Acts 2:1-4
The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost
2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
The day called Pentecost was an important day for the Jews. It came 50 days after the Passover. Many Jews had grown plants for food. Then on Pentecost day, they gave the best ones to God. They also remembered how God had given the Law to them. On this special Pentecost, God gave the Holy Spirit. Now, the Holy Spirit lives in every Christian. The Holy Spirit convicts us when we do wrong and helps us to do God will and understand His word.
Everyone knew when the Holy Spirit came. Luke says that it was ‘ like the blowing of a violent wind ’. In the Bible, writers often use the word ‘wind’ to describe the Spirit’s power. (Look at Ezekiel 37:9-14, for example.)
First, they heard the Holy Spirit. Next, they saw something. It was ‘tongues that seemed like fire’. In the book called Exodus, we read that Moses saw a very special bush. We know that God was in the bush. We know it because the bush was burning all the time (Exodus 3:2-5). We can see that God was here in Acts too, because of the fire.
The words ‘other tongues’ is often debated. People do not always agree about what this means. The disciples spoke in foreign languages. This was so that all the foreign visitors in Jerusalem could understand them.
Some people think that Luke is describing the gift called ‘tongues’ (special languages). Other people disagree. They think that the disciples spoke in foreign languages because this was a special day. There were many foreign visitors in Jerusalem on that day. So, by means of those foreign languages, these visitors could understand the disciples when they spoke about God.
Paul writes about the gift called ‘tongues’ in 1 Corinthians chapters 12 and 14. Many Christians believe that the Holy Spirit still gives this gift to Christians today. With it, people can speak in special languages. These are languages that they have not learnt. These languages may be human languages or angels’ languages (1 Corinthians 13:1). This gift is for prayer and it is for prophecy. Usually, when people speak in ‘tongues’, they cannot understand that language. They cannot understand what they are saying. But the Holy Spirit tells another person what the translation is.