Written by Debbie Burpo
It’s Oklahoma…where the wind comes sweeping down the plains. Recently, while finalizing notes for an upcoming conference, sounds of the wind were louder than normal. I could hear things bouncing around in my yard and suddenly something crashed into the side of my house. I quickly got up to go see what happened. To my relief, it was only a lawn chair and nothing was damaged. At that point, I knew God was giving me an object lesson to confirm the word I had been preparing for weeks. He spoke to my heart, “See, it was the sound that moved you – it’s in the sound.”
There is a sound needed to “move” the body of Christ today. A sound that moves us back to the roots of being “unashamedly Pentecostal.” It is the Sound of His Presence, and it brings with it power from on high. Acts 2 clearly tells us what came with the sound on the Day of Pentecost. While believers were together, praying, expecting something yet unknown to them, there came a sound from heaven. A sound unlike what they had heard before; a sound like a rushing mighty wind. This sound came from heaven and was powerful enough to fill the whole house. It came with fire which sat upon each one present. Immediately, all were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to make a SOUND! This rushing mighty wind came as the immediate sound and brought forth a power-filled sound from those present.
If ever there has been a time for the Church to share the sound of His Presence, it is now. Some of you reading this article have been quiet for so long, you wonder if a sound is even possible. Some may be thinking, “I don’t know if that’s relevant now or I think we should be quiet and orderly, not to upset anyone.” I say, if you want to grab the attention of the world around you – a world lost in the sounds of deception and despair – you are going to have to make some noise. There is freedom in the sound of His Presence!
There is also purpose in the sound of His presence. The sound of Pentecost came to catch the attention and empower those praying that day. They were waiting for a purpose to be revealed, a gift Jesus promised. Unaware of how this “gift the Father promised” would manifest, they trusted it would come. So, they waited as Jesus had instructed. When it came, it shook them out of their mindsets of wondering “what now,” to understanding, “what next.” The purpose was released and they were moved to “go and tell.” What if today’s Church were to rekindle the sound of His Presence? What if a sound of Pentecost overtook our churches today? Would we, like those coming out of the Upper Room, turn our world upside for Jesus? I believe so and I declare it is coming to this generation of believers!
Something heavenly happened on the day of Pentecost. It not only created a significant sound; the sound of His Presence; it not only revealed the sound of His Purpose; it created a movement – the sound of His people. It set the church in motion to fulfill the Great Commission. Those experiencing the manifestations that came with the sound of the rushing mighty wind were forever changed. They walked out filled with power, speaking in tongues, anointed, and ready to do whatever necessary to spread the good news of the gospel. The Word tells us that Peter and John, moved by the sound, once declared, “For us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
Today’s Church cannot afford to disregard this sound from heaven any longer. The world needs to hear the sound shut up inside of you. We must remember, the sound of His Presence doesn’t rest on a program, a man’s platform, through a building, or specific worship style. It blows upon a people set apart, determined to speak the truth in love, and carry the gospel message into the uttermost parts of the world.
Are you listening? Are you speaking? Is His sound alive and active in your life today? If not, I challenge you to go back to your prayer closet and seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Ask God to blow fresh wind in your life. A wind carrying a sound that overcomes the sounds of deception and despair in this world. A sound which will move you to become a world changer. It’s in the sound!
