Stop the Babble!
Genesis 11:1-9
The Tower of Babel
11 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As people moved eastward,[a] they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
3 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. 6 The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
8 So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
On Sunday, the Day of Pentecost, we read of the disciples who waited in Jerusalem for the Promised Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit blew into the house they were at, they began to speak in different tongues/languages. Since there were different nations assembled there for the last of 3 public festivals, it was the perfect time for them to hear the Gospel in their own language. The church was planted in these people groups, and as they went back to their native lands, the Gospel was rooted and grew all over the world. For one day there was no confusion, and everyone was on the same page. There were no denominations, no hierarchies, just the organic mission of God to reach all people with the Good News.
In today's reading it is almost as if we see the exact opposite thing happening. At the start of the story, there is one people with the same language. As they settled, their goal became to make a name for themselves, so they built a tower hoping to reach all the way up to heaven. God realized how this was a vain attempt for the creature to become the Creator, so he confused their languages, and they were scattered all over the earth.
So in one case God caused confusion to stop a movement, where man wanted to be like God. And on Pentecost, God came down in the Holy Spirit, so that all people might know of His love for Him in Christ. For a moment, all the people gathered heard the message with no barriers with crystal clarity. Babble turned into a cohesive message that everyone could understand and accept and be united in faith.
And so the question for the day would be in what ways are we unified in our message to the world? What are the barriers that cause confusion in the people we seek to reach? Are our different languages for the purpose of building our own towers, or God's glory? Since many cities are becoming more and more diverse like the one I am in, I think next movement of God will be fueled by churches that make the message intentionally geared to all people. Removing the cultural barriers to allow the Holy Spirit to grow the church and make disciples of all nation.
The Tower of Babel
11 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As people moved eastward,[a] they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
3 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. 6 The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
8 So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
On Sunday, the Day of Pentecost, we read of the disciples who waited in Jerusalem for the Promised Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit blew into the house they were at, they began to speak in different tongues/languages. Since there were different nations assembled there for the last of 3 public festivals, it was the perfect time for them to hear the Gospel in their own language. The church was planted in these people groups, and as they went back to their native lands, the Gospel was rooted and grew all over the world. For one day there was no confusion, and everyone was on the same page. There were no denominations, no hierarchies, just the organic mission of God to reach all people with the Good News.
In today's reading it is almost as if we see the exact opposite thing happening. At the start of the story, there is one people with the same language. As they settled, their goal became to make a name for themselves, so they built a tower hoping to reach all the way up to heaven. God realized how this was a vain attempt for the creature to become the Creator, so he confused their languages, and they were scattered all over the earth.
So in one case God caused confusion to stop a movement, where man wanted to be like God. And on Pentecost, God came down in the Holy Spirit, so that all people might know of His love for Him in Christ. For a moment, all the people gathered heard the message with no barriers with crystal clarity. Babble turned into a cohesive message that everyone could understand and accept and be united in faith.
And so the question for the day would be in what ways are we unified in our message to the world? What are the barriers that cause confusion in the people we seek to reach? Are our different languages for the purpose of building our own towers, or God's glory? Since many cities are becoming more and more diverse like the one I am in, I think next movement of God will be fueled by churches that make the message intentionally geared to all people. Removing the cultural barriers to allow the Holy Spirit to grow the church and make disciples of all nation.
Comments
Post a Comment