The Talk Place

Blogs with inside information and personal opinions from GRN members around the world

Speaking in Tongues: Who Cares?

Richard & Heather Roper - Monday 11 February 2013

Should you ever feel the need for proof, that from the very beginning of Christianity, communicating the message in a person’s heart language has always been on top of God’s list of priorities, all you need to do is site Acts 2, Corinthians 10 and all the other speaking in tongues references.

More than that, these references are proof of the importance God places on communicating His message orally.

This can never diminish the importance of written communication because without it as a reference, the good news would never have remained as constant as it has. But historically the written has always lagged the oral. After all, our earliest version of the gospel was compiled up to 50 years after the resurrection of Jesus.

The Lord Jesus at his ascension not only gives the great commission but he promises an advocate: the Holy Spirit. And whilst the great commission tells us to “go into the whole world”, the very first act of the Holy Spirit in the incarnation that Jesus promised was to cause the disciples to speak in world languages; the heart language of those that were present.

If then the first act of the Holy Spirit was to cause an out break of heart languages then it must be at least as important as the great commission.

A great deal is and has been made of speaking in tongues through out the centuries and I in no way wish to diminish that and the miraculous consequences of it, then and now. But to fail to recognize the status that this event gives to the preaching of the gospels message to people in there heart language is to miss one of, if not the most significant point of this whole event.

It may not always be possible to give the good news to someone in their heart language and there is no doubt that, however it is delivered, God's word will not return to Him void, but do not the tongues of fire teach us, that if it is at all possible we should not miss an opportunity to do so if we can. In fact would I be wrong in saying, that what we learn here is, that giving the good new from someone’s mouth, in someone’s heart language should be our highest priority?