“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands…”

Revelation 7:9

When was a time you experienced God in a culture that was different than you own? Maybe it was a worship service in a foreign country or on a tour to the holy lands. Maybe it was a moving conversation with someone through broken English but the unmistakable language of human love and kindness. I hope that you have encountered God in a context different than your own.

Deanna and I were in a remote Honduran village. We had spent the week together with the villagers, helping them to build cinder block homes. It was a powerful, exhausting, and shaping experience that still rests in my heart. The final night was our big worship experience. The whole village was together. We worshipped. We sang. We praised God’s mighty name. It was glorious. Before we all shared in Communion together, we passed the peace of Christ to everyone. Well, I didn’t. I passed the fish…

Dr. Bell was my professor and the leader of the trip. I asked him how to say peace in Spanish. He told me Pesca. So I shook hands and gave hugs to my newest brothers and sisters in that Honduran village. To each of them I said, “Pesca de Christo.” Yup, I passed the “Fish of Christ” to the whole village. Thanks, Dr. Bell! Ha!

Linguistic pranks aside, that worship service left an indelible mark on my faith. I understood some of the songs we sang, but not much. And yet my ears were filled with joy and my heart soared with praise. My comprehension of God expanded that day.

I was in the town of Nekempte, Ethiopia. I had traveled to teach and speak at a college graduation service with my dear friend, Gemechis Buba. The highlight of the trip was a final worship and revival gathering with 40,000 people in the local soccer stadium. I was the only white guy in the stadium. It was another memorable and life shaping experience.

This time I knew nothing. I didn’t understand a single word that was said or sang for the entire time that we were there. But, my heart was stirred as I saw 40,000 Ethiopians praising, dancing, raising hands, and being moved by the Holy Spirit. That day, 40,001 people encountered the living God. My heart still swells when I think of those moments.

When you encounter the Lord in a context that is different than your own your knowledge, experience, and grasp of the Almighty expands. God is bigger after those moments and encounters. To experience people worshiping God in their language and to watch as their spirit’s soar is powerful. It changes you. And it sticks with you.

This is the work of the Holy Spirit. This is what the Holy Spirit does. He brings together the nations and expands our understanding of the vastness of God.

Yesterday was Pentecost—the gifting of the Holy Spirit to the people of God. That powerful day is told in Acts 2. The rushing wind and the tongues of flame are the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise—the advocate that would come and empower God’s people. Come, Holy Spirit. Hallelujah, the Church is born!

One of the elements of the story is that people from the nations were present in Jerusalem on that fateful day. People from far and wide had descended on the city. And, at the Pentecost sound, they came running. The Apostles’ spoke, and the nations understood—each in their own native tongue. Pentecost is the undoing of the Tower of Babel.

The Holy Spirit is a powerful and mighty gift given to the church. And to you. The Spirit of God lives within you. This is uniquely personal. This is profoundly specific. The Holy Spirit comes to you. By the gift and promise of baptism, the Holy Spirit comes to you! But not to you solely. Not to you alone. Today, it is worth noting that the Holy Spirit, even while uniquely personal, is intimately connected to the nations. The Holy Spirit may be personal, but this is God’s global gift that ties you together with every Christian of every time and space.

Every nation is coming together. This is God’s promise and God’s holy work. Revelation foretells us that, on this side of the cross and on the other side of Jesus’ return, every nation is there to celebrate. Every nation joins together to sing praises to the Lamb. Every nation. Every tongue. Every tribe. Every dialect. Every culture.

Imagine the sound. I can got back to that stadium in Nekempte in my mind. I still have no idea what anyone was saying or singing. But I knew the Spirit that was yoking us together. By this same Holy Spirit, there will be a day when we will all gather today. And we will all understand. And the glory of the Lord will be beheld by us all. Come, Lord Jesus. We pray for that day.

But, until then, we trust the Holy Spirit. Even as we pass the fish of Christ.

Think about a time your faith grew mightily in a context different than the one you are most familiar with.