Song:
Oh, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing (Tune: Lyngham) [with lyrics for congregations] - YouTube
Reading: Acts, chapter 2, verses 1 to 12.
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
Listen:
Open my eyes - Fountainview Academy - YouTube
Reading: 1st letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13, verse 1.
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal
Reading: 1st letter to the Corinthians, chapter 12, verses 4, 8a, 10b.
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. To one there is given through the Spirit ……. speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
Speaking in tongues. What does this phrase mean to you? Have you given it any thought at all? Is is part of your experience? For many in the church it is a regular part of their Christian experience, for others it is something that they have never experienced, and for yet others it is a very controversial topic.
Some Christians would seek to be able to speak in tongues, but there are those who would wish to avoid the subject in any way. What does the bible say?
Paul refers to “Speak(ing) in the tongues of men and angels”. This seems to draw a distinction between being given the gift of speaking a language which the speaker did not previously know; and speaking a language unknown on earth, or “Ecstatic utterance” as it is sometimes called. These two gifts are sometimes referred to as xenolalia and glossolalia respectively, but giving something a fancy name does not often help with understanding what it is about!
Over the last 50 years or so, I have been present in worship where people have received the gift of speaking in tongues in the form of ecstatic utterance, and I have met people who were given the gift of being able to speak a language previously unknown to them, so I definitely believe that this gift is real. Having said that, I have also encountered people who seem to have misunderstood the subject.
There are those who say that every Christian should speak in tongues, but Paul seems to be of the contrary opinion, saying that not all are given this gift. Some who believe that all should speak in tongues say that everyone is given a different tongue that noone else can understand, but Paul clearly says that interpretation is another gift.
On the face of things, it is not always obvious what this gift (these gifts) can be used for. Paul says that all the gifts are to be used for the edification (building up) of the church, and not for the benefit of the individual. Accordingly Paul warns against speaking in tongues when there is noone present who can interpret them. Presumably this means that in the case of a real, earthly, language, the gift of speaking in tongues should be used for communication with those who speak that language; in the case of speaking in heavenly tongues, it should only be used when someone someone with the gift of interpretation is also present.
When the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit at the first Pentecost, there were certainly plenty of people who had the gift of interpretation! People were present from at least 15 nations, perhaps speaking even more languages than that, not everyone from a nation speaks the same language. All heard the wonders of what God had done in their own language. Jerusalem in the first century must have been like many of our large, international cities today. There are certainly more than 15 languages spoken in Sheffield, England, today. Susannah and I regularly hear many different languages during our “day job” in Sheffield Market. This is a real challenge for the church of today, enabling people to hear the wonders of the gospel in their own language.
Some years ago, Susannah was attending a training course as a part of her journey towards becoming a preacher. She came home from the first session very downhearted. The group she was with were all better educated than she was, and were using complicated words she did not understand. “What do I do?” she asked. “Tell them that Paul advised us against speaking in tongues unless there is someone present who can interpret tongues!” was my advice. She did, and her studies were able to proceed.
Our gift of language should be a tool to enable the church to grow, to encourage and build up the believers, not a barrier to keep people out. All of the gifts of the Spirit are intended to be inclusive, not exclusive, to support and develop the church, not to restrict it. To make people feel a valued part of the fellowship, not to make them feel inferior.
Song:
Begin my soul, some Heavenly theme • Isaac Watts 1674-1748 - YouTube
Reading: Isaiah chapter 61, verse 1
The
Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is
on me,
because
the Lord has
anointed me
to
proclaim good news to the poor.
He
has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to
proclaim freedom for the captives
and
release from darkness for the prisoners,
Prayer:
Lord, we worship you as the living Spirit who works in the lives of Christians, and in the life of the church, creating anew, bringing new powers to birth, making human actions and characters the bearers of your purpose.
We worship you as the Spirit who makes us aware of our spiritual need and satisfies it.
We worship you as the Spirit who encourages us to live confidently in the world as your children.
We worship you as the Spirit who supports us in our prayers as teaches us how to tell others what Christ means to us, in ways they can understand.
We worship you as the Spirit who develops truly Christian qualities in us.
We worship you as the Spirit who gives us our varied abilities so that the church may benefit from them.
We worship you as the Spirit who guides the church and draws us into unity with one another.
Help us, Lord the Spirit, to open our lives fully to your influence, and to be the means by which it reaches other people.
Amen.
Song:
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