Speaking the Tongue of Another Language

As a deaf child, former NFL star Kenny Walker felt like an outsider. As Kenny matured, however, he compensated for his deafness with great physical prowess. His larger-than-normal frame, extensive knowledge of football, and intense focus attracted the attention of his high school football coaches and, later on, many powerhouse college coaches. When Kenny’s high school coach asked him where he wanted to play college football, he signed "N" for Nebraska, a team he had always dreamed of playing for.

Nebraska’s coaches immediately signed him and made arrangements to have an interpreter present at every practice and game.Kenny was so successful at Nebraska that he made All-American and was named Big Eight Conference "Defensive Player of the Year." But the crowning moment of his college football career came during his final home game. Traditionally, senior players were introduced alphabetically and ran onto the field, welcomed by a cheering crowd. But because Kenny was deaf, the university and local community plotted a unique way to praise Kenny.

In a special article, the Omaha World Herald showed the fans how they could sign an ovation: they could stand, hold their hands above their heads, fingers spread, and then wave both hands from side to side.When Kenny stood in the stadium tunnel, he felt the vibration of the cheering crowd as each senior ran out on the field. But when he ran out on the field, he felt no vibrations. Puzzled, he stopped and looked around the stadium to see over 75,000 fans standing for him, waving their hands in a way that only a deaf person would recognize as an applause.He couldn't hear the audience's language so they spoke his.

This story reminded me of what I think the purpose of the tongues as introduced in Acts 2 is all about. The purpose of Acts is revealed in Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." But how do you get everyone to hear the same message when we all don't speak the same language.

The Holy Spirit empowered those who were waiting for the promise to speak in tongues that in Acts 2 were actual languages, because the Scripture says "each heard in their own native language, Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia. Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and parts of Libya, Cretans and Arabs".

Everyone does not speak the same "Life Language". Some speak "hood", some speak depression, some speak defeat, some speak dysfunctional, some speak addiction, some speak co-dependency, but we as a church must speak to them all. How do we reach them? We must ask God since they don't speak our language, we must learn by the power of the Holy Spirit, how to speak theirs!

It takes the Holy Spirit to do this otherwise we just mimic and condescend trying to talk some one's life language we don't really know, like a white or black person trying to sound like the other culture, it comes off counterfeit and offends rather than draws.

Lord, change my language. Give me the power by the aid of your Holy Spirit to speak the language of the people I am speaking to. If my Greek, Hebrew and Latin is not understood, improve my English. If they don't understand, adoption, regeneration, atonement, sanctification, help me to find an entry point to begin a discussion where I can teach them the truths of your salvation, even if I have to start at a lost and found story.

Speak for me Lord, so they will hear YOU in their own language. That is the greatest tongue I could ever speak. Let me speak that for you.

I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

Owens