Just Speaking
Sometimes I have a hard time understanding some people.
When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs-- in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine." But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: `In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' " - Acts 2:1-21
Imagine having someone speak in their own tongue, and yet you hear them in yours. If that were possible, we wouldn't need to learn each other's languages in order to hold a conversation.
We would just speak, and others would hear and know.
That sounds like a true miracle of the Holy Spirit.
Of course with the advances of technology, it is getting harder and harder to be impressed by miraculous events like the flaming tongues.
Don't get me wrong. It still would be a show stopper today if the Spirit chose to pay such a visit in church, but we humans are determined to outdo or at least compete against God wherever possible.
Our methods are not as elegant. We might need an app or an electronic device to do the translation for us, and raising people from the dead is still an emergency room event at best.
But we are working on it.
I saw a Ted Talk about a computer device implanted in an artery of the brain that helps paralyzed people communicate via text messages.
It is not exactly regaining one's speech, but it is close.
Sometimes I wonder if God chose to show us these miracles, not to show off, but to inspire us.
With a small amount of faith, Jesus tells us, we can move mountains.
Well, we're still learning, but we're making progress. What is important, I think, is that we are willing to try, in an effort to make someone's life a little better.
We are learning to love our neighbors and ourselves, in a manner of speaking, that is.
More to come...