Does God Speak My Language

                 

Cameron Townsend was a young man fresh out of college when he went to Central America as a short-term volunteer. At that time, selling books, including Bibles, was a way Protestants could get by doing evangelistic work in Latin America. So, in order to "fly under the radar" and not run afoul of the authorities, Townsend became a traveling bookseller or what was then called a "colporteur."

After his return to the U.S, he felt called to go back to Guatemala as a  colportage evangelist. One day, in a village market, a man whose mother tongue was Kaqchikel came by Townsend's book stand. Townsend wound up trying to sell the man a Bible in Spanish. Finally, the Kaqchikel speaker  asked, “If your God is so great, why doesn’t he speak my language?”

That simple question led to the formation of a mission agency dedicating to translating God’s Word into every language on earth. At that point in time, Kaqchikel was an unwritten language. So, Townsend began learning it. Then, he devised a Kaqchikel alphabet so the language could be written. He then gave more than a decade of his life to translating the New Testament into Kaqchikel using the alphabet he himself had invented.

The mission organization that was then supporting Townsend scolded him for pouring so much time and energy into Bible translation when he was supposed to be evangelizing. Townsend's reply was simple and brief: "The greatest missionary is the Bible in the Mother Tongue." Townsend realized that world evangelism efforts would be somewhat ineffective unless they were done in people's native tongue or "heart language."

He dedicated the rest of his life to the cause of Bible translation. He founded Wycliffe Bible Translators, which is pushing to get Bible translated in every language that still lacks a Bible. The Bible is now in hundreds of languages. Townsend thought it was important to approach Great Commission work strategically. The results show that he was right.

His work has not only opened the Scriptures to countless millions but has also opened the minds and hearts of Christians everywhere to the importance of communicating the Gospel in every language. In spite of many doubters who called his vision impossible, Townsend clung to the words of an old chorus ‘ faith, mighty faith, the promise sees, and looks to God alone, Laughs at impossibilities and cries, “It shall be done.”’

Jesus had appeared to his disciples over a period of forty days after his resurrection. He had given them many convincing proofs that he was alive and spoken to them about the kingdom of God. He had promised to send the Holy Spirit (John 15:26, 16:7) . He had command “do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for... in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5). It was now 10 days after Jesus ascended to heaven and fifty days from his resurrection (Acts 1:4-5).

Then “when the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4).

The Day of Pentecost was a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Pentecost was one of the seven feasts in the Jewish sacred calendar. Pentecost was celebrated on the fiftieth day after Passover. It celebrated the first fruits of the wheat harvest. The first fruits of the wheat harvest were presented to God.  Jewish men were required by law to come to Jerusalem during the feast days.

Pentecost was the best-attended of the great feasts. It was held at a time of the year when traveling conditions were at their best. This made it easy for Jews who lived far away to visit Jerusalem. This account for the large number of Jews present in Jerusalem on this particular day.  There was never a more cosmopolitan gathering in Jerusalem than this one. There were devout men, from every nation under heaven (Acts 2:5).

The disciples were gathered in one place. But even more important than that, they were spiritually in one accord, the striving had stopped. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity...for there the Lord commanded the blessing- life forevermore (Ps. 133:1, 3). They would soon be united forever in one spiritual body, the Church, the Body of Christ, when they were baptized with the Holy Spirit. 

Three supernatural phenomena occurred on the Day of Pentecost. The first was a sudden sound from heaven which filled the whole house. The disciples had been told to expect the Spirit "not many days" after Jesus' ascended, but they were not told exactly how long they would wait. The Holy Spirit’s arrival was sudden and surprising to them. Jesus’ future return will be sudden, surprising and unexpected.

It was not a wind but a sound like that of a rushing mighty wind. Ordinary winds blow from the four corners of the skies, but this descended from heaven itself. God is said to bring the winds out of his treasuries (Ps. 135:7). An ordinary, rushing, mighty wind would have been felt outside but this one went right into the house. An ordinary, rushing, mighty wind would probably have destroyed the house or injured them. However, this one did not harm.

The sound from heaven was like a hurricane, it was meant to arrests attention. It could be heard through the city and it attracted the attention of all in Jerusalem. It was quite fitting that the Holy Spirit should manifest His arrival in the sound as of a wind. It would make these people think of the presence of the Holy Spirit for he is represented in various Scripture passages as a breath or wind.

In Genesis 1:1-2 the Spirit of God as the breath of God is blowing over the waters of the newly created earth.  In Genesis 2:7 the Spirit of God as the breath of God, blows life into newly created man.  In Ezekiel 37:9-10, the Spirit of God as the breath of God, moves over the dry bones bringing them resurrection life. In John 3, Jesus said to Nicodemus “The wind blow where it wishes and you hear the sound of it…so is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).   

The Holy Spirit filled the whole house where they were sitting.  They were completely engulfed and immersed. John the Baptist had prophesied that Jesus would "baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Luke 3:16). Jesus had promised they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5). Acts 2:1-4 describes the baptism. Literally the word "baptize" means to immerse into something. The disciples were immersed into the Holy Spirit.

The second supernatural phenomenon was visible tongues of fire which rested on the heads of the one hundred and twenty. The Spirit descended by signs that appealed to the sense of hearing, this sound; the sense of sight the tongues of fire. They heard the Spirit's arrival in Acts 2:2 and now they see the Spirit's arrival. There appeared to them divided tongues as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.  

Whereas the wind speaks of the power of God, fire speaks of the Presence of God. These tongues were not fire but they looked like fire. Fire was frequently used in the Old Testament as a symbol of God's presence. In Genesis 15:17 God appeared as a flaming torch.  In Exodus 3:2-5 he appeared in the burning bush. In Exodus 13:21 he appeared as a pillar of fire giving light by night."

Fire brings both heat and light.  Fire is pictured as a purifier; a gold refiner uses fire to make pure gold. Fire burns away what is temporary, leaving only what will last. The Spirit, like fire, melts the heart, separates and burns up the dross and kindles devout affections. God says “I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will be careful to observe my ordinances (Ezek. 36:27).

The heat of fire also pictures the zeal that should mark believers, who are to be hot, not lukewarm, in their devotion to Christ (Rev. 3:15-16).  The light pictures the illumination that God brings to those in spiritual darkness. The fire symbolizes that the church is to have a consciousness of the presence of the Lord in all it does and a purifying passion to do His will.

In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit rested on God’s people more as a nation; After the resurrection, Jesus had breathed on the disciples and said “Receive the Holy Ghost” (John 20:22). But here the tongues of fire sat upon each of them individually. Every one of them was all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The third supernatural phenomenon was the ability to speak with other tongues.  A crowd quickly gathered, attracted by this sound, which was either the sound of the rushing mighty wind or the sound of the disciples speaking.  The people in the crowd heard the disciples speaking in their own foreign languages. They all spoke in different tongues, yet there was a unity among them.

The miraculous event accomplished through the Holy Spirit has been seen as a deliberate and dramatic reversal of the curse of Babel (Genesis 11:1–9). Back then, God miraculously confounded the speech of people misusing their unity for sinful purposes. Here, God enabled people whose different languages separated them, to understand each other, which is the proper use of unity.

In this case differences of speech were not a barrier, but an aid for every man to hear the Gospel in his language. Afterward, these men who heard could take the Gospel to their own people. God shows respect for the language of each of the groups mentioned here. This important because the gospel is not only for Israel, it transcends race, color and culture. To evangelize effectively, the gospel must be preached in their local language and the Bible must be translated into their vernacular.

People from Galilee (Galileans) were known to be uncultured and poor speakers. They had difficulty pronouncing gutturals and had the habit of swallowing syllables when speaking. So, they were looked down upon by the more cultured Jews of Jerusalem as being provincial. This was all the more reason to be impressed with their ability to speak eloquently in other languages.

What were the disciples saying when they were speaking in tongues?  We do not know for sure but they were “speaking of the mighty deeds of God” (Acts 2:11).  They were praising God and speaking of His wondrous works.  Surely, this included the telling of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Multiple thousands of Jews from all over the Roman Empire heard about Christ that day.  Some of them certainly went back to their countries converted and took the gospel message there.