WEBVTT 00:00:08.779 --> 00:00:11.380 Though we are not in the liturgical calendar 00:00:11.380 --> 00:00:14.000 of the church where Pentecost would be, that's 00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:18.480 40 days after Easter, we find ourselves in Pentecost 00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:21.079 this morning. We find ourselves with the coming 00:00:21.079 --> 00:00:24.500 of the Holy Spirit, but we've had to work up 00:00:24.500 --> 00:00:28.660 to it, right? As we've looked at the very beginning 00:00:28.660 --> 00:00:31.839 of the book of Acts, we all, a lot of you, it 00:00:31.839 --> 00:00:35.399 was, again, I would have been that way too, that 00:00:35.399 --> 00:00:37.979 we don't think that there's a whole chapter before. 00:00:38.679 --> 00:00:40.399 what we consider Pentecost, the coming of the 00:00:40.399 --> 00:00:43.000 Holy Spirit, the start of the church. And what 00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:45.380 was interesting is some of you over the last 00:00:45.380 --> 00:00:48.060 two weeks messaged me or talked to me about this 00:00:48.060 --> 00:00:50.659 idea that the Lord said, but you need to wait. 00:00:52.140 --> 00:00:54.640 Because we kind of grow up with, you know, and 00:00:54.640 --> 00:00:56.679 I've used this example before, you know, this 00:00:56.679 --> 00:01:00.200 little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine. 00:01:00.299 --> 00:01:02.719 Way to go, 13 of you, right? And it's hiding 00:01:02.719 --> 00:01:06.120 under a bushel. No, I'm going to let it shine, 00:01:06.180 --> 00:01:11.469 right? No one's going to. poof it out, not blow 00:01:11.469 --> 00:01:14.689 it out. No, poof it out or blow it out, whatever. 00:01:15.010 --> 00:01:22.090 Or, you know, all around the... Thank you. Come 00:01:22.090 --> 00:01:24.790 on, Munster Church. All around the neighborhood, 00:01:25.090 --> 00:01:27.549 I'm going to let... Did your churches not teach 00:01:27.549 --> 00:01:30.189 you that? I don't know if they were a true church. 00:01:30.450 --> 00:01:32.730 But understanding, some of you are like, I learned 00:01:32.730 --> 00:01:35.400 it here. Another rhyme for another time. All 00:01:35.400 --> 00:01:38.319 around the neighborhood, I'm going to let it 00:01:38.319 --> 00:01:42.739 shine. That we want to take that Jesus, especially 00:01:42.739 --> 00:01:45.280 when we either profess him for the first time, 00:01:45.319 --> 00:01:47.519 or maybe you grew up in a tradition where you 00:01:47.519 --> 00:01:50.000 accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. There's a 00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:51.780 whole theological debate where it's actually 00:01:51.780 --> 00:01:54.140 the same thing, but that's a whole other rhyme 00:01:54.140 --> 00:01:58.879 for another time. Maybe we just want to go. But 00:01:58.879 --> 00:02:00.599 it's funny how the church didn't start that way. 00:02:01.049 --> 00:02:03.590 The Lord said to Peter, upon you I'm going to 00:02:03.590 --> 00:02:06.829 build my church. He says now go out in Matthew 00:02:06.829 --> 00:02:09.909 28. He says go out in Acts 1. But then he says 00:02:09.909 --> 00:02:12.770 wait. And we've talked about this. Because when 00:02:12.770 --> 00:02:16.569 we go on our own strength, our own power, our 00:02:16.569 --> 00:02:19.409 own vision, if I'm being honest, we're just going 00:02:19.409 --> 00:02:22.469 to mess it up. We have to go with the power of 00:02:22.469 --> 00:02:26.949 the parakletos. Greek for advocate, the Holy 00:02:26.949 --> 00:02:32.460 Spirit. That is how the church goes. Yet, if 00:02:32.460 --> 00:02:34.460 we look at just Class of Silyana, new churches 00:02:34.460 --> 00:02:37.099 pop up for things that are not the work of the 00:02:37.099 --> 00:02:40.740 Holy Spirit. We've broken off churches because 00:02:40.740 --> 00:02:44.620 of language. That's a whole history of this church. 00:02:44.780 --> 00:02:48.699 That Munster Church was one of the last churches 00:02:48.699 --> 00:02:52.240 to Americanize after World War II. What does 00:02:52.240 --> 00:02:54.800 that mean? That we were one of the last churches 00:02:55.759 --> 00:02:58.699 To have its main service, because at one point 00:02:58.699 --> 00:03:00.599 there was like four or five services at this 00:03:00.599 --> 00:03:03.719 church. But we were one of the last ones to Americanize, 00:03:03.719 --> 00:03:06.360 meaning our main service was in English. We were 00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:08.060 one of the last ones to do it. Our main service 00:03:08.060 --> 00:03:12.280 was in Dutch for years and years and years, for 00:03:12.280 --> 00:03:17.319 probably even a century it was. Isn't it funny 00:03:17.319 --> 00:03:21.009 how language plays? When we're trying to tell, 00:03:21.110 --> 00:03:23.710 you know, if you ever go to a foreign country, 00:03:23.810 --> 00:03:26.770 this is before you have apps that can just do 00:03:26.770 --> 00:03:29.930 it for you. And you don't know the language. 00:03:30.590 --> 00:03:35.949 We all speak the language of charades. Think 00:03:35.949 --> 00:03:38.849 about it. If you've ever been 20 years ago before 00:03:38.849 --> 00:03:41.370 we had those apps and you went to another language, 00:03:41.430 --> 00:03:44.590 you either tried to cram, okay, how do you say 00:03:44.590 --> 00:03:46.990 train, how do you say food, yet when you don't 00:03:46.990 --> 00:03:49.150 know, how do you tell someone that you're hungry 00:03:49.150 --> 00:03:51.330 and you want food if language is the barrier? 00:03:51.650 --> 00:03:56.550 Just do it. Wow, those are like seven different 00:03:56.550 --> 00:03:59.569 ones. Some of you just think it's universal to 00:03:59.569 --> 00:04:01.770 eat a cheeseburger. Some of you literally did 00:04:01.770 --> 00:04:06.159 this. That was interesting. Some of you are birds. 00:04:07.860 --> 00:04:11.180 Like, this meant steal third when I was in college, 00:04:11.300 --> 00:04:13.419 right? No, but some of you, and some of you actually 00:04:13.419 --> 00:04:15.800 did it in a very nice way. Some of you had a 00:04:15.800 --> 00:04:17.819 fork and you were using it. That's very, very 00:04:17.819 --> 00:04:20.560 good, right? But it's funny how when you go around 00:04:20.560 --> 00:04:22.759 trying to do all of that or you're playing the 00:04:22.759 --> 00:04:25.339 game of charades, how frustrated people get. 00:04:26.189 --> 00:04:29.069 I'm sure marriages have gone, you know, after 00:04:29.069 --> 00:04:32.730 a game night, they've let the sun go down on 00:04:32.730 --> 00:04:36.029 their anger because their spouse stinks at charades. 00:04:36.050 --> 00:04:39.449 I'm not talking about the Holland owners. But 00:04:39.449 --> 00:04:43.389 understand that when there is no language for 00:04:43.389 --> 00:04:47.430 things, it gets very, very frustrating. Like, 00:04:47.449 --> 00:04:48.930 well, you could just write it down. Not if you 00:04:48.930 --> 00:04:52.529 don't know the language. You're welcome -o. That's 00:04:52.529 --> 00:04:54.970 not Spanish for you're welcome. Okay? And so 00:04:54.970 --> 00:04:59.689 understand that language plays. No wonder they 00:04:59.689 --> 00:05:02.389 had to wait for the Holy Spirit. Because what 00:05:02.389 --> 00:05:04.970 happens in Pentecost, what happens with what 00:05:04.970 --> 00:05:09.689 we're going to read today, can only be done by 00:05:09.689 --> 00:05:11.629 God himself, by the power of the Holy Spirit. 00:05:12.370 --> 00:05:16.230 We just sang, O for a thousand tongues to sing 00:05:16.230 --> 00:05:20.100 my great Redeemer's praise. And isn't it great 00:05:20.100 --> 00:05:22.959 that we see this picture of heaven of all tribes 00:05:22.959 --> 00:05:26.980 and tongues will come together to sing, holy, 00:05:27.060 --> 00:05:31.819 holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. But Acts 00:05:31.819 --> 00:05:34.920 2 is weird. If we're going to engage in Acts 00:05:34.920 --> 00:05:40.899 2, this Pentecost story is strange. Because the 00:05:40.899 --> 00:05:45.120 Holy Spirit comes with wind, it comes with fire. 00:05:47.310 --> 00:05:50.689 And what an interesting and very unique interaction 00:05:50.689 --> 00:05:56.310 these individuals have. And suddenly, the gospel 00:05:56.310 --> 00:06:00.189 can be proclaimed around the world with the languages 00:06:00.189 --> 00:06:05.709 of the world. It is as if God himself says, you 00:06:05.709 --> 00:06:08.610 don't need a thousand tongues, I will give you 00:06:08.610 --> 00:06:11.790 the tongue you need. This song of redemption 00:06:11.790 --> 00:06:14.870 we just sang is no longer confined to just one 00:06:14.870 --> 00:06:19.790 person's language. It is unleashed to the nations. 00:06:21.470 --> 00:06:23.449 And you can engage that line very differently. 00:06:23.589 --> 00:06:26.509 That the church was unleashed to the nations. 00:06:26.569 --> 00:06:28.509 Some of us would go, ooh, that doesn't make me 00:06:28.509 --> 00:06:32.269 feel good. Unleashed. That sounds very hard, 00:06:32.389 --> 00:06:35.670 very dramatic, almost violent. But let's look 00:06:35.670 --> 00:06:38.730 at it a different way. That what was once... 00:06:38.810 --> 00:06:42.389 kind of tamed by a language, is now opened. And 00:06:42.389 --> 00:06:45.050 those highways and byways of the church now can 00:06:45.050 --> 00:06:48.430 run through the entire world. So let's dive in. 00:06:48.490 --> 00:06:50.790 We're going to be in Acts chapter 2. We've got 00:06:50.790 --> 00:06:53.829 a lot of road ahead of us. The first four verses, 00:06:53.930 --> 00:06:57.810 the Spirit comes with wind and fire. So it'll 00:06:57.810 --> 00:07:01.829 be in chapter 2, 1 through 4. When the day of 00:07:01.829 --> 00:07:03.990 Pentecost arrived, which is part of the religious 00:07:03.990 --> 00:07:06.730 festivals, they were all together in one place. 00:07:06.790 --> 00:07:09.529 And suddenly, there came from heaven a sound 00:07:09.529 --> 00:07:12.209 of a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire 00:07:12.209 --> 00:07:15.170 house where they were sitting, and divided tongues 00:07:15.170 --> 00:07:18.689 as a fire appeared to them and rested on each 00:07:18.689 --> 00:07:20.949 of them, and they were all filled with the Holy 00:07:20.949 --> 00:07:24.050 Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as 00:07:24.050 --> 00:07:30.029 the Spirit gave them utterance. All right. So 00:07:30.029 --> 00:07:33.490 you're one of the people in the room. Windstorm 00:07:33.490 --> 00:07:37.829 inside. Not normal. It's just not. And then all 00:07:37.829 --> 00:07:39.689 of a sudden, resting on all of you, and you might 00:07:39.689 --> 00:07:41.730 have seen depictions of this, is just this little 00:07:41.730 --> 00:07:44.610 spark of fire, and you have been given a tongue 00:07:44.610 --> 00:07:52.110 to declare Jesus. It's pretty incredible. I think 00:07:52.110 --> 00:07:54.850 it's fascinating that it happened, and it shouldn't 00:07:54.850 --> 00:07:57.089 be a surprise to us. God works this way. It's 00:07:57.089 --> 00:07:59.709 fascinating that it happened on Pentecost, because 00:07:59.709 --> 00:08:02.810 Pentecost was a Jewish festival, a harvest feast. 00:08:04.110 --> 00:08:06.589 But God had something else in mind. This wasn't 00:08:06.589 --> 00:08:09.930 to uplift the Israelites. It wasn't to uplift 00:08:09.930 --> 00:08:14.430 the Jews, which kept language very much to themselves. 00:08:16.470 --> 00:08:18.689 Though they were celebrating a harvest feast, 00:08:18.829 --> 00:08:21.850 God was planning to harvest the souls that were 00:08:21.850 --> 00:08:24.689 going to be impacted by the church. That language 00:08:24.689 --> 00:08:27.209 was going to go out. The Spirit's arrival is 00:08:27.209 --> 00:08:31.259 marked by wind. The word here is rach, the breath 00:08:31.259 --> 00:08:34.700 of God, and fire, a symbol of God's presence. 00:08:38.279 --> 00:08:41.259 And we see God's hand all over it. And I think 00:08:41.259 --> 00:08:44.480 it's so cool. The disciples are filled with the 00:08:44.480 --> 00:08:46.620 Spirit, and they begin to speak in other tongues 00:08:46.620 --> 00:08:51.820 as the Spirit gives them utterance. I have no 00:08:51.820 --> 00:08:55.360 idea what this would be like. I would liken it 00:08:55.360 --> 00:08:57.580 maybe one day you just wake up and can speak 00:08:57.580 --> 00:09:00.379 Spanish fluently. It doesn't make any sense. 00:09:00.740 --> 00:09:03.700 How many of you have taken Spanish for more than 00:09:03.700 --> 00:09:07.059 a year in school? How many of you can speak it 00:09:07.059 --> 00:09:13.360 fluently? This happened like that. I'd like to 00:09:13.360 --> 00:09:17.220 think I could. Right? If we're talking with people 00:09:17.220 --> 00:09:19.720 that speak Spanish, if they go really, really 00:09:19.720 --> 00:09:24.080 slow and use really, really basic nouns or verbs 00:09:24.080 --> 00:09:28.120 or vocab, I might be able to get there. That's 00:09:28.120 --> 00:09:29.500 not what we're talking about. They weren't just 00:09:29.500 --> 00:09:32.539 kind of fumbling around in this. All of a sudden, 00:09:32.539 --> 00:09:36.940 they had it. That tongue, that language was given 00:09:36.940 --> 00:09:39.919 to them. So I think it's very easy to say, this 00:09:39.919 --> 00:09:42.490 is a miracle. This is up there with the five 00:09:42.490 --> 00:09:44.929 loaves and the two fish. This is not something 00:09:44.929 --> 00:09:49.009 you and I can do. The miracles of Jesus are meant 00:09:49.009 --> 00:09:52.210 for one person. Jesus. This is a miracle of the 00:09:52.210 --> 00:09:54.370 Holy Spirit. We're going to see that in the book 00:09:54.370 --> 00:09:59.409 of Acts. And it's the miracle of the ability 00:09:59.409 --> 00:10:02.909 to speak all of these languages. So we're going 00:10:02.909 --> 00:10:05.850 to be in verse 5. The miracle of languages. Verse 00:10:05.850 --> 00:10:10.080 5. Now. There were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, 00:10:10.399 --> 00:10:12.740 devout men of every nation under heaven. And 00:10:12.740 --> 00:10:15.059 at this sound, the multitude came together and 00:10:15.059 --> 00:10:18.399 they were bewildered because each one was hearing 00:10:18.399 --> 00:10:20.779 them speak in his own language. And they were 00:10:20.779 --> 00:10:23.899 amazed and astonished, all saying, are not all 00:10:23.899 --> 00:10:27.059 these who are speaking Galileans? And how is 00:10:27.059 --> 00:10:29.360 it that we hear each of us in our own native 00:10:29.360 --> 00:10:34.610 language? Parthians and Medes and Amalites and 00:10:34.610 --> 00:10:37.210 the residents of Mesopotamia and Judea and Cappadocia 00:10:37.210 --> 00:10:41.649 and Pontus and Asia and Philegia and Pamphylia, 00:10:41.730 --> 00:10:44.809 Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene 00:10:44.809 --> 00:10:47.990 and visitors from Rome, both Jews and Prothelites, 00:10:48.090 --> 00:10:52.330 Cretans and Arabians. We hear them telling in 00:10:52.330 --> 00:10:54.690 our own language the mighty works of God. Stop 00:10:54.690 --> 00:10:58.690 there. we hear them telling in our own language, 00:10:58.929 --> 00:11:02.710 or in our own tongues, the mighty works of God. 00:11:03.529 --> 00:11:09.210 So right there, weird, amazed, shocked, and all 00:11:09.210 --> 00:11:13.149 were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, 00:11:13.470 --> 00:11:19.190 what does this mean? And right away, others mocked, 00:11:19.190 --> 00:11:25.919 saying they are filled with new wine. Translated 00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:31.440 in 2025, they're drunk. Thank you. You said it. 00:11:31.460 --> 00:11:36.779 I didn't. Is that not how people can engage when 00:11:36.779 --> 00:11:39.059 amazing things happen? They try to figure it 00:11:39.059 --> 00:11:42.659 out in our own way. But they were amazed. They 00:11:42.659 --> 00:11:46.220 were perplexed. Jews from every nation, hear 00:11:46.220 --> 00:11:51.009 the gospel. This wasn't debating. This wasn't 00:11:51.009 --> 00:11:54.149 just like the history books. This was the gospel, 00:11:54.309 --> 00:11:59.830 the good news of a alive Christ, crucified Christ, 00:12:00.190 --> 00:12:03.409 died Christ, buried Christ, rose again Christ. 00:12:03.529 --> 00:12:08.269 The good news of the gospel. This is not chaos, 00:12:08.350 --> 00:12:11.690 though it reads like it. Lean in. This is clarity. 00:12:12.070 --> 00:12:15.450 The Holy Spirit is bringing clarity of the gospel. 00:12:16.879 --> 00:12:18.559 I don't know about you, but I went back to the 00:12:18.559 --> 00:12:20.340 Tower of Babel in my mind when I was looking 00:12:20.340 --> 00:12:22.840 through this. Because we see that Tower of Babel, 00:12:22.879 --> 00:12:26.200 we did it two years ago. They tried to become 00:12:26.200 --> 00:12:28.940 God, trying to reach God. God gives them language 00:12:28.940 --> 00:12:32.039 to divide them because they were leaning into 00:12:32.039 --> 00:12:35.279 that sin. The Tower of Babel scattered people 00:12:35.279 --> 00:12:39.580 by confusion and languages. But Pentecost unites 00:12:39.580 --> 00:12:46.060 by declaring the gospel in every language. Everyone 00:12:46.060 --> 00:12:50.159 in this account is confronted with the power 00:12:50.159 --> 00:12:54.500 of God. And here's the first kind of this way 00:12:54.500 --> 00:13:00.740 or that way. Some marvel at it. Others mock. 00:13:02.679 --> 00:13:05.480 Which one would you have been? I'm not asking 00:13:05.480 --> 00:13:08.720 you to answer. But think about that. You see 00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:13.779 this going on. And do you mock it or do you marvel 00:13:13.779 --> 00:13:16.519 at it? There are times when God moves in our 00:13:16.519 --> 00:13:19.940 life, though we want to marvel, our cynicism, 00:13:20.139 --> 00:13:23.460 our skepticism, our sarcasm brings us to mock 00:13:23.460 --> 00:13:27.419 because we don't understand. That isn't a reaction 00:13:27.419 --> 00:13:30.639 we all can have. When I can't understand it in 00:13:30.639 --> 00:13:33.139 my life, I'm just going to kind of logicalize 00:13:33.139 --> 00:13:34.779 it out. I'm going to mock it. I'm going to be 00:13:34.779 --> 00:13:38.299 cynical about it. Or maybe we've been too hurt 00:13:38.299 --> 00:13:41.299 to be able to accept that this is a marvel or 00:13:41.299 --> 00:13:43.860 a work of the Lord because it didn't come my 00:13:43.860 --> 00:13:46.480 way or it didn't come when I asked, and we tend 00:13:46.480 --> 00:13:52.240 to just deny it. Guys, this is the church. This 00:13:52.240 --> 00:13:55.159 has been the church's dysfunction, I would say, 00:13:55.220 --> 00:13:58.440 for its entire existence. And you may know those 00:13:58.440 --> 00:14:01.470 kind of people. You may know people that marvel 00:14:01.470 --> 00:14:03.870 at the work of the church. Oh, they're doing 00:14:03.870 --> 00:14:06.070 such good things. When I'm there, I just feel 00:14:06.070 --> 00:14:08.970 so empowered by the Holy Spirit. But for some 00:14:08.970 --> 00:14:11.389 of us, maybe a lot of us, we tend to mock it 00:14:11.389 --> 00:14:14.690 because the church doesn't meet our criteria. 00:14:16.090 --> 00:14:18.210 Oh, well, they do that, and so no, we're not 00:14:18.210 --> 00:14:22.929 going to do that. Oh, they do off -brand Oreos, 00:14:22.929 --> 00:14:24.909 so we're not, no, that's not going to be a thing. 00:14:26.019 --> 00:14:27.980 Do we do off -brand Oreos? I don't even know. 00:14:28.120 --> 00:14:30.840 It doesn't matter. It's clearly not in the book 00:14:30.840 --> 00:14:32.480 of Acts, so it doesn't matter. But understand 00:14:32.480 --> 00:14:37.080 that we can engage that one of two ways all the 00:14:37.080 --> 00:14:41.000 time. Even when God is trying to get a hold of 00:14:41.000 --> 00:14:45.580 your heart, you may not be able to overcome your 00:14:45.580 --> 00:14:48.419 own cynicism. Then that's really, really hard. 00:14:49.320 --> 00:14:51.620 But the point is true. Everyone is confronted 00:14:51.620 --> 00:14:56.570 with God's power. Have you been confronted with 00:14:56.570 --> 00:15:01.470 God's power in your life? Power to heal? Power 00:15:01.470 --> 00:15:04.129 to bring joy, to lift you out of a hard circumstance? 00:15:04.350 --> 00:15:08.090 Power to convict? Power to bring about difficult 00:15:08.090 --> 00:15:10.970 conversations? Power to step into a ministry 00:15:10.970 --> 00:15:13.850 you never thought you'd step into? Maybe God 00:15:13.850 --> 00:15:15.730 calling you out of a ministry you thought you 00:15:15.730 --> 00:15:20.250 were ready for. Seasons in the church. Do you 00:15:20.250 --> 00:15:22.820 marvel at God's work? Do you mock God's work 00:15:22.820 --> 00:15:24.799 or I'm going to offer a third? Do you try to 00:15:24.799 --> 00:15:29.100 make it on your own? That's the one thing we 00:15:29.100 --> 00:15:31.840 don't see in the church, dot, dot, dot, yet. 00:15:31.980 --> 00:15:34.639 We will. Oh, we will. How do we know? Because 00:15:34.639 --> 00:15:37.500 we know what Revelation says. There are churches 00:15:37.500 --> 00:15:40.740 that get spit out of God's mouth. Clearly churches 00:15:40.740 --> 00:15:42.600 that were not following the way, not following 00:15:42.600 --> 00:15:45.519 the person of Jesus. But I would understand because 00:15:45.519 --> 00:15:48.259 I would be there too. A lot of confusion. This 00:15:48.259 --> 00:15:50.600 event is going on. People think you're drunk. 00:15:50.679 --> 00:15:52.779 People think that it's something of the Lord, 00:15:52.860 --> 00:15:56.759 probably everywhere in between. So Peter explains. 00:15:57.600 --> 00:16:00.039 It's a good thing Peter was there. It wasn't 00:16:00.039 --> 00:16:02.960 a happenstance. This is what Jesus said Peter 00:16:02.960 --> 00:16:06.740 was going to do. Peter explains the event. So 00:16:06.740 --> 00:16:09.740 let's jump in at verse 14. But Peter, standing 00:16:09.740 --> 00:16:12.580 with the eleven, Lifted up his voice and addressed 00:16:12.580 --> 00:16:15.879 them, Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, 00:16:16.139 --> 00:16:19.279 let this be known to you and give ear to my words. 00:16:20.279 --> 00:16:23.000 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, 00:16:23.379 --> 00:16:26.279 since it is only the third hour of the day. I 00:16:26.279 --> 00:16:28.740 always find that hilarious. But this is what 00:16:28.740 --> 00:16:31.789 was uttered through the prophet Joel. And in 00:16:31.789 --> 00:16:34.269 the last days it shall be, God declares, that 00:16:34.269 --> 00:16:37.710 I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. And your 00:16:37.710 --> 00:16:40.289 sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your 00:16:40.289 --> 00:16:43.049 young men shall see visions. Your old men shall 00:16:43.049 --> 00:16:45.950 dream dreams. Even on my male servants and female 00:16:45.950 --> 00:16:49.370 servants. In those days I will pour out my spirit 00:16:49.370 --> 00:16:52.309 and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders 00:16:52.309 --> 00:16:54.909 in the heavens above and signs on the earth below. 00:16:54.970 --> 00:16:59.049 Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun will 00:16:59.049 --> 00:17:02.529 be turned to darkness. moon to be blood before 00:17:02.529 --> 00:17:05.069 the day of the Lord, the great and magnificent 00:17:05.069 --> 00:17:08.369 day. And it shall come to pass that everyone 00:17:08.369 --> 00:17:11.509 who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be 00:17:11.509 --> 00:17:17.890 saved. That has been and always will be the main 00:17:17.890 --> 00:17:21.569 job of the church. Not to save people, but to 00:17:21.569 --> 00:17:25.569 bring them to Jesus. But think about Peter's 00:17:25.569 --> 00:17:30.680 journey in the last two months. He sits with 00:17:30.680 --> 00:17:34.160 Jesus, what we call the Last Supper. You know, 00:17:34.200 --> 00:17:37.859 we see that on Monday, Thursday. You're going 00:17:37.859 --> 00:17:39.960 to deny me. Before the cock crows, you will have 00:17:39.960 --> 00:17:42.359 denied me three times. We know, Jewish culture, 00:17:42.519 --> 00:17:46.480 if a disciple denies a rabbi three times, the 00:17:46.480 --> 00:17:49.720 disciple is disowned by the rabbi because they 00:17:49.720 --> 00:17:53.180 are, in fact, disowning the rabbi. That relationship 00:17:53.180 --> 00:17:56.940 is broken. We see it come to pass. Then we see 00:17:56.940 --> 00:18:00.000 in John's Gospel, he is... Brought back to restoration. 00:18:00.880 --> 00:18:03.400 Threefold. Feed my sheep. Feed my lambs. Feed 00:18:03.400 --> 00:18:06.900 my sheep. If you love me. Peter declares that. 00:18:07.380 --> 00:18:09.500 Jesus says, upon you I will build my church. 00:18:11.339 --> 00:18:17.039 Forty days. Jesus appears. Then he goes up. Matthew 00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:22.799 28. Acts 1. Peter, once fearful, now stands boldly 00:18:22.799 --> 00:18:27.039 and preaches. In two months, he goes from denial 00:18:27.039 --> 00:18:32.259 to preaching. I find that fascinating. He quotes 00:18:32.259 --> 00:18:35.299 Joel, minor prophet. We'll get to that next year. 00:18:36.079 --> 00:18:38.759 God promised to pour out his spirit on all flesh. 00:18:38.880 --> 00:18:42.259 Sons, daughters, old, young, old, servants, free. 00:18:42.460 --> 00:18:45.799 All now will be what? Prophesying, dreaming dreams. 00:18:45.960 --> 00:18:49.240 What is he just describing? What I love about 00:18:49.240 --> 00:18:55.079 Munster Church, multiple generations. That our 00:18:55.079 --> 00:18:57.140 young marrieds should be able to look to the 00:18:57.140 --> 00:19:00.700 older marrieds for how life has gone, good, bad, 00:19:00.740 --> 00:19:04.539 and let's call a spade a spade, ugly. That our 00:19:04.539 --> 00:19:07.380 older kids of faith can get energy from the young 00:19:07.380 --> 00:19:11.259 kids of faith. That at one point in this church, 00:19:11.279 --> 00:19:13.519 you didn't hear babies cry in the sanctuary. 00:19:13.880 --> 00:19:18.619 Now we do, and I love it. And check your heart 00:19:18.619 --> 00:19:20.980 if you go, man, bring that kid. No, never let 00:19:20.980 --> 00:19:23.099 your heart go. They are praising in their own 00:19:23.099 --> 00:19:26.609 way. At a very young age, they know that Pastor 00:19:26.609 --> 00:19:31.309 Jim goes too long, and they reject it. And that's 00:19:31.309 --> 00:19:34.029 just something they've got to learn. But understand 00:19:34.029 --> 00:19:36.849 that this is what Peter is doing. He is giving 00:19:36.849 --> 00:19:40.690 context for the church. The Spirit of God, the 00:19:40.690 --> 00:19:44.569 church, is not limited by age, not by gender 00:19:44.569 --> 00:19:49.589 or status. The church is for all. Right there. 00:19:50.670 --> 00:19:54.670 He is giving context. When someone does prophesy, 00:19:54.750 --> 00:19:57.390 and I've had it happen in three different worship 00:19:57.390 --> 00:19:59.869 services in my 20 -year career, where someone 00:19:59.869 --> 00:20:01.549 will stand up and start speaking in tongues. 00:20:02.329 --> 00:20:04.809 And just to clarify, it has not happened in a 00:20:04.809 --> 00:20:07.930 CRC church. We'd all freak out if it did, let's 00:20:07.930 --> 00:20:10.869 be honest. Another rhyme for another time. Twice 00:20:10.869 --> 00:20:13.150 there was interpretation. Once there wasn't. 00:20:13.869 --> 00:20:16.230 And that person was asked to leave to go meet 00:20:16.230 --> 00:20:19.029 with the elders. Because that's what Paul calls 00:20:19.029 --> 00:20:21.750 us to do. That if there's tongues, there needs 00:20:21.750 --> 00:20:26.390 to be interpretations. And I think Peter gives 00:20:26.390 --> 00:20:29.470 a wonderful interpretation of the Spirit. How 00:20:29.470 --> 00:20:33.329 do we know? How does he end? Everyone who calls 00:20:33.329 --> 00:20:35.750 upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. An 00:20:35.750 --> 00:20:38.309 interpretation of tongues shall be and always 00:20:38.309 --> 00:20:41.750 will be pointing to the glory of Christ. It's 00:20:41.750 --> 00:20:44.750 not about your own thing. No one ever prophesied 00:20:44.750 --> 00:20:47.650 and said, the Lord told me we should not get 00:20:47.650 --> 00:20:51.940 rid of these pews. Thank you. One person laughed. 00:20:52.099 --> 00:20:56.140 Three people are offended. Because in this church 00:20:56.140 --> 00:20:58.920 it didn't work. And if that's pouring salt and 00:20:58.920 --> 00:21:01.339 wounds, I love you so much. You've got to get 00:21:01.339 --> 00:21:03.400 over it. Because the church has never been bound 00:21:03.400 --> 00:21:05.500 by a building. The church has never been bound 00:21:05.500 --> 00:21:07.339 by pews or chairs. The church has never been 00:21:07.339 --> 00:21:09.359 bound by organ or guitar. The church has never 00:21:09.359 --> 00:21:11.380 been bound by new building, old building. The 00:21:11.380 --> 00:21:14.299 church has never been bound by an address. We're 00:21:14.299 --> 00:21:17.019 seeing it right here. Never been bound by that. 00:21:17.880 --> 00:21:22.000 It's not bound by anything. And it has one direction, 00:21:22.180 --> 00:21:24.960 that everyone who calls upon the Lord shall be 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:26.900 saved. So the church better be talking about 00:21:26.900 --> 00:21:29.200 it. So what does Pentecost then look like in 00:21:29.200 --> 00:21:34.660 Pentecost now, 2025? Oh boy, lock in. The Spirit 00:21:34.660 --> 00:21:37.640 empowers ordinary people. Sorry if you think 00:21:37.640 --> 00:21:40.019 you're great, but the Spirit empowers ordinary 00:21:40.019 --> 00:21:43.420 people. The disciples were fishermen, tax collector, 00:21:43.640 --> 00:21:47.779 former doubters. And the Spirit turns them into 00:21:47.779 --> 00:21:56.130 bold. Witnesses. Bold witnesses. Today, God doesn't 00:21:56.130 --> 00:21:58.910 want us, God doesn't wait for us to be ready. 00:21:59.309 --> 00:22:02.269 How do I know? Call an elder, talk to an elder 00:22:02.269 --> 00:22:04.710 or a deacon who get that phone call. Someone 00:22:04.710 --> 00:22:06.789 that's asked to be on a committee. Someone that's 00:22:06.789 --> 00:22:09.650 asked to be on stage for a worship team or a 00:22:09.650 --> 00:22:13.849 nursery. What a great opportunity to help love 00:22:13.849 --> 00:22:16.509 on the generations of our church than to go help 00:22:16.509 --> 00:22:17.910 in nursery. And I know some of you are going 00:22:17.910 --> 00:22:20.930 to roll your eyes, but we need that. Right? You 00:22:20.930 --> 00:22:22.329 can't have a nursery without people down there. 00:22:23.230 --> 00:22:24.829 You can't have a worship team without people 00:22:24.829 --> 00:22:28.009 up here. Would you guys enjoy it if we just showed 00:22:28.009 --> 00:22:30.450 you two clips every Sunday morning? I'd hate 00:22:30.450 --> 00:22:35.190 it. I don't think you'd like it either. We need 00:22:35.190 --> 00:22:37.700 the people, the church. Though the church doesn't 00:22:37.700 --> 00:22:40.460 need people, the church calls people to be a 00:22:40.460 --> 00:22:43.480 part of it. The Holy Spirit does that. Today, 00:22:43.500 --> 00:22:45.240 God doesn't wait for us to be ready. He fills 00:22:45.240 --> 00:22:47.640 ordinary people with an extraordinary power. 00:22:47.819 --> 00:22:49.880 What power is that? To be a witness for Christ. 00:22:50.900 --> 00:22:53.640 Second, the gospel is for every language and 00:22:53.640 --> 00:22:56.779 culture. At Pentecost, no one had to learn a 00:22:56.779 --> 00:23:00.720 new language to hear Jesus. God spoke their heart 00:23:00.720 --> 00:23:03.819 language. Super hallmarky. I get it, but I kind 00:23:03.819 --> 00:23:07.480 of like it, so I wrote it. Their soul needed 00:23:07.480 --> 00:23:09.839 something, and the Lord met that with language. 00:23:11.359 --> 00:23:14.099 For us, how can we make the gospel clear in our 00:23:14.099 --> 00:23:16.700 communities? Their heart language. What is the 00:23:16.700 --> 00:23:18.880 heart of your community? What do they need to 00:23:18.880 --> 00:23:23.359 hear? Some of you grew up staunch CRC. Right? 00:23:23.359 --> 00:23:26.440 Staunch catechism, seven days a week, or whatever 00:23:26.440 --> 00:23:29.160 it was. Right? That you grew up in that. And 00:23:29.160 --> 00:23:31.619 there's a part of you that needs some of that. 00:23:31.700 --> 00:23:34.240 But God is also softening you to some of that 00:23:34.240 --> 00:23:36.579 and go, do not raise those catechisms higher 00:23:36.579 --> 00:23:38.559 than the Word of God. Because without the Word 00:23:38.559 --> 00:23:43.019 of God, the catechism is nothing. And those traditions 00:23:43.019 --> 00:23:46.039 that we hold to, most of them not bad, but some 00:23:46.039 --> 00:23:50.329 of them exalt more than Jesus. And some of you 00:23:50.329 --> 00:23:51.990 are the opposite. You didn't grow up in the church 00:23:51.990 --> 00:23:54.930 at all. God or the church was mocked. They're 00:23:54.930 --> 00:23:57.529 just going to try to sell you something. Pastors 00:23:57.529 --> 00:24:01.509 are salesmen. That's their mentality. No, there's 00:24:01.509 --> 00:24:03.769 a foundation in the Word of God. There's a foundation 00:24:03.769 --> 00:24:06.410 found in our catechism. There's foundation looking 00:24:06.410 --> 00:24:09.029 at the history of the church. It means something. 00:24:09.109 --> 00:24:15.849 How do we know? It's still here. Whether culturally, 00:24:16.029 --> 00:24:19.869 generationally, or personally. The church is 00:24:19.869 --> 00:24:25.170 for you. That unity, oh, unity. Unity is spirit 00:24:25.170 --> 00:24:30.170 made, not man made. About a week and a half ago, 00:24:30.250 --> 00:24:33.109 I sent my first draft to our admin council of 00:24:33.109 --> 00:24:35.990 the new mission and vision for the church. You're 00:24:35.990 --> 00:24:37.190 going to talk more, we're going to talk more 00:24:37.190 --> 00:24:39.509 about that in the coming weeks and months. I 00:24:39.509 --> 00:24:41.109 did it and wrote it with fear and trembling. 00:24:41.369 --> 00:24:43.470 Because I don't want this church unified because 00:24:43.470 --> 00:24:47.630 of Jim. Granted, I don't want to go anywhere, 00:24:47.769 --> 00:24:51.069 but it can't be about me. And it can never be 00:24:51.069 --> 00:24:53.589 about us. It has to be about Jesus. It has to 00:24:53.589 --> 00:24:56.150 be about the unity of the church that the Spirit 00:24:56.150 --> 00:25:00.450 makes. Notice how humans didn't do anything outside 00:25:00.450 --> 00:25:02.930 or just follow the call of the Spirit and step 00:25:02.930 --> 00:25:05.250 into what the Spirit was doing. The disciples 00:25:05.250 --> 00:25:09.109 were gathered with one accord. Not because they 00:25:09.109 --> 00:25:12.170 were alike, but because the Spirit unified them. 00:25:13.579 --> 00:25:17.500 So that needs to always be the church. If we 00:25:17.500 --> 00:25:19.319 only go to church because we all look alike, 00:25:19.460 --> 00:25:21.680 act alike, talk alike, smell alike, all of those 00:25:21.680 --> 00:25:25.759 alikes, guys, that's how cults start. The church 00:25:25.759 --> 00:25:28.779 needs to be something different. That's why we 00:25:28.779 --> 00:25:32.299 have in our vision now, in what we want our philosophy 00:25:32.299 --> 00:25:34.559 of ministry to be, we don't want all these other 00:25:34.559 --> 00:25:37.099 things in common. Culturally, we want Christ 00:25:37.099 --> 00:25:40.589 in common. In a divided world, the church's unity 00:25:40.589 --> 00:25:43.829 isn't found in politics or style or preference. 00:25:43.930 --> 00:25:48.029 The church is only found in the Spirit's presence. 00:25:50.710 --> 00:25:53.309 We see it in the marks of the true church. The 00:25:53.309 --> 00:25:55.329 pure preaching of the gospel, the pure administration 00:25:55.329 --> 00:25:58.029 of the sacrament, and the use of church discipline. 00:25:58.309 --> 00:26:00.750 Not because we like beating people with the Bible, 00:26:00.829 --> 00:26:06.309 but we want to be about restoration. The church 00:26:06.309 --> 00:26:10.470 who... Some of you may not like this, but the 00:26:10.470 --> 00:26:14.829 church is a prophetic people. Fourth point. Joel's 00:26:14.829 --> 00:26:17.549 prophecy says young and old, men and women, all 00:26:17.549 --> 00:26:21.630 will prophecy. They will prophesy. The Spirit 00:26:21.630 --> 00:26:25.630 will take them by their soul and lead them into 00:26:25.630 --> 00:26:28.750 what the Spirit wants to do in their life. That 00:26:28.750 --> 00:26:31.509 doesn't mean everyone preaches sermons, but it 00:26:31.509 --> 00:26:35.410 does mean that everyone speaks God's truth. If 00:26:35.410 --> 00:26:37.299 all of a sudden you just kind of... Felt a little 00:26:37.299 --> 00:26:40.980 bound there? A little tension in your gut? Because 00:26:40.980 --> 00:26:43.140 you might be walking out your own truth, not 00:26:43.140 --> 00:26:45.940 God's truth. That everything we say, everything 00:26:45.940 --> 00:26:48.559 we do, we should be able to tie it back to this, 00:26:48.779 --> 00:26:51.920 the Word of God, because we're seeing it literally 00:26:51.920 --> 00:26:55.859 on display. The Spirit equips all believers to 00:26:55.859 --> 00:27:00.359 witness, not just pastors, elders, deacons, licensed 00:27:00.359 --> 00:27:05.190 to exhorters. All of us. Has he called some to 00:27:05.190 --> 00:27:08.109 office? Yes. But he has called all of us to be 00:27:08.109 --> 00:27:12.029 the priesthood of believers. Whether you're a 00:27:12.029 --> 00:27:14.529 therapist, whether you're a nurse, whether you're 00:27:14.529 --> 00:27:17.230 a stay -at -home mom or dad, whether you're a 00:27:17.230 --> 00:27:19.910 garbage man, whether you're an accountant, we 00:27:19.910 --> 00:27:22.569 all, the Spirit, has the power to have you be 00:27:22.569 --> 00:27:26.190 prophetic words in your places of employment. 00:27:28.609 --> 00:27:31.640 Yet we don't like that. Sometimes it's uncomfortable. 00:27:31.759 --> 00:27:33.640 I don't want to do it. But friend, one thing 00:27:33.640 --> 00:27:36.200 we see is that the mission of the church has 00:27:36.200 --> 00:27:40.420 been and always will be urgent. Peter says the 00:27:40.420 --> 00:27:43.680 last days have begun. That means the clock is 00:27:43.680 --> 00:27:48.700 ticking, not for panic, but for mission. And 00:27:48.700 --> 00:27:51.099 being 20 years in the church, guys, the church 00:27:51.099 --> 00:27:54.500 sometimes moves slower than government. To try 00:27:54.500 --> 00:27:57.660 to make decisions is hard. to come and find unity 00:27:57.660 --> 00:28:01.359 amongst all of us, to do certain things. Big 00:28:01.359 --> 00:28:03.880 movements of the church takes everybody. That's 00:28:03.880 --> 00:28:05.660 why we don't vote at congregational meetings 00:28:05.660 --> 00:28:10.380 about paint colors or carpet type. Because let's 00:28:10.380 --> 00:28:13.140 be honest, we'd never agree. And we'd probably 00:28:13.140 --> 00:28:15.339 start hating each other in our heart. Can you 00:28:15.339 --> 00:28:18.559 believe they wanted red paint? They probably 00:28:18.559 --> 00:28:23.380 don't believe in Jesus. That's insane. That is 00:28:23.380 --> 00:28:26.240 the church divided, not the church unified. The 00:28:26.240 --> 00:28:28.819 church's task is not for comfort or survival, 00:28:29.059 --> 00:28:32.079 but for witness. Everyone who calls on the name 00:28:32.079 --> 00:28:37.039 of the Lord will be saved. The mission of the 00:28:37.039 --> 00:28:39.539 church is urgent. How do I know? I can ask each 00:28:39.539 --> 00:28:41.400 and every one of you. Is there someone in your 00:28:41.400 --> 00:28:43.619 life, first or second ring of relationships, 00:28:44.039 --> 00:28:46.740 so don't even go to acquaintances, that doesn't 00:28:46.740 --> 00:28:50.180 know Jesus? There. The mission is urgent. Because 00:28:50.180 --> 00:28:54.240 Jesus could come tomorrow. The illustrations. 00:28:55.279 --> 00:28:57.960 That the Holy Spirit uses wind and fire of the 00:28:57.960 --> 00:29:00.440 Spirit, the gift of languages and unity across 00:29:00.440 --> 00:29:04.339 differences. How much do we need that today? 00:29:04.579 --> 00:29:07.119 In today's world, people divide over everything. 00:29:07.500 --> 00:29:10.299 But Pentecost gives us a picture that shows the 00:29:10.299 --> 00:29:13.559 Spirit builds a community where the dividing 00:29:13.559 --> 00:29:21.599 walls fall. And here's the weak wrecker. I need 00:29:21.599 --> 00:29:24.710 you all, myself included. Are we the one trying 00:29:24.710 --> 00:29:27.130 to put a brick of the wall of division in our 00:29:27.130 --> 00:29:29.750 church for one thing or another, a preference 00:29:29.750 --> 00:29:32.069 or something that's being done that we think 00:29:32.069 --> 00:29:37.269 should be done or whatever? In hearing that we've 00:29:37.269 --> 00:29:38.930 kind of stopped our relationship with the new, 00:29:39.069 --> 00:29:41.670 are you immediately going, well, what happened? 00:29:41.730 --> 00:29:44.910 I need to find this out. And so, because if it's 00:29:44.910 --> 00:29:46.470 not to my liking, I'm going to start putting 00:29:46.470 --> 00:29:52.089 that brick of division up. Is that the part we 00:29:52.089 --> 00:29:54.190 play in the church? To add bricks to the walls 00:29:54.190 --> 00:29:57.170 of division? Or are we to step back and go, Holy 00:29:57.170 --> 00:30:00.970 Spirit, come like a flood, like a fire. 90 % 00:30:00.970 --> 00:30:02.609 of you sang it because it's the third week we've 00:30:02.609 --> 00:30:05.490 done it. The other 10, you'll get there. But 00:30:05.490 --> 00:30:07.589 understand, is that what we should be about? 00:30:08.069 --> 00:30:10.630 The power of Christ, not the power of our preferences. 00:30:11.970 --> 00:30:14.029 Because at the end of the day, we sang it, oh, 00:30:14.109 --> 00:30:17.710 for a thousand tongues. A song for the nations. 00:30:17.829 --> 00:30:22.690 I land the plane here. At Pentecost, the Spirit 00:30:22.690 --> 00:30:25.910 took a small, fearful group of believers and 00:30:25.910 --> 00:30:29.650 turned them into a choir for the nations. With 00:30:29.650 --> 00:30:32.990 wind and fire, he gave them voices to declare 00:30:32.990 --> 00:30:38.470 the wonders of God in every language. The gospel 00:30:38.470 --> 00:30:43.009 can no longer be confined. It is unleashed. And 00:30:43.009 --> 00:30:45.710 church, here's the truth for us today. The Spirit 00:30:45.710 --> 00:30:50.619 still does that. He takes ordinary people and 00:30:50.619 --> 00:30:53.920 fills them with extraordinary boldness. He takes 00:30:53.920 --> 00:30:57.440 scattered voices and unites them into this one 00:30:57.440 --> 00:31:02.400 song. He takes a local gathering like ours, and 00:31:02.400 --> 00:31:05.339 what does he do? He sends ripples throughout. 00:31:07.359 --> 00:31:09.660 And those ripples start to reach farther than 00:31:09.660 --> 00:31:12.319 we can ever imagine. So my question for you today. 00:31:13.549 --> 00:31:16.009 The question is not whether we have enough voices, 00:31:16.029 --> 00:31:18.369 enough power, enough buildings, enough strategy, 00:31:18.450 --> 00:31:21.789 enough mission, enough vision. The question is, 00:31:21.849 --> 00:31:24.950 are you ready for the Holy Spirit to be loose 00:31:24.950 --> 00:31:29.009 among us? Because when he does, the song of salvation 00:31:29.009 --> 00:31:33.230 isn't just encapsulated here. There are dozens 00:31:33.230 --> 00:31:36.589 of other churches singing the same song of salvation. 00:31:36.789 --> 00:31:39.730 It will move through our church, but most importantly, 00:31:39.809 --> 00:31:41.509 through our homes, through our neighborhoods, 00:31:41.670 --> 00:31:43.509 through our cities, and through the world. How 00:31:43.509 --> 00:31:46.730 do we know? Come next Sunday night and see a 00:31:46.730 --> 00:31:51.670 little taste of it. That's the vision of Pray 00:31:51.670 --> 00:31:56.609 Chicago Southland. Church, we don't need a thousand 00:31:56.609 --> 00:31:59.569 tongues. We need one spirit. the Spirit of God. 00:31:59.769 --> 00:32:04.630 And when he fills us, the world cannot help but 00:32:04.630 --> 00:32:07.930 hear our message. So what is the message you're 00:32:07.930 --> 00:32:10.250 singing? What is the message you're speaking? 00:32:10.589 --> 00:32:13.230 What is the message you're typing and posting 00:32:13.230 --> 00:32:16.849 and sending? Because that's a taste that the 00:32:16.849 --> 00:32:21.049 world has of the church. We say it in sports 00:32:21.049 --> 00:32:24.490 all the time. The name on the back is not more 00:32:24.490 --> 00:32:27.059 important than the name on the front. You all 00:32:27.059 --> 00:32:30.539 bear the name Christ follower if you are here 00:32:30.539 --> 00:32:33.519 in Christ. If not, if you're just seeking it, 00:32:33.559 --> 00:32:35.480 if you're just thinking about it, if this is 00:32:35.480 --> 00:32:37.720 a conversation in your life, please come find 00:32:37.720 --> 00:32:39.720 me. I'm not teaching catechism today. Please 00:32:39.720 --> 00:32:43.200 come find me after service. I would love to teach 00:32:43.200 --> 00:32:46.460 you more about this song that a thousand tongues 00:32:46.460 --> 00:32:49.460 sang because of the Holy Spirit. Please stand 00:32:49.460 --> 00:32:51.880 if you are able, and we will have our closing 00:32:51.880 --> 00:32:57.720 prayer together in unison. Come, Holy Spirit, 00:32:57.940 --> 00:33:01.720 fill us with your power. Breathe your wind into 00:33:01.720 --> 00:33:05.099 our lives. Set our hearts on fire with your presence 00:33:05.099 --> 00:33:09.200 and loosen our tongues to sing your praise. Unite 00:33:09.200 --> 00:33:13.240 us as one body. Send us to be witnesses in every 00:33:13.240 --> 00:33:16.559 place and let your gospel be heard in every heart 00:33:16.559 --> 00:33:19.819 language for the glory of Jesus Christ. Amen.