The Day of Pentecost

Speaking in tongues can mean speaking worldly languages or angelic languages. The popularity and frequency of this miracle have changed over the centuries. People often argue about when, if, and to whom it happens. But we must not limit God. He works on individuals in different ways, even ones that seem impossible.

After Jesus’s ascension, the disciples met at someone’s house to pray for guidance on what to do next. The Holy Spirit entered them during that time, and they experienced the first variant of speaking in tongues (Acts 2:1-13). Their speaking foreign languages drew a curious crowd when people unexpectedly heard their native language in a different country. Peter boldly responded by preaching the Gospel: anyone who believes in God and repents from their sins will be forgiven and receive new life in Christ (Acts 2:14-25).

Pentecost wasn’t just a miracle but a demonstration of Jesus’s mission. He came to break down the barriers between us and God. In the Old Testament, people couldn’t look upon God without being destroyed. Now, we can have His Spirit live inside us. We are like the burning bush—on fire with the Holy Spirit, but not consumed. Jesus also came to unite people. Pentecost was an inversion of the Tower of Babel. Where God once used language to separate people, Jesus used it to bring his followers together.

Pentecost only happened once, but the same power that let the disciples talk to foreigners exists within us today. Anyone can accept the Holy Spirit and boldly continue Jesus’s mission of reversing the separation of sin.

Watch the full sermon here.