A WordPress Devotional for pastortom.blog

“And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.”
— Acts 2:3

Sometimes the word God has for someone else comes and sits on us first.

We do not always know what to say. We do not always know how to say it. We may share a common language with another person and still not know the language of that person’s heart. Words can be tricky things. Some words trigger old wounds. Some phrases bounce off ears that have grown dull from hearing too many religious clichés. Sometimes what we say is true, but it is not heard.

That is when we need fire.

At Pentecost, the people gathered in Jerusalem heard the good news in their own languages. But something deeper was happening. They were not merely hearing familiar sounds. They were hearing the word of God in the language of the heart. The message penetrated. It cut through resistance. It burned away complacency. It moved past the defenses people had built and reached the place where God was already at work.

The image is powerful: tongues like fire resting on each of them.

The tongue holds a prominent place in Scripture. It can wound, deceive, flatter, and destroy. But it can also bless, heal, proclaim, and bear witness. In the New Testament, the tongue becomes an instrument of good news. Through ordinary human speech, empowered by the Holy Spirit, the gospel moves across boundaries of nation, language, culture, fear, and misunderstanding.

Fire also does its work.

Fire burns away dross. Fire consumes what is superficial. Fire purifies what is precious. Fire gives warmth and light. Fire also spreads.

At Pentecost, God placed his message of grace in the hearts and on the tongues of ordinary believers. The Spirit did not rest only on one leader, one preacher, or one official spokesperson. The fire sat upon each of them. Pentecost is both individual and communal. God calls each of us personally, intimately, and directly. But God also joins us together as one body, one people, one living witness to the glory of Christ.

We need tongues of fire today.

We need speech that is more than noise. We need witness that is more than repetition. We need hearts set aflame by the Holy Spirit so that our words become living words, gracious words, truthful words, healing words.

We need the Spirit to burn through the rubbish of distraction, bitterness, fear, and self-protection. We need God to teach us how to speak the language of another person’s heart.

Do you desire to be an effective witness for Jesus Christ?

Then give yourself to God again. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak through you. Trust that God can use your words, your silence, your presence, and your love. You may be amazed at who listens. You may be surprised by what God says through you. You may discover that the fire that rests on you is not yours to control, but God’s gift to steward.

Because of Pentecost, we are not left speechless.

Because of Pentecost, we are not sent alone.

Because of Pentecost, the Spirit still comes, still fills, still burns, still speaks, and still sends.

Prayer

Holy Spirit, set our hearts on fire with the love and truth of Jesus. Purify our speech. Teach us to speak with grace, courage, humility, and wisdom. Help us hear the hearts of others and bear witness in ways they can receive. Make us faithful witnesses of Christ, individually and together as your people. Amen.

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Hear This If You Can

Matthew 13:1-23

Matthew 13:1–23 in four translations: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2013%3A1-23&version=NRSVUE,NIV,PHILLIPS,NLT

The Word of the Kingdom is still being sown.

Jesus tells of seed scattered broadly and generously. Some is snatched. Some is scorched. Some is choked. But some becomes fruitful.

This message asks a direct question: what is happening in our hearts when the Word of God lands there?

Are we hardened?
Are we shallow?
Are we crowded?
Or are we becoming fruitful?

There is also hope. The Spirit of God can break up the packed-down places, deepen the thin places, and clear the crowded places so the Word can take root and bear fruit.

Seeds for You to Sow and Develop from this Message

Every hearing of the Word is a kingdom moment.

The sower is not careless because the seed is cheap. The sower is extravagant because the kingdom is urgent.

The thorns do not need to deny the seed. They only need to outgrow it.

The difference between the crowd and the disciple is not that the disciple understands everything immediately. The disciple comes back and asks Jesus what it means.

The parable tells us the truth about hearing. Pentecost tells us there is hope for hearers.

The good news is not that hard soil can try harder to become good soil. The good news is that the Spirit of God can plow what we cannot plow.

Do not despair over the field. Do not despair over the seed. Do not despair over the slow harvest.

Watch the message:
https://www.facebook.com/tomsims/videos/836824365718771

Read the full Bible Chat reflection and study guide:
https://tomsims.substack.com/p/hear-this-if-you-can

Join Fellowship of Joy for conversation, encouragement, and shared spiritual growth:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/fellowshipofjoy

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