Keep Looking 3
the harvest is plentiful
by Terrence Clark
Nothing is greater than the Gospel. It is complete in itself. It cannot be added to or subtracted from. It is designed to thrive in any culture and generation of people.
I believe despair has caused the church to seek other means and strategies to win the lost---young and old. Truly, varying methods of evangelism are okay as long as they don’t interfere with the product. The product, Jesus crucified, risen again, and seated on the right hand of the Father God is not just the heart of the gospel. It is the gospel. It is given to men through John 3:16, Roman 10:9-10, and Ephesians 2:8-10. In summation, God gave his only begotten son---Jesus to die for the whole world. If any individual [inhale] in that whole world would believe and receive what he did---personally for themselves, together repenting of sin---hence turning from the old way of doing it (sin’s way), and rely on Christ as Savior and Lord, they would be saved from eternal hell, and receive eternal abundant life [exhale]. |
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It’s been proven and tested world over. Still, measuring its effect in the haze of this present world, the church is challenged to try some alternate expression. Yet, in the midst of the paganism of the Roman Empire, Greek culture, and Jewish tradition the early church succeeded to turn the world upside down.
The devil couldn’t stop it. Even underground, it grew and multiplied. It is why, I an African American, Cherokee Indian, European filtered, farm boy, am here writing this today. Jesus promised that he would be with us always. He promised he would confirm his Word with signs. He sent the Holy Spirit to empower us to be witnesses. He said he would ever live to make intercession for us.
So what’s the problem?
At a 2018 planning meeting, I had a mini vision, as we were engaged prayer. As soon as I closed my eyes, I saw what appeared to be the long petals of a carnation, yellow and gold. As I kept looking, they became long grains of amber wheat. They were being thrust towards my face.
As I kept looking, I saw that it was wheat being shot from the chute of a combine---a harvesting machine from a farm. I was now sitting on the front of that machine. I could see my legs dangling down. It was like a painting. The machine, with me on it, was traveling down a long, winding, white-sand, road through the midst of this somewhat fully harvested field. On both sides of me, I saw bundles of wheat stacked high. There were still stalks in the ground, but most had been harvested and stacked. A small, red building, sat on the right, in the valley below. I saw no people.
The devil couldn’t stop it. Even underground, it grew and multiplied. It is why, I an African American, Cherokee Indian, European filtered, farm boy, am here writing this today. Jesus promised that he would be with us always. He promised he would confirm his Word with signs. He sent the Holy Spirit to empower us to be witnesses. He said he would ever live to make intercession for us.
So what’s the problem?
At a 2018 planning meeting, I had a mini vision, as we were engaged prayer. As soon as I closed my eyes, I saw what appeared to be the long petals of a carnation, yellow and gold. As I kept looking, they became long grains of amber wheat. They were being thrust towards my face.
As I kept looking, I saw that it was wheat being shot from the chute of a combine---a harvesting machine from a farm. I was now sitting on the front of that machine. I could see my legs dangling down. It was like a painting. The machine, with me on it, was traveling down a long, winding, white-sand, road through the midst of this somewhat fully harvested field. On both sides of me, I saw bundles of wheat stacked high. There were still stalks in the ground, but most had been harvested and stacked. A small, red building, sat on the right, in the valley below. I saw no people.
The Lord said to me, the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. He was quoting Luke 10:2. The next scripture that came to mind was Mathews 13:39---The angels are the harvesters (specifically the gathering at that end times).
As I opened my eyes, I asked the Lord why I didn’t see any people. He said it was because I didn’t look long enough. It was then, the opening revelation of this article came. There is nothing wrong with the harvest because there is nothing wrong with the message. He then gave me the rest of Luke 10:2.
Pray ye the Lord of the harvest that he would send laborers into the harvest.
As shared in the previous articles of this series. We are in political times. Not as in who to vote for, but where to stand in conviction---what to speak and affirm out of our mouth. We are in interesting times. It’s not just the mix of baby boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials. We are under the shadow of postmodernism---fifty shades of gray, tolerance---no right or wrong. Today, the arguments for “choice” are no longer solely whether to abort a life in the womb but what bathroom to use.
In the midst of it all, still, rest the church. It’s the greatest entity on the face of the globe. It is glorious as described by the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 5. Headed by the Lord himself, it is a multi-dimensional organism existing geographically both terrestrially and heavenly---with Jesus.
Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 -19, to the church, I have given you the keys to bind and loose. And the great commission in Matthew 28 and Mark 16 wasn’t a feel-good farewell. It was a pronouncement of dispensational power and command. It was given with the authority to bring results. In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit backed it up.
I played Jesus in a skit at the end of 2017. They usually have me play him. The tradition rolls back a few years. This time, there was no script. I was told, as Jesus, just to share. So for study, I did the responsible thing, I asked Jesus what you would say to this church---this gathering and the body of Christ at large. These are the three things he gave me---I shared them that evening and I believe they are prophetic for the Church.
As I opened my eyes, I asked the Lord why I didn’t see any people. He said it was because I didn’t look long enough. It was then, the opening revelation of this article came. There is nothing wrong with the harvest because there is nothing wrong with the message. He then gave me the rest of Luke 10:2.
Pray ye the Lord of the harvest that he would send laborers into the harvest.
As shared in the previous articles of this series. We are in political times. Not as in who to vote for, but where to stand in conviction---what to speak and affirm out of our mouth. We are in interesting times. It’s not just the mix of baby boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials. We are under the shadow of postmodernism---fifty shades of gray, tolerance---no right or wrong. Today, the arguments for “choice” are no longer solely whether to abort a life in the womb but what bathroom to use.
In the midst of it all, still, rest the church. It’s the greatest entity on the face of the globe. It is glorious as described by the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 5. Headed by the Lord himself, it is a multi-dimensional organism existing geographically both terrestrially and heavenly---with Jesus.
Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 -19, to the church, I have given you the keys to bind and loose. And the great commission in Matthew 28 and Mark 16 wasn’t a feel-good farewell. It was a pronouncement of dispensational power and command. It was given with the authority to bring results. In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit backed it up.
I played Jesus in a skit at the end of 2017. They usually have me play him. The tradition rolls back a few years. This time, there was no script. I was told, as Jesus, just to share. So for study, I did the responsible thing, I asked Jesus what you would say to this church---this gathering and the body of Christ at large. These are the three things he gave me---I shared them that evening and I believe they are prophetic for the Church.
1. It is important that you all stay together. He was talking about his body. The church. It is not the time to be divided by politics, factions, opinions, strife, winds of doctrine, or the world.
2. It is not the time to be on the outside of the camp. The serpents that bit Israel, although attacking as the result of their complaints, undoubtedly started on the outside of the camp. No matter how good the communication, it is those on the outside, who get the message late. Often that message has erred in the translation as it is passed along. And even in this world of lightning face communication, the Spirit that goes along with the utterance can be lost. Even emoji cannot fully justify the thoughts of the person on the other side of the text. 3. Things will begin to speed up now. There are three passage in the book of Revelations that say behold I come quickly |
Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Revelation 3:11 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. Revelation 22:7 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. Revelation 22:12 |
In the brevity of this article, I believe I will have to continue this series at a later time. Nonetheless, I pray the message was clear. The message to the faithful---Engage the message of the gospel. This same gospel that has saved the multitudes out of their mess, include you and me.
And, keeping looking for the results of that message. In itself, it is without fail. Even when people preach it for the wrong reason, the message is still intact. Jesus crucified and risen again. It so ever sweetly revealed in John 3:16.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
And, it intensified in Colosians 1:12-14
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
God always has a remnant. We’ll begin the next article in this series there.
And, keeping looking for the results of that message. In itself, it is without fail. Even when people preach it for the wrong reason, the message is still intact. Jesus crucified and risen again. It so ever sweetly revealed in John 3:16.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
And, it intensified in Colosians 1:12-14
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
God always has a remnant. We’ll begin the next article in this series there.