The Great Reversal

This message focuses on the theme that since God desires the spread of his Kingdom around the world, we must depend on the work of the Holy Spirit to further that Kingdom. --The main supporting points are--1- Dependence on the Spirit is the antithesis of human striving-self-determination -as seen in the story of the Tower of Babel, where human pride and attempts at autonomy from God led to judgment and confusion of languages-.--2- Dependence on the Spirit is only possible because the Holy Spirit is given to us -as seen in the account of Pentecost, where the Holy Spirit was poured out, reversing the curse of Babel by enabling the disciples to preach the gospel in diverse languages-.--The message contrasts the human pride and self-sufficiency exhibited at Babel with the disciples' humble reliance on God's Spirit at Pentecost. It emphasizes that just as Babel's sinful striving led to chaos, our witness today can only succeed through dependence on the Spirit God graciously gives us. Pentecost reversed Babel's curse by empowering gospel proclamation to all nations through the Spirit's enabling.