Shortly after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the apostles came to Jerusalem to receive the gift of God’s Holy Spirit. During the weeks that Jesus intermittently spent with them after being raised from the dead, they asked Him repeatedly, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” Christ answered them by saying, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witness, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:6-8, NLT).

I can only imagine what the apostles must have been thinking! “To the ends of the earth? How is that going to be possible?” “And wait, there’s more work to be done before You set up Your kingdom on this earth?”

Yet just as Jesus had promised them, God provided a way for them to be His witnesses and to preach the gospel to the world. “On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm . . . And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability” (Acts 2:1-4, NLT). By the power of God’s Holy Spirit, they could reach the surrounding nations and preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God.

This past Feast of Pentecost, I spent my first Holy Day across the globe in Thailand. I’m here to help serve at the Legacy Institute, and to teach the young adults about God and His word. Amongst our small congregation, we are surrounded by several language barriers. For example, most of the members speak different tribal dialects of Burmese. The rest of the members speak with various English accents including British, Canadian, German, American, and even American Sign Language. We are so thankful to have a translator and the students who work diligently to learn English, but we know that none of this would be possible without the power and presence of God.

Although there was no mighty rushing wind like in Jerusalem, God has used the power of His Holy Spirit to reach the hearts and minds of us all, no matter what our native tongue may be. Truly, nothing can stop God from fulfilling His will and communicating His great love for all of mankind.