I’ve visited churches where they speak pigin or mix pigin with their tok ples (talk place—tribal language) and I can follow what’s going on. But this past weekend was the first time I’ve heard the message entirely in tok ples. About half the songs they sang were in pigin but the other half were in tok ples. One of the songs we sang that morning was the very first Christian song ever written in their language. Another was a song written by one of the bible teachers all about God’s grace. I enjoyed singing the pigin songs but the pronunciation of the tok ples was much more difficult for me to keep up with, some words being almost an entire line in-and-of themselves but pronounced in a fraction of a second! Then the teaching began. I was told it was in 1 Corinthians 6 and I thought I could watch the body language, listen to the tone and watch the reactions and I’d have an idea what was being said. Foolish thought!
Nonetheless, it was such a blessing to hear God’s word being taught and to see those who were listening do so with sometimes intense thought and concentration on what was being said or on a question that had been asked. And to understand that these people surrounding me are my family. Several speak pigin but several do not. I speak some pigin but not their tok ples. And yet, we are worshipping the same God and His Spirit speaks to each one in a way that each understands of the truths of God!
It reminded me again of how much my small mind limits God to what I can see of Him. How foolish to forget that He has been working in this world far longer than I’ve been in existence or to think that some area of this world would be without Him! Without the truth of the Scriptures perhaps, but nowhere is He not! He is just as much the God of the Simbari as He is God of me. How beautiful the God we serve!