Waiting for the Wind: How to Get Spiritual

Somehow, Christianity has suddenly become worth talking about again. Celebrities are coming out as believers. Podcasters and bloggers are voicing concerns that Western society has made a mistake by abandoning its religious heritage. Agnostics and atheists are conceding that the Christian belief might confer some existential benefits after all, with its call to love and forgive. Some wistfully wish they could believe but feel that they just can’t.

It is possible to go deeper. There are things you can do, and there are promises that God has given you.

It is the last group that I particularly have in mind as I write this post; those who appreciate and respect the Christian faith but have not been able or willing to commit themselves to it. If you are one of those people, and you are reading this post, I am delighted. I, along with many other Christians, want to encourage your exploration and urge you to go deeper. I want you to know that you need to go deeper, and it is possible to go deeper. There are things you can do, and there are promises that God has given that you should claim.

Right now, you are in a similar position to many people in the Gospels. There were plenty of Jesus sympathisers back then too. Some liked Jesus’ ability to deflate puffed-up religion. Others were attracted by his willingness to associate with disreputable people. Some were just there for the signs and wonders.

Jesus and his Sympathisers

But Jesus wasn’t particularly impressed by any of these halfway fans. He knew their commitment was too weak. Sometimes he would speak cryptically to test their commitment (e.g. Mark 4:11-12). Sometimes he would use difficult ideas to try to radicalise their understanding (e.g. Mark 4:24-25).

In John 3 we see a good example of the latter in Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus. Nicodemus is a great example of a Jesus sympathiser—a dissident establishment figure who wants to side with Jesus, but only so far.

He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” (John 3:2)

This might seem like a great start. But Jesus tells him he needs more:

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again … no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” (vv 3, 5-6)

The language of “being born again” is familiar enough to us, but what does it mean? And what does it have to do with Nicodemus’s warm welcome? Let me try to explain.

Humanity’s Problem and God’s Answer

If you have come this far in your understanding of things, you may well be aware that there is something very wrong with the human race. We flatter ourselves about our openness to truth. We aren’t as reasonable as we pretend we are. We use all kinds of special pleading to avoid feeling guilty.

There is something very wrong with the human race.

Jewish and Christian Scriptures are united in their dim assessment of the human character. In the Old Testament, God’s people continually fail to respond to God’s generosity. The New Testament declares that people are naturally hostile to God (c.f. Romans 8:7). We cling too tightly to our own autonomy to let God govern us. We keep attaching ourselves to things in this world, vainly imagining that they will bring us lasting peace and happiness (c.f. Luke 12:16-21). We stubbornly refuse to admit that we need his forgiveness.

But the Hebrew prophets look forward to a time when God will change people.

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. (Ezekiel 36:25-27)

This is the background of Jesus’ challenge to Nicodemus. He is telling him that the time has come for a more radical response. From now on, God wants people who worship him, not just religiously and culturally but in “Spirit and truth” (John 4:22-23). Being “born again” means being transformed by the Holy Spirit.

An Impossible Ask?

You might wonder where that leaves us. The Old Testament says that this spiritual renewal has to come from God (c.f. Jeremiah 31:33). Jesus says the same thing to Nicodemus:

The wind [i.e. Spirit] blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. (John 3:8)

So what’s the point in Jesus telling Nicodemus that he has to be “born again” when that change has to be a work of God?

Teaching on its own can’t change hearts—only the Spirit can. And Jesus is the one who brings that Spirit.

As a raw logical problem, there’s no answer to that question. The mystery of God’s sovereignty and human choice has no ultimate resolution (which is not surprising given the vast difference us and God). But Jesus isn’t speaking in raw philosophical terms here. He is speaking as the bringer of a new age. He is the one who John the Baptist says will “baptise with the Holy Spirit” (John 1:26); the one who will cause the Spirit to overflow the lives of those who put their trust in him (John 7:37-39). Jesus is the promised king of prophecy—the one who will rule by the Spirit of God (c.f. Isaiah 11:1-3)—and who can give that Spirit to his followers (c.f. John 20:22).

So Jesus’ challenge to “be born again” is really a demand to that Nicodemus look at him more closely. Appreciating Jesus’ teaching is not enough. Teaching on its own can’t change hearts—only the Spirit can. And Jesus is the one who brings that Spirit.

What does that mean for you? It’s all very well to say “Jesus is the answer” or “Jesus can give you the Spirit”, but the earlier question remains: what are you supposed to do about it?

Answer: You can put yourself in the path of the Spirit. Here are 6 ways to wait for the wind.

1. Ask God to give you the Holy Spirit

In another famous passage, Jesus promises that God will answer those who really want to find him:

“… ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find … If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:9,13)

Notice here that part of “seeking” means asking God to give you the Spirit. So ask God to do that. If it doesn’t happen straight away, keep asking. Show that you’re serious by persisting (and doing the other things below). If you are in contact with Christians you could ask them to pray for you too.

2. Read about Jesus

Jesus says his words and actions come from the Spirit (Luke 4:14-19; John 6:63). His disciples preach the same message: the Apostle Peter introduces Jesus by describing him as the one anointed by the Spirit and power (Acts 10:38). This claim is vindicated moments later as Peter’s audience believes in Jesus and begins manifesting signs of the Spirit’s presence (though this is not what it looks like for everyone, see the final heading below).

But the message is, if you want the Spirit, get close to Jesus. Spend some time reading the Gospels; Mark’s Gospel or John’s Gospel (a bit more literary) would both be excellent places to begin. If you know some thoughtful Christians, ask one of them if they would like to read it with you (the answer will be “yes”).

3. Try going to church

If you want to encounter the Spirit then it makes sense to go where the Spirit is at work. One of the main places where that’s true is amongst Christians. Look how the Apostle Paul describes the church:

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22)

Notice how Paul brings so many things together here. The church is a temple where God lives by his Spirit. It is built on the Scriptures (inspired by the Spirit) and supported by Jesus (man of the Spirit). You may be skeptical about this—and truthfully, there are many churches that make it hard to believe. But look for a place that takes Jesus and the Bible seriously and try going regularly. You might be surprised.

4. Try putting it into practice

Jesus says that “anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own” (John 7:17). Later in the same Gospel he connects obedience to the Spirit:

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth.” (John 14:15-17)

So here is another way that you can show God you are serious about wanting “seek and find”: when you read about Jesus in the Gospels, pray that God’s Spirit would help you to notice things that you should do differently and then do them. Try to work out what sort of person Jesus wants you to be and try to be that person. Doing this won’t make you “good enough” for God of course—we can only ever come to God as forgiven sinners (see next suggestion)—but it is another way of asking God to change you.

5. Ask for Grace Trying to do what’s right is a good way to wait for the Spirit. But it might not be a happy experience at first: The Spirit might begin his work in you by humbling you; by showing you how far you are from the person you are supposed to be; how greatly you have failed to love God and love others.[1] If that happens you, you are exactly where Jesus wants you. You are one of the “sick” that he came for (Mark 2:16-17 c.f. Luke 18:9-14). You are the lost child that God the Father longs to bring home (Luke 15:11-24).

So ask for mercy and receive forgiveness. This is why Jesus came; to take your sins on himself, bring you forgiveness and restore your relationship with God (Matthew 1:21; Mark 10:45; 1Timothy 1:15 etc.)

6. Say Thank you

The previous point is the biggest reason to give God thanks, but you don’t have to start there. Modern psychology has realised that being thankful is good and healthy for everybody. But for you, as you seek God’s Spirit, thankfulness is absolutely vital. The apostle Paul says that a major reason why we don’t apprehend the truth about God is because we fail to be thankful: the ingratitude feeds back into our cognitive faculties:

…although [humans] knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Romans 1:21)

So do the reverse. Thank God for the good things in your life. When you discover something new about God and the world, tell somebody about it. Be thankful! Glorify God! See what happens.

What is it like to have the Holy Spirit?

Finally, let me caution you against particular expectations of what it might “feel like” to have God’s Spirit at work in you. Some people with overly mystical ideas about the Spirit think that the Spirit is only at work when they are stirred by strong (and generally positive) emotions. But God is the God of everything and every part of you, not just your emotions. He might make his presence known in your feelings, but he might also begin in your understanding, or in your will (see point 4). Sometimes the Spirit will first show us some ugly truths about ourselves so we can receive God’s help and grace (see point 5).

There is no template for how the Spirit works, but there are definite goals. The Spirit wants you to know you are loved and can be forgiven. The Spirit wants you to receive the new life and forgiveness through Jesus. If you see signs of any of these things in your life, thank God and keep going.

What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. (1Corinthians 2:12)

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. (John 16:13-14)

[1] Just a quick note of warning here: we might need to distinguish the Holy Spirit’s conviction with social shame born of our failures to live up to the expectations of our families/friends/society etc. There might be a bit overlap between the two things, but they aren’t quite the same. Shame makes you feel rubbish for who you are (overweight, unsuccessful, a disappointment etc.) But the Spirit wants you to know that you are valued regardless of any of that stuff and to forgive you for things you have actually done. There is a lot more to be said on this topic, but here are a couple of links (here and here) that might help if you want to think about it a bit more.