The birth of the incendiary fellowship

To prepare for Pentecost Sunday I spent some time this afternoon rereading James Boice's commentary on Acts chapter two. He points out that the primary emphasis of the account of Acts 2:1-4 is not the speaking in tongues (important though that was) but the two powerful manifestations of God's Spirit in wind and fire. First, wind has rich linguistic significance.

The Hebrew word for "wind" or "spirit" is ruach. You can't say that properly without a strong sound of breath: it is pronounced ru-aaah. So what is true linguistically—that the word means both "breath" and "spirit"—is also conveyed sensually.

How did the "mighty rushing wind" sound on Pentecost? I like to think it sounded like how I've heard people describe a tornado—like an approaching freight train. Second, wind/breath is associated with the Spirit of God's work in creation and new birth. The wind of Pentecost helps to explain Jesus's words to Nicodemus: "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." It also hearkens back to Genesis 1 where the Ruach Elohim hovered over the waters. Boice explains:

So the suggestion is that here, in Acts, we have a new creation—as important (more important in many ways) as the original creation of the heavens and the earth. That heaven and earth are destined to pass away, but what is done by the Spirit at Pentecost is eternal. . . . Pentecost is a life-breathing experience.

Fire, also, links Pentecost with the many times God appeared to his people Israel with fire (Abraham's dream in Gen. 15, the pillar of fire, Sinai, etc). Pentecost marks a new beginning for the people of God, but it's still in continuity with what's come before. I think this is where dispensationalists go wrong. Tongues of fire is significant in that it points to speech. Speaking involves the use of our tongues and our breath. The mark of a Spirit-filled person is that he or she begins testifying verbally about Jesus. Pastor Boice further unpacks the meaning of the fire by discussing two things it brings: light and warmth.

The Holy Spirit brings light . . .

When the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples at Pentecost, the first experience they had was what we would call "spiritual illumination." That is why Peter could preach such a persuasive sermon. He understood the Old Testament as he had not understood it before. He was given ability to preach it to enlighten those who heard him.

and He brings warmth:

. . . when the Holy Spirit is at work, one thing people notice is what we can call the warming of one's heart. It is what John Wesley experienced when the Lord reached him in that little chapel at Aldersgate in London. He said as a result of hearing the gospel explained on that occasion: "My heart was strangely warmed."

I hope you experience the light and warmth of Pentecost wherever you worship tomorrow. Also, if you're looking for a solid commentary on Acts you can't go wrong with this one.


Quotes from Acts: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1997) pp. 39, 41 & 44