Of wind, tongues and fire

Good Morning. Wow! This is a powerful passage. . . "Lord, open our hearts and minds to understand Your Word this day. Amen"

Acts 2.1-13 - 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. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphilia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism) Cretans and Arabs--we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine."

Welcome, Holy Spirit, and thank you, Lord, for keeping your promise of sending the Holy Spirit to inhabit the people of God! It is an amazing picture that Luke paints of this historic event, describing the wind, and what looked like tongues of fire resting on each individual's head. (While bizarre, you can picture it in your mind)
He also does well in pinpointing this day on the church calendar--
Forty days after Jesus rose from the grave, He ascended into Heaven;
and 10 days after that, the Holy Spirit came to the believers still gathered together in a room.
The Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost, (meaning fifty--so, 50 days after Passover),
and would forever change the world. Pentecost was one of three annual Jewish festivals, and is also called the "Feast of Weeks" because it was seven weeks after Passover. Pentecost required Jews to travel to Jerusalem with gifts and offerings to present to God. The timing is remarkable because the feast is what brought Jews from "the ends of the earth" together in Jerusalem, to be present at the same time.

Luke says that 'suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind filled the house'--how do you describe what that sounds like? Things moving... particles vibrating in the air, wind has a lot of energy--a lot of power. Wind was a symbol the people understood as the activity of the Spirit and also symbolized the coming of new life. As the tongues of fire rested on each person, he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and began speaking in tongues. Wait! While the gift of tongues was exercised, this is probably not the same thing as charismatics of our day refer to as 'speaking in tongues.' It is helpful to look at the Greek words that we simply translate 'tongues.' In this setting, xenoglossia, or 'speaking in an unlearned language' is used, whereas the word glossolalia is used for 'speaking in tongues' as Paul used it in 1 Corinthians 12, when discussing the various gifts the Spirit imparts to believers. (We will look at the gifts briefly tomorrow, as well as the two major opposing views about speaking in tongues that we see in churches today.) But for now, back to the electrically-charged scene. . .

As the people started speaking in other languages, a crowd of Jewish pilgrims, (remember-----having traveled from near and far to observe Pentecost), formed outside as they heard their native tongues spoken. It was God's way of drawing them to Himself, as they heard the people telling the great things God had done, and in their own languages! Somehow they knew that the speakers were Galileans, though they were shocked by the clarity with which their languages and dialects were uttered. (Galileans were looked at as less-refined, backward, and even peculiar because of their dialect) Yet, these were the messengers of God's goodness to all of these travelers who would hear the Gospel and then take it back to the towns from which they came. Incredible. Yes, in short order, missionaries would go out from Jerusalem--men like Paul, Barnabas, John Mark, and Silas--but for now, from one central place, the Holy Spirit infused the faithful with the unique, simultaneous message that would change her listeners forever.

While many of the Jews heard, believed, and began figuring out what it meant to them, there were some who scoffed and accused them of being drunk. What folks don't understand they often dismiss in such a manner. Two thousand years later, what are we to take from that momentous day?
♦God keeps his promises,
♦His timing is perfect - while you and I may grow tired of waiting for an answer or to see a change. . .
our perspective is totally different than an infinite, all-knowing, all-powerful, holy God.
♦As the Holy Spirit came to each believer that day, so He comes to each believer today.
♦Believers need never be without God's presence again. . .

Grace and Peace to you today,
Christine (DiGiacomo) espressocd@cox.net - 'Want to dialogue about this? Check out "Morning Briefings" on Facebook.