Born of the Spirit

John 3: 1-8

"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"

I know that as someone who has been a Christian for a long time, I need to hear these words afresh. It is all too easy to slip into a comfortable 'church' lifestyle that consists in serving (faithfully, even) and holding certain orthodox beliefs about Jesus. Some time ago, I heard a pastor remind the congregation that we must be mindful of growing as disciples rather than allowing ourselves to remain "churchians". It is actually much more comfortable to be a "churchian".

Nicodemus, who came up to Jesus was from the religious circle of Pharisees. He was 'settled' into a system of life and belief, like many Christians today. The greater our comfort, the less our chances of receiving a new word, a transforming word from God. There is a danger too of 'religious' knowledge becoming a defense with which we protect ourselves from the very God we claim to know and serve. It is easy to build our own 'systematic theology' which may 'have a form of godliness but deny its power' (2 Tim. 3: 5). We can get our theology right but our relationship with God all wrong.

I think one of the ways I can avoid this is first of all to re-member my own conversion story from time to time. Was it not the Spirit who broke through my confusion and exposed my hunger for the truth and for God that lay dormant within me? Was it not the transforming work of the Spirit who 'blows' where he pleases.....that caused me to turn to God in trust and repentance and be 'born from above'? There is no other way that it could have happened, certainly not by mere assent to a core of beliefs.

The Spirit continues to 'blow' into my life. In the ministry of spiritual direction, I am a co-discerner of the Spirit with others. I know that when we are alert and open, we give permission to the Spirit to lead and guide. We do not quench the Spirit. I know the danger of being so preoccupied with my own comfortable ways of being a Christian that I may miss the chance of being refreshed and transformed by the Spirit's power.