In 2007 God gave me a vision of a praying people. He gave it to me through or with another man of God. Pastor Victor was one of the assistants and drivers assigned to me in Abuja, Nigeria, the first time I visited. The young pastor came to my door one morning to gather me for the meeting. As we stepped outside the door into the hallway, he stopped and looked me straight in the eyes and said, “I have had a dream, and God told me you could interpret the dream.” I waited for him to tell me the dream. After a minute of silence He said, “God also told me, you would tell me my dream. That is to be my assurance that you are His prophet.”

Taking the Pastor’s hands, I began to pray. A vision appeared. The Pastor, two men I did not know, and myself were walking in a village. We were praying and ministering to the people. Then we were back in Abuja. Other people joined with us, and four groups of four people each went out. When I began to share the vision with the young man, he smiled a big warm smile. We continued by praying for the interpretation. The Lord told us these were squads of prayer teams going out, coming back and teaching others, and more teams going out. The dream was for both of us; for Pastor Victor and Nigeria, and for me and the USA.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).

The word “Go” in that verse means “to travel.” Go is a verb, an action word; travel is also a verb or a noun, but the noun use of “travel” means to do the verb. An action is required to do the things Jesus commanded us to do as He ascended into heaven. In Ephesians 4:8 Paul wrote, “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.” Verse 11 states, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.” Jesus gave us a calling and the gifts to answer the calling.

To answer the calling of God on our life takes works. Over the years the Church has defined the term “works” to mean things we do to try to gain salvation. But there are works after salvation – works because of grace and not to earn grace. Paul traveled and spread the gospel. Peter and the other Apostles collected gifts from the people and distributed them; later appointing seven men to take up that work. And to do the work of God we have work to do.

The word “work” in the verb (action) means, “To be engaged in physical or mental activity to achieve a purpose.” The noun usage of the word work, means to be involved in the verb form. So works are physical or mental activities (or both) that we are involved in to achieve a purpose. Jesus defined our purpose, “and make disciples of all nations.” Jesus tells us who we are making disciples for, “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” These works are not to gain our salvation, Jesus already did that work. Our work is on the saved side of salvation.

Jesus said, “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:29). That is an assurance of salvation. In Philippians 2:12 Paul writes, “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” but he continues in verse 13, “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” Paul is obviously writing about works after salvation – after one has given into God’s will for their life – both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Jesus prayed, “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do” (John17:4), before He went to the cross. The work Jesus finished before the cross is the fulfillment of all the law and prophets – giving us rest (a Sabbath) from works for salvation. John later wrote, “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit” (John 19:30). What was finished? If Jesus had already finished the work God gave Him to do before the cross, what was finished on the cross? Jesus died our death after His work was finished.

The beating and death on the cross was not a work; it was and is grace, and the glorifying of the body of Christ. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was (John 17:5). “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word” (John 17:20). “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one” (John 17:22). Jesus gave us our Sabbath rest as He died just before the High Sabbath that begins the Passover week – the days of Unleavened Bread – that prophesied of the death of Jesus for the removing of our sins. On the first day of the week He rose from the dead, as a witness of the grace of God giving new life.

In the book of Deuteronomy, God set before us life and death, and asked us to choose life. On resurrection morning Jesus is a sign of His choosing life for His body. People we are of that body. Jesus now sets before us belief and unbelief – “also for those who will believe in Me through their word.” The Spirit showed me that the prayer of Jesus Christ in John 17 is our prayer of blessing. In the Old Testament we can read how the men of old would bless the child or children who were inheriting by praying for them. Jesus prayed over us our inheritance – “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15). “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word” (John 17:20). “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one” (John 17:22).

After resurrection morning, it is written that Jesus visited with His disciples at different times over a 40 day period of time. During that time Jesus continued teaching and ministering (men on the road to Emmaus – Thomas’ doubts – the breakfast on the shore). The work God sent Him to do was finished, and the work of grace on the cross was finished, but Jesus still performed work (work after grace – work after salvation). We, the body of Christ, have a work to do. The work is not to gain our salvation, but to carry the message of the gospel so other might believe and obtain the blessings. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations … in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

God had given a vision of prayer for the land. When I returned to the USA, the plan started slowly taking shape. At first, Sherry and I prayed our property line. Next we prayed the city of Avon – then Danville, Plainfield, and Brownsburg – followed by Hendricks County and the State of Indiana. Those prayers took about 2 years to complete. As soon as they were finished, God put it on my heart to pray for the USA while traveling the USA, just as we had the cities, county, and state.

Why me? This isn’t about me, but about how God plans and arranges and works in us. But why did God ask me to pray for our nation. I asked Him that very thing. This is what He showed me. All the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter (plowshare), and his axe, and his mattock (1 Samuel 13:20). The same Hebrew word translated as coulter is translated as plowshares elsewhere in the scriptures. Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, ‘I am strong’” (Joel 3:9-10) – and, He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore (Isaiah 2:4).

The Lord has shown me in a vision that my ancestry is from the tribe of Benjamin – the same tribe of Israel as Jonathan the son of Saul, and the same tribe as Paul the Apostle. The tribe of Benjamin remained loyal to the house of David and remained in Judea, when the nation split in two. Benjamin went into captivity with Judah – to Babylon. At some point in their history, a portion of the tribe of Benjamin traveled to southern Spain and a segment of that group later settled in Ireland. There is historical evidence of this that I will not go into due to time and the complexity of recorded history. I am also a descendant of Native Americans. Both my parents were both Irish and Native American. My roots in the USA go back to before the Europeans came to the Americas, but I also have an inheritance with those who came seeking liberty in Christ Jesus.

We are not who we are by accident. “Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him” (Isaiah 43:7). Science tells me I am who I am because of whom my parents were and the environment I grew up in. But I know God created me for His glory – God formed me in the womb. Why would the people translating the King James Bible choose the word “coulter” in First Samuel and “plowshare” other places? My name isn’t coulter by accident of birth. My name is a plowshare made into a weapon, and a weapon that the returning King Jesus will turn into a plowshare. God sent me out to pray for this Nation as a plowshare to prepare the land and a weapon to fight against the enemy of God. In May of 2010, with Jeff Pits, and July of 2010, with Minister Mike, I went.

The morning of July 4th at a Motel 6 in Coralville, Iowa; a couple was checking in as we were checking out. They were $5.00 short of the funds needed for their room, and God showed up with a 5 dollar bill in my hand. As the money dropped on the counter the man yelled, “That is Jesus.” He moved towards us and proclaimed, “I NEED SAVED!” Prayer broke out! Demons manifested, and were cast out in Jesus name. The man prayed a prayer of dedication to the Lord – and praise broke out. We followed them to their room, and the Lord gave him Psalm 31:1-2. In You, O LORD, I put my trust; let me never be ashamed; deliver me in Your righteousness. Bow down Your ear to me, deliver me speedily; be my rock of refuge, a fortress of defense to save me. Prayer broke out again.

It was no accident that Minister Mike and I were there at that motel at that time. It was no accident that it was Independence Day. It was no accident that a man and women lacked 5 dollars having enough for a room. It was no accident that God showed up. God had prepared the man’s heart and placed him there at that time. God had prepared our hearts and placed us there at that time. God provided and we showed up at the time God wanted to share His glory with us all in the lobby of a motel. The motel clerk on duty was not there by accident, and we do not know the impact the event had on her, but no matter – the duty is ours and the results are God’s.

We have a work to do, but it is not our work. It is the work God has created us to do. It is not a work required for our salvation – our salvation work was finished by Jesus on the cross. The work we have to do is because of who God has created and is creating us to be. Jesus said He had finished the work as He prayed for us in the garden. That work was the fulfillment of all the law and the prophets. The work Jesus said was finished, as He prayed for us, is the choice between life and death – Jesus finished the work of choosing life for His body. On the cross Jesus said it is finished – the act of grace was finished, and Jesus gave up His life for our death; sealing the choice He made for us. Our choice now is to believe in the Son of God. Our work now is to share the gospel message of life.

When a servant has works all day in the fields and comes in, he does not go directly to the table and wait to be served a meal, but instead prepares a meal and serves the master. That is part of a parable of Jesus Christ. Jesus had worked all day in the field of this earth, and said His work was finished, and then He prepared a meal for us – the communion of His body and His blood and said it is finished. David said God prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemy. Jesus fulfilled that as His body was broken and His blood poured, and the table of communion was prepared for us. Jesus is the greatest servant among the sons of man, and we are not his master; but He is a serving king.

Yes, Jesus said, “It is finished.” Yes, our work of salvation is finished, and we can do nothing more to earn the free gift; but there are still those whom have never sat at His table. So with the work finished, we now are His hands and His feet serving at His table. It is His work we do, and the work of the Father. For, as Jesus once said, “My food is to do the will of my Father.”

In Luke 4:18 Jesus quoted, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.” Can any of you honestly tell me there are no more brokenhearted – no more captives – no more blind – no more oppressed? Jesus is the word and the word is truth. When Jesus said, “It is finished” that was and is the truth, but Jesus was anointed to preach the gospel to the poor. Has all the poor received the gospel message? The gospel message was finished, as a book is finished when the author completes the plot and ends the work. Now it needs to be read, and come to life.

As Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

© 2012, Tim D. Coulter Sr.