Flames of Fire

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:1-4 

As ten days pass after Jesus ascends to heaven (Acts 1:9-11) the disciples watch and wait expectantly for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost (meaning fiftieth) was the celebration of the first fruits of the wheat harvest festival that was held fifty days after Passover (Exodus 23:14-17; Deuteronomy 16:16). We wonder whether, during those ten days, the believers spoke among themselves about how the coming of the Holy Spirit upon them would impact their work and ministry. The upper room that accommodated 120 believers must have been a fairly large room (Acts 1:14-15). Among those who gathered regularly in expectant prayer were the Apostles, Mary the mother of Jesus, his brothers and many others. The memories of Jesus’ powerful miracles, teachings, and deep spiritual life filled with works of the Holy Spirit must have been a dominant topic of conversation. 

When the day of Pentecost dawned, their eyes and hearts must have been wide open with excitement, wondering if this holy day would be the day of the awesome outpouring of the Holy Spirit into their lives. As the sun rises up into the sky, suddenly they hear the sound of a powerful wind coming towards them from heaven above. It is amazing that the Hebrew word for Spirit/ Ruach is the same word for breath and wind. It is interesting that the believers heard the sound of a rushing mighty wind. Soon they are engulfed in the fiery flames of the presence of the Holy Spirit. Tongues of fire settle above the heads of the believers, a unique sacred experience (Hebrews 12:29). This is a sign that our hallowed Father of compassion who saved us from the fire of his wrath, will now preserve us as sacred lamps dedicated to glorify Him forever (John 8:12). 

It is awesome the Spirit of God (Ruach Elohim) first referenced in Genesis 1:2, at the beginning of creation as hovering over the surface of the waters, came over Jerusalem and settled on 120 believers. The prophesy of John the Baptist that Jesus would baptize them with Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11) is fulfilled. The divine presence of the Lord has often been figuratively associated with fire. When Moses encounters God (Exodus 3:2) in exile in the Sinai desert as he is shepherding flock of sheep on Mount Sinai, he sees a blazing bush engulfed in fire. The bush does not seem to be consumed by the fire, and God speaks to Moses from inside the holy flames of the blazing bush. 

As sacred tongues of fire descend upon all the believers present, we see it as symbolic of the fire that begins to purify their hearts and they are emboldened to be witnesses for Christ all over the world. No longer is the Holy Spirit given to few Holy individuals but now a gracious gift poured out on all who believe (Ephesians 2:8). The residents all around hear the sound of blazing mighty wind hurtling through Jerusalem into the meeting place of these believers. Among them were a diaspora of devout Jewish pilgrims from all over the world living in Jerusalem at that time. They came running to see what had happened to cause the sound of the violent gale force wind whirling around the house where the upper room was situated. They were blown away to hear the believers speak in their own native languages (Acts 2:5-13) describing the mighty works of God. The skeptics laughed saying the believers were drunk on cheap wine as they couldn’t make head or tail of any of it.

Christians today remember these Jewish holy days of Passover and Pentecost in the light of Christ’s death and resurrection. Pentecost is a celebration of the first fruits of the Holy Spirit, given as a special gift from God first to 120 believers, and as Peter preached to the crowd drawn by the sound of the rushing winds, 3000 people (Acts 2:41-42) committed themselves to fellowship with the Apostles. It was indeed a bounteous spiritual harvest of the first fruits of the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus promised that if we repent and open our hearts to him, He will send the Holy Spirit to dwell in us to be our companion, comforter, intercessor, counselor, strengthener, and helper (John 15:26-16:15). The Word assures us of the depth of God’s love, that even when we go through the darkest days of our lives, the light of the Holy Spirit will shine through, strengthen us and enable us to endure the hatred and evil in the world (Romans 8:38-39). The Holy Spirit will teach and guide us to be witnesses to the life of Jesus Christ and spread the gospel of his redeeming love (John 16:7). The Epistles enlighten us on the invisible Trinitarian aspect of prayer, where the Holy Spirit prays from within us with groaning too deep for words (Romans 8:26) and Jesus continues to intercede for us (Hebrews 7:24-25) as one who suffered and faced temptation (Hebrews 4:15) to God our Father.

What is it that the Holy Spirit can do that we cannot do? Jesus said that not only will the power of the Holy Spirit cleanse our own hearts but our testimony will convict the hearts of those who hear our message and energize us to lead lives pleasing to God (John 16:8). As the lovely hymn goes, "It only takes a spark to get a fire going. That’s how it is with God’s love, once you have experienced it; you want to pass it on". Do you have a spiritual gift or a special gift that can be a blessing to your community? The believers, once they were filled with the Spirit of God, went through transformation and renewing of their minds, and went on to live out the gospel message of love, peace, and grace. Christ is calling us to be vessels of his love moved by the Holy Spirit to embody the love of God to those around us.

Soli Deo Gloria

Tongues of Fire

And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:3-4 

 It was during the Passover festival that Jesus was crucified. The city of Jerusalem had a gathering of the diaspora of Jewish visitors from all over the world. They all spoke diverse languages. Many believe that it was forty days following Passover that Christ ascended to heaven. It was on the fiftieth day that the Holy Spirit was given to the believers. 

Pentecost (meaning fiftieth) was the harvest festival that was held fifty days after Passover. (Exodus 23:14-17; Deuteronomy 16:16) Christians today remember this day as the Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given as a special gift from God for the entire world. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit was the fulfillment of a prophecy by Joel (Joel 2:28-32). From a spiritual dimension this was the day of spiritual harvest of 3000 believers who were touched by the Holy Spirit. 

St. Augustine says,“ Pentecost was prefigured in the Jewish Passover, for on the fiftieth day after the slaying of the lamb, Moses on the mount received the law written with the finger of God.” So for some Jews this day became more symbolic of the day when the Law was given on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19-23). It is believed that 50 days after the Israelites left Egypt the Ten Commandments were given to Moses. Just as Israelites saw clouds of smoke rising from Mount Sinai as the Lord appeared to them in flames of fire (Exodus 19:18), the disciples saw tongues of fire descend upon them and they were touched by the Holy Spirit. On that day the believers saw a powerful wind coming upon them. It signified the presence of God in their midst. Then they saw tongues of fire rest upon them as God touched their lives with the cleansing flames of His Spirit. 

Many celebrate the Church's birthday on this day. For us, Christ is the fulfillment of the Law that was given on Mount Sinai (John 1:17). The presence and power of the Holy Spirit renewed the lives of the disciples and empowered them to go and preach and teach the Word of God all over the world. Today we pray that we may be filled with the Holy Spirit that we may do ordinary and extraordinary tasks for God with fervor and dedication. Speaking in tongues has become, in some churches, a very important gift that fosters their growth and understanding of God. 

The story of the the Tower of Babel is still retold as a reminder to emphasize that people should not challenge God through pride and disobedience. It is an encounter with the Spirit of God which has an effect that is the opposite of what happened on Pentecost. It was a time when the whole earth spoke only one language. The people built the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:9) a monument to glorify their own greatness. Some believe that a powerful wind blew or a blazing fire burnt the Tower of Babel down. At that time the rebellious people were scattered all over the face of the earth, as they began to speak in different languages and could no longer understand one another. Pride and disobedience only leads to confusion. However on Pentecost God in his infinite wisdom brought people from different parts of the world to become one great movement of people glorifying God. The same we will all witness when Christ returns we will all gather together from all over the world as we glorify our Savior and Lamb of God (Revelations 7:9-10). 

A sailboat cannot go anywhere unless the sails are lifted up high so that the wind can blow upon them and push the boat onwards. We can see the Spirit of Christ working in our lives only when we are humble and obey the Word of God. It is when we allow the Spirit to work in our lives, and give to others the blessings we receive that we are filled more and more by the Spirit of God. 

Jesus said that He would not leave us alone. He promised to send the Holy Spirit to be our companion, comforter, intercessor, counselor, strengthener, and helper (John 15:26-16:15). He assures us that even when we go through the darkest days of our lives, the light of the Holy Spirit will shine through, strengthen us and enable us to endure the hatred and evil in the world. The Holy Spirit will teach and guide us to be a witness to the life of Jesus Christ and spread the gospel of his redeeming love. What is it that the Holy Spirit can do that we cannot do? By the power of the Holy Spirit our testimony will not only work in our own hearts but also convict the hearts of those who hear our message. Thus the Holy Spirit works in our hearts and minds to reach out to those who are in real need. 

As the lovely hymn goes, "It only takes a spark to get a fire going. That’s how it is with God’s love, once you have experienced it; you want to pass it on". Do you have a spiritual gift or a special gift that can be a blessing to your community? The apostles, once they were filled with the Spirit of God went through a transformation, went out to the entire world to preach the gospel message of love, peace, and grace.