Pentecost and the Work of the SpiritSample

The Languages of God’s Spirit

Scripture: Read Acts 2:4-11 (NIV); Mark 16:15-18 (NIV)

ACTS 2:4 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!”

MARK 16:15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

Devotion

As Acts 2:4-11 makes clear, there were many different language groups present in Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost. Both Jews and Jewish sympathisers had made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem from all over the world for this sacred event. As the Spirit came on the 120 disciples of Jesus, they began to speak in the native languages of all the visitors. What is happening here? What does the ability to speak in foreign languages teach us about the work of the Spirit?

Unfortunately, we don’t have any Old Testament background for this sign of the Spirit, so we need to be careful about drawing conclusions too quickly. Some have suggested that the native languages were needed for people to hear the gospel. I think we can rule that purpose out. The 3000 conversions came after Peter’s clear preaching to the crowd (probably in Aramaic or Greek), not through the hullabaloo of the 120 all speaking at once, which was so wild that some in the crowd thought it was the result of too much alcohol (2:13, 15).

Let’s explore some possibilities. Maybe the Spirit used the languages to get the attention of the crowd. You don’t gather a crowd of maybe ten thousand easily. Something spectacular and supernatural was going on. You see most of Jesus’ followers were Galileans. They were country folks who had a reputation for being uncultured. It would have shocked people to hear these bush hicks speaking in perfect Ethiopian or Egyptian or Arabic or Latin. It got their attention. Possibly, God used the supernatural languages to draw the crowd so they would listen to the gospel.

Maybe the diverse languages represented something about God’s heart. These people were in Jerusalem because they were followers of the Jewish religion. They all believed that Yahweh favoured the Jews, that He belonged to the Jews. Up until now, the Jesus club had been a strictly Jewish affair. Jesus was a Jew who ministered mainly to Jews. The Jewish people were incredibly exclusive. They wouldn’t eat a meal in the house of a non-Jew. Hebrew was seen as God’s language. It could be that God was saying, “I’m not Jewish. I speak every language. In My new Kingdom, there will be no cultural divisions, no favoured nations, no second-class citizens, no ethnic boundaries, and no language barriers.” The Holy Spirit may have been showing that He speaks Latin and Egyptian and Arabic, as well as Hebrew. I know that it took the early church a little while to pick this feature of Christianity up, but the Spirit could have been making it clear right from the start.

These ideas may be true, but I think the main purpose of the Spirit-inspired languages was to accompany the preaching of the gospel with a supernatural work of God. No one could say this was a human event. Ordinary people miraculously becoming fluent in multiple languages, and then, of course, 3000 being saved, was not through human planning or effort. This was miraculous. Jesus had promised supernatural power for witness in Acts 1:8 (NIV), “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The coming of the Spirit was to be accompanied by supernatural power for witness. At Pentecost, it was the Spirit’s miraculous gift of languages. Mark 16:15-18 spells out other supernatural works of the Spirit that believers could expect as they missioned.

Later in the New Testament, the purpose of “speaking in tongues” changed. The morphing of the Spirit’s gift of languages in the early church is not central to this devotion on Pentecost, but understanding it may be of some help to you, so here is a quick summary. Spirit-inspired languages started as a supernatural sign for unbelievers at Pentecost. Then, for a short time, it became ecstatic praise that was a supernatural sign that believers had received God’s Spirit (Acts 10:44-46; Acts 19:5-6). Then it became a gift of the Spirit for some Christians (1 Cor. 12:29) that could be used corporately for prophecy (if it was interpreted) but was better used as a private Spirit-empowered prayer language (1 Cor. 14). As Paul says, “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church, I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue” (1 Cor. 14:18-19). The Spirit’s gift of languages should neither be disparaged nor over-emphasised.

But coming back to Pentecost, the pouring out of God’s Spirit was accompanied by the supernatural sign of languages in order to challenge unbelievers and to embolden believers as witnesses to Jesus. Ordinary Christians were vehicles of God’s power. At Pentecost, it was obvious to everyone who was spiritually open that God was at work. Clearly, the events were no human-inspired production. This was a supernatural work of God.

The Spirit continues to empower and embolden us as witnesses to Jesus. He sometimes does incredible miracles as we pray. He gives us words to say when we feel inadequate. He brings circumstances together in a supernatural way. He works in the hearts of those we witness to. He opens our eyes to opportunities to witness. He gives us confidence to talk about Jesus. He makes the gospel come alive.

The Holy Spirit grows our courage and confidence. Being a witness to Jesus is not just a truth that we communicate, but a work of God accompanied by His power. God’s Spirit does miracles in us and through us to complement and reinforce the good news we share. Through the Holy Spirit, you become a vehicle for the supernatural.

Please pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit to empower and strengthen your witness to Jesus.

“Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Till I am wholly Thine,
Until this earthly part of me
Glows with Thy fire divine.”

Written by John Sweetman