A Thousand Tongues, and Then Some

My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the world abroad
The honors of Thy name.

O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing
By: Charles Wesley, 1707-1788

Listen as you read. This version features the tune that is more often used in the UK.

All the World

What a wonderful world! But a world that desperately needs to hear the name of Jesus. And not only the world in general, but all the people of the world; every nation, tribe, people and tongue. Revelation 7:9 gives us a glimpse of the future when our mission is complete describing the scene this way.

A Great Multitude from Every Nation

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

Bringing that day about is going to require an incredible amount of work. The awareness of that ignites this beautiful and powerful prayer. Having every language represented at that final celebration is our Lord’s desire. Being a part of making it happen is our privilege and responsibility.

Every Language

If we want to truly spread through all the earth abroad the honors of the name of Jesus, and we certainly should, we are going to need the ability to speak in the heart language of all the people on the planet. Learning to say “Hello” is a start, but it is going to take a lot more than that. To communicate such important news, and to do so in a way that communicates deeply God’s love to every tribe, and nation and language, we must learn and use every language. Just how daunting a task is this?

In 1911 (11th edition) Encyclopedia Britannica implies a figure of around 1,000 languages. It is interesting to think Wesley, as best as he knew, could have been asking for enough different languages (1000 tongues) to be able to cover every soul on the planet, ensuring they could hear the name of Jesus and His Good News in their native tongue. That estimate has continued to grow steadily over the last hundred years and now sits at over 6,900 distinct languages. So you see pretty quickly it is a good idea for God’s people to ask for His assistance on this one.

Compelled

If the honors of the name of Jesus were not enough to compel us, and they certainly are, there is another motivation for the prayer. Jesus issued the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

If you are going to make disciples, not just converts, you are going to have to walk along with someone for some time. Teaching someone to observe all that Jesus has commanded us does not happen overnight, or with a handbook of local phrases. It will require a tremendous investment.

What’s Your Part?

For years I have thought of my part of the Great Commission in terms of four words:

Pray
Give
Go
Send

Each of them is self-explanatory. Each of us must find some combination of these different pursuits as we respond to Jesus’ command to “make disciples”. I like the other words this image adds.

Learn – we must understand that we are called to do this.
Welcome – the nations have come to our neighborhoods, so we may not need another language after all.
Mobilize – we each must be engaged, even as we set to engage others.

It is such a daunting task, it can immobilize us. But when we look at it as our shared endeavor, with one another and God, it becomes more manageable. None of us could ever accomplish it on our own, even if we had a thousand tongues, but together we can hasten that day pictured in Revelation 7:9. What is your part?

Holy Spirit, show me what my part is in spreading the honors of the name of Jesus. Inspire me to embrace that part and empower me to do it. Help me to sing praises, but also to live them out daily, and to find my little part in this huge task. IN Jesus’ name I pray. Amen

Joyful Thinking!

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Podcast 3.4 Transcript

Welcome to Thursday Thoughts at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s think about this.

My gracious Master and my God,

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Acknowledging Him as Master implies not only that He is in charge, but also that it is likely He has work for us to do. This Scripture bears that our plainly. Our Master and our God graciously invites us to be His, and to do good works. Ask Him what He has for you to do today.

Assist me to proclaim,

John 14:26 ESV

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Here Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit, our Helper, will indeed assist us in our efforts to speak the marvelous mysteries of our God and His Kingdom. We can ask with confidence when we already know our Lord has promised to answer. Ask for that help now, and then again any time you need it.

To spread through all the earth abroad

Matthew 28:18-19a ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,

Again we find ourselves asking for something the Lord has commanded us and given us the authority to do. While we should be a part of this work locally, we must find some expression of it globally as well. After all, how else we will have a thousand tongues to sing. Ask Jesus to show you how to be a part of raising up a thousand tongues to sing, and more.

The honors of Thy Name.

Matthew 28:19b-20 ESV / 9 helpful votes

…baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Jesus’ Great Commission continues with a focus on His name, and the teaching that flow from it, before concluding with the promise of His presence. And what a promise it is. If we have any hope of being a part of something that has been changing the world for 2,000 years, we will absolutely need His presence. Thank Him that He has promised it to us before we even begin.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has come to your mind, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then I will read our text once more.