The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost
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.
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Romans 8:26-27 New International Version (NIV)
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
Last Sunday was Pentecost, the day that commemorates when the Holy Spirit energized an iconic gathering of the Apostles. Often we emphasize the speech of the Apostles at this meeting. I would like to emphasize what they saw – what seemed to be tongues of fire. That is (after sound) the introduction of the Holy Spirit was graphical in nature rather than verbal. The tongues of fire inspired speech and preceded it. It is my belief that this is the case today. Often the Holy Spirit communicates with flashes of visuals that are later fleshed out in verbal meaning. It is trite but absolutely true that one graphic equates with 1000 words and involutes feelings that have no ready verbal or rational equivalents. The next time you get hit with an inspiration initiated by the Holy Spirit, consider whether or not visuals (mental or otherwise) preceded language.
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