My wife and I were starving. It was lunch time.

We drove to Olive Garden. We didn’t expect a long wait to get seated. So we were surprised that about half a dozen people sat in chairs outside the door.

We parked our RAV and walked toward the restaurant. But a frantic Restaurant Manager intercepted us.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “There’s no power. We can’t serve you.”

He explained that road construction had knocked out the electricity all along the main road. This meant that all the restaurants were closed.

The manager had a kitchen full of people to cook for us. The restaurant had waiters and waitresses ready to serve us.

But they couldn’t cook anything or serve anything until the power came back on.

The utility said it would be about another hour before they could restore power.

Sadly, we drove home to get a bite to eat. But our meager lunch would be nothing compared to the delicious meal we had been longing for.

I reflected that this is what our lives, our churches, and our civilizations are like when they lack the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus had to explain this to Nicodemus, a powerful Pharisee on the Jewish ruling council.

Nicodemus came to see Jesus privately one night. He believed that Jesus was a teacher who had come from God. He marveled at the signs Jesus gave that he was the Messiah. (John 3:2).

Jesus challenged him to be born again—born anew from above with the Spirit of the LORD. (John 3:3-6).

Similarly, none of us today, none of our churches, and none of our civilizations can find power to serve God and others until we are born anew from above with the Spirit of the LORD.

Without this power from the Spirit of the LORD, we are powerless to serve God and others.

Sadly, many of us—and many of our churches—are powerless. We are condemned to be powerless because we are like the church in Laodicea described in the book of Revelation. (Revelation 3:14-18).

We are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold.

And so Jesus pronounces this dread judgment upon many of us and many of our churches:

“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other.” (John 3:15).

Jesus wishes we had the power of the Spirit to make both frigid ice cubes and hot, spicy pasta.

But because we are lukewarm—with melting ice cubes and with limp pasta that are the same temperature as the surrounding room (the surrounding civilization)—Jesus says, “I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (John 3:16).

What has led us and our churches to this lukewarm peril of melting ice cubes and unsavory, room temperature pasta?

We look at all the fancy equipment in our “kitchens” and all the skilled people standing around in our “restaurants” to cook and serve. We foolishly think we’re ready to serve God and others.

In the words of Jesus: “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” (John 3:17).

We are like Nicodemus, needing to be born anew from above with the Spirit of the LORD.

The Spirit of the LORD blows like the wind. Indeed, the gospel of John is written in Greek, and the Greek word for “spirit” is the same as the Greek word for “wind”. (Note to John 3:8 in NIV).

Before you quip that you don’t understand this because it’s all Greek to you, Jesus told Nicodemus and us what he meant by comparing the Spirit of the LORD to the wind.

Jesus said, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.” (John 3:8).

What is the sound of the Spirit blowing in our lives and in our churches and in our civilizations?

It is the sound of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23).

QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT

What “sounds” of the Spirit of the LORD do you “hear” in your life?

What “sounds” of the Spirit of the LORD do you “hear” in your church?

What “sounds” of the Spirit of the LORD do you “hear” in your civilization?

What, if anything, can you do to encourage the Spirit of the LORD to blow in your life, your church, and your civilization?

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For related thoughts, please read my blogs “The Webb Space Telescope: Seeing the Spirit of the LORD Better”, “The Mighty River of Living Water”, “Places of Worship—Spirit and Truth”, “Pentecost—The Gift of the Holy Spirit”, and “Irresistible Hurricanes of the Holy Spirit”.