Called, Equipped, and Empowered
There’s an interesting parallel between the Israelites building a tabernacle for God in the wilderness and CBN’s mission. The wilderness today is the world, where we are building tabernacles—one life at a time. We are telling people in other cultures and languages that they can be dwelling places of the Lord.
As Jesus commanded,
“This Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations” (Matthew 24:14, KJV)
That scripture is engraved over the door of CBN’s Studio Headquarters. When we dedicated that building in 1979, Billy Graham gave one of the most inspiring sermons I’ve ever heard. He said that for the first time in history, we have the technology to preach the Gospel to every tribe, every tongue, and every nation.
Whenever God calls people, He equips them for the task. The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt; how could they build a beautiful tabernacle? Exodus 35:30-34 gives the answer:
“The Lord has called by name Bezalel … and He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and understanding, … to design artistic works, to work in gold and silver and bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of artistic workmanship. And He has put in his heart the ability to teach."
Torah scholars say it was a miracle for all of these different skillsets to be placed in one man—including the desire to teach.
While I was in Manila with CBN Asia, we had "the slash team." This meant that one day you may run the camera, while the next day you may direct, or archive, or edit, etc. You did it all because we couldn't afford to do it differently—and it became a badge of honor to be on the slash team.
A slogan I’ve adopted is, “When I'm willing to learn, a teacher will appear.” If we admit that we don't know what we’re doing—but God does—we are ready to learn.
As Jesus was teaching the disciples, He modeled how to do what He taught. He doesn’t hold these gifts to Himself; He imparts them to us by His Spirit.
So pray about what the Lord wants you to do right now. Ask Him to equip you with His wisdom and understanding. And boldly pray that He enables us together to preach His glorious Gospel to every tribe, tongue, and nation.
About The Author
GORDON ROBERTSON is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Christian Broadcasting Network, as well as a member of CBN’s Board of Directors. He is also Chancellor of Regent University and the Chairman of the Board of Operation Blessing, CBN’s humanitarian organization.
The son of Pat and Dede Robertson, Gordon graduated from Yale University in 1980 and earned his Juris Doctor degree from Washington and Lee University in 1984. He then practiced law in Norfolk, Virginia, for 10 years.
In 1994, Gordon had a profound encounter with the Lord and moved to the Philippines, where he established CBN Asia. The following year, he founded the Asian Center for Missions (ACM), dedicated to training and sending Asian missionaries throughout the world. ACM is now one of the largest missionary agencies in the Philippines with more than 2,000 graduates trained in cross-cultural missions.
In 1996, Gordon created CBN Asia’s flagship television show, The 700 Club Asia, which is now one of the longest-running Christian television shows in the Philippines and is distributed by satellite around the world. Also in 1996, CBN Asia started a humanitarian organization, Operation Blessing Philippines, which has been recognized as “NGO of the Year” by the Philippine government.
Over the next three years, Gordon launched CBN centers in Indonesia, India, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Thailand. He moved back to the United States in 1999 to serve at CBN’s headquarters in Virginia Beach.
As Executive Producer of The 700 Club, Gordon oversees all aspects of programming for the ministry. He hosts CBN’s original flagship program, The 700 Club; as well as 700 Club Interactive, a daily show airing on Freeform and online; and Miracle Living Today.
Gordon has produced a number of documentaries and features as Executive Producer of CBN Films, including:
- Oracles of God: The Story of the New Testament
- Oracles of God: The Story of the Old Testament
- Written in Stone four-part series: House of David, Kings and Prophets, Secrets of the Temple, and Jesus of Nazareth
- The Asbury Awakening
- I Am Patrick: The Patron Saint of Ireland
- Treasures of the Second Temple
- Christmas: The Story Behind the Traditions
- To Life: How Israeli Volunteers Are Changing the World
- In Our Hands: The Battle for Jerusalem
- The Hope: The Rebirth of Israel
- Whose Land Is It? Jewish and Arab Claims to Israel
- Made in Israel
- Temple of Heaven, filmed in China
Gordon is also Executive Producer of CBN Animation’s Superbook, the reimagined animation series. Its guiding mission is to bring the stories of the Bible to the children of the world in their own languages. With over 65 episodes completed, Superbook has been broadcast to millions of viewers in dozens of languages throughout the world. Other Superbook-themed videos are also being produced and released.
Gordon and his wife, Katharyn, reside in Virginia and have three grown children.
