This year at our annual Reformation Covenant Church Family Camp we have the privilege of having both James B. Jordan teaching us about worship music and Rich Bledsoe as our keynote speaker.  I will post some thoughts throughout the week about some of his comments.

06/14 Rich Bledsoe – #1

Rich Bledsoe

Two Great Enemies of the Christian faith are Islam and Euro-Socialism (which thankfully is collapsing in on itself). Rich considers his calling to be learning to speak the gospel into the Euro-Socialist contexts where it is manifested.

Rich referenced 1 Cor. 14:18 (&19):

“I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all; yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.”

The point he made is that Paul traveled from culture to culture throughout the Roman world and was able to speak with a tongue that could be understood – He was probably one of the most cosmopolitan man at that time, with experience crossing cultural barriers that was empowered by the Holy Spirit to accomplish the mission Jesus gave him. The tongues could very well have referred to actual spoken languages, which Paul spoke more than anyone by the Spirit. Rich Bledsoe indicated that, at least by implication, it could also refer to having the ability to  speak into a foreign or strange culture. It is the ability to understand the way people think sufficiently communicate meaningfully.

Not everyone can be like Paul, with the ability to move from one culture to another with equal ability to effectively present the gospel. But God does want all of us to cross boundaries and to speak into people’s lives (tongues) in ways that we are not necessarily used to. These boundaries or cultural and relational barriers can be as foreign as China, or as near as across the street. Piercing through the boundaries and barriers can  be as simple as developing relationships with people in a church across the street in another denomination, getting to know a public official or some foreign students or immigrants. As we come to successfully learn to speak the tongue of those on the other side of the boundary – we will see God’s Spirit stir up faith in them. And when that happens – all kinds of things can change, even riots can be started (as with Paul 13 times in the book of Acts).

Tags: Family Camp, mission-missions, RCC, Rich Bledsoe, tongues