Dear People who Keep Company with God,
I was reading Tim and Paula Ulrich’s newsletter and this phrase caught my eye: “Equipping the Nations”. This is a very powerful phrase and full of meaning, so I immediately began looking for it in the Bible. To my surprise it is not in there, however, I believe it is very biblical and in fact the central message of the New Testament.
Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. Psalm 2:8
Now take a look at this verse without the words that are not in the original Hebrew. Ask of Me, and I will give the nations Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth Your possession.
Those who translated the Bible from the original languages of Hebrew and Greek added words that make it readable and in most cases those words help clarify the meaning of the verse. I am certainly not suggesting that I know more than the translators. However, I am saying the New Testament is the last will and testament that Jesus Christ gave to His brothers and sisters. He died in order for us to receive all He had, that is the heart of our heavenly Father and it is the good news of the gospel.
For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. Hebrews 9:16-17
The word equip means to provide with (something) usually for a specific purpose. One of the first things the Lord spoke to me about Riverlife’s purpose is that we are “to be a missions church”. I believe this means we are to equip or provide the nations with the gospel of the kingdom. Over the years we have pursued this as a core value of our church and are coming to the understanding that this is one of the main reasons we exist as a local church.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14
As a local church we have also come to understand by experience that the Holy Spirit was given to enable us to actually equip the nations.
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8
This is the stated purpose of the out poured Holy Spirit and it is only in an atmosphere where the Holy Spirit is being released that we ourselves are truly equipped and empowered so we can then equip others. This is why we as a church welcome and embrace the river of the Holy Spirit into our midst and into all that we do. This is not only our calling and reason for being, it is the Bible’s answer for the nations.
And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Revelations 22:1-2
The United States is our home and I dearly love this nation. Our history teaches us that we are a nation born out of Holy Spirit revival; however, we have become a nation in desperate need of some of the leaves from the tree of life. I believe as we and other local churches across this nation humble ourselves and truly allow the Holy Spirit to freely flow we will see our nation and the nations healed.
Flow O mighty river of God.
Many Blessings, BW