Different Languages
La Oportunidad a Aprender Idiomas Diferentes para Amar Personas: (The Opportunity to Learn Different Languages in Order to Love People)
“Porque tanto amó Dios al mundo que dio a su Hijo único, para que todo el que cree en él no se pierda, sino que tenga vida eterna.” When you see these words, they don’t mean anything to you because you can’t understand them. What is this saying?
“For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in him does not perish, but may have eternal life. (John 3:16)
If you've talked to me long enough, I have been taking Spanish classes twice a week for the past 5 months. Why? What you have seen above and will see below is why. There are people who primarily speak Spanish in our community that need Jesus, and how powerful it is to hear it in the language of their hearts! This is not a distant reality. It’s right here before us, as most of you know.
I found a report this week on Linguistic Diversity in Georgia. Did you know that there are 1.4 million people in the State of Georgia that speak another language other than English at home? Tattnall and Long Counties are 2 of 16 counties in Georgia where at least 10% of the residents speak another language other than English. Evans and Toombs counties are two of 17 counties in Georgia where 13-22% of residents speak another language other than English. There are 2,997 people in Tattnall County who don’t speak English at home. Now, I understand that many of these individuals learn English, but there are still many who don’t. Can’t we share it in English? Sure we can. On the other hand, the report reveals that there are at least 946 people who speak English “less than well.”
Joey Futch quoted Sunday night: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” One of the greatest ways among many we could possibly love people who speak a different language is to try to learn their heart language. They will know more clearly that you care when you learn and make an effort to speak the language that they do.
God has been impressing this upon my heart for years. I understand this is not a responsibility, but it is definitely an opportunity for anyone who wants to pursue this with me. If you are really interested and committed to learning Spanish and believe that God is impressing this upon your heart, reach out to me and I can help you pursue that immediately.
Pastor John
