The Gift That Breaks Barriers

Why This Matters Today

There has never been a time in history when God’s people didn’t desperately need the Holy Spirit. We need Him the way lungs need oxygen, the way a branch needs the vine, the way a traveler needs the road home.

Without Him, faith collapses under its own weight. Without Him, worship becomes an empty performance. Without Him, church turns into a club with a hymnbook and a cross on the wall.

We believe the Spirit is not only real—He is essential, active, alive, and present for every believer today.

And that is exactly why this subject matters.

Because when confusion surrounds the work of the Spirit, God’s people get anxious. When Christians feel pressured to prove their spirituality through emotional displays, joy begins to crumble under insecurity. And when a gift meant to unite believers becomes a reason to doubt, compare, or divide, churches lose their focus on the mission Jesus gave us.

Tongues were never intended to create categories:

“the deeply spiritual”

and

“the regular people.”

Tongues were never given to turn prayer into performance art.

Tongues were never meant to measure maturity.

But today, many believers—quietly, privately—carry questions they’re almost embarrassed to ask:

“If I’ve never spoken in tongues…

am I missing something?

Am I spiritually second-class?

Does God love me less?”

Others wonder something else entirely:

“Why do some churches seem to think tongues are everything?

Why is there pressure to create emotional highs?

Why is intelligible speech treated like an optional extra?”

These are not new questions.

The early church struggled with the same issues. That’s why the Holy Spirit gave us Scripture clarity that never expires and never bends to opinion or trend. When we go back to the Bible, confusion melts, fear fades, and truth rises with the warmth of sunlight after a long night.

And so tonight, we go back to the beginning.

Not to a YouTube clip.

Not to a revival livestream.

Not to a modern stage.

We go back to Pentecost.

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Tongues in the Bible: Real Languages for Real Mission

Acts 2 is the birthplace of tongues in the New Testament. And everything the Bible teaches about the gift must flow from what God Himself established on that day.

The disciples were gathered in one place, united in prayer, waiting on the promise Jesus had given: “You shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” And suddenly the heavens broke open—not with smoke machines or spotlights—but with the sound of a mighty rushing wind. Tongues of fire rested on their heads, and the disciples began speaking in languages they had never studied.

And what happened next is crucial.

A crowd gathered—Jews from many nations, each with their own distinct tongue. And they said something that matters more than a thousand modern opinions:

“How is it that we each hear them speaking in our own language the wonderful works of God?”

Not one person said:

“What are these people babbling?”

Not one.

They heard real languages with real meaning spoken with real clarity that revealed the real gospel.

Tongues weren’t given as emotional fireworks.

They weren’t given as a badge for elite spirituality.

They weren’t given to create mystery or spectacle.

Tongues were given for mission.

They lowered obstacles.

They broke language barriers.

They opened doors.

They built bridges.

They drew people in.

They made the gospel clear.

And notice something beautiful:

The gift served the listener, not the speaker.

It wasn’t about “look what I can do.”

It was about “hear what God has done.”

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The Miracle That Changed Everything

Acts 2 is not primarily about tongues—it is about people turning to Jesus in their own language. The greatest miracle that day was not that tongues appeared…

…it was that hearts opened.

Three thousand souls accepted Christ.

A movement began.

A mission was launched.

A world was changed.

The Spirit gave tongues not to entertain the believers,

but to evangelize the unbelievers.

God never wastes a miracle.

He gives gifts to lift the gospel, not the ego.

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When Emotion Becomes the Measuring Stick

So how did something so beautiful become so confusing?

Because somewhere in Christian history, the emphasis shifted from:

“Help me reach others,”

to

“Help me feel something.”

The church in Corinth struggled with this. They loved spiritual experiences. They didn’t want to just have the Spirit—they wanted to feel the Spirit, visibly, dramatically, passionately.

Paul wasn’t against passion, but he knew something dangerous was happening. Their desire for the spectacular had begun to overpower their desire for clarity, unity, and love.

And so he writes—lovingly, firmly, pastorally:

“Grow up.”

That’s his phrase—“in understanding, be mature.”

He tells them that if no one understands the words being spoken, the church is not blessed. He reminds them that intelligibility is not optional; it is essential. And then he says something that should still echo across pulpits, prayer rooms, and worship centers today: