Last Sunday, we discussed the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It was a spectacular event when God’s Spirit came like a mighty rushing wind falling as flames of fire on the disciples. They began to speak in other tongues, languages they did not know from those who descended onto Jerusalem from great distances for the Feast of Weeks. It was a one-time event never to be repeated, yet the gift of speaking in tongues is listed as one of the spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians. We did not discuss it on Sunday, but it was a spiritual gift in the early church that Paul mentions in a letter to the Corinthians. Speaking in tongues is still practiced today in some denominations. There have been seasons when it has been controversial, though not so much today.
In college, I remember there was a running joke in our Christian fellowship about another campus fellowship that encouraged others to seek the gift by having them recite the phrase "she come on a Honda" repeatedly fast. If you do that, you are told you will start speaking in tongues. Some claimed to get the spiritual gift that way, but I wasn't so sure.
When I was a junior in college on a Christian campus leadership team, we had a challenging year. Everybody on the team had struggled with spirituality during the year except one student. We asked her why she was doing so well spiritually, connected to God, and trusted him during difficulties. She said she received the gift of praying in tongues. She was reluctant to tell us previously because she did not like the idea of people seeking a gift instead of the giver of the gift—wise words for us at the time.
In Genesis 11, people spoke one language and built the Tower of Babel. They were not praising God. As a result, God dispersed them, and different languages began to be spoken. God then called one nation of one language to serve him. At Pentecost, after Christ's death and resurrection, God's Spirit is sent so that other languages (unknown to the speaker) can be spoken and understood by others. This is a demonstration of the gospel's unity and diversity. One day in eternity, we will worship him together and speak the same language in service and praise to God.
Some believe certain spiritual gifts, present in the early church, are unavailable today. This is a discussion for another time. We are all given at least one spiritual gift to benefit the body of Christ. Whether your spiritual gift is teaching, hospitality, discernment, faith, etc., all direct people to God and find its fullest expression in the Lord. When we use our gift, it is a foretaste of what we will experience in his presence in eternity where no spiritual gifts will be needed.
