The Power to Speak With a New Tongue — Carter Conlon

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Pentecost and the Church Against Insurmountable Odds

I want to speak to you tonight from the Book of Acts, Chapter 2. And we're going to go to prayer again this evening along the lines with what I feel the Holy Spirit is speaking. Pentecost changed the world.

The world was going in a certain direction. Religion had its stranglehold. Religion actually in Israel had become murderous. And obviously the death of Christ was proof of that. There was a bloodlust in the crowd.

Thousands had been at the judgment seat area of Pilate. They had been trying to crucify him. They were incited and measured by the religious leadership of that day. And their own instability had incited them as well.

The lack of assured direction in their own hearts allowed them to be shifted by changing winds and moods. Perhaps those that were crying, Hosanna, a few days before are now among the crowd crying, crucify him.

And that's how man's hearts work without God. They're moved, they're changed and shifted by circumstance, by various winds and whims that present themselves. And left as a testimony to God is 120 people in an upper room.

And they're there because they've been commissioned to be there. But what could they do against so formidable a force? They're living in a nation that is occupied by a foreign power that believes in the conquering ethic as it is.

They believe that the ways of Rome were superior. Most conquerors do. And they're in there. And they're oppressing most of the known world of their day. There's a history of cruelty. And the Jewish people obviously had suffered tremendously at the hands of some of the Roman soldiers and the invading forces.

We have this going on. We have the Jewish people themselves having just, in effect, crucified the Son of God. Or at least consented to his crucifixion. And against all of this, onslaught of evil as it is, are 120 people in an upper room.

They really are not rich. They're not noble. They don't have any political influence or power. They're not generals of armies. They're ordinary people like you and I here tonight. They are against insurmountable odds.

No different than when Joshua and the children of Israel went into the Promised Land and were confronted by Jericho. They have their own Jericho. This is a spiritual Jericho in a sense that has pitted itself against everything that is God and good as God sees it.

What could they do? And this is really the strategy of the enemy to discourage the Church of Jesus Christ. It always has been. Challenging the Church as it is. Take a look in the mirror. Look at you. You're not anything important or particular.

You have no influence or authority. And even if you gather a little crowd, what's that going to do? How could a thousand people, thank you, John, gathered to pray have an effect on New York City or the country or even beyond our borders?

How could this possibly come to pass? You know, calculated gamble of the enemy is always that he can convince the people of God that it's hopeless and they'll all go home. But periodically, 120 are found somewhere who are not convinced that it is hopeless.

They are hopeless, but they look away from themselves and they begin to look to the God who created this universe. They begin to look to the one that David said set the stars and they're cautious. The one who's the very firmaments declare that he's in absolute control of absolutely everything.

They begin to turn to the things that God has spoken and God has said. And somehow their hearts begin to embrace it and begin to believe it. And they go away and they're not looking in the mirror anymore.

They're looking away from themselves and now they're looking to God. And they're sitting in this place, as it says in Acts chapter 2 and verse 1. Now, I want you and I know, and if you're new to the Lord, maybe you're not aware of this, but the day of Pentecost is a day when God came in power upon a group of people that were waiting on him.

One Accord With God at Pentecost

And the day of Pentecost has changed the world. It changed history. Within a very short time, much of the Roman Empire even had been touched by the presence and the power of God. Many, many people had come to Christ.

There was a little band that literally turned over for good much of the known society of their day. Insurmountable odds if God is not on your side. But when the day of Pentecost was fully come, Acts chapter 2, verse 1, they were all with one accord and in one place.

Now, this is very, very important. They were in one accord with God. We like to say, well, they were together with a common purpose, but they wouldn't be together with a common purpose if they weren't, first of all, together in agreement with God.

After Christ rose from the dead, he gave them instructions in Acts chapter 1 and verse 8. He said, you shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you. Now, here's the purpose of this power.

And you shall be witnesses. That means living testimonies unto me, both in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth. Now, this is what Jesus had spoken to them. And when the day of Pentecost came, the day of God's power as it is, these 120 were gathered together in an upper room and they were in one accord with God.

You see, folks, the power of God is not available to those who are not in accord with him. So many today want the power, but they want the power of God to feel good. Others want the power of God so they can have an enhanced position in society.

Others want the power of God so they can have power over men. They want the power of God because they don't have a very good self-image. And they think, well, this will really do something for me. I'll be known as a great man or great woman of God.

They want the power of God for all the wrong reasons. But the reason that Jesus said you'll have the power is that you will be a witness of me. And not only here where you live, but all through the world.

So, in effect, these people gathered in the upper room knew that this power of God that he's promising to me could send me to other parts of the world. And they were in agreement with this. One accord with God.

Yielded Vessels and the Glory of God

These are yielded people. There's no secondary agenda. It's God, I want to honor you. And, you know, most of these people had failed. I'm sure many of them had denied his name. There are very few whose voices were raised on the judgment day or ran up to Calvary perhaps to try to stop the crucifixion.

Very few. And they were all failures in their own sight. But now they said, God, we want to honor you. We want to honor your name. And we realize that we need the power that you have promised us to do this.

We can't do this in our own strength. You can't. I can't. Nobody can. None of us can honor God in our own strength. We can talk about him, but we can't be living witnesses without his power. We can't be, as we heard last night, that surrendered vessel that nobody can argue with or about.

That yielded vessel that bears within he, himself or herself the living Christ. Changing from image to image and glory to glory. Always moving into the abundant life of Jesus Christ as he promised that his church would have.

Being renewed daily in their mind. Being gifted as they begin to walk with God. Their borders expanding all the time. The pegs of their tents always being pulled up and pushed out farther. This particular curious people enjoy being stretched beyond what they can do.

Because they know only their God within them can do it. And when he does, he gets the glory. They were all with one accord. We need to be in one accord with God to ask for his power. And they were in one place.

Obedience and the Promise of the Holy Spirit

They were in a place of obedience. In verse 4 it says, and chapter 1 says, being assembled together with them. This is Jesus, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem. But wait for the promise of the Father, which saith he, you have heard of me.

You see, they were in a place of obedience. Not only in one accord with God, but in a place of obedience. And this is so important. The early disciples knew that receiving the Holy Ghost was conditional on having a heart that desired to obey God.

So many, many people are running around in what professes itself to be places of God's power. Wanting the Holy Ghost, but not desiring really to walk in obedience to God. We see this in Acts chapter 5.

Where Peter and the other disciples had been threatened and commanded not to teach nor preach in Jerusalem. In the name of Jesus Christ. Now Peter answering all of the religious that are trying to shut him down in verse 29 of Acts chapter 5.

He says some incredible words. Now this speaks to me of a resident knowledge that they had. That being in one accord and in one place was a place of agreement with God. And it was a place where I've chosen in my heart to obey God.

I've chosen if he wants to speak to some area of my life that I don't want him to speak to. I will obey him. I will let him speak. If he needs to take something out of my life, I will invite him to take it out of my life.

If he wants to send me into a ministry. If he wants to do something through my life that will glorify. I will obey him. Now obedience is not compulsion. Obedience is God speaking and I know he's speaking.

There's a difference. It's not me or you proving that we are in a sense devoted to God. That's not what it's about. It's God speaking to us and we just simply move in that obedience. In verse 29 it says Peter and the other apostles answered and said we ought to obey God rather than men.

The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you slew and hanged on a tree. It's pretty pointed preaching. Him have God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a savior. And to give repentance to Israel and the forgiveness of sins.

And we are his witnesses of these things. Now listen to this statement. And so is also the Holy Ghost whom God has given to them that obey him. Now this was really putting a line in the sand. Here are a people that are being transformed by the power of God.

Being confronted by a people who are simply religious. And he makes a statement. He said God has made the choice to give his life. For the sins of fallen humanity. And he's chosen to give his resurrected life.

To those who obey him. Now of course they're standing on one side of the line and the apostles on the other. And they are very well aware that they don't have this life of God within them. Because it says in verse 33 when they heard that they were cut to the heart.

And took counsel to slay them. Just as they had slain Jesus. They were in one accord. They were in one place. Just like I believe we are here tonight. I believe it with all my heart. I don't think you would be here.

If you were interested in anything but serving Christ. And glorifying him. In this last hour of time. There's an army all over the world that God is raising up right now. It's not just here. It's all over the world.

We're seeing it more and more. Pastor David is more. Pastor Dave called me a couple of days ago. Pastor Carter said I've never seen the depth of hunger that I'm seeing now in the ministry. We've never had.

He said ever. As deep a work as I've just experienced. In the series of meetings that we've just left. He said thank you. And thank the church for the prayer. This is sovereign. This is a supernatural work of God.

The Outpouring of the Holy Ghost

Suddenly there came from heaven. Verse 2. Acts 2. As of a sound of a rushing mighty wind. And it filled all the house. Where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire.

And it set upon each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Ghost. And began to speak with other tongues. As the spirit. Gave them utterance. Now this is important. They were filled with the Holy Ghost.

And when the Holy Ghost came upon them. They were given the ability to speak with other tongues. Remember. We were fasting. And the purpose of our fast is let the meditation. The words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart.

Be acceptable in thy sight. Oh God. My strength. And my redeemer. These were known languages. They were not speaking just incoherent syllables. This was not a meeting where somebody said now repeat after me.

They were filled with the Holy Ghost. And when the Holy Ghost came upon them. They were given the ability. To communicate with people of other cultures. This is exactly what happened to them. They were speaking known languages.

Not just incoherent things. Not just small little words or phrases of endearment or praise to God even. There was something else that was happening here. And this is you see what the baptism of the Holy Ghost will do.

Now I realize they had not learned these languages. But they were speaking in languages that were known to other people. For the people came around. And the multitude verse 6 came together. And were confounded.

Because they heard every man speak in his own language. You remember when they built the Tower of Babel. How God came down and confounded their languages. And caused them to speak different languages.

Because the Tower of Babel was man trying to get to heaven in his own strength. Man trying to be his own God. Man trying to establish his own reputation. So God confounded it. Then he came down again on the day of Pentecost.

And gave the ability. It's as if it was reversed. To a people whose objective was to glorify God. Gave these people the ability now to communicate in every language. Into every culture. And it's part of the empowerment, the endowment, the power of the Spirit of God.

That's why we can go to Africa. And we seem to understand the people. And they seem to understand us. That's why we're going to Argentina in March. That's why we've been to the Philippines. That's why I could stand and this choir could sing.

And we could go to inner city Kingston, Jamaica. Where people have known nothing but violence and death for years. And somehow they could understand what I was saying. The ability given of God to begin to speak to people of other languages.

Other nations, other abilities, other cultures. Transcending and breaking down all of the barriers that have come because of sin. That's why a housewife in New York City can receive the Holy Ghost. And go to Harlem and stand on the worst street corner.

And begin to speak. And the power of God will transform people's lives. The scripture says they were confounded. They heard every man speak in his own language. And they were amazed and marveled. And they said, behold, are not all these which speak Galileans?

Are these not all New Yorkers? Is this not a college professor? Is he not a lawyer? Is she not a real estate agent? Is this not a construction worker? Where did they get this power to speak my language?

It's amazing. I've seen this. I've known this personally. How God gives wisdom. He allows us to speak into situations where we have no skill whatsoever. We have no experience. No briefing. No committee around us.

No power. But he sends us. And with the compassion of God gives us words that cannot be resisted. Oh, yes. People may get angry and they may repent, but they cannot resist it. There will be an effect.

And now he says they said in verse eight, we hear every man in our own language. We're in. We were born. And then they go on to to list. It says in verse 11, all the all the cultures, all the nations.

And then the first 11 says, Cretans and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues. The wonderful works of God. This is what they were speaking. The word in the Greek is Megalios, and this is what it means.

I wrote the definition right out of the concordance. It means great works or miracles contemplated as the outcomings of the greatness of God's power and glory. This is what they were speaking. They come out of the upper room.

They are people who are common, ordinary people. They are very familiar with their own weaknesses and inability to do what they're called to do. But God's power came upon them. And they come out into the open.

First evidence that the Holy Spirit is upon you is that you will come out into the open. And they stood out. And, folks, it was a it was a it was a God birthed and burdened moment because they stood out in front of a crowd that had just crucified their savior.

And the bloodlust is still very, very real in that society. Every one of them knew to stand out and to do what God's calling me to do. I might be the next one on a cross because it was very, very fresh.

Christianity was not the accepted religion of that time. And they began to speak with other tongues. But what what were they saying with these other tongues? I'm going to I'm going to heaven's video section when I get there.

I want to know. But I know that the Bible says they were speaking about great works of miracles. That were contemplated. That means understood, thought about, maybe not yet realized. You understand this?

Not yet fully actualized. But they were hearing God speak to them and they were speaking back out what God was saying. These are works of miracles that are contemplating as outcomings or outpourings or evidences or realities of the greatness of God's power and glory.

I don't know what it is that they were saying. Maybe one man was standing and speaking in a language that he didn't know. But people understood. God has not given me a spirit of fear, but a power and love and a sound mind.

I'm not ashamed anymore of the testimony of Christ. I'm willing to be a partaker of the afflictions of God. Maybe another one stood and said, not only me, but my house is going to be saved. My family are coming to God.

The enemy's reign is over. It's finished. Maybe another man who's had a heart full of hate stood up. Oh, God, I have a love in my heart. I feel it in my heart. I'm not what I used to be. I'm changing.

I feel the change right now happening in me. How would you feel if you walked down Broadway tomorrow afternoon at 4 o 'clock and 120 people are standing there saying these types of things? I don't know about you, but if I was an unsaved man, I'd stop and say, goodness sakes, what is this?

And that's exactly what happened. The people gathered around and said, what is this? Now, Peter's sermon led 3 ,000 of them to Christ. Led them. But they did not gather because of Peter's sermon. It was not about Peter's sermon.

Peter's sermon was just an answer to what really gathered the crowd. The crowd were gathered by a God-gripped, Holy Spirit-filled, Latin-inspired people who stood out among the crowd in spite of their bloodlust and said, let me tell you what God has done for me.

Let me tell you what God is speaking he's going to do for me. Let me tell you. Contemplate that I have begun to realize in my heart that God is going to do for me. The Holy Ghost speaking, and I'm just simply agreeing with him.

I may not be this thing that God's speaking to me of, but I believe it with all my heart. What does a society filled with hopelessness need to hear today? It's not an argument about Christ that people are longing for.

It's the reality. I believe, I believe, I believe. Pastor Williams' own testimony is that he wandered the streets of New York City and he said, God, for three years he wandered the streets and said, God, show me one person that has a living, real relationship with you and I will live for you.

He said, I walked in the doors at Times Square Church, stood at the back. I heard Pastor David speak and I knew my prayer had been answered. I found a man that I knew was a man of God. Megalios. I've seen Pastor David.

He's 74 years of age now. I've seen him minister in youth rallies. How many 74-year-olds do you know that minister in youth rallies? Not very many. I venture a guess. I don't know of any others. And he just declares the Megalios of God under the influence of the Holy Ghost.

This is what God has done. This is what God will do. And this altar will be filled wherever he is. The altar is filled all over the world now. Teenagers are coming into the pastor's conferences and filling the altars.

Megalios. This is what God has done. This is what God will do. This is who God is. No apologies. An inner knowledge of who God is and a verbal expression of that living reality. This is speech which introduces men to the deepest longing of their hearts.

The Image of God and the Longing for the Creator

Every man ever created, every woman ever created is created in the image of God. They are created for God. You have to know this knowledge. You have to have this in your heart. You have to know this. And they have an inner desire to get back to God.

You see, it's in them. They were created. They have to get back to their creator. Now, men in their darkness find all kinds of pathways to try to either realize that or deny that. But it's still in their heart.

I believe the world is yearning now, yearning for a visible manifestation of who God really is. And the only manifestation you're ever going to get is a surrendered Christian, a surrendered life. I want my life to be one of those.

And I believe that many of you here tonight, you want this as well. You want it with all your heart. But if you're going to know a Pentecost, if I'm going to know the full realization of Pentecost, may I put it that way, I have to be in one accord with God and in the place of obedience.

That my life, God Almighty, in Jesus' name, is yielded to your purposes. And if you speak to me, I will obey you. God says if I can find you in that place, a rushing wind will come to you. Or perhaps just a renewed sense of who God is if you're already filled with the Holy Ghost, a renewed understanding of the purpose of God for your life.

He will do it for you. He will touch you. I promise you. Because it's more his desire than it is yours and mine. It's his desire to be glorified through his church. The fast that we've undertaken is not because we delight in looking for some new wrong thing inside our hearts.

It's not about our salvation. We shared that the other night. We are completely righteous, absolutely forgiven, completely accepted with God as Christians. It's about our testimony of him and his testimony through us to a generation that is dying without God.

That's what this fast is about. In my heart, God, whatever's gotten into this temple that is blocking this outworking of your life, take it out of me. Even if it's religious and it's found a place in the corner of the temple and I think it's okay.

If it's not right, God, get it out of me. If you prayed that prayer, you're going to have a very uncomfortable month or two ahead of you. Because Jesus will answer your prayer. And he will put you into a circumstance that will force this thing up in your heart.

Because you and I have no way of seeing it otherwise. We don't know it's there. And it's not about our salvation. You have to understand this. And we've not been placed in the sight of God in a dimmer view or anything like that.

He already knows it's there. It's about being the church to our generation. And I want us to pray tonight that out of our mouths flow the megalios of God. Out of our mouths. If you know you're in one accord with God, if you know tonight.

Well, if you're not, get there. By faith, get there. God, there's quite a distance between where you called me to be and where I am. But I'm believing. If that's your prayer, then move there. And God will give you the grace to go there.

Moving From Self-Image to Faith-Filled Obedience

Your life and mind is to be a witness for Christ. And he will move you now to the place of obedience. If you're not in the place of obedience, pray for the grace now. There's some things in this house that some people know that God is speaking to you.

He's been speaking for a long time, and yet you refused to do these things. And now is the time. If you want to be a witness for Christ, put these things away. Get them out of your life and move to that place of obedience.

It's a lonely place sometimes, but that's the place where the glory of God is. It's a place where God's power is. And out of your mouth will begin to come. And I know this from experience. I know it from a young Christian.

I had no speaking ability. God told me I would stand before thousands. I had no ability. So I have a choice. Do I look at my no ability? Or do I confess what God is speaking to my heart? Now, it's not going to be the same for everybody.

See, the Megalitosis has got to be something that God speaks. The Holy Spirit speaks it. It's not something that comes out of your own mind or your own heart. It's not something that you conjure up because you feel it's going to make you more important.

No, it's what God speaks. This is what I've destined for your life. This is what I want to do through you. And you may not have realized it, but you stand and you begin to say, God, this is what you've spoken to me.

I believe this with all my heart. I believe you're going to help me to be the husband, the wife that you've called me to be. I believe you're going to help me to be an influence over my children's lives.

I believe, God, that you're going to take this selfish heart out of me and give me a heart of love. I believe it with all my heart. And the Holy Spirit begins to speak. And the power of God begins to come on your life.

We serve a God who calls things that are not as if they are. We serve a God who looked at emptiness and said, let there be light. And light was. This is the God who lives within us. He begins to speak.

We simply agree with him. I'm not talking about positive confession. That's taking a truth and moving it into an absurd realm. I'm talking about the fact that God does speak to people's hearts. He does say, I'm going to do these things.

And some of them are written in the word. And some of them are promises from God's word that are just whispered to your heart alone. He says, I'm going to do this. And we come out and we begin to declare.

This is who God is. We get a history after a while and we can say this is what God has done. This is this how faithful he's been. This is where he's taken me. And then he begins to whisper other things.

And we believe him. We believe him. We're not trying to bolster ourselves. We're just trying to give glory to God in everything that we do. Hallelujah. Let's stand together tonight. I'd like you to pray with us tonight.

Speaking Faith and Becoming Living Testimonies

If we could join in groups of three or four. If we could do that tonight and begin to pray the megaliths of God. The things that the Holy Spirit has spoken to your heart. The things that you are believing that God is going to do to glorify the name of Jesus Christ through your life.

Oh, folks, this is I feel the despair almost sitting into some hearts. Don't go there. Don't go there. Believe him. Begin to speak out loud the things that God has spoken to you. He's going to give me the courage to believe him.

There's there's something you could start there. He's going to draw me into a place where my life is usable. He's going to give me the power to love my wife or love my husband. He's going to enable me to be an honest, hardworking employee of my job and have a witness for Christ.

He's going to give me a new song and take this complaining spirit out of my heart. He's going to take away a backbiting, gossiping tongue and give me a brand new tongue that can speak to the needs of this generation.

He's going to change me. He is working his work out in me. I have yielded to him. He is God. He has promised to recreate me in the image of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. These are the things I confess.

These are the things my mouth begins to speak. O God, fill us with the Holy Ghost. God, fill us with your Spirit. Lord, breathe upon us, O God, that we may stand as living oracles of God in a dying generation.

We desire to glorify you, Jesus. We want to give honor to your name and glory to your name. Lord, we refuse to look at our weaknesses. We refuse to be bowed down by the lies of the devil any longer. We are sons and daughters of God.

We are living testimonies of Jesus Christ who sits at the right end of all power and authority. Hallelujah. Please lift your voice. Lift your voice tonight. Lift your voice and speak words of faith. This is the conclusion of the message.