Acts 2:5-14 (NASB) says, “5Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. 7They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8“And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? 9“Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.” 12And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13But others were mocking and saying, “They are full of sweet wine.” 14But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words.” 

Have you ever wondered how many people from different languages were able to hear and receive the gospel on the Day of Pentecost? The separation that was formed at the Tower of Babel was healed at Pentecost as the gap was bridged between various nationalities and languages to believe upon the LORD Jesus Christ. Without the gift and presence of the Holy Spirit, this would have never been possible, but this is why Jesus breathed on His disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Ghost” (John 20:22).

While Peter stood boldly and preached the gospel, others would have had to interpret the message he was preaching so those who were not Galilean could receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. They could have been line up together or standing away on different hillsides who really knows, or Peter may have been speaking the same message in different languages. Either way, it wasn’t just that one of group of people heard the message that day! 

God can give you a language of another nation to minister to them the gospel, but even if He doesn’t specifically do this, the Holy Spirit can equip and anoint you to discern in speaking to the hearts of people to reach them at the level they currently are. The gift of speaking in tongues should not be forbidden but embraced as the Holy Spirit directs and flows, but a gift of the Holy Spirit should never be idolized in such a way you do not seek the Giver Himself! If we worship a gift, we lose sight of our identity in Christ, and we are plagued with idolatry. This should never be the case! All that is required of us is to be faithful and obedient to whatever He has called us to do, regardless of how small or great it may seem in our eyes. God may be speaking to your heart to do or say something you never had before, but trust the LORD with all of your heart and put obedience into practice. The more you exercise and utilize your gift as it flows from prayer, the more effective you will be with it. It could bring the understanding someone desperately needs to know how real God is and how much He loves them! So, be obedient and covet earnestly the best gifts (1 Corinthians 12:31).