Too often our lives and our churches look more like the Tower of Babel instead of the Upper Room.

In Genesis 11:2, the rescued descendants of Noah had settled in the plains of Shinar—modern day Iraq.

Soon after saved people SETTLE, the centerpiece of their existence is themselves.

“Come, let’s build OURSELVES a city and a tower with its top in the heavens so that we may make a name for OURSELVES…” (Genesis 11:4, NET).

God solves the problem by STIRRING.

“But the LORD came down…and scattered them across the face of the entire earth” (Genesis 11:9).

In Acts 2, the eyewitnesses to the Resurrection had settled into an upper room.

Their focus was to LINGER in that place, LEAVING everything on the table, LONGING for what Jesus promised them.

Surely those 10 days included some intense prayers of surrender!

Then, like LIGHTNING—a hurricane of holy fire filled their hearts!

Confusion gave way to tremendous clarity and the curse of Babel had been reversed!

By “cleansing their hearts” (Acts 15:8-9), the words of Genesis 11 sound different!

“This is only the beginning of what they will do!” (11:6)

“…nothing will now be impossible for them” (11:6)

“The Lord dispersed them over all the earth” (11:8)

When saved people settle, self becomes the center and the end is confusion.

But when saved people seek and surrender, then a hurricane of holy fire will cleanse us.

The result will be a stirred up church clearly calling everyone to leave Babel and find an Upper Room!