Get the Flame: The Meaning and Mission of Pentecost
A new era in human history
What happened in the upper room on the day of Pentecost was more than simply a supernatural visitation, though it certainly was that. It was the launch of a new era in human history, and we are still living in the ripple effects today.
Too often, Pentecost gets reduced to a charismatic controversy, dividing people over issues like tongues or spiritual gifts. But Acts 2 isn’t primarily about tongues. It’s about the reign of Jesus, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and the commissioning of a people who would carry His Kingdom to the ends of the earth.
Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were “clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). So they waited. They obeyed, and the Spirit came.
A Temple Made of People
From Eden to Sinai, from the tabernacle to Solomon’s temple, God had always made a way to be near His people. But every dwelling had been temporary until now.
Pentecost changed that. Shadow became substance and prophecy turned into fulfillment.
The fire that fell in Acts 2 is the same fire that fell on Mount Sinai (Ex. 19), the same fire that filled the tabernacle (Ex. 40), the same cloud that overwhelmed Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 8). But this time, the fire didn’t fall on a mountain or a building. It fell on people.
Luke, the writer of Acts, is showing us that something deeply profound and earthshaking has happened: People have become the new temple.
The Spirit isn’t coming on just a few select prophets or kings. He’s being poured out on all flesh, sons and daughters, old and young, male and female. In Christ, we’ve become the new dwelling place of God.
This Changes Everything
Pentecost isn’t a charismatic doctrine. It’s not something that only certain denominations have the corner market on. It’s a cosmic announcement: the age to come has broken into the present.
Jesus didn’t just rise from the dead, He ascended to the throne. And from that throne, He poured out His Spirit. Which means the Kingdom isn’t just something that is bottled up for the future, God has broken into human history now by the gift of His Spirit.
Pentecost signifies that the future has now come upon us. The giving of the Spirit signifies the presence of the future Kingdom breaking into our present moment.
We live in the overlap of ages, rescued from sin, empowered for mission, anticipating the return of the King. And until that day, we are His witnesses of the age to come.
The Spirit is now leading the Church forward under the reign and direction of Jesus.
The Reversal of Babel
What happened in the upper room wasn’t only about experiencing the presence of God, it was about the mission of God.
Remember Genesis 11? Humanity tried to reach heaven by building a tower. God responded by confusing their languages and scattering them.
Now in Acts 2, the nations are gathered again, but this time, it’s not judgment that falls. It’s grace. And instead of confusion, there’s astonishment.
Pentecost is the reversal of Babel.
In Genesis 11, man tried to go up. In Acts 2, God came down.
At Babel, language divided. At Pentecost, language united.
At Babel, people tried to make a name for themselves. At Pentecost, the name of Jesus is lifted up.
NT Wright comments, “The gift of tongues, of being able to be understood across all language groups, has nothing to do with people reaching a new level of spiritual maturity. It is a sign of the global dominion of the risen and ascended Jesus.”
Cultural barriers are broken and we are seeing the beginnings of a multi-ethnic and international community emerging by the work and power of the Holy Spirit. This new humanity in Christ is being commissioned and empowered by God’s presence to fulfill the mandate that was lost in the Garden.
As G.K. Beale puts it, “Under the kingship of Jesus and through the power of his Spirit the representatives of these nations were to ‘scatter’ again and subdue the powers of evil by filling the earth with God’s presence.”
What the Spirit Does
The Holy Spirit isn’t a vague spiritual force. He’s the active, personal presence of God leading the Church forward. And when He fills a person, things happen:
The fearful become bold preachers.
Ordinary people become prophets.
Fishermen become world-changers.
But it’s not only about boldness. The Spirit sanctifies. He convicts. He comforts. He leads us into truth. He empowers our weakness. He fuels our prayers. He enables our love.
In the Old Testament, only a few were filled. Now, in Christ, every believer becomes a priest, a prophet, and a king (Rev. 1:6). The Spirit distributes gifts to the body for both internal strengthening and outward effectiveness.
The New Community
The Spirit didn’t only create empowered individuals. He formed a community, a people marked by joy, generosity, teaching, worship, and mission. A people who shared meals, saw miracles, and lived as if God were truly among them.
They weren’t just attending a gathering. They were the gathering.
The New Testament Church is the fulfillment of the OT assembly. Where Israel failed, Jesus succeeded, and by His Spirit He has now established His true Church comprising both Jew and Gentile.
NT Wright describes them as “a small working model of the new creation.”
That’s what Pentecost is meant to do. Not just stir us up. Not just give us goosebumps. Definitely not divide us. But rather form us into a people who live now in light of the age to come.
Get the Flame
If we are to be effective witnesses in the world, we need the flame of the Holy Spirit, both individually and corporately.
It was in a Pentecostal drug rehab in west Michigan where the Holy Spirit fell on me and altered my life.
This isn’t about denominations or worship preferences. Pentecost is about the Spirit of God filling and launching the Church into the world with power.
Jesus said, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”
As we approach Pentecost Sunday, may we pray for a greater infusion of the Spirit’s power in our personal lives and in our communities.
Let these words from Evan Roberts fuel your pursuit for the flame of the Spirit:
“Get the Flame” — Evan Roberts
While the fire of God is falling,
while the voice of God is calling,
brothers and sisters, get the flame.
While the torch of God is burning,
men's weak efforts overturning,
Christians get the flame.
While the Holy Ghost is pleading,
human methods superseding,
He himself the flame.
While the power hard hearts is bending,
yield thy own, to Him surrendering,
all to get the flame.
For the world at last is waking,
and beneath His spell is breaking,
into living flame.
And our glorious Lord is seeking,
human hearts, to rouse the sleeping,
fired with heavenly flame.
If in utter self-surrender,
you would work with Christ, remember,
you must get the flame.
For the sake of bruised and dying,
and the lost in darkness lying,
we must get the flame.
For the sake of Christ in glory,
and the spreading of the story,
we must get the flame.
Oh, my soul, for thy refining,
and thy clearer, brighter shining,
do not miss the flame.
On the Holy Ghost relying,
simply trusting and not trying,
you will get the flame.
Brothers and sisters, let us cease our dreaming,
and while God's flood-tide is streaming,
we will have the flame.