Sent into the waiting harvest and the crop is ripe.  Never before have I seen people so ready to argue, discuss, turn to or hear about the Lord’s Love for them.  It is my greatest honor to be serving the Lord in this manner, knowing that time is short as day nears dusk.  Living in my truck for the last two months, I have been led by the Holy Spirit from one Divine opportunity to the next, giving me enormous fulfillment in use of my specific gifts to help the lost, wounded, lame, blind and orphaned.  I will not be discouraged by the fact that I see so few believers acting in their role as ambassadors, for the Lord has a plan for each of us.  I know that you will answer the call whether willingly or in bitterness, God’s Will shall be done.  If you don’t believe that look at the sign given to Jonah.

This is painful, but it is good pain, stretching pain, pain requiring my faith and courage.  I have seen the Lord smile as I am faced with the remnant of our faith, devout, praying, studying, waiting and keeping their eyes firmly upon Jesus.  I wish that I were in comfort but only for a moment as I look up at the star filled sky knowing that this is exactly where He wants me.  I wipe their tears, listen to their stories, worries and questions and love them as a manner of surprise, for they never feel worthy.  But being worthy has never been part of God’s grace, it is a suggestion and controlling influence put forth by the enemy to keep us in paralysis.  This is God’s work, my transformation, how then may my performance have anything to do with God’s Work.  I cannot critique, cannot accept the glory for it nor may I be concerned about its length, style, speed or depth.  He is the Potter, I am merely clay, what responsibility lay in clay, but to be formed.

Okay, so I cannot shower enough, write in my blog frequently or guarantee where my next payment will come from, but I can be guaranteed of more important things, like loving God by being obedient to His commands for my life.  That’s right, commands, not suggestions.  He is my master, by choice but master none the less.  I must do what He directs.  Yes, he allows for my free will exercised in disobedience but that is merely the love of a Father allowing each son or daughter to obey or rebel.  I will be the joyous servant not the one faced with bitterness and regret.  It is a joy to do this work.  The fields are ripe it is time for the workers to reap the crop.  Come join me and be fulfilled or face the eternal regret of missed opportunity and reward in disobedience.

Christ did not look to see if they came, He merely commanded, “Follow Me”.  That is the main characteristic of a righteous leader, knowing that the task must be attended even if by himself.  What task are you leaving undone for Christ, because you have failed to heed His call to harvest?

I saw a street that needed sweeping, so i swept it and the local youth joined me seeing the favorable outcome of my efforts, never thinking to ask me why I would sweep a street upon which I do not live.  I saw an intolerable circumstance a grievous plight that turned my heart upside down.  I chose to help and others were left wondering how they could have helped instead of passing bye twice a day.  I saw a man headed for hell, left in the misunderstanding of grace and the forgiveness of his sin, so I told him of Christ and helped him to ask Christ into his heart and now we shall spend eternity together.

This is my America, He is my King of Kings and Lord of Lords, my master, my Father, my friend.  This is my job, not a travesty I seek to hang around the neck of every politician or spiritual leader.  I do not tithe to a church, I tithe to Christ and if you are asking for a membership fee then your heart is wrong and your doctrine in a hopeless twist.  Come to Christ, reap the harvest for it is ripe and the day seeks to end when the work will finish.

We are the workers and the crops are in the field.  How else will they get into the storehouse but we accept the work and get it done?  My God commands me.  My God says that obeying His Commands is the way to show my love for Him.  Obeying His commands then is my greatest worship.  Therefore I will sweep the street that is dirty, knowing that others will likely follow, but even if they don’t the street will be swept.  I will teach them that would disciple for Christ and provide opportunities where they might share the loving Gospel for their consumption, but I will not fret whether they follow for people must be given the opportunity to hear and react to the Truth.  The fields are ripe, I will work them regardless of who joins me, but I know the nature of leadership demonstrated by Christ my King.  If you do the work those with ears to hear and heart to follow will follow.

My country is in disrepair, physically, financially and spiritually.  God provides a way out but it requires that I, the Christian, humble myself and pray, turning away from my sin so that God will hear my prayer and see my actions and turn His face back toward healing our land.  Otherwise we will be overrun by pagans, which is currently happening due to my disobedience and lack of faith.  I will take up the cross, take up the shovel, paintbrush, hose or helping hand and set about the work, knowing that through me God will perform the impossible thing that is beyond my capacity.  Action is demonstrative belief, therefore I will act and know through faith that God will show up.  He always does without fail.  That is one of the thousands of reasons that I love Him so.  I pray for your action this day in the hopeful name of Jesus Christ the King.  May you be where the next miracle begins.

Ephesians 4 – I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?  He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ;  If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

I know you want butterflies, fairies and rainbows but God’s Wrath preached honestly includes none of that feel good mantra, so I ain’t preaching it.  What I will do is love you in the best way I know how and that is tell you the truth, then arm you with practical steps to deal with the implications of the Truth that God reveals.  The truth is we all know that it is alarming obvious that we are living in the end of the end of days.  Taking that in to account it is reasonable to assume that our service, dedication, faith and daily attention ought to have a direct, understandable, attached sense of urgency.  We ought to be real clear on what it is that God wants of us individually as saints and collectively as the body of Christ.

First, we were made in God’s image and we should reasonably expect that some of that image is obvious in our demeanor, our behavior perhaps even in our unseen spirit.  Since the Holy Spirit is the power of salvation and resurrection then if there is no evidence of His presence there is no salvation and no resurrection.  We were told that he would make us into new creatures and that the new creatures would resemble Him, the aspects of God, the Holy Spirit.  If you aren’t becoming more patient, kind, long suffering, faithful, peaceful or gentle then you individually should be truly concerned about your salvation and your church ought to be doing some fruit inspection of their congregation to assure that everyone can be assured of their salvation.  Review the scripture above and you will see clearly that we are given individual gifts with the intention of collective participation and performance for the Kingdom of God, through Christ via His Holy Spirit.

Second, since we all have different gifts with specific purposes then our training ought to be similar in the foundation of our Christian walk to maturity but then it ought to vary based upon the specific expectations of the obstacles and challenges inherent to each spirit role for the Kingdom.  If one is to be an evangelist then it is the church’s responsibility to prepare that person for that role, send them forth and welcome them back for refresh after each foray into the world for service.  The church should have the power of prayer to escort each member headed into the world stand on the field of spiritual battle armored with the knowledge of scripture, prayer and necessary courage to realize the victory God has preordained each of us.  Right now frankly we are powerless in the church because we have quenched the Holy Spirit to a position below the professional clergy, leaving us without the power normal to Christ’s beloved.  As well we are ignoring the duty of empowering and training the saints for their individual duty because we don’t have a proper understanding of our responsibility as clearly defined in Ephesians 4.

Third, crops grow outdoors, so the harvest will always be outside the church.  I am not saying that we shouldn’t have members in the church ready to receive those who are located on our forays in the field, but generally the work is out there, so that is where the church ought to reside.  We must transform the scheduling and current model of church worship and service to one that parallels our greatest form of worship that of loving God by obeying His commands.  These days require an ability to see the urgency of the times in which we find ourselves, the knowledge that we were made and saved for such a time and the denial of self necessary to serve God and others instead of our own focused plans.  Get out there and do what told you to do, you slave to righteousness, because slaves who don’t are simply disobedient in need of discipline.  And God disciplines those whom He loves, so we ought to expect Him to allow all the influences in our lives to sponsor our appropriate behavior if we refuse to heed His calling.

Finally, only God does miracles, only God is master of the impossible, only He has overcome sin and death.  It ain’t me who will defeat the enemy.  Certainly I will be there when the healing happens, the captive are set free and their souls saved for eternity, but I will always be a conduit or tool for the Lord’s Glory, never the origin.  My job is to love Him, love you, be ready and complete the work He set before me.  I will never be satisfied and frankly, His work will never be completed if I fail to get off my comfy cushion.  Additionally, God’s presence ought to be evident in everything we do, because if we can do it by our own talent’s, treasure, authority of effort where then was the need for God.  No church program will ever be sufficient to salvation as it requires the Holy Spirit’s Power from call to completion.  If our ministry may be done by either any talented Christian or any talented lost person then it is a ministry for our own glory not His.  We ought to be looking for the miracle and set upon achieving the impossible in full knowledge that through His Holy Spirit the impossible is our inheritance.  If I don’t need Him in what I am doing then it was never worth doing from the outset and will simply be burnt in the brilliance of His Glorious Appearing, leaving only that which was ordained and anointed by His Grace and Glory.