Holy Fire, The Spirit Has Come!
With Pentecost just behind us, this article offers a timely and powerful reflection on the enduring work of the Holy Spirit. Tracing the biblical narrative, Adrian Horner invites us to consider not only Pentecost past, but Pentecost present: a Church alive with the Spirit, empowered for mission and aflame with worship. This is a passionate call to seek more of God's presence in our gatherings and lives.
Pentecost: The Holy Spirit poured out in fulfilment of Old Testament promises
ADRIAN HORNER: One of Scripture’s grandest narratives is the presence of God’s Spirit among His people. Both the first and last chapters of the Bible provide a glorious description of the Lord dwelling with and in His creation!
With Pentecost Sunday just behind us, it feels like an opportune time to explore some verses that focus on the Holy Spirit. I aim to provide an overview of the Spirit’s activity throughout the Bible and to demonstrate how the same Spirit continues to empower God’s people and mission in every generation.
So, grab a coffee, get comfortable and read on.
The Spirit in the Old Testament
In Genesis, we see that the Spirit of God hovers over the formless and empty earth, and a chapter later we see God breathing life by the same Spirit into dust to create man (Genesis 1:2, 2:7). How rich the diversity, how intimate is the action of Him breathing into Adam’s nostrils!
We read in Exodus that the Spirit come first to anoint Moses, then rests visibly upon a tent in the desert and leads a multitude by holy fire (Exodus 3:2, 13:21). Later on, Moses sees the Spirit proceed to rest upon a further seventy leaders (Numbers 11:17).
Fast forward a fair few centuries, and flames of holy fire come upon the altar in Solomon’s stone temple in the royal city. On this occasion, individual priests are also anointed by God (2 Chronicles 7:1).
Yet, despite all the glory of each of these moments, the prophets spoke of greater and more glorious times to come! Ezekiel prophesied of an anointed army and a mighty river (Ezekiel 37 and 47), Joel prophesied of an outpouring of the Spirit (Joel 2) and Isaiah spoke of an anointed one, the Messiah (Isaiah 61).
The baptism of Jesus: The Spirit descended on him like a dove.
The Spirit in the New Testament
In the New Testament, we witness Jesus, the Christ (the Anointed One), at His baptism, interacting with the Spirit who rests on Him like a dove. Later, He declares that He is the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy, pronouncing ‘The Spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me’! (Luke 3:22, 4:18). And after three years of fruitful ministry, He told His disciples that His departure was necessary—and that even greater works and a fuller outpouring of the Holy Spirit lay ahead (John 16:7, 15, 24).
“As the anointed apostles travelled, taught and planted churches, the fire spread through the laying on of hands. Spiritual gifts were imparted, and whole cities were transformed by empowered believers. What began as an anointing on one now flowed to many, and Christianity went global!”
Following the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ, a truly momentous world-changing outpouring begins (Acts 2). The waiting disciples, gathered in a room, are filled with the same fire that fell in the tent and temple, the same Spirit that filled Jesus is now poured out on the twelve/them all. Indeed, this outpouring marked the Anointed One revealing Himself through and empowering His anointed people!
There at Pentecost, Peter announces that this is the very fulfilment of what Joel had prophesied centuries before: God says, 'I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh!' (2:17). Following the trail of fire and wind onto the street, the disciples spoke in diverse languages as the Spirit released God’s Word from the Hebrew Scriptures into every tongue under heaven.
As the anointed apostles travelled, taught and planted churches, the fire spread through the laying on of hands. Spiritual gifts were imparted, and whole cities were transformed by empowered believers. What began as an anointing on one now flowed to many, and Christianity went global!
No wonder Paul asked the disciples in Ephesus, ‘Did you receive the Spirit when you believed?’ It was not a theological question; he was assessing their grounding in the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecies about the Spirit and the genuineness of their new birth in Christ. Why? Because the future of the Ephesian church hung in the balance (Acts 19:1–7).
Pentecost past and present
So, brothers and sisters, as we remember Pentecost past, let us also cry out for Pentecost present: the Spirit poured out on all ages in our churches, the Spirit poured out on anointed leaders and His presence evident among us as we gather to worship the living God. In this age, following Peter’s declaration in Acts, the anointing must continue to be an anointing on the many!
“For followers of Christ, life in the Spirit, promised throughout Scripture, is both our inheritance and our longing.”
Paul also knew the value of God’s presence among His people, urging the Thessalonians, ‘Do not quench the Spirit’s fire’ (1 Thessalonians 5:19). What might he say to our churches today? How vibrant is the fireplace of prayer and worship where you are?
The New Testament portrays Churches as places where God is worshipped, Scripture is taught, Jesus is exalted and the fire of the Spirit burns brightly, filling His people with joy. Time and again, we witness the Spirit anointing men and women, distributing spiritual gifts, stirring prayer and compassion and commissioning them for global mission. These apostolic foundations remain our pattern for Relational Mission today!
For followers of Christ, life in the Spirit, promised throughout Scripture, is both our inheritance and our longing. As Jesus declared, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ He was speaking of the Spirit, whom believers would receive after His glorification (John 7:37–39).
Pursuing the Spirit
To paraphrase Paul from Acts 19: Have we received our Pentecost?! The waves of God’s Holy Spirit, announced by the apostle Peter, must continue to shape and inspire us. Let us not settle for a routine or a memory of previous high tides of the Spirit. Let us ask and receive, let us lay hands on one another, praying for more of the Spirit. Let us teach the foundation of baptism of the Holy Spirit to new believers and the importance of being continuously filled for us all (Ephesians 5:18).
Friends, the good news is that we can still ask. As many of us can testify, the heart of Jesus to anoint His people has not diminished!
Happy Pentecost!
by Adrian Horner
Based at Kingsgate Church in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, Adrian Horner travels extensively serving churches and leadership teams with a strong prophetic gifting. Having pioneered and then led the team at Open Door Church, in Kettering in the UK, he has a unique way of blending both strategic insight, pastoral and prophetic ministry to serve others. Adrian is married to Koreen, and they have three grown-up children.