The Story Continues: Wk 2 | April 19th, 2026 | Nate Stewart

BOOM! I'M HERE!

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

The microphone works a lot better if you turn it on. Just a helpful tip for myself. How's everybody doing today? That was weak. How's everybody doing? Alright, that's a little better. That's a little better. Alright. Welcome to East Bridge. I am so glad that you're here. If you don't know me, my name is Nate. I am one of the ministry leaders here for young adults. My wife, Sharon, is out there. She was probably dancing by the doorway when you walked in. She is also one of the leaders. Today I'm going to be up here speaking about the continuation of the Easter story. And then there was that time period that we talked about last week where there was 40 days from when he was resurrected to when he ascended back up into heaven, where he said, or he taught his followers, he ate meals with them, he communed with them, and he empowered them to do the things that he was going to have them do. But he said, You can't just get it and go. I need you to wait. And he's going to send the spirit. And, you know, a lot of what uh Justin talked about last week is waiting on the Lord. I did not care for that. I don't like to wait. I'm not a patient person. I want to just give my marching orders and go. And but sometimes we do. And then sometimes we wait around so long that it's kind of like, okay, is this going to happen or not? So what do we do when it does come? When the Holy Spirit enters our life, what is it that we do at that point? What does that even look like? And so today we're going to talk about something called Pentecost. Pentecost happened 50 days from the resurrection of Jesus to when the Holy Spirit came. This is not Pentecost. It's actually May 24th this year, is when Pentecost is actually going to be celebrated, but we're getting a little ahead of ourselves, but that's okay. While the folks were waiting, they didn't sit around and do whatever is the first century equivalent of doom scrolling on your phone. They were together. Acts 1.14 from last week, all these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus and his brothers. They were actively praying. They were eating meals together. They were sharing life together. They were doing what they needed to do to prepare for the moment that God was going to give them. And then we see in chapter 2, when the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Imagine a tornado going right through here without the wind part. The sound, that rushing in of the wind, like a train going right past you when there is no train track. This is an important thing here because all through Scripture, when God is talking to his people, the example we see is that he is in the still small voice. He's not in the thunder, he's not in the wind, he's in the still small voice. In this example, Jesus came, or the Holy Spirit came in like, boom, I'm here. There is no mistaking this. Complete, yeah, sorry, buddy. I'll kick quieter next time. There was no mistaking it. None at all. And divided tongues of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Okay, I don't know about you, but if I saw a flaming tongue over my head, I'd probably think, at the very least, that's weird. Flaming tongues is a weird image to the idea, but why did God do that? Well, speaking in tongues and what they're going to do is speaking. Something we do every day. God knew that people had to realize that this was not just your normal speaking. This is something else. The tongue would represent speech, the gift of speech coming out. And the fire would represent the purification or the refinement of what was being said. Like if you've got gold, you want to make it pure, you put it in the fire, burns off the impurities. What's there is pure. This is the same thing. What was coming on these words was holy. It wasn't just your average everyday speak. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together and they were bewildered. So this sound wasn't just to announce to the people that were speaking, it was to draw people in. They were bewildered because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, Are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear each one of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia and Judea and Cappadocia and Pontus and Asia, that other word, and another word, and then Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytides, Cretans and Arab Arabians, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God. And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, What does this mean? But others mocking said they're filled with new wine. If all of a sudden one of your friends that you know, or people that you've known for a little while, all of a sudden starts speaking in another language, it might be tempting to just, gee, are you wasted? The Holy Spirit does things that are not normal. They're weird. And that's cool. Not just because I really love weird stuff, but it's cool because it's a power outside of ourselves. And I want to kind of do some clarification here before we go too much further because speaking in tongues is something that has been kind of divisive and has driven some division in the church. Um what we're talking about here is xenogolossi. Not a word I use a lot. Xenogolossi means I am speaking a language that I do not know to someone who does know it and can interpret it. So if I were to all of a sudden start speaking in French, I don't know French. If I were all of a sudden doing that and there was somebody here that for whatever reason doesn't speak English, they only speak French, and they God wanted them to hear something specific. That would be speaking in tongues like this. Now there is another type of speaking in tongues that we see in 1 Corinthians chapter 14 where Paul talks about how there is a secret prayer language. Um but that is for private use. The scripture is very clear on if you are speaking in tongues, that there's only to be like one or two per service, and the person that's speaking has to have somebody who can interpret. There's very defined structure to what God does when he's speaking in tongues. For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. There are a lot of people who have experienced a lot of church hurt because of speaking in tongues and not understanding all of it. And the the idea that for some people they say if you can't speak in tongues, you're not a real Christian. You don't have the Holy Spirit. That's wrong. If you disagree with me, that's fine. We can talk about it later. But that's not how the Bible is set up. If you're speaking in tongues and there's nobody there to interpret, the Bible says, sit down, be quiet. That's between you and God. So the tongues is a very real thing. But it's not the be-all end-all in Christianity. And I want to be very clear on this because it is a kind of a tense issue for a lot of people, a lot of us want to just like, okay, that was cool 2,000 years ago. I'm not, you know, what it leave it back there. But the reality is that speaking in tongues is a beautiful example of God's redemptive love. In Genesis chapter 11, everybody spoke the same language. And they were so united and so together that they decided that they didn't need God anymore, and they were going to do their own thing. They started working on the Tower of Babel, and God said, nope. And he he mixed up all their languages because they wanted to go their own way. He mixed up the way that they communicated. Here, he's using language to reunite his family. The same words that separated them back then are now all of a sudden bringing them forward together. They're so cool. Even in the finest details like that, God is working. But what does that mean for us today? Your body, in 1 Corinthians 6, 19, it says, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit within you. Back when we came at Pentecost, there was the big noise, kicked in the door, hey, we're here. Now he's kind of back to that still small voice thing that he likes to do. But that doesn't mean the spirit isn't there. The spirit is still here. The same spirit that was there 2,000 years ago is the same spirit we can experience now as believers. If we have put our trust in Christ, if he is the source of our salvation, if we have surrendered to him, if we have felt his redemptive spirit, then we have the same spirit accessible to us now. Don't push that aside. And there are varieties of service, but the same Lord. And there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same spirit, to another, faith by the same spirit, to another, gifts of healing by one spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, the ability to distinguish between two spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same spirit who apportions to each one individually as he wills. Not as we will, as he wills. The Holy Spirit is doing his thing. Having a spiritual gift is not something where we can just sit around and be like, hey, waiter, I need the gift of healing real quick. It doesn't work like that. The Holy Spirit is whole. It doesn't mean that we're all going to be speaking in tongues. Verse 12 says, For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one spirit we're all baptized into one body, Jews, Greeks, slaves, and free, and all were made to drink of one spirit. We don't have the spirit of wisdom. We don't have the spirit of discernment. We don't have the spirit of helps. We have the Holy Spirit. God working in us and through us. How that's going to manifest in your life, that's between you and God. But I say this all the time. We are not meant to live a life that is ordinary. Each one of us is meant to live a life that is extraordinary. God has gifts for you to use. What that's going to look like, I don't know. But we're not all going to have the same gift. We're supposed to work together as a community. We're going to have different giftings. I mean, some are cooler than others, I guess. The idea of uh praying for somebody and they're healed doesn't seem quite as fun as having a gift of of hospitality and helps so that the bathrooms get clean here. That people feel welcome. Think about it, if if we didn't have people here that were gifted with making this place feel comfortable and clean, most of us wouldn't stick around. I mean, the preaching's good, but it's not that good. I mean, when you're doing it, then it is. But we are all meant to do something. And the way that you do it, when you're law, when you're allowing the Holy Spirit's work in you and through you, it will be extraordinary. Think of this, and and you know the world right now, I don't know if you've turned on a TV or looked at your phone at all, but there are some things going on that have people not necessarily happy with each other. We're we're kind of not nice right now. A lot of us. We're divided. I don't like this side, I don't like that side, we all hate the other side, and the gift of encouragement is a spiritual gift. You have the ability to change someone's life just by saying, hey, it's good to see you. I'm glad you're here. Um I'll try to say this fast. I heard a story of a guy that was going to uh the Brooklyn Bridge because he was going to um jump off. And when the officers came to his apartment uh after the fact they're doing the investigation, they found a note that said, here's what I'm doing today. I am going there because I've given up on life. I've given up on humanity. We are not good people. If there is anyone that says so much as hello to me on the way to the bridge, I will not do it. But if you're reading this, a hello and a smile can literally save someone's life. But a lot of times we ignore it because it's not that big, flashy thing. We all have something that will make us extraordinary. So if we have a spirit, we know the spirit's real, why is it sometimes that we don't have these gifts? Because I'm sure there are people in here right now that are saying, okay, I know intellectually God is there. I'm not feeling it. I don't see him working in my life. I don't see him working in the lives of those around me. Or maybe you do, and you're wondering why is it he's not working in mine too? I want you to change the way that you look at how the Spirit is working. Galatians 5.22 says, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, or patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Jesus Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience. This is also how God is working in us in the Spirit. Thank God. Because 30 years ago, I lived a life that was very much the opposite of what it means to be a follower of Christ. If you don't know me, if you haven't heard my story yet, I've got a history of addiction, mental health issues, suicide attempts, all the things. I let those things keep me from feeling disqu or feeling qualified to do ministry because I didn't trust that the Holy Spirit was big enough to handle my mess. I thought if anybody knows, if anybody finds out, but what happened is I've been able to go out and speak to people all over the country and share the love of God because of those things that I did and how God saved me from those. There's nothing that you can do that's going to be so bad that God can't use you. There's nothing in you that says you are not important enough for God to look down and say, if you were the only one, I would still have come down. God has purpose for us. God has meaning in your life. I'm not the same guy I was. Instead, I am more peaceful. I am more patient. I have more love. More joy. The Holy Spirit has to work in me first before I'm going to be able to go out and have it working in a community a lot of times. Doesn't mean it can never happen. But generally speaking, we have to prepare ourselves and be ready for what God has for us. There's a company I work for down by St. Cloud. It was right after Sharon and I got married. And we had moved there towards a later part of the year. And I didn't know a lot of people there. But we decided we were going to go to the company Christmas party, which was really awkward because it's a company Christmas party. But we also didn't, because we didn't know anybody, we're just kind of sitting at a table at one point. Everybody got up, they're all getting drinks, they're talking, doing their thing. And Sharon are just kind of hanging out like, how much longer do you want to stay? Because we're sitting by ourselves, uh, as he was going by, the CEO of the company walked by and said, Hey, um, is there anything I can get you guys? Are you doing okay? And me, because sometimes I'm just not smart, I said, maybe a million bucks. And I'm thinking, you know, it's just a joke. He's gonna be ah yeah, funny, and just keep walking, that would be it. But instead, what he did is he pulled out his chair, he sat down and he said, if I gave it to you, what would you do with it? I forgot I was talking to a rich guy. I wasn't ready for a million bucks. Sometimes God has to work in us before he's gonna work outwardly. Sometimes your transformation is the evangelism that the world needs. There's nobody that saw me back when I was twenty that would see me now and say I'm the same person. Be patient with God. Not because he's slow, but because sometimes we are. But do not believe the lie that you do not have what it takes to be used by God. You are very much loved and cherished by the creator of the universe. Let him love you. But in the meantime, what are some steps that we can take to maybe walk closer? We're supposed to walk in or live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. How do we do that? First, we have to be in the Word. If you want to know more about God, read about God. He wrote a book all about Himself, and we still have it today. Get in the Word. Learn about what it is that He has for us. Sometimes that may feel dry as you're going. Sometimes even the smallest verse can shake your world. But the only way you're going to know it is if you open the book. Then pray. Talk to God. Let him know what you're struggling with. Let him know what your dreams are. Let him know what you want to accomplish. Help him or have him help you to mold those dreams, those passions, the things that get you out of bed in the morning. Let him mold those into a way that honors him, that builds the kingdom up. Talk to God and then listen. There is a thing we did with the young adults a couple weeks ago where I told everybody that I wanted them to take 15 minutes and do absolutely nothing in that time. No phone, no radio, no computer, nothing. Just be still. You can feel the years grinding together as things are slowing down. We need to take time to be still and know that He is God. We can't rush it. Just be. And then repent. Some of us kind of miss this step. We think, okay, God saved me, so now I'm free and I'm gonna get into heaven, so I can, you know, yeah, I'll go to church more, but everything else is gonna kind of stay the same. If that never happens, I mean think about that. 30 years ago, that little light of mine that I was gonna let shine would be the glow of a dumpster fire. If there is something that you have not let go of yet, something that if people found out about it, you would feel embarrassed. You would feel humiliated. What is that thing? Now do something about it. Not saying everybody has to get up here and reveal their secrets, although that would be very interesting. Be real with God. It's surrendering to God completely. Saying, not my will, but your will be done. When we can let go of all this stuff that we're trying to hang on to, or that we're trying to hide so nobody can find out. We gotta let that go. If we don't share it, it will stay strong. It will have power on us. The spoken word sometimes of just saying what it is you're struggling with is enough to take away the power, to take away the stigma. I've been in the world of recovery for a long time now. It used to be that when when somebody was in an addict, they would go into a dark church basement. You know, they had the one light on a string that was swinging, they're all drinking coffee that was like super, super strong. And now I can go into a meeting, people say, Hey, IV drug user, and people will clap for them. How beautiful is that? I had this struggle, I'm facing this struggle. I am growing. I am serving a purpose for God. How cool is that? It's not about us, it's about God. Him working through us. Enjoy the process, enjoy the ride. Because each day you're getting closer and closer to him. And ask God to work in your life for his glory, honor, and praise. And if you ask that, he will work in your life for his glory, his honor, and his praise. And you will never doubt again whether or not you were meant to be extraordinary. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you that as the King of the universe, the creator of all things, you still take the time to reach down and hold us in the palm of your hand. Your victorious right hand. I thank you, God, that you do have a purpose and a plan for us. And I ask this week, Lord, that we would be bold, bold enough to ask you to refine us to bring about your purpose in our life. To bring about your will, so that this world would find their hope in you. Because we desperately need hope. I ask, Lord, that this week for those of us that are willing to ask that prayer, that you would move. Please move. Jesus' name. Amen.