When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. [2] Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. [3] There appeared to them tongues as of fire, being distributed and resting on each of them, [4] and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to speak. —Acts 2:1-4 MEV
Week 1 THE SPIRIT
Remember when Jesus was speaking to the disciples about prayer He said “in that day” you will pray to the Father in my name, “in that day” speaks of the church age when the gift of the Holy Spirit would be poured out and they would pray in a new way…
• Pray to the Father
• Pray in Jesus Name
• Pray with God’s Word dwelling in your heart in John 15:7
• Jesus also stressed the importance of faith and forgiveness as a condition for answered prayer in Mark 11:23-25
• And there was something more that we would need in order to fulfill the call and that is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, or the promise of the Father, or being “filled” with the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit wants to empower you and it begins by yielding to Him and praying in the Holy Spirit which requires faith on your part.
Week 2 THE WIND
The Holy Spirit is the guide inside and He will lead us into the Fathers good plans. Jesus described what should happen in the lives of born again believers…
THE WIND blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” — John 3:8 MEV
THE WIND of the Spirit can only be discerned by having a prayer life. Capture this picture of Jesus as He was baptized. It can be a picture of our prayer life—dynamic, life giving! In the river, under an open heaven, the spirit upon, hearing the voice of the Father!
After Jesus was baptized the scripture reads…
Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. — Luke 4:1 MEV
God wants you to be filled so that you can be led. Its not a onetime event but a continuous experience as we see in the book of Acts. They were filled and refilled. So praying in the Spirit or praying in tongues puts your spirit in control over your flesh and helps you come under the control and direction of the Holy Spirt.
Week 3 FIRE!
Just as wind describes the activity of the Holy Spirt so we see on Pentecost fire descended in the form of ‘cloven tongues’ (holy fire) upon the disciples, that fire took control of their tongue.
There appeared to them tongues as of fire, being distributed and resting on each of them, [4] and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to speak. —Acts 2:1-4 MEV
John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire! —Luke 3:16 KJV
Praying in the Spirit will bring the fire of God’s presence into your life! It will ignite a fire—spiritual passion, fervency, and boldness.
Tongues is foolishness to the world but to the believer it is the power of God! It gives us a mouth to speak for God!
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you shall be My witnesses… —Acts 1:8 MEV
When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were illiterate and uneducated men, they marveled. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. —Acts 4:13 MEV
“Now, Lord, look on their threats and grant that Your servants may speak Your word with great boldness, by stretching out Your hand to heal and that signs and wonders may be performed in the name of Your holy Son Jesus.” When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness. —Acts 4:29-31 MEV
Bold: to be frank (forthright, open, direct, straight) in utterance or confident in spirit
The Apostle Paul had this same boldness and testimony.
I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. For it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. —Romans 1:16 MEV
In the Old Testament God’s glory and presence was revealed by a consuming fire.
• Fire represents the divine presence—God’s glory
• Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:3,4)
• God’s glory at Mt Sinai was the appearance of fire (Exodus 24:17; Deuteronomy 4:11,12)
• The emblem of God’s presence with Israel in the wilderness (Numbers 9:15)
• God answers Elijah’s prayer at Mt Carmel with fire (1 Kings 18:24)
Elijah at Mount Carmel before the prophets of Baal declared, “I will call on the name of the LORD, and the God that answers by fire, let Him be God.”
For our God is a consuming fire. —Hebrews 12:29 MEV
The Spirit says, “I will answer your prayer with fire, the fire of my presence”
Finish Strong! 