It’s the weekend of Pentecost! An event where the Holy Spirit descends upon the disciples 50 days after the miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Not only is this event memorable because of the display of the power of the Holy Spirit but it also marks the birth of the Church and the beginning of the public ministry of the disciples of Jesus.
What exactly is this Pentecost?
1. The Coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2: 1–4)
We read about The Spirit of God arriving with wind and fire (biblical symbols of God’s presence e.g. Exod. 19:18; Ezek. 37:9). The “tongues of fire” resting on each person is a reference to the personal and yet universal nature of the Spirit’s dwelling in us. They all start speaking in tongues (glossolalia). This moment fulfills Joel 2:28–32 and Jesus’ promise in Acts 1:8, launching the new covenant where God’s Spirit dwells within all believers.
2. The Multilingual Witness (Acts 2: 5–13)
Devout Jews from “every nation under heaven” hear the disciples in their own languages. This is more than a miracle; it’s God’s way of showing that the gospel is not limited to a certain ethnicity but is global and accessible to all. Some mock the disciples; calling them drunk and not understanding the miracle that is happening in their presence.
Before moving on I want to quickly sidetrack here because unfortunately this is the only message people take from the story of Pentecost. It has been reduced to ‘The Spirit of God descended on man and the proof of this is that they were able to speak in tongues’.
Anyone who read my post: The Language of the Spirit: Authentic Manifestations or Imitations? will have an idea of my frustrations with this limited way of thinking. It’s not my job to convince anyone (that’s the job of the Holy Spirit) or change your mind on certain doctrines but before you come for me, there are a few questions we should try to answer for ourselves.
1. Is speaking in tongues the ONLY way to prove someone has been baptized by the Holy Spirit?
No. Nowhere in Scripture does it say that tongues are the only evidence of Spirit baptism (please let me know if I’m wrong).
In Acts 2, 10, and 19, tongues accompanied Spirit baptism, but in Acts 8, there’s no mention of tongues, and in Acts 9 Apostle Paul is filled with the Spirit but speaks in tongues later (1 Cor. 14:18).
Even Apostle Paul asks in 1 Corinthians 12:30: “Do all speak in tongues?”
Conclusion = Speaking in tongues is one of the many signs that one has been baptized in the Holy Spirit but not THE sign.
I highly doubt the disciples went around speaking in tongues every 5 sentences & whenever they felt like it (and these people actually walked and lived with Jesus Christ Himself).
2. What is this “gift of the Holy Spirit” that Acts talks about?
The “gift of the Holy Spirit” here I believe refers to being able to receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was gifted to us after the departure of Jesus Christ. Remember Joel 2 which promised a time when God would pour out His Spirit on all people, not just prophets or priests?
But let’s even assume for the fun of it that it’s about the gift of the Spirit.
What are these gifts?
Romans 12:6-8 (Motivations/service oriented gifts) = Prophecy, serving, teaching, encouragement (exhortation), giving, leadership, mercy.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (Manifestation gifts) = Word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, speaking in different kinds of tongues, interpretation of tongues.
1 Corinthians 12:28 (Ministry/Office focused gifts) = Apostles, prophets, teachers, miracles, healing, helps, administration, tongues.
Ephesians 4:11-13 (Leadership/Equipping Roles) = Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers.
1 Peter 4:10-11 (broader gifts) = Speaking gifts, serving gifts.
So let’s not pick and choose as we like. Either every believer is supposed to have ALL the gifts of the Spirit OR we accept that everyone will have certain (limited) gifts.
3. Are tongues for personal edification (man to God) or a Prophecy (God to man)?
Today was the first time this differentiation was brought to my attention and honestly it makes so much sense.
- Private tongues: 1 Corinthians 14:2. “For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God… he utters mysteries in the Spirit.”
- Public tongues with interpretation: 1 Corinthians 14:5, 27–28. This is used like prophecy, to edify the Church when interpreted.
So it means when tongues are spoken without interpretation → personal prayer (edification) and when tongues are spoken with interpretation → communal edification (like prophecy)
Now this brings me to the next question…..
4. Where did the practice of loudly speaking in tongues in the microphone during prayers/worship come from?
This practice is more cultural and stylistic than biblical and it IRKS me so bad. First of all there is no instruction in Scripture to begin preaching or leading prayers/worship with tongues.
If you’re leading a congregation in prayers or in worship, lead in a language they can understand!!
If you want to get in the mood for your own personal satisfaction…kindly put some distance between yourself and the microphone. Nothing annoys me more than when I’m trying to pray and someone is distracting me by screaming out some random sounds into the microphone.
Call out a prayer so the church can follow and if during the prayers you feel like speaking in tongues, want to sing or whatever, that is perfectly fine. But not in a way that you put the microphone right in front of your mouth and overshadow the thoughts of the congregation trying to follow the prayers.
Same thing for worship leaders who go on chanting/speaking in tongues for 5 minutes before starting their songs….WHY?
Don’t even get me started with the overbearing instruments and atmosphere manipulating sounds.
Please let’s behave ourselves 😡.
5. Where does it say every single child of God must speak in tongues?
Nowhere. Quite the opposite: “Do all speak in tongues?” (1 Cor. 12:30). The implied answer is no.
If I hear ‘Speaking in tongues means you’ve been baptized by the Holy Spirit’ one more time, I might actually scream.
I honestly see this as a form of bullying because it implies that anyone who can’t speak in tongues isn’t baptized by the Holy Spirit. So many Christians feel inferior because of this statement and others even practice/rehearse and fake their tongues just so they can be seen as holy. I highly doubt this was what God intended when He gave some this gift.
But before I get too carried away by my irritation on how the tongues of the spirit have been simplified and abused, let’s get back to the message of the day.
3. Peter’s Sermon (Acts 2: 14–36)
Peter interprets the event throughout Scripture; Joel, Psalms, and David’s legacy to show that Jesus is both Messiah and Lord. He connects the gift of the Spirit with Jesus’ death, resurrection, and exaltation and emphasizes that the Spirit comes only through the risen Christ. His use of Psalm 16 and 110 shows that Jesus fulfills Israel’s messianic hopes, but in an unexpected, crucified way a suffering Messiah glorified by God.
4. Call to repentance and the birth of the Church (Acts 2: 37–41)
Peter’s sermon is a call to repent and be baptized. He introduces the gospel: repentance, faith, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The baptism of 3,000 people marks the formal establishment of the Church, not as a political entity but a Spirit-empowered, Christ-centered community.
Conclusion:
Pentecost is much more than the beginning of speaking in tongues as a sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
It’s about how God filled people with His Holy Spirit and changed their hearts. It was an opportunity for those who didn’t believe in Him to still be saved. That day, 3,000 people believed, got baptized, and became followers of Jesus. This was the beginning of the Church. From that moment on, God’s Spirit would live in every believer; guiding, empowering, and helping them to live out their faith and share the good news.
So, Pentecost is not just about dramatic signs or speaking in tongues. It’s about God keeping His promise to be with His people. It’s about the start of a Spirit-filled community of people who love Jesus, live changed lives, and are sent out to change the world.
Stay Blessed x
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