Why the Holy Spirit Still Sets Hearts on Fire
What if the light of Pentecost wasn’t just a moment—but a mission? This reflection explores how the Spirit still burns within believers today, calling us to shine in a world full of artificial light.
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The Coming of the Holy Spirit
1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested[a] on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
Peter's Sermon at Pentecost
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.[b] 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
18 even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
20 the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
Light Bearers: How the Holy Spirit Makes Us Glow in a Dark World
"When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit..." Acts 2:1-4
When was the last time you remember seeing lightning bugs or fireflies on a warm summer evening? For many of us, it's been far too long. Scientists say they're disappearing due to pesticides, urban sprawl, and perhaps most significantly, light pollution. When night used to fall, it was actually dark, and in that darkness, these glowing creatures brought joy and amazement as they lit up the night.
On Pentecost Sunday, we celebrate God's greatest gift outside of salvation—the creation of a church and faith community that allows God not only to be in our presence, but to live in and through us. In the midst of a dark world, the world can see the light and hope that only comes from our Savior and Creator.
The Fire That Rested on Each of Them
Scripture tells us that on Pentecost, "divided tongues as of fire appeared among them and a tongue rested on each of them" (Acts 2:3). It was light in the midst of their darkness. Here were followers of Christ who had been told to go and wait, but they were fearful, excluded, living in a time of darkness and uncertainty—until Christ gave them the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit came and dwelt in their midst, setting their hearts aflame. This symbolism connects directly to Christ Himself, where Jesus said, "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12). The fact that these tongues of fire rested on each of Christ's followers on Pentecost shows that when the Spirit fills us, we begin to radiate with the light of Christ.
Spirit-filled Christians—those who are followers of Christ, those who have accepted Him as Lord—have the Spirit living within them. The whole idea is that the Spirit then begins to shine so the world around us, in the midst of a dark world, we become like fireflies and lightning bugs, allowing people to see light in the midst of darkness.
What Makes Us Glow
There's a story of a boy who was fascinated by lightning bugs on a warm June evening. He ran to his father asking, "Daddy, what makes a lightning bug glow?" When his dad admitted he wasn't sure, the boy ran back outside, determined to figure it out himself.
Like any child, he tried to catch them, missing again and again until finally he caught one. When he opened his hand, he found a broken, mangled mess—but it was still glowing. He ran back to his father excitedly: "Daddy, I figured out what makes lightning bugs glow!" When his father asked what he'd discovered, the boy replied, "The stuff on the inside!"
That's exactly what makes you and me glow. It is the stuff on the inside—the very presence of God's Spirit that dwells within us, that came down on earth and invested Himself in all of Christ's followers from the day of Pentecost. This gives us that illumination so that others can see, even in our brokenness and oftentimes even through our sinfulness, something that's more than just you and me. They can see God.
The God who is so magnificent—the Creator of universes, the Creator of the smallest details of creation, the One who is above all—also lives within and shows through. God shines through His followers so powerfully that on the day of Pentecost, thousands in the city heard an amazing sound of wind, witnessed tongues of fire sitting upon the disciples, and it rippled through Jerusalem. People's lives were transformed as everyone heard the gospel in their own language (Acts 2:5-11).
Overcoming the Competing Lights
When John wrote about Jesus coming into the world, he described Jesus as "the light of all people" (John 1:4). A little later he said, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5).
The darkness—sin, despair, evil, troubles—does not overcome the light of Christ. However, there are other lights that shine in this world, and sometimes it seems like the light of Christ isn't as bright. One reason lightning bugs are disappearing is because of all the lights around us. The male lightning bugs glow to attract females, but when there's so much artificial light pollution, they can't connect, and thus they're not multiplying.
The same principle applies to our spiritual lives. When we allow the competing lights of this world to dim our perception of Christ's light, our spiritual effectiveness diminishes.
Revival in Cuba: A Modern Pentecost
Bishop Ricardo Pereira, head of the Cuban Methodist Church, witnessed this principle firsthand. In the 1950s, when Fidel Castro took over, dark days came for the Christian churches. Almost overnight, American missionaries left, many pastors fled, and only three elders remained in the entire Cuban conference. Church membership dropped from more than 10,000 to less than 3,000.
These dark days continued for years until the late 1980s, when three young men on the far west side of the island felt God calling them to do something about the declining spiritual movement. They decided to stay in God's presence until God showed up. They went to their small home church and stayed there for days, praying and fasting.
God, as He always does, showed up. It was almost like a Pentecost moment because God appeared so powerfully among those three young men that they began to share the gospel, and their whole corner of the island heard that something miraculous was happening.
When Bishop Pereira heard about this event, he rushed to meet these three young men. After hearing their story and testimony, he told them, "I'm not leaving here until I'm filled with the Spirit like you are." Together, they sat in that small church for days, praying and fasting, and God faithfully poured out His Spirit once again.
There has been a revival going on in Cuba for almost 40 years now that began in that small church with three young men who trusted that if God would show up, the miraculous could happen.
The Fruit of Revival
One life transformed was Isel González, a 21-year-old woman who hadn't been in church for a long time. She described what it was like in Cuba: "There were no Christian programs on television. You didn't have the freedom to give a message, to stand on the corner, or to talk about Jesus. The message basically spread from one to one."
"God changed my life overnight," she said. "He took me from the darkest place where I was totally lost and made me new. I went to church one day when I was 21, and someone said she felt the Holy Spirit leading her to lay hands on me and pray. I was filled with the Holy Spirit right away, and I left the sanctuary singing and jumping, not knowing what else to do."
Today, because of the Holy Spirit's indwelling, 99.4% of the island's municipalities have a church community. The bishop says he can perceive no slowing down of the Spirit's revival.
González later described the evangelism that took place: "Every day before I would go out, I would pray, 'Lord, in the power of your Holy Spirit, show me someone who needs to hear your word today.'" There are nearly 2,000 prayer cells across the island, and every week, people are received into membership of the Methodist Church in Cuba.
González noted a remarkable difference: "In the United States, there are generally many more members of the Methodist Church than are reflected in attendance. In Cuba, it's the opposite." When she shared this story, there were 51,266 Cuban Methodist members, but an estimated 80,000 came to worship every week.
This is only possible because of the Holy Spirit's presence.
Our Calling as Light Bearers
The coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost lit a fire that has continued to burn for over 2,000 years, and we're part of that. We are part of a revival that came out through God's people—as sinful and broken as we are—and continues today.
God is so big but dwells within us, so certainly we're going to be seen. What makes us glow is what's inside.
Our mission as followers of Christ is clear: glorifying God and making disciples of Jesus Christ among all peoples (Matthew 28:19-20). We're called to be light bearers, called to shine, to allow Christ to shine in and through us.
Malcolm Muggeridge, who spent time with Mother Teresa, watched her work among the people of Calcutta. He observed her pick the poor out of the streets, treat them with dignity and love, and share the hope and light of Christ. He later wrote: "God's universal love has rubbed off on Mother Teresa, giving her features of noticeable luminosity, a shining quality."
God is so big, and He lives within, and He shines through us if we will simply open our hearts and allow Christ to do things that are beyond us. Instead of trying to control the situation, we must allow God to speak and live and shine—then people can't help but see.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5). Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).
I hope you might get to see the beauty of fireflies somewhere. But more than that, I hope and pray that the fire of the Holy Spirit burns brightly within us so that the world might see the glow and the glory of our God, our Savior, and our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
TL;DR
Pentecost isn’t just a moment in church history—it’s the starting point of a mission that continues through us.
In this blog, we’re reminded that the fire of the Holy Spirit still rests on believers, making us “light bearers” in a dark world.
Like lightning bugs glowing in summer darkness, we shine not by effort, but by what’s inside us: the indwelling Spirit of God.
