Everyone Is Included
Acts 2:4-6: All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one head their own language being spoken.
When the disciples had been filled with the Spirit and spoke out, they did so in a variety of different tongues. In doing this, they were showing a clear symbol that God’s plan was for all nations, and people who were present all heard about God’s goodness in their own languages. The gift of tongues is an empowerment of the Spirit to give a word or prayer in a language we have not learned, and it enables the believer to express the longings of their spirit directly to God, even when they cannot find the words to do so.
The Gospel for the nations: As the Spirit-filled believers spoke Godβs praises at Pentecost, a crowd who had gathered from many nations all heard Godβs praises being spoken in their own languages. This was a reversal of the scattering of Babel in Genesis 11:1-9, where people had come together to build their own name and God had come down and confused their languages. Now as people are gathering in the name of Jesus, God comes down and enables them to hear in their own tongue. This was not merely about translating the words so they could understand (as they almost certainly understood the common Greek/Aramaic of the day) but was a prophetic symbol of their inclusion into the people of God in the age of the Spirit. What God was doing would not be limited to a single people group, but would bring together a diverse and united community from every tribe and tongue and nation. A little later in the chapter (v17-18) as Peter quotes the prophet Joel, we see that this unity in the Spirit extends to men and women, rich and poor, old and young alike.Β
The Gift of tongues: The gift of tongues is used in a few different ways in the Bible. In every case it involves people speaking words by the Spirit in a language they have not learned. Sometimes this is a human language that may be recognisable to someone who is listening. This is what happened on the day of Pentecost, and it was a powerful affirmation of inclusion to those hearing. Where this happens today, a tongue is brought and somebody present is a native speaker of the language that the word is given in. This is usually very moving for everyone involved, and the meaning of the tongue can be shared with everyone else. At other times a tongue may be brought publicly in a human or heavenly language shared that nobody present speaks, and somebody is given an interpretation by the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 14:26-28). This may be the same person who brought the tongue or it may be somebody else. When tongues are given in this way, its is often during a gathered worship time and can have a powerful effect on the atmosphere in the room as the Spirit is speaking to the church. The final way Scripture talks of speaking in tongues is as a human or heavenly language used in private prayer (1 Corinthians 14:18-19) and can help us to pray at times when we don’t know how to express the things on our hearts. The gift of tongues is a powerful gift, because it reminds us that the work of the Spirit is often beyond our understanding, and it is a symbol of the Spiritβs empowerment of God’s people to reach the nations.
Response: Offer the chance for people to be prayed for to receive the gift of tongues.
Do you remember the first time you saw somebody speaking in tongues? What was your reaction to it?
Have you ever seen a tongue given that was in an earthly language known by somebody present? What was the impact of this on the room?
Do you speak in tongues in your personal prayer times? If yes, how do you find it helps you? If no, is this something you would like to do?
Have you ever brought a tongue publicly? Have you ever brought an interpretation? Tell us about what happened.
If there are people in the group who have the gift of tongues, you could pray together in tongues. If there are people who do not have the gift of tongues and would like it, you could pray for them to receive this gift.
