World Mission Society Church of God

Being Clothed With the Gift of Speaking in Different Kinds of Tongues

Nation |
Date | August 22, 2004

On August 22-23, 'The 5th Foreign Language Bible Awards Ceremony' was held at the Elohim Training Institute.

This event was held to choose gospel workers who will lead the world gospel mission, following God's will. All the participants had undergone a preliminary test on July 25, because so many members had wanted to participate in the event. The preliminary was a written examination to test the applicants' abilities of grammar, speaking and the Bible knowledges; it'd been conducted at every church nationwide. Only the members who'd passed the preliminary test could have the final at the Elohim Training Institute.

This foreign language Bible test was evaluated in a total of 10 languagesEnglish, Chinese, Japanese, French, Spanish, Russian, German, Vietnamese, Indonesian and Persian. All participants were divided into 65 groups and displayed their abilities in front of the examiners at the Assembly Halls and Lecture Rooms.

Some preached with confidence though they were tense; some were so embarrassed, that they could not show their talent freely. But, all of them revealed their strong will to deliver God's love and sacrifice anytime, anywhere, even to the ends of the earth.

Among the participants, there were some foreign members such as a Peruvian and an Iranian. They expressed their hopes with their own languages that they would return to their country and preach God's word. A youth, from Harbin, China, living in Korea with his parents, spoke of his aspiration: "I'm a Chinese, so I can speak Chinese fluently. But I'm short of ability of preaching God's word. I'll try hard to learn the truth and preach to my acquaintances when I return to China."

A husband and wife participated together in the same language and showed their will for the overseas mission. And a member had already made a plan to go abroad and proclaim the gospel.

Grades were determined by fluency, logicality, how to cope with questions and how much they'd prepared on the various subjects. But the most important points were how accurately they understand the truths and how powerfully they preach the word of God, and how strong will and mind they have for the gospel. After finishing the test, they had time to see the video 'Warriors of Truth,' showing foreign members who had visited Korea and met Mother.

The awarding ceremony for the nine winners from men and women was held in the afternoon of August 22, and for the eight winners from youths in the morning of August 23. All the awardees said, "I lack foreign language ability, but God gave me strength. That's why I received this precious prize. I'll work harder and deliver God's love and sacrifice abroad. Making the most of my talents, I'll run even to the continent of Africa with joy and find all my lost brothers and sisters to give pleasure to God."

The examiners estimated the participants' ability highly, saying, "We were surprised to see their linguistic ability remarkably being improved, compared with other years." Pastor Jae Jin Shim of the Overseas Department said, "All participants are outstanding in their capability enough to be awarded the grand prize, and they are qualified to be great workers with their passion. God has sent many workers at the proper time. It shows that the prophecy of God swiftly fulfills. I expect that many workers like the apostle Paul will be chosen, and that God's set time will come quickly."

At this event, Mother encouraged the participants, "The spirit of gospel workers, who are determined to sacrifice themselves to save one soul, is important than a foreign language ability. What is important is not just knowing much, but practicing and spreading the knowledge. Do not bury your knowledge. Though not fluently, pass on what you've realized as soon as possible, depending on God. Though Father was persecuted by the people who did not recognize Him, He devoted Himself only to preaching the truth whether they listened or failed to listen. Let's follow Father and receive great rewards in heaven by bearing much fruit with a whole heart and sacrifice"

"Everything is possible for him who believes!"

Shouting loudly the slogan, all the participants engraved Mother's word of blessing in their hearts, and resolved to become gospel workers delivering God's love and sacrifice 'definitely, quickly, and loudly.'