What Is the Gift of Tongues? A Foundation of Fire, Power, and Love

For a long time, I didn’t understand the gift of tongues. I used to think people who spoke in tongues were doing too much, not because I hated the idea, but because it felt performative. Like incantations instead of something holy. When I heard it, I couldn’t verify what I was hearing, and if I couldn’t interpret it, how did I know it was even from God? Eventually, I realized I was sitting in a seat I didn’t belong in: the seat of the judge.

Scripture calls us to test things, but not to condemn. The moment we move from discernment into condemnation, we step into dangerous territory, acting as the gatekeeper of someone else’s relationship with God. I never want to be in that seat. So today, I approach this topic with reverence, curiosity, and hopefully, humility.

This is the first part of a series on the gift of tongues. To truly understand what happens in Acts 2, we need to zoom out. That moment, full of fire and wonder, was not random. It was the culmination of something far greater: a divine love story written through generations.

Setting the Scene: The Promise Before the Power

Let’s begin with Acts 2:1–3:

"When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them."

Before we focus on the tongues, let’s look at what led to that moment. Acts 2 didn’t happen in isolation. There was context, promise, and divine timing.

After Jesus rose from the dead, He didn’t vanish. For forty days, He appeared to His disciples, teaching, eating, and encouraging them. Before ascending into heaven, He gave them one final command: “Don’t leave Jerusalem. Wait. You’re going to be baptized with the Holy Spirit in just a few days.”

Then Jesus ascended, lifted into the sky before their eyes. Imagine standing there, watching the One who defeated death rise into the clouds, leaving you with a promise and a command. The disciples could have scattered, but instead, they obeyed. They returned to Jerusalem and gathered in an upper room—a simple upstairs space in someone’s home. Not a temple. Not a stage. Just a room.

Acts 1 tells us there were about 120 people present. Men and women. The eleven remaining apostles. Mary, the mother of Jesus. Other believers. They didn’t know what the Holy Spirit’s arrival would look like, but they waited in prayer, united in faith. That posture—obedient, prayerful, and expectant—set the stage for what was to come.

Tongues as Empowerment, Not Salvation

Theologically, these followers were already believers. In John 20:22, Jesus had already breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” So when the Spirit came in Acts 2, it was not about salvation. It was about empowerment. Tongues weren’t a sign that they had just been saved. They were evidence of the power Jesus had promised.

Pentecost and Its Deeper Roots

Let’s take a closer look at Acts 2:1. “When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place.” Today, the word Pentecost often brings to mind fire, shouting, or maybe confusion. But Pentecost didn’t begin in Acts 2.

The word "Pentecost" comes from the Greek word for "fiftieth" and refers to the Jewish festival of Shavuot, which means “weeks.” Shavuot is celebrated exactly seven weeks, or fifty days, after Passover. To understand this, we need to go further back—to Egypt, Moses, and the first Passover.

You might remember the story. Moses stood before Pharaoh repeatedly, saying, “Let my people go.” Pharaoh refused until God sent a final judgment. Every firstborn in Egypt would die unless there was blood on the doorposts. God instructed His people to sacrifice a spotless lamb and mark their doorframes with its blood. “When I see the blood,” He said, “I will pass over you.”

That night became known as Passover. God protected His people, and Pharaoh finally released them. It was a night of judgment and mercy, death and deliverance. It marked the beginning of their journey from slavery to freedom.

From Freedom to Formation

But the journey didn’t end with freedom. It continued toward formation. Fifty days after that first Passover, the Israelites stood at Mount Sinai. There, God gave Moses the Torah—His law. But it wasn’t just a rulebook. It was identity. God was saying, “Here’s who you are. Here’s how to live as My people.”

This moment—the giving of the Torah—is what Shavuot celebrates. A covenant was made. A people were formed. And it was on this sacred day that the Spirit would fall again in Acts 2.

Ruth and Redemption

During Shavuot, Jewish people also read the book of Ruth. Ruth wasn’t an Israelite. She was a Moabite, an outsider. But through her faith and loyalty, she was grafted into the family. She became the great-grandmother of King David and part of Jesus’ lineage. Her story is about harvest, but also about redemption and inclusion.

On the very day Ruth’s story was read in synagogues across Jerusalem, God poured out His Spirit on people from every nation. Jews and Gentiles alike. Ruth was the foreshadowing. Acts 2 was the fulfillment.

The Wind, the Fire, and the Filling

Then came the moment: “Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house.” It wasn’t literal wind, but the sound of it. Forceful. Unignorable. Symbolic. God was breathing. And when God breathes, things change.

Next, they saw tongues like flames of fire that rested on each person. Not just the bold. Not just the apostles. Each one. Fire didn’t consume them. It marked them. Like with Moses and the burning bush, this wasn’t destruction. It was designation.

Throughout Scripture, fire represents many things:

• God’s presence (like the burning bush)

• God’s purity, like a refiner’s fire that purifies gold, burning away impurities and revealing beauty

• God’s power (as with Elijah calling down fire)

• God’s guidance (like the pillar of fire that led Israel in the wilderness)

So when fire appeared in Acts 2, God was saying, “I am here. I am holy. I am powerful. And I will guide you from within.”

Then, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues. Not by training. Not by imitation. But as the Spirit enabled them. It wasn’t performance. It was power. This wasn’t proof of salvation. It was the empowerment Jesus promised in Acts 1:8: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses.”

The Foundation of Tongues: A Love Story

So what does all of this mean?

This post wasn’t just about Acts 2. It was about the foundation. Because tongues didn’t begin in the upper room. They began in a love story that God has been writing since the beginning:

• A lamb at Passover

• A covenant at Sinai

• A harvest at Shavuot

• A fire that rested instead of destroying

The gift of tongues is not random. It is not chaotic. It is deeply rooted in Scripture. It is a symbol of God’s love, His power, and His presence. It is not about performance or pressure. It is about partnership with the Spirit. And it is not just about personal connection with God. It is also about love for one another.

If you remember nothing else, remember this: the gift of tongues is part of a love story. A faithful God who redeems, empowers, and fills ordinary people so they can carry His glory into the world.

This is the foundation. The rest of the series will build from here.