Let the Wind of the Spirit Carry You

John’s Gospel brings Nicodemus to Jesus under the cover of night, not because Nicodemus is foolish, but because he is wise enough to know that he still has questions. Nicodemus is a Pharisee, a member of the Sanhedrin, a respected teacher, and still he wonders how the kingdom of God works and what Jesus has to do with it. Jesus does not give him a neat little answer that can be tucked away and used whenever life gets hard. Jesus tells him that anyone who wants to see the kingdom of God must be born anew, born again.

Nicodemus hears that in the most literal way possible, and Jesus moves the conversation into mystery. The wind blows where it will, and so it is with the Spirit. The Spirit is not something a person can keep in a little bottle like “pure Scottish air,” ready to pull out whenever there is a church problem, a money problem, a war, a sickness, or a private worry. God cannot be kept in a pocket. The Spirit does not bend to human will. The Spirit picks people up, carries them, and changes their will toward God’s will.

The image of the rowboat church and the sailboat church makes the point plain. A rowboat church knows exactly where it wants to go and rows with all its might, saying in effect, “If it’s meant to be, it’s up to me.” A sailboat church still works hard, but the difference is who is in charge. The sailboat church pays attention to the wind, sets its sails, and lets the Holy Spirit carry it where God wants it to go.

Clifton Presbyterian Church becomes a picture of that kind of rebirth. The church wanted children, crowds, money, and a full sanctuary, but the Spirit first brought Joe, a man sleeping under the awning. The church welcomed Joe, then welcomed others like him, then moved the pews and made room for cots. The church was reborn, not by rowing harder toward its own dream, but by noticing where the wind was already blowing.

Prayer receives the same turn. Prayer often gives God directions, but faithful prayer can ask, “God, what do you want for me?” Augustine’s “tolle lege” moment shows that new life can begin when a person stops directing everything and lets the Spirit move. Nicodemus may have come slowly, but his gift of burial ointment hints that even late in life, even after long questions, the wind can still carry a person into new birth.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God does not fit pockets The Spirit is not a tool that can be pulled out whenever a person needs a quick answer, a clean fix, or control over a hard situation. Jesus gives Nicodemus mystery instead of a formula because God is not small enough to be managed. Faith begins to deepen when control stops pretending to be trust. [48:01]
• 2. The Spirit carries willing sails The sailboat image refuses both laziness and self-reliance. A sailboat still takes work, but the work is aimed at catching the wind instead of forcing the destination. The church becomes faithful not by rowing harder toward its own preferred future, but by learning who is really in charge. [49:15]
• 3. Attention can become obedience Clifton Presbyterian Church did not discover its calling by inventing a grand plan first. The Spirit placed Joe under the awning, and the church’s future began with the simple act of noticing who was already there. Sometimes rebirth starts when love pays attention to the person everyone has stepped around. [50:37]
• 4. Prayer can turn around Directive prayer asks God to bless the life already imagined. Surrendered prayer asks what God has imagined for the life already given. That kind of prayer is not passive, because it trusts that God truly has a person in mind and can carry that person toward a better obedience. [53:06]
• 5. New birth can come late Nicodemus does not appear to leap into public faith right away, but his burial gift suggests that Jesus had worked on him over time. Grace is not limited to dramatic first responses or youthful courage. Even an old, cautious, respected question-asker can still be picked up by the wind.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [41:41] - Prayer for Open Hearts
• [42:33] - Souvenirs and Scottish Air
• [44:12] - Nicodemus Brings His Questions
• [45:43] - Born Anew Under Cover of Night
• [46:51] - The Wind Moves Where It Wills
• [48:36] - Rowboat Churches and Sailboat Churches
• [49:45] - Clifton Presbyterian Learns the Wind
• [52:27] - Turning Prayer Upside Down
• [54:09] - Augustine Hears Tolle Lege
• [56:08] - Nicodemus Brings the Ointment
• [57:14] - Letting the Spirit Carry You

Bible Reading

John 3:1-8
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” [44:12] [45:43] [46:51]

John 19:38-40
After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. [56:39]

Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Observation questions

1. What details in John 3 show who Nicodemus was, when he came to Jesus, and how he first spoke to him? [44:12]
2. In Jesus’ reply to Nicodemus, what images are used to describe new birth and the work of the Spirit? [46:51]
3. What contrasts can be seen between a rowboat church and a sailboat church? [49:15]
4. In the story of Clifton Presbyterian Church, what was the first change that happened after someone noticed Joe under the awning? [50:37]

Interpretation questions

1. Nicodemus comes at night with real questions even though he is respected and knowledgeable. What might this suggest about the relationship between spiritual maturity and honest uncertainty? [45:57]
2. Jesus does not give Nicodemus a simple formula but points him to the mystery of the Spirit. Why might that be an important correction for people who want faith to feel manageable and predictable? [48:01]
3. The image of a sailboat still includes effort, but it puts the wind in charge. What does that picture help clarify about the difference between faithful work and self-directed control? [49:45]
4. Nicodemus appears again at Jesus’ burial with a costly gift. How might that later moment help explain that spiritual rebirth can be gradual rather than immediate? [56:39]

Application questions

1. Many people bring God a plan and ask for help carrying it out. Where has prayer become mostly directional in life right now, and what might it look like to ask instead, “God, what do you want for me?” [53:06]
2. The Spirit often redirects attention toward the person already nearby rather than toward the future people one hopes will arrive. Who is easy to step around in daily life, at church, at work, or in the neighborhood, and what might it mean to truly notice that person? [50:40]
3. A rowboat mindset says, “If it is meant to be, it is up to me.” Where does that way of thinking show up most strongly right now—in family life, work, ministry, finances, or personal faith? What pressure does it create? [49:03]
4. Being born anew includes letting the Spirit change a person’s will toward God’s will. Is there a specific area of life where letting go feels especially difficult right now? What makes that area hard to surrender? [48:23]
5. Clifton Presbyterian was reborn when it made room for people it had not originally planned for. What kind of room might need to be made in a schedule, a budget, a home, or a heart so that obedience becomes possible? [51:21]
6. Augustine’s new life began when he stopped directing everything and became willing to receive what God placed before him. What practices help a person slow down enough to listen—Scripture, silence, walking, journaling, trusted friends, or something else? [54:09]
7. Nicodemus reminds believers that change can come late. Is there any place where hope has been quietly given up on personal growth, repentance, or calling because it feels “too late”? What would it mean to believe the wind still blows there? [57:14]