Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Acts 2:3-4 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.
TONGUES
What was going on? It did not take long for the little band of believers to find out, for the Spirit brought to their remembrance what they needed to know. Perhaps when the gathered disciples saw tongues like fire distributed upon them they remembered the words of John the Baptizer from just a few years earlier. At that time the people had been wondering if he might possibly be the Messiah, and he said to them, "I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." It is not mentioned whether the crowds saw the fiery tongues, but they were gathered around the house by that sound like a rushing wind, and it certainly it must have been encouraging to the assembled disciples to see on each other these visible reminders of the Spirit of God at work.
If the two Emmaus disciples were there, they might have been reminded of how their hearts had once burned within them while they talked with Lord on the way. That was when He had opened the Scriptures to them, and showed them that Jesus suffering was no accident, but had been preached by the prophets of old, as had also His triumphant resurrection.
We are not told of other special distributions of the Spirit being accompanied again by tongues like fire. The fires, like the wind-sound, had served their purpose. The Lord can use many other ways to energize us to share His loving-kindness with others.
