Did You Hear That?

Read: Acts 2:1-13

“And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind…And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.” (v.2,3)

THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ABLE TO BE SEEN AND HEARD. It is observable. There is a facet that is quite public. It does not happen in a vacuum. This is what an authentic Spirit filled ministry of the Lord looks like in the midst of God’s people. We see it and hear it when we are gathered together. It echos out of our houses, our gatherings, our “sanctuaries” and into the streets around us. The work of the Spirit is not this intensely private thing the way we often think of it… no, it is “out there” for the world to see… for each other to see. It is “a mighty rushing wind” and “flaming tongues of fire”.

Anyone who has been in a violent storm or a hurricane knows how loud the wind can get! We are used to seeing this accompanied by bending trees, rain, things swirling about. Now imagine hearing this LOUD and intense sound without seeing and feeling these other sensations. God did not send a wind, he sent the SOUND of a wind. I am sure it was crazy for the people gathered. They probably looked outside to see if it was a storm… only to see it sunny and normal. The sound “filled the house where they were sitting.” (v.2) Why is this important? Because this is different then hearing something that is happening “naturally” and identifying God in it… this was something separate. This was not from the “flesh”. It was sound, but it was sound from the Spirit. What a cool picture of how God is fusing together the natural and the spiritual… a natural thing (sound) fused with the spiritual (the Holy Spirit). Everyone in the house could hear it. When the Spirit is moving, it is not “secretive”… it is able to be heard by the entire house!

I don’t know how I would respond if I looked across and saw my friend with a flaming tongue resting on them… coming from the top of their head like a flame on the wick of a candle. The presence of the Holy Spirit is visible… it is observable… and it is not reserved for just one or two people in the “house”. Imagine when they looked around at each other and saw these flaming tongues over their heads. I wonder if they ran up to each other and asked, “do I have one floating on me as well? I can see it on you! It is a flaming tongue… resting on top of you.” I really think it was resting on their heads in such a way that the could not see it themselves. Imagine trying to look at the top of your own head… you can’t! You need a mirror. The people of God are the “mirrors” for each other. We can see the work of the Holy Spirit in someone else… and they can see it in us. We identify it in the life of others and they do the same for us. In this way God has made us dependent upon one another to discern and develop Spirit-giftedness. We have to trust one another when we are told that the “flame is there” so to speak.

“Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together…” (v.5,6) It is the sound of the Holy Spirit that poured out into the streets. At least 3000 people came when they heard it! 3000 people… let that sink in! The work of the Spirit is powerful and effective. The Spirit draws people to Christ. What is Important is that the effects of the Spirit were experienced by “non-believers”… outsiders… people being drawn in for the first time towards Christ. I don’t think they saw the tongues of fire, but we know they heard the sound. People outside of Christ cannot experience ALL of the working of the Spirit (in this case they didn’t get to see fire-tongues) but they heard the sound and were drawn to the house. We cannot expect the outside world to be able to identify the Spirit in us as God’s people, but we also should not expect the Spirit to only be seen and observed within the family of God. The Holy Spirit is observable to those inside the family as well as outside the family of God!

Have you ever asked someone to tell you where they see the Spirit in your life? Have you been guilty of thinking that the work of the Holy Spirit is intensely “internal” and “secret”… unable to ever be seen or heard? What if God speaks to us audibly as well as through his word and through internal “inklings”? Could sounds even be a part of how the Holy Spirit shows up? Isn’t music some of the most moving and powerful “sounds” we experience? Have you had moments where the sounds and sights didn’t match what you expected? What are some of the ways you have seen God fuse the “natural” with the “spiritual”? You can see the “flaming tongue” over others! do not be afraid to tell them, and trust them when they tell you. God is doing observable work in and through his people. Things we can literally see and hear. Don’t ignore it. Don’t discount it. This is the “promise” Jesus spoke of in Acts 1. More to come. Love you guys. - JDP