Each week of the five week theme runs Sunday-Saturday and has its own subtheme, which contains daily Bible readings and prompts for thought (see the Resource Pack PDF for more information). See the Bible Study Questions PDF to see the material adapted for personal Bible study or small Connect groups.