Two takeaways from Acts Two

Going backward before moving forward. Two takeaways from Acts 2:4-8.

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilæans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

1. Some confusion about tongues in non-charismatic circles is created by misunderstanding the purpose. Tongues were not an evangelistic tool. The tongues of Acts 2 (and tongues in general) are for a sign. Consider 1 Corinthians 14:22 “Wherefore tongues are for a sign…” Speaking is tongues was not necessary for communicating to the people gathered on the first Pentecost after Christ’s resurrection. The people could all speak to one another a common language — Acts 2:7 “And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another…”
2. The folks gathered in this crowd were at the least bilingual — they could speak at least two languages. They knew a common language in which they could converse (v. 7), and they knew the language of the land of their nativity (v. 8, “hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born”). They could have known more than two tongues, but they knew at least two.