Pentecost weekend is upon us. It is on the day of Pentecost that we remember and celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus. It was the fulfilment of a hundreds year old prophecy by Joel. The promise that the Sprit of the living God would be poured out on all flesh. Those of us within the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement have a deep sense that celebrating great works of God in the past, carries a key to experiencing those same wonderful acts in the here and now.
I want to focus on one aspect with three emphases related to the text from Acts 2:1-4 “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.”
The aspect I want to focus on is Fire. The disciples were apparently able to see the fire resting on the men and women around them. This fire, the fire of the Holy Spirit, filled them and equipped them to testify about Jesus in remarkable ways. There are three emphases worth thinking about as it relates to the working of the Holy Spirit through fire. Fire produces or leads to three things relevant to our understanding of the Holy Spirit: light, burning, and smoke.
LIGHT — Jesus calls his disciples the light of the world. He does so in relatively close proximity to first calling himself the light of the world. So there is something about the nature of Jesus that we are supposed to receive and embody. As we see with the apostles (and if we’re honest, we also see in our own lives), letting their light shine was not something that came naturally. Naturally, they were afraid and full of doubt. Not dissimilar to us. We need an infusion of the nature of Christ in our mortal bodies if we are going to faithfully and powerfully testify about his name. We need the fire of the Holy Spirit, which breathes into us the light bearing quality found in Jesus. Those who are filled with the Holy Spirit represent Jesus well and fearlessly bring his light to the world around them.
BURNING — Sticking your hand into a raging fire is a dangerous thing to attempt. But what if that fire is inside of you? There is something transformative about the fire of the Holy Spirit filling a person’s life. First, his fire burns in us in order to consume (or burn up) everything that is incapable of carrying his glory. The Holy Spirit is the refining fire of God. He fills our lives in order to convict of sin, sanctify for holiness, and effectuate the calling of God upon our lives. The burning of the Holy Spirit ignites in us a desire to please God, intimately know Jesus, and make him known.
SMOKE — The result of this baptism into the Holy Spirit had a particular quality. Acts 2:11 says “(…) we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” Those tongues of fire did not descend on the gathered in that upper room in order to craft some special message to the people. The Spirit of prophecy came upon Peter for that purpose. The fire of the Holy Spirit within these followers of Jesus generated smoke that rose up inside of them and found its utterance in the declaration of the mighty works of God. What ascended to heaven was the ecstatic worship of people who were full of God. The Old Testament (as well as Revelation) often describes our worship as the incense, smoke, or fragrance that rises from the altar of our hearts to bring joy to the heart of the Lord. This is what pleases him: truthful, pure, intimate worship. And it is brought forth in us by the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
So let us, once again, pursue the baptism and fullness of the Holy Spirit! He will do more in our lives than we can even dream or imagine. And best of all, he will fill us in order to bring glory to the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus! My prayer is this: Lord, let your fire burn in me! Brighter, higher, hotter, and deeper.
Daniel Reinhold
Creative Director, Relayer Music