Luke, the converted physician who wrote Luke and Acts, works hard to describe the indescribable event of Pentecost- the moment many scholars describe as "the birth of the church". Let's consider some of the things Luke shares in Acts 2.
Like wind. No, not a wind, but a sound like wind. More specifically, a sound from heaven like a "rushing mighty wind" (King James Version) or like a "violent wind" (New International Version) (Acts 2:2).
Like fire. I am hoping for someone, someday, to preach on this: the connection between the sight of something like tongues split in half and on fire, and the subsequent experience of the disciples' manifestation of speaking in tongues (Acts 2:3-4).
The sound filled the house. One hundred and twenty people experienced this amazing sign: the sound of a violent wind, but no feeling of wind blowing as they sat indoors (Acts 2:2).
The Spirit filled their hearts. As the Holy Spirit allowed, men and women began to proclaim the works of God in languages they had never learned. The crowd outside did not hear the wind of God, but they certainly heard the word of God.
What a blessing that Luke's letters to Theophilus are part of Scripture, to instruct billions of men and women about the work of Christ and the ministry of the Spirit!
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