Reference

Scripture Acts 2:1 - 14
Wind, Fire and Tongues

Wind, Fire, and Tongues

From heaven our ascended Lord, seated at the right hand of the Father, sent the liberating power of His Spirit into our lives and in so doing gave birth to the Church - a new community of believers - called to live out the values of the Kingdom of God in their life together. 

The Miraculous Story of Pentecost

When the day of Pentecost finally arrive the disciples were together in one place. They were waiting and praying for the outpouring of the promised Holy Spirit.

  1. Wind
    Suddenly, a sound from heaven, like the rushing of a violent wind, filled the house where they were staying.
  2. Fire
    Individual flames of fire alighted on each one of them.
  3. Tongues
    They were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages as the Spirit enabled them.

They quickly moved from the upper room into the streets of the city. They encountered a huge crowd of devout pilgrims from "every nation under heaven." The crowd seemed bewildered and amazed by what they see and hear.

  1. How is this possible?
  2. What should we do?

Peter replies without any hesitation:  “Change your hearts and lives and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38  

Suddenly, a roaring wind blew across the face of the massive crowd. from this moment on, the Holy Spirit became a dominant reality in the life of many people.

The Holy Spirit

  1. The Spirit brings people together
  2. The Spirit promotes unity while preserving diversity
  3. The fact that the Spirit brought people together from at least 15 different regions and countries serves as a model for the modern church
  4. We need each other
  5. We need the strengths of our Mandarin and Farsi communities

The sign of the baptism of the Spirit is speaking in tongues

  1. I would disagree
  2. I see it as a gift of the Spirit, not a sign of the Spirit's baptism

The real sign of Pentecost is not the gift of speaking in tongues, rather it is the sign of a united and inclusive fellowship that embraces people from every culture and language.

Would you, like me, like to see the exalted Christ blow the wind of the Spirit across the face of the Church?

Come Holy Spirit Come