By Marney Blom
A crowd of more than 400 people, representing about 100 indigenous tribal groups from some of the most remote regions of the earth, gathered for a spectacular homecoming at the place where it all began.
According to scripture it was in the seaside town of Jaffa, Israel, where one of Jesus’ disciples, a Jewish believer named Simon Peter, received a mandate from God. The gospel would no longer to be a message just for the Jews.
Over the course of 20 centuries, the harbingers of the good news did a fine job of getting the word out.
A Nuu Chah Nulth nation canoe, paddled by delegates of the Pacific Rim tribes, was flown in from the west coast of Canada to officially open the event – the Seventh World Christian Gathering of Indigenous People (WCGIP).
Navajo Native American contingent leader Mark Charles said the tribal peoples, who were all represented by the people in the canoe, came humbly. “We even asked (Israel’s) permission to be received and welcomed onto the land.
Canada Awakening Ministries director and organizer of the Canadian Arctic delegation Roger Armbruster said that Jewish leaders not only welcomed them, but also blessed them when they sung the song Baruch Haba Be Shem Adonai.
Israeli Jewish believer and event chairman Gavriel Gefen encouraged freedom of expression in indigenous worship. “They are bringing not just expressions of their culture,” he said, “but even tangible, physical objects into physical contact with the land of the Bible to express there is no inherent contradiction between their cultural heritage and faithfully following Jesus.”
Hawaiian Seventh WCGIP participant Moanike’ala Sitch said historically indigenous people were told that God loved them but they needed to change everything about themselves and their expression of culture.
Gefen said it was an opportunity to publicly seek to correct that, to bring healing, to ask for forgiveness and to say they were wrong. “The expressions of life in (the indigenous peoples’) lands are welcome before the throne of grace as worship.”
For a number of delegates, who represented some of the most marginalized people groups on earth, travel was not common. For some, the journey to Israel was their first trip out of their home country.
Australian Aborigine Mona Olsson came from the desert. “We are from the ends of the earth and it is from the ends of the earth that God has brought us back,” she said.
Ivan Wells, who came from the west coast of Canada and represented the Tsimsian nation, was teary-eyed and adorned in the regalia of the Lax Kw’alaams tribe. “We have grown up with the Bible in our village. We come from the ends of the earth and (want) to bring that back and to let the people (of Israel) know that the word reached us.”
Armbruster said that at the United Nations, most nation states were against Israel, but the actual original peoples of those lands, the indigenous peoples, were predominantly for Israel.
“They have a real spiritual authority over the land in which they live,” he said. “Their coming here to Jerusalem makes a very strong statement that the people that have authority in the spirit to speak for their land and for their country are here to say to Israel, “We bless you and we stand with you until God’s purposes are birthed in this land”.”
With the vivid pageantry of native regalia accompanied by the authentic ancient sounds of a minimum of 100 different indigenous tribal groups, some suggested this year’s WCGIP in Israel was a signpost pointing to the end-time fulfillment of scripture.
Terry Leblanc, originally of the Migmaw nation of northern Québec, Canada, said he thought it was a demonstration of what was written in the book of Revelation. “People of every tribe and tongue will come with their language and with their culture and will bring an offering of praise and worship to (God) in the language and culture He has given them.”
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