Howdy. You know, when was the last time you wanted
to be understood, but you couldn't get your message
across? I had talked once before about a time
when I was trying to get a train ticket in China,
and a friend of mine told me about another teacher
that knew Mandarin fluently. I do not. I have
to try to learn one phrase at a time and try
my best to make sure I pronounce it correctly.
But this other teacher, he went up to the train
booth and he said, in perfect Mandarin, I would
need a train ticket to get to this other place.
And the man behind the counter said to him, sir,
I do not speak English. And then the man, a little
confused, spoke again in Mandarin and said, no,
sir, I'm not speaking English. I need a train
ticket to get to over here. And the man said
again to him, Sir, I told you, I don't speak
English. Until finally, the local Chinese national
behind the man had to lean around to the teller
and say, Sir, he is speaking to you in Mandarin.
It is not English. Please just listen. And then
finally, the man understood what he was trying
to say. Now, I find that fascinating because
that would be a person learning to speak Chinese
to a community that he wants to be able to communicate
with. But there I was, a foreigner, in this place,
trying to stumble my way around without really
knowing how to communicate. And I wanted to tour
some places so I got on a bus and I had tracked
out everywhere I needed to go, all the different
sites and everything, but the bus stopped and
changed buses. at a train, at a bus station.
And I had no idea which other one I was supposed
to get on. So I'm standing there staring at all
of these characters, not having any idea what
to do, and then a man next to me in perfect English
says, excuse me sir, where are you trying to
go? And this man, he had studied abroad, he had
come back, and he basically then spent the whole
rest of the day wandering around with me, looking
at the sights, and explaining everything to me.
in perfect English. See, in many ways that's
what it's like to be led by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit doesn't always make himself heard
with flashes of lightning or a booming voice
or something strange, but more often it's subtle.
A conversation with clarity. A question that
opens a door. A path of openness you didn't expect.
The day of Pentecost, It looked on the outside
like chaos at first. Tongues of fire above them,
rushing wind, a crowd wondering if the disciples
were drunk. And underneath the spectacle was
something miraculous. People from every nation
heard the gospel in their own languages. But
God wasn't just putting on a show for its own
sake. He was making Himself understood. And that's
the thing about Pentecost. Pentecost is for understanding.
Pentecost is a miracle that is meant for people
to understand what is happening. I spoke with
a friend of mine whose spouse had gone through
a stroke. And after the stroke, the difficulty
was that while he was speaking and saying what
was on his mind, what came out was completely
different. He thought he was saying exactly what
he meant to say, but the people around him couldn't
understand. And sometimes we wonder, is this
what it was like at the time? Is this what tongues
meant whenever they were sharing them at the
day of Pentecost? But Peter quotes Joel 2. And
he says, everyone who calls on the name of the
Lord will be saved. Joel 2 is saying, In the
last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit
on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your young men will see visions. Your old men
will dream dreams. Even on My servants, both
men and women, I will pour out My Spirit in those
days and they will prophesy. Peter himself who
is there is explaining that the point is not
the tongues. The point is making sure people
can hear and understand. the Gospel. Because
who is this audience that was here? These were
people from the Jewish community that were spread
out all over the place, the Diaspora. But during
festivals, they'd come back to Jerusalem. They
were there to worship, especially on this day
of Pentecost. But they didn't speak the same
language normally. They had a common tongue.
But that wasn't their normal language that they
would speak. All of them had their own usual
dialect and language. But if you're trying to
explain to someone who God is, and you're trying
to make sure that they see that this Jesus is
fulfilling everything you'd been expecting, it
might be difficult to get it across in the common
language. But at that moment, as they are speaking
the normal way that they always would have, It
turns into the words that made sense in their
own language. See, it says later in that chapter,
they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching
and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and
to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the
many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.
They weren't devoted to the signs and wonders.
They were devoted to discipleship. The signs
and wonders were great. But that wasn't what
they were doing every single time. What were
they doing every single time they got together?
Teach, fellowship, care for each other, pray
together. The crowd wasn't there to hear noise.
They were there hearing understanding. Peter,
filled with the Spirit, noticed that he doesn't
keep going on in the other language. What he
does... is he goes back to the common language
and then preaches. Because what was the point?
He tells them plainly who Jesus is and what he
has done, but also in a way that all the people
watching from the outside can understand too.
Because then 3 ,000 people were baptized that
day. Not because of the miracle they saw, but
because the message they understood. That same
spirit comes back again in Acts 10. Peter speaks
to Cornelius. And there's this Roman centurion
that's there. And Peter, he wasn't expecting
that moment or to have some miraculous revival.
He goes to share the gospel because he's not
supposed to. But it tells us in the chapter why
the tongues were used that day. It was to show
that the Gentiles were welcomed in as much as
the Jews. It was to make sure to show that they
were connected. Can anyone withhold water for
baptizing these people who have received the
Holy Spirit, just as we have? Peter asks. God
had used tongues the first time to make a point
of understanding. And he used it the second time
to welcome other peoples. Not for the miracle,
but for understanding and welcome. See, that's
the thing, is that as Paul ends up trying to
explain later the tongues and clarifying what's
really happening, he distinguishes what might
be considered glossolalia and xenolalia. No,
that wasn't a Hercules TV show from the 90s.
But the two terms are two different ways of looking
at what tongues might be. In Acts 2, They're
speaking in languages that people understand,
Xenolalia. But Paul is trying to explain glossolalia,
what people thought of as an angel language.
This idea was that, well, are you going to speak
in these other languages that people don't necessarily
understand when you are in the middle of worship?
We know that there are many people who see that
as an important part of their worship. But Paul
says that the tongues were meant as a sign for
the unbelievers. It wasn't what you do when you're
in the midst of believers making sure that everyone
is praising together and understanding the word
being explained. It was to make sure that people
in other languages could understand what was
being said. He says, he insists that in worship,
clarity matters more than charisma. understanding
matters more than the miracle. He says, I would
rather speak five intelligible words to instruct
others than 10 ,000 words in a tongue. But what
about the people who in worship are moved by
the Spirit to speak in tongues of angels? Is
that fake? I would say no, it's not. That seems
kind of contradictory to where you were going
with that one there, pastor. Well, there's a
real sense of being connected to the spirit,
but it might be something different than what
we're expecting. There are studies on the brain
that show that when a person is speaking in tongues,
it uses a different part of the brain than what
you would normally use for speech. It's not using
the frontal lobe in the same way that you would
normally talk. But it's also not being in a trance.
So something is happening. We can't explain it.
And when a person is in their own personal devotion
time, where they're just talking to God and listening,
this can be an amazing experience for a person.
To have this where they're saying something that
nobody else gets, but they do. It can be beautiful.
But Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13 one if I speak
in the tongues of men or of angels But do not
have love. I am just a clanging gong or a banging
symbol He reminds us that the goal is not the
ecstasy of the language The experience the goal
is that in love we want to communicate Love is
meant to reach others Love is meant to build
up the body. So while we can honor those who
have the experience of the glossolalia, the words
that sound like holy mumbles of speaking in languages
of angels, and even looking at the Azusa Street
revival and the Pentecostal movement, we also
want to ask, is it helping others to understand?
Because whatever we do, it must always be connecting
people to Christ. Because that's what the Holy
Spirit came to do. Not just to move in us, but
to speak through us. Public worship is meant
to be clear. But are we ready for that Spirit?
Jesus said in John 14 -26 that the Spirit will
teach you all things and bring to your remembrance
all that I have said to you. It's not about the
performance. It's about presence. The Spirit
helps us to say the right thing, in the right
moment, to the right person, not because it's
rehearsed, but because we were ready. Our hearts,
our minds, we have the Gospel ready to be shared.
I was hanging out at a discussion event. It was
a panel discussion, the theology by the pint
group that we'll oftentimes go to. I don't remember
the topic because I wasn't on the panel, so it
probably wasn't as interesting. But during the
break, there was a person who came up and said,
hey, I hear you're a Lutheran pastor. Can you
explain communion to me? Now, you don't normally
get easy questions like that. Why, yes, I am
a Lutheran pastor. I'd be happy to. But the funny
part, though, was that It wasn't someone who
needed me to read the catechism. It was someone
who needed to be able to explain it to a Baptist.
Which, being someone who grew up outside of the
Lutheran Church, I've had to do a number of times.
Because she was going to be marrying someone
who needed to understand what they were doing
together as a couple. And at that moment, I didn't
have anything planned or prepared, but I was
ready. Because I'd been in the Word. and God
was speaking at that point. Nothing flashing,
no thunder, no fire, just a real conversation,
but it opened a door, it built trust, and ended
up allowing me the opportunity to officiate their
wedding this weekend, and through it, to share
the gospel with many people who were there. There
was a time someone came up and asked me, what
if I told you that I had seen an angel? He expected
me to laugh in his face to shut down the conversation.
But I know that God can do miraculous things
whenever he wants. That's fine. Just not in contradiction
to Scripture. And so I said, well, I would just
ask you to tell me more about it. And he was
just stunned. Because the openness shocked him.
I told them, knowing Christ has made me more
open to people, not less. More open to letting
God work without assuming anything. See, that's
the Spirit at work. Not in grand speeches, not
in graceful responses. The Holy Spirit creates
the space for relationship, for connection, for
understanding. Not just trying to get every word
right, but rather, that the gospel is accessible
to everybody. And only by being ready with scripture
and an open heart can we share the gospel at
those times. Still not quite good enough to speak
millennialese, but can even millennials understand
each other? I don't quite get it. Don't even
get me started on Gen Z. That's not even English.
But to be ready, but let God speak. We must be
ready, but let God speak because we're not called
to force the gospel into every moment We are
called to be ready at every moment See first
Peter 315 says always be prepared to give an
answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason
for the hope that you have But do this with gentleness
and respect so we prepare reading praying asking
God what He's saying to us, talking with one
another, but not to control the Spirit, to say
things when and how we want, but rather to cooperate
with what the Spirit's already doing. Because
we're not about making the miracle happen, rather
we make ourselves available for when it does.
Because that's not actually even the true miracle.
What is the true miracle of Pentecost? It's not
the tongues. The true miracle of Pentecost is
not sounding like an angel, but rather 3 ,000
people came out of the grave into new life. 3
,000 people left sin, death, and the devil. Their
hearts, their spirits walled off against Jesus
were broken to let the spirit in. The true miracle
is that you had 3 ,000 people alive in Christ
that day and following Him. Because the world
around us, we know how hard their hearts can
be. We know how stubborn -minded they are. But
the Spirit changes hearts and minds when people
hear the Gospel. They're not converted because
of a tongue that sounds strange or something
that we would use in our own personal devotion.
They come... to know Christ when the Gospel connects
with them in their language, in their way, even
understanding how they think, and being willing
to communicate in ways that they will get. That's
the thing about this, is that the Gospel is meant
for us to find ways for people to understand.
But will you be ready to let God speak when it's
His time? Because the Holy Spirit speaks through
you. The Holy Spirit says what the Holy Spirit
will. I got a text message from somebody a few
days ago, and it was hurtful. And I was livid,
staring at my phone, wrote three, four different
texts back to it. And every single one of them,
it was this moment of saying, God, is this actually
something that you think would speak your word
to them? And I kept deleting them until finally
sitting down, and I felt like I knew what mercy
and love and forgiveness were laying on my heart.
So I did. And then because of that message, The
friend called up and explained what was really
going on, and I realized this person was hurting
much more than I ever was. And it not only communicated
what we both needed to hear, but strengthened
the friendship. Because it wasn't about my words.
It was about letting God speak when it was God's
time. So the question is, will you let God speak
the way He chooses? Even if it's unfamiliar,
even if it's not your comfort zone, even if you're
an introvert talking to an extrovert, even if
that's not what you imagined having to do, and
the pastor makes you greet everybody at the beginning
of worship. But will your heart be ready for
God? Because if you are, then you'll find yourself
saying the right thing at the right time and
in the right way, and you'll know it wasn't from
you. You'll know the Spirit speaking. When he's
ready because that's the miracle and that's the
mission is God raising people from the dead Speaking
when he will and we just get to spectate Thanks
be to God