“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance.”
Acts 2:1-4
Years ago I had a dream about this occurrence. I recall being seated in the pew of a large church and aware of the great wind blowing above me. I believe I was to be a recipient of the Holy Spirit but the dream is vague at this time. I have not received the gift of speaking tongues but I do believe I still have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. My anointing is the faith I have in Christ and the writings that HE gives me.
As always, when I look at a passage of scripture I try to discern the meaning of it. I continue to look at verses that have to do with wind. I learned about Pentecost and what happened at that time in history.
Pentecost happened at the harvest time festivals. It was called the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Harvest. It was a time when everyone gathered to celebrate the barley harvest in Jerusalem and thank God for HIS provision. The apostles were gathered there at this time. It had been 7 weeks since Jesus death and resurrection. It was a great wind that literally blew in the presence of the Holy Spirit. How like Our God to use the power of HIS creation to send us His Holy Spirit. Just as he used the rainbow after the flood to share His promise.
What is the Holy Spirit? To me, the Holy Spirit is a gentleman, the voice of reason and conscience who speaks to my heart and soul. We cannot see spirit yet HE is there. When I question myself and the steps I need to take in life, it is the Holy Spirit who nudges me in the right direction – who gives me a feeling of peace if I am following the Lord in the way that HE asks.
On that holiday, many gathered for the celebration. People heard the sound of the rushing wind and came running to see what was happening. It was such a large gathering that Peter ended up preaching to and the end result was that 3000 people found the Lord and were baptized that very day!
Why did “tongues of fire” rest on the people? Remember, that God often reveals Himself in the form of fire such as when Moses saw the burning bush. He also revealed Himself as a pillar of fire at night for the Israelites to travel by. The tongues represent the gift of the ability to speak to the Lord in His language. It also gave the disciples the ability to teach others about Jesus and they could understand the language.
The gift of speaking in tongues is not something I truly understand because I haven’t experienced it myself but I do know that God gives each person their own special gifts. In Romans chapter 12 and in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 you can read about these gifts. To some HE gives the ability to give wise advice, some are prophets, some are especially good at studying and teaching, some are given power to heal the sick, some can do miracles, some can preach, some can get others to work together. He gives the gift of the power to interpret tongues. It is encouraging to know that if you don’t have one gift, you very likely have another. HE has his reasons for every gift He gives. HE does go on to tell us in 1 Corinthians chapter 13, that even if we have all these gifts they don’t really matter if we don’t have love because that is the greatest gift of all.
Lord, I pray that my friends would be able to discern what their gifts are so that they could best serve You! I pray that they would, above all be filled with your love! In Jesus name. Amen.
HOPE 