Our presence was needed at the church called Eglsia Evangelique Arles as they had contacted all the regular church members that spoke different languages on Saturday night to read Revelation 5:9,12 in their mother tongue. There was no one to read English!! Isn’t that just like God to orchestrate this?
I was excited to join the various tongues represented in this congregation by going to the podium to read the Words. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain…
Below is a list of all the languages. This message was powerful and allowed you to grasp that the church is made up of all nations.
- French
- Malagasy
- African Congo
- English
- Spanish
- German
- Italian
- Portuguese
These words are from a scene that takes place in heaven at the end of the age where all tribes, tongues, and nations will be praising Jesus for who He is and what He has done. Since God promises to restore what was lost, I believe that our language will be what was spoken prior to the scattering of people at the tower of Babel. (Maybe an archeology linguist knows the name of this language).
The French worship tunes were not familiar but were very light and lively. The pastor’s daughter was the pianist who was playing near our seats. I marveled at her ability to play with a ponytail holder wrapped around her 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers.
I speak only a few words of French but I knew enough to sing along. The meaning of this song was very understandable.
When singing in the house of God, you can raise your voice knowing that His name is being lifted up.
The sermon was given by another pastor who is originally from Madagascar and spoke in French. His sermon was based on the Fruits of the Spirit found in Gal 5:22,23. We had a hard time following him as the scriptures were not projected on a screen. We spoke with him afterwards and we told him of our difficulty. He GAVE us a copy of his sermon…it is in French, of course, but I could follow the scripture references.
- Love. Love God and people. Mt.22:34-40
- Joy. Joy of the Lord gives strength. Neh 8:10
- Peace. Live in peace. 2 Cor. 13:11
- Patience. Don’t lose heart. Gal 6:9
- Kindness. Generosity brings blessing. Pr 22:9
- Goodness. Overcome evil with good. Rm 12:21
- Faithfulness. Live a life of faithfulness. Ps. 37:3
- Gentleness. Rest in the gentleness of Christ. Mt. 11:29
- Self-Control. Lack of control brings brokenness. Pr. 25:28
No better person than you, Brenda, to read Bible scripture in English!!! What an honor, and testimony to your faith!!! I love reading your posts and adventures that you are experiencing!!! Keep them coming!!!!