THE HARVEST
Put in the sickle for the “HARVEST” is ripe. Come go down; For the winepress is full, The vats overflow—For their wickedness is great.” Multitudes, multitudes are in the Valley of Decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the Valley of Decision. The sun and moon shall grow dark, And the stars will diminish their brightness. The Lord will also roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem: The heavens and earth shall shake: But the Lord will be a shelter to His people, And the strength of the Children of Israel. Joel, Chapter 3, Verses 12-16.
And it will come to pass in that day that the mountains shall drip with NEW WINE. The hills shall flow with milk, And all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water; A fountain shall flow from the House of the Lord and water the valley of “Acacias.” Joel Chapter 3, Verse 13-18.
In my opinion the Church cannot and will not flourish without a New Pentecost. The Harvest cannot and will not reach the souls of many who are in the VALLEY OF DECISION without an Outpouring of Heavenly Fire and a New Pentecost. Yes, the Church has survived throughout the ages without Pentecost, but the times which lay ahead are times when we will need ALL of God’s Miracle Working Power to see us through. In order to bring souls into the Kingdom in the next few years, the Church must be able to counter the lying signs and wonders the anti-Christ and his demonic followers are going to perpetuate in order to deceive millions. We must stand in the gap for these wayward souls.
A Great Awaking of souls and the turning of people’s hearts to the True God will only happen where the demonstration of the Power of God is greater than that of His enemies. While governments are falling apart and distress is coming upon every Nation, the Omnipotent Arms of God will be the only place of refuge. When Nations clash and economies crash, the only hope for mankind is in the saving power and protection of Jesus Christ. In that same time frame many Christians will be persecuted and martyred just because they are Christians.
“Without Holiness no man shall see God.” Hebrews, Chapter 12, Verse 14.
The Pentecostal Revivals which occurred during the turn of the last Century were poured out upon God’s people because they were desperately seeking God and were hungry for Revival. They sought to please Him by living a lifestyle of Holiness. Holiness is not just something we “look forward to” when we get to Heaven. Holiness is a place in God we can dwell in here on Earth where we find rest, security and the promise of His WONDEROUS Salvation now. Holiness is a command--we are commanded to “Be Holy, even as He is Holy.” 1 Peter, Chapter 1, Verse 16.
Now when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from Heaven as of a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Acts, Chapter 2, Verses 1-2.
The Day of Pentecost was the Jewish Festival known as “Shavuot.” Pentecost is the English word for Shavuot. Shavuot has a double significance. First it commemorates the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai. Second it commemorates the Festival of the Wheat Harvest. It was also known as the Feast of First Fruits because the Jewish people were required to bring an offering to the Lord of the First Fruits of their HARVEST.
It is interesting to note that on the day of Pentecost 120 of God’s people meeting in the Upper Room received the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This Outpouring in the Upper Room was the catalyst that brought 3000 souls into the Kingdom of God on that day of HARVEST. It is also interesting to note that the SPIRIT of the Law given to Moses on Mount Sinai was then written on the hearts of those new Believers when they received Christ as their Savior.
On the Day of Pentecost there were 3000 First Fruit offerings(souls) brought to the Lord. Pentecost opened the door for a Great Harvest of souls. So we see that Pentecost was, and can be, a great catalyst for Revival, Renewal and Restoration. Souls can be helped, healed and delivered by the POWER of a NEW PENTECOST.
LABORERS WANTED
“The HARVEST truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the HARVEST to send laborers into His HARVEST.” Luke, Chapter 10, Verse 2.
The Great Harvest cannot be successful without LABORERS who are dedicated to the task of winning souls and making disciples of them. God can and will send Harvesters into the field. However, those He sends must be willing to “die to self, pick up their Cross daily, and follow in the footsteps of Christ.” As Christians we have been given specific orders to either pray for God to send laborers into fields of Harvest or go out into the World ourselves without hesitation. Jesus is looking for faithful laborers who will deny themselves, take up their Cross DAILY and follow after Him.
As faithful laborers in Christ, the benefits we reap will be unfathomable. Saving one soul from an eternity in Hell cannot be measured in terms of silver and gold. What is a soul worth? Can anyone repudiate the fact that a soul is worth more than riches untold? Jesus knew the value of a soul. He died so that the souls of all men and women could call on His Name and be saved from eternal damnation.
The wages of sin is death. The wages of a soul who dies without Christ is eternal death in the Lake of Fire. The wages a faithful laborer receives for his work and labor of love is the joy in knowing he has saved someone from eternal death in the Lake of Fire. Souls are the sole responsibility of every believer. We are called to be co-labors together in Christ. As children of God it is our duty to pray that the Gospel is given free course to be preached to every Tongue and Nation.
We are admonished and commanded as people of God to “Go into ALL the World and preach the Gospel to every creature.” If we are unable to go, we can surely pray and/or send others by supporting them financially. As we co-labor together wholeheartedly in the Harvest Fields for Christ in these days ahead, we will know that our labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 58.
People who have no concern about souls being saved do not possess the love of God. If people care only for themselves and where they will spend eternity, they are not the Children of God. Love is of God. Selfishness is not of God. The Bible says “to love your neighbor as you love yourself.” If we do not care where our neighbor spends eternity, we cannot call ourselves the children of God.
The End Time Harvest is and will be a sovereign work of God. I say IS because I believe we have already entered into the Great Harvest. Many souls are being saved today. However, Harvest cannot be accomplished without laborers who are faithfully dedicated to the plan and purpose of God in order to bring souls into His Kingdom. The laborers are few and the Harvest is GREAT.
“Who will go and work in His Field today?” “Will you go? Will you financially support others who are able to go? Will you pray for those who are diligently working as laborers in the FIELD to save souls? What will you contribute to help bring in a Harvest of souls for our Lord?”
Many Christians are “ashamed” to admit to others they are Christians. They care more about their own “persona” than they do the PERSON of Christ. Jesus told His Disciples, “If you are ashamed of me I will be ashamed of you.” If we do not acknowledge Jesus before men, He will not acknowledge us before the Father. Matthew, Chapter 10, Verses 31-32.
It is time for us to take a survey of our Life in order that we can see where we STAND with the Lord. If we are not standing for the Lord in these last days, we will fall without Him. If there needs to be some changes made in our lifestyles we must make them immediately.
We will have an opportunity to travel many roads in the coming days. Unfortunately, many of those roads will lead to sorrow and destruction for millions. We must walk with Jesus beside us daily or we will become a victim of endless grief and sorrow.
This is the time for us to decide who we will serve. Are we laborers of Christ or are we workers of iniquity? Are we fit to work in the vineyards of God, or have we decided to compromise our faith and follow after the unrighteous mammon. Worldly mammon is and will be completely engulfing the hearts and lives of those who oppose Righteousness.
JOB SEEKERS who are interested in helping bring new souls into the Kingdom of God can apply at their own Church. Ask your Pastor what you can do to help. Seek opportunities to share the love of Christ with others you come in contact with outside the Church walls. Make yourself available to God, and He will find a position for you so you can do your part in reaping souls during the Great Harvest. Make a quality decision to start praying for souls now instead of waiting till tomorrow.
THE NEW WINE
And it shall come to pass in that day that the mountains shall drip with NEW WINE. Joel, Chapter 3, Verse 18
The New Wine speaks of NEW LIFE; an abundant Life which comes only from knowing Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Jesus said: “No one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new Wineskins, and both will be preserved. “And no one having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, “the old is better.” Luke, Chapter 5, Verses 37-39.
Jesus, of course, was speaking of the new birth, or being “BORN AGAIN” spiritually. The Spirit of God is likened unto New Wine. Being “FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT” means we are FILLED with New Wine. Even after we are BORN AGAIN, our new Wineskins will leak at times because we allow the OLD MAN to rise from the dead within us. When the old man rises from the dead, sin is conceived and we come short of the Glory of God.
New Wineskins speak of the “New Birth.” We are BORN AGAIN when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Our Spirit Man is raised from the dead as the Spirit of God enters into our heart (spirit) and we become one with Him. New Wineskins come FILLED with NEW WINE, the Spirit of God. The New Wine is FILLED with righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit. However, the old wineskins (old man) can only hold sorrow, selfishness, hopelessness and spiritual death, to name a few.
The Great Harvest will bring a new focus on Righteousness, Joy and Peace in the Holy Spirit. The hearts of true Believers will be FILLED with the Spirit of God and righteousness, joy unspeakable, and the peace which passes all understanding. God’s people will need to be FILLED with all three of these in order to endure the troubled times which are coming. Great troubles, temptations, trials, persecutions and pressures which will engulf the entire Earth during the End of Days. This is why we MUST have another Outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
The New Wine which is coming with the New Outpouring will fill God’s people enabling them to bring in His Great Harvest. The Harvest is truly great, but where are the Harvesters?