Mon Dieu. Lieber Gott. Dear God. I heard French, German, Slovak, Greek, and English prayers echo through the central Athens church as in unison we prayed in our native languages for people in our home countries to hear of God’s love. The beauty of the gathering was magnified when we realized our gathering was happening on Pentecost.
In the Old Testament, Pentecost was a harvest festival celebrated fifty days after the Passover festival (Leviticus 23:15-21). On the first Pentecost following Jesus’ death and resurrection, believers gathered in Jerusalem. Suddenly a sound like “violent wind” came, and “what seemed to be tongues of fire” appeared as they were filled with the Spirit and “began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:4). Visitors from other nations heard “the wonders of God” in their own language (v. 11). Then, after Peter “addressed the crowd,” many believed the message that Jesus was crucified and raised to life to offer forgiveness (vv. 14, 22-41).
The multilingual prayers of the ministry leaders assembled in Athens reminded me that Peter’s message heard at Pentecost continues to be shared around the world, and people are still responding in faith.
Let’s pray for the Spirit to empower us like the early believers in Jesus at Pentecost to tell of God’s love. And let’s pray for the message to be heard in every language spoken around the world.
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