November 22
1 Corinthians 14:1-15:58
How can we know the truth unless we can read it or hear it? How can we comprehend the richness of grace and mercy unless we understand our desperate situation of being trapped in our sins and the sheer hope that comes from having those sins paid for by our loving Savior? Yet for years, the multitudes were kept in the dark. They did not have the Scriptures available to them in an understandable way, and the church meetings were conducted in languages that they didn't understand. It was in 382AD, when St. Jerome translated the Bible into the Latin vulgate. At that time, Latin was spoken by the common people and this translation made it available to them, that is why it was called "vulgate" or vulgar referring to how the common language was viewed. After a long period of darkness in which the Scriptures were largely unknown by the majority, John Wycliffe translated the Bible into English. Though he was not killed, he was persecuted, and 20 years after his death, his body was removed from the grave, his bones crushed into powder and thrown into the river for what was perceived as heresy. Then came William Tyndale in the 1530's who was burned at the stake for translating the Bible into English. Followed by Martin Luther who translated it into German. All of these individuals realized that unless the people could either read or hear the Scriptures in a tongue that they could understand, then they had no hope. This they were willing to do at the cost of persecution and at times their very lives.
We first come upon the speaking of tongues in Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit poured out on those assembled and they began to speak in languages that were previously foreign to them (Acts 2:5-12). This led to the gospel being presented to large groups of foreigners who were gathered at that time in Jerusalem. Paul was very specific about this gift of the Spirit. We read in 1 Corinthians 14:1-2, "Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives—especially the ability to prophesy. For if you have the ability to speak in tongues, you will be talking only to God, since people won’t be able to understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious." He goes on in 14:9-11, "It’s the same for you. If you speak to people in words they don’t understand, how will they know what you are saying? You might as well be talking into empty space. There are many different languages in the world, and every language has meaning. But if I don’t understand a language, I will be a foreigner to someone who speaks it, and the one who speaks it will be a foreigner to me." In 14:19, 24-25, we read, "But in a church meeting I would rather speak five understandable words to help others than ten thousand words in an unknown language..."But if all of you are prophesying, and unbelievers or people who don’t understand these things come into your meeting, they will be convicted of sin and judged by what you say. As they listen, their secret thoughts will be exposed, and they will fall to their knees and worship God, declaring, “God is truly here among you.” Understand that to prophesy is simply to speak forth God's message. Sometimes this will come forth in some unforeseen way never before recognized. Other times it comes in the form of boldly speaking forth messages from God to others through the Scriptures.
The truth is we don't have to read the Scriptures, we get to. We don't have to go to church, we get to. We don't have to consume our lives with the things of God, we get to. This is what having a bona fide relationship with God is. How well would your marriage work if you spoke two different languages and couldn't understand one another. How could you possibly grow close? Even if we speak the same language, how well would your relationship grow if we simply said the same things to each other day after day, week after week. In churches which use a liturgical method, or an order to the service, for example: Lord's Prayer, Nicene Creed, Apostle's Creed, Responsorials, etc., unless those in the congregation can hear or recite these set prayers with a freshness or with a mind fixed on exactly what those words convey, you are not growing in your relationship simply by saying the right words without your minds or heart being engaged. Bringing the Bible into your native tongue has come at a serious price. As of now, the entire Bible has been translated into over 700 languages, and the New Testament into an additional 1550 languages. We have the privilege of picking up a Bible, or reading it from one of our technological devices. We have the ability to go to a church of our choosing to hear the clear Word of God being spoken in our native tongue. The truth is the truth. Those who choose to remain ignorant to the truth of salvation in the Name of Jesus Christ and no other, have not been born into this, but have made a choice. Open up the pure word of God and allow it to transform your heart for the first time and daily.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: