Let’s go fly a kite, Up to the highest height!; Let’s go fly a kite and send it soaring; Up through the atmosphere, Up where the air is clear; Oh, let’s go fly a kite!

Summer time is nearly over! One of the best ways to enjoy the remaining sunshine before the snow buries us again, is to fly a kite. Last year a family friend, Sister Pam Baker, promised Rose, my daughter, that for her birthday she would take her shopping to pick out her own birthday present. Among MANY OTHER things, Rose came home with a 99 cent kite.

She could not stop talking about the kite. I promised her that Sunday after church, I would take her down to the beach in South Haven, Michigan to fly her kite. Of course she made sure that I followed through on my promise and we went to the beach and flew her kite. As “I” was flying the kite I could not stop seeing the kite as a symbol of the Spirit. Okay, okay, I know this seems like a stretch and that I am way out on a limb here, but just stay with me for a bit as I explain my “Lessons from the Kite.”

LESSONS FROM THE KITE

1) YOU MUST HAVE THE RIGHT CONDITIONS

John 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

One thing that I learned while flying a kite is, It doesn’t matter how bad you want to fly a kite. It doesn’t matter how good you are at flying a kite. It doesn’t matter how much you talk about flying a kite. It doesn’t even matter how much you study flying a kite. IF THERE IS NO WIND, YOU WILL NOT FLY YOUR KITE.

The same is true with the church. Without the spirit there is no utterance. Without the spirit there is no POWER. Without the spirit there are no MIRACLES. Without the spirit there is no REVIVAL. Without the spirit there can be no TRANSFORMATION. 

When a person is baptized in the Spirit, he receives the Spirit of Christ in his life. He becomes a part of God’s spiritual family, and God’s Spirit begins to guide him. The Bible describes this in several ways: 

• We are BORN into the kingdom of God (John 3:5)
• We are ADOPTED into His family (Romans 8:15-16)
• We are BAPTIZED INTO THE BODY of Christ (I Corinthians 12:13)
• We are SANCTIFIED (I Corinthians 6:11)
• The Spirit is the SEAL OF OUR SALVATION (Ephesians 1:13)
• Gives a SOUND MIND (II Timothy 1:7)
• The Spirit is the EARNEST (pledge, guarantee, first installment) of our INHERITANCE (Ephesians 1:14)
• The Spirit is an ILLUMINATOR of the Word of God (John 14:26; 16:13)
• The Spirit brings REST AND REFRESHING (Isaiah 28:11-12)
• The Spirit works in our lives through the nine-fold fruit of the Spirit; LOVE, JOY, PEACE, LONGSUFFERING, GENTLENESS, GOODNESS, FAITH, MEEKNESS, AND TEMPERANCE (Galatians 5:22-23)

2) YOU CAN’T FLY A KITE ALONE

I Corinthians 3:6 I HAVE PLANTED, APOLLOS WATERED; BUT GOD GAVE THE INCREASE. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

Rose and I were enjoying this wonderful day on the beach and I was trying to help fly “her” kite. She started out by helping me but then after a little while she got tired and I realized that she was sitting over in the sand about 50 yards from where I was. The problem was, others could not see where Rose was sitting, so here I am a 40-year-old man on the beach by myself with a frozen kite, can you say, “Stranger Danger?”

Finally, I told Rose to come over and help because it was her kite. The thing is, it is possible to fly a kite by yourself, it’s just extremely difficult. It works much better when you have one person holding the string and the other person holding the kite.

With two people working together you can get the kite in the air and work the wind and make it happen much quicker. The same is true with the church. Revival is not dependent upon one man or woman, it takes the entire church. Every LEADER must pull together. Every DEPARTMENT must pull together. Every FAMILY must pull together. Every INDIVIDUAL must pull together. TOGETHER we can ride the wind of revival!

3) FLYING KITE’S ARE SEASONAL 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.

I was recently preaching a Holy Ghost Crusade for the Michigan District Kidz Department and there was a 9 or 10 year-old boy who was very wild and out-of-control. As I was leading the service and speaking, I noticed there was a man behind him in a suit that would gently tap the young boy on the shoulder to get him to refocus on the service. In the altar call, the boy and his mother came to the altar. The boys mother had her boyfriend with her and he came to the altar as well. He instantly received the gift about Holy Ghost. I went to the man that was in the suit and I asked him what his connection was to the family. It was obvious to me just by watching the situation that he had an investment into this family.

He said this lady was a co-worker that he had invited to come to church. He told me he has worked in the same place for 20 years and has invited people to come to church, but for 20 years no one has ever come. . . until now. This lady and her family are the first converts that he has gained from his job. He said now she is inviting people to church and they are coming with her. He told me he’s been witnessing for 20 years and it’s taken 20 years to see the impact of his prayers.

We must understand the ebbs and flows of revival. There are seasons when we will win many people to Christ and then there are seasons where Christ will prepare our lives. We must not get discouraged by His timing. Our job is not to dictate the wind. Our job is to fly the kite – do our job – once the wind starts blowing.

Our job is not to dictate the wind. Our job is to fly the kite – do our job – once the wind starts blowing.

4) YOU MUST HAVE THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT TO FLY A KITE

Matthew 17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Rose and I had a good time flying her 99 cent kite. The reality is that her first kite was no match the winds coming off of Lake Michigan. I realized if I was going to be a kite flyer, I was going to have to get a REAL KITE. I went into a kite shop and was baffled to realize I could purchase kites from 99 cents to $300.00 dollars. I learned that kite flying is the same as any another experience in life. You only get out of it what you put into it. If you fly a 99 cent kite, you will receive a 99 cent experience. If you upgrade to a $40.00 kite (the one I purchased) you will receive a $40.00 experience. If you get real crazy and pay $1,200 for a custom made kite . . . you guessed it, you will receive a $1,200 experience.

If you pray once a week, you will have once a week power. It you invest yourself more fully and commit to daily prayer . . . . you will have daily power! 

The same is true with the Spirit, if you pray once a week, you will have once a week power. It you invest yourself more fully and commit to daily prayer . . . . you will have daily power! Just like life, you get out of the Spirit , what you put in. The tools of a powerful Christian is that of prayer and fasting! It is time for the church to upgrade our tools from casual commitment to unwavering devotion.

The tools of a powerful Christian is that of prayer and fasting! It is time for the church to upgrade our tools from casual commitment to unwavering devotion.

5) YOU HAVE TO BE OUTSIDE TO FLY A KITE

Luke 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

I understand this sounds quite remedial, but you have to get outside where the wind is blowing in order to successfully fly a kite. You can’t stay in the house sitting on the couch and fly a kite. You have to get dressed, go outside, find a gust of wind, and fly your kite. The same serves true with the Spirit. You have to go where the wind is. You can’t live in the flesh and try to operate in the spirit. You have to go where sinners live. Go where true needs exist.

6) KITE FLYING IS HARD WORK

Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

I have a confession. I thought flying a kite was just about throwing a kite in the air and letting the wind do the rest. As I began to read about kite flying I learned that just like any other sport, kite-flying has competitions, point standings and champions. Precision kiters must make specific figures — from circles and figure eights to moves called the basket and the thread and roll. 

The truth is that operating in the spirit is hard work. Revival doesn’t just happen. You can’t just show up and expect things to happen. A Harvard Professor stated, “You learn the work by doing the work . . . and the work is messy.” I would restate it by saying, “You learn to pray by praying . . . and prayer is messy.” Also, “You learn to teach Bible Studies by teaching Bible Studies . . . and teaching Bible Studies is messy.” Anything great that you do for the Kingdom of God will be messy, but you learn the Work of God by doing the Work of God, and the work is rewarding!

CONCLUSION

Once I finally got Rose’s kite in the air, it was amazing how people stopped what they were doing to watch the kite. Kite’s are exciting to watch! It’s been said that you don’t have to advertise a fire! People come from all over the neighborhood – with cellphones in hand – to see a fire. The same is true with the church. Once Apostolic revival breaks out, you don’t have to hang a banner, people with come to watch the excitement. So, wherever you are in life right now, get up, go out side . . . and fly a kite! People will come to see and hear about this Jesus of Nazareth.

SERMON AUDIO

This message was preached at Apostolic Faith Tabernacle on 6.6.16.