Tongues of Fire

Acts 2:1-13

Key Verse 2:3

They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

In this passage we can learn two things: the way the Holy Spirit works; and the purpose for which God sent the Holy Spirit to the body of believers.

1. Verses 1-4 describe the time, the place, the way in which the Spirit came, and the effect of His coming. What do the following expressions indicate about the Holy Spirit? 

1) a sound like the blowing of a violent wind; 

2) came from heaven; 

3) filled the whole house; 

4) they saw what seemed to be tongues of fire; 

5) that separated and came to rest on each of them; 

6) all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit; and

7) and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 

** This reminds us that the way the Holy Spirit works is just as the way wind works. Jesus already talked about it in John 3:8 saying, "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

Take a note of the word "violent". Sometimes wind blows in a very gentle way, which is almost not noticeable, but on another occasion it can be very "violent" like tornadoes in the Caribbean areas. Remember then the wind blowing all because of the movement of air which again is affected by a number of factors such as temperature, density, height, moisture level, etc. and so forth. One thing which is noteworthy is that its movement/work is felt most visibly and audibly in its initial stage, particularly as it moves from one domain to another. Remember the space shuttle making lots of noise due to frictions/conflicts as it penetrates from the outer space with zero-gravity to aerial space which is subject to gravity. The way the Spirit works can also be compared to a man blowing air to make glass wares such as a light bulb. With a tube, you blow air into the liquid, shaping up the glassware to become round like a light bulb. Initially as the air travels from your mouth into the light bulb, noise comes out. But once the light bulb is finished, the air is locked up inside, and there is no more movement felt. So is the case with the Spirit working. As it initially travels from God (the blower of the air into a light bulb) to you (a light bulb), there is sound coming out. But once the Spirit rests inside of you, the Spirit inside of you stays quiet, so the movement or even his existence/presence is not felt. But this does not mean He is not there. He is there working in and through you. 

** Came from heaven - here heaven is an idiom for God's abode. So the Holy Spirit is from God. He is of God in nature. Just as God is holy, so also the Spirit which comes from God is holy. Remember that the Spirit represents the essence of God. As God in essence Holy Spirit can cause all things to come into being. At the same time he is capable to make himself not present or present outside, upon, and inside of all of his creation. 

** Filled the whole house - here the "house" refers to the room where the early believers were staying. But symbolically it also can mean the body of Jesus Christ, i.e., those who believe in Jesus. While he is greater than the whole universe, still He can make his presence to be full in one location/environment/vessel (such as you, body of believers) or another. And he can do that without making the area crowded. 

** They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire. By definition, God and of course the Holy Spirit as well is not visible. He totally transcends the physical dimension. Yet, he can make himself manifest in the physical realm, so that our physical eyes can "perceive" his presence/operation. Examples - pillar of fire in Ex 13:21,22; or the burning bush in Ex 3:2. 

Now, the Holy Spirit made himself visible in the form of "tongues of fire" suggesting two things: the purpose of his coming, and the power with which He came. The purpose is "to enable people to speak in "different languages" (tongues). Here the word "tongues" means not just the flickering ends of the flames, but languages, for it is through the tongue that you utter sounds and make speech. "Fire" has to do with the spiritual power/energy/zeal/enthusiasm. The expression "tongues of fire" then refers to the ability (gift if you will) to speak foreign languages without fear. Consider also how the Lord God confused the language in Gen 11:7 and why, that is to stop people rebelling further. Now that the time came for the Lord to bring people back to obedience, the need arose for the Lord God to enable them to communicate to one another better. Remember also the gospel is what makes men to "understand" each other and communicate better. 

** that separated and came to rest on each of them. Here separated means got himself (the Holy Spirit) divided up, so each person would share him to the extent necessary. This already indicates that the Holy Spirit is to be shared individually and collectively. 

The expression "came to rest" on each of them (especially the word "rest") indicates that unlike the days prior to the day of Pentecost (on which the Holy Spirit came), when the Holy Spirit worked among the selected few on a "temporary" basis, after the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came to permanently dwell (this is what the word rest means) inside of the believers. Again he came to "stay" for good, until he takes you to be at home with Jesus. 

** all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit - this expression indicates that being God himself, the Holy Spirit can divide himself, still filling each person "fully", so that no one would be "short" of what is needed to get the job (world mission) done properly and effectively.

** and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them - this expression describes the very purpose for which He came, that is to enable men to speak in foreign tongues freely. At this time, they were able to speak without "learning". The evidences are that the enabling took place only for a while (to the extent necessary at that particular juncture of God's redemptive history), so that upon causing the initial impact (that is, empowering the much frightened flock - 120 believers - and drawing people to hear their messages with undivided attention), the Holy Spirit removed from the recipients of His Spirit this ability, so apostles such as Peter and John had to learn foreign languages such as Greek or Italian languages, still with the Holy Spirit assisting. 

 

2. Verses 5-13 describe people's response to the events of that day. What do the following teach us about God's will in sending the Holy Spirit upon Jesus' disciples? 

1) Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven; 

2) Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galilean?; and

3) we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!

** The expression "from every nation under heaven" denotes God's will (and plan as well as work) to get the gospel message across to all peoples on earth. Remember that the Lord God confused the languages and kept people scattered all over the world, but at God's right time he orchestrated the events in such a way that literally all peoples (by way of representation) on earth would be present at that particular moment at that particular place all through God's divine appointments, so that the long awaited gospel would spread to all four corners of the world as quickly as possible. 

** What they said is reminiscent of and in fulfillment of (without them knowing) what the Lord God had said in advance through the Prophet Isaiah 9:1-7. Also remember what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:27, "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong." The Galilean were looked at as low class citizens. But the Lord God used them to save the wise. 

** Wonders of God - this is a collective term describing the gospel itself and the wonderful works the Lord God is going to fulfill in the lives of those who believe in the gospel of Jesus.

The end