Every Nation, Tribe, and Tongue

Dear GCI Family and Friends,

Revelation 7:9 pictures “every nation, tribe, people and language” gathered in the eternal kingdom. It’s a hope-filled vision of an innumerable multitude of people from all corners of the world standing before God’s throne in worship. This mosaic vision represents God’s offer of salvation to everyone, regardless of their ethnic, cultural, or linguistic background. This pictures God’s ultimate purpose to unify believers from every part of the earth and gather all peoples to himself.

How does this picture of God’s ultimate purpose shape how we as believers live our lives today? As Kingdom Representatives, the Spirit empowers us to:

• • Value and respect all cultures: The inspiration of the Revelation passage is that every group has inherent worth and dignity in God’s eyes. Kingdom representatives appreciate the rich tapestry of human cultures and backgrounds and look to see the beauty of God in all his children. It contradicts God’s design to elevate one’s ethnicity over another. When one group dominates another culture seeking to erase them, it is antithetical to the kingdom fulfillment that Jesus is working out.

• • Break down barriers and build bridges: Kingdom representatives are challenged to actively work against racism, xenophobia, and prejudice. It is a human response to be comfortable in “your people group.” But it can stunt one’s growth when there is little to no interaction outside your group. Much of the New Testament story is about the blending of Jewish and Gentile people together in this wonderful new enterprise called the Church. Paul’s phrase that he became all things to all people (1 Corinthians 9:22) is a high calling for us to follow. The present and future kingdom has “no superiors or inferiors,” so current life should reflect this equality in the eyes of God.

• • Build unity through relationships: Kingdom representatives build genuine relationships and “cross-cultural connections” with people from different backgrounds. I have the privilege to be in relationship with the assistant pastor from my home church, Afrika Afeni Mills. Afrika and I meet periodically, not as assistant pastor of GC Steele Creek and GCI president, but as “sacred siblings.” Her background and life experiences are quite different than mine, but we learn together with humility and openness. I am deeply grateful for my sister, and it is relationships like this that help bridge the gaps that divide society.

Revelation reveals the reality of the eternal kingdom to come; it provides a beautiful vision. The opportunity we have in this present world is to live out the kingdom’s values now and be the early adopters of the reality to come.

Part of the mosaic of God,
Greg