Why tongues of fire?

Before Jesus presented himself to his disciples on the night of his resurrection they were scared, cowering in the upper room fearful of the Jewish authorities and the Roman soldiers. But after experiencing the risen Jesus they did what he asked them to do, wait, pray prepare themselves to receive God’s power. Here’s what happened next,

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. Acts 2:1-4

This was a fulfillment of John the Baptist's words about the Holy Spirit's baptizing with fire (Luke 3:16) and of the prophet Joel's words about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28, 29). Why tongues of fire? Tongues symbolize speech and the communication of the Good News. Fire symbolizes God's purifying presence, which burns away the undesirable elements of our lives and sets our hearts aflame to ignite the lives of others.

For the rest of this week and part of next we will be looking at an overview of 10 marks of WHO THE HOLY SPIRIT IS. AND WHAT THE HOLY SPIRIT DOES.

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

BIBLE BASICS - OT BASICS SCHEDULE:

Wednesday Nights, 5:45-7:00pm in Preschool Room.

April 22nd - OT Basics, Week 1 led by Mike Crain