Gifts Poured Out

Dear beloved: The gifts of the Holy Spirit were poured out in a most dramatic fashion in the second chapter of Acts, beginning in verse one. Next to the resurrection and the second coming of Jesus, this is the most exciting passage of scripture in the New Testament, when God actually gave man the opportunity to have His Spirit live inside of us. Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together(in one accord) v2 and suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. v3 And it appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. v4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. The first thing we note is that they were all of one accord, a key to us in receiving the Holy Spirit baptism is to cleanse your heart of any anger, bitterness, or unforgiveness towards anyone, and you will then be prepared to receive the blessings that God wants to pour into your Holy Temple.

The Holy Spirit appeared as tongues of fire, the fire of God. Many times in scripture God is depicted as fire or represented Himself to man as fire. Exodus3:2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him(Moses)in a flame of fire out in a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. Exodus 13:21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night by a pillar of fire, to give them light, to go by day and night. Exodus 27:20 And thou shall command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause the light(candlestick of the temple) to burn always. And then in the New Testament, John the Baptist prophesied that Jesus would bring the fire to us. Matt.3:11 "As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." So there in Acts 2 the fire came, and the fire of the temple candlestick, of the burning bush, came and split itself, and rested upon them! I had a picture given to me a few years ago of a revival meeting in Africa, and the picture taken with a common digital camera, showed tongues or pillars of fire resting on top of each person's head at the meeting. The fire is real, it is the fire God desires for each of us as we go into the world to be witnesses for Him! Jesus then prophesied to the apostles in Acts 1:5 "for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit(and fire) not many days from now." And then in verse 8, Jesus prophesied the Holy Spirit would bring power with it. Acts 1:8 "but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest parts of the earth."

So you can see that when the Holy Spirit was poured out, it brought with it fire, which speaks of God's guiding light, of passion, and of the unquenchable fire to burn up the chaff in the believers heart(Matt 3:12), and also in the hearts of those who come under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Beloved, God's desire for each of us is to know that fire. It truly is the way to have the power( Greek word is dunamis, inherent power capable of reproducing itself like a dynamo, or dynamite) not only to be able to defeat the enemy in our life, but also to go into all the world and witness to the lost about the hope that lies within us. Isn't God great, He knows just what we need and He also knows how to give it to us! But God is such a gracious God, He will never force Himself or His gifts on anyone, He is a perfect gentleman. Ask and you shall receive as you pray this day, and also ask the Lord to remove any hindrance or roadblocks to receiving, such as anger, unforgiveness, or fear. Then wait in expectation just as the apostles did on that day at Pentecost. God Bless you, in Christ, Jim