PASTOR OLUWASEYI OSANYINBI
ISAIAH 60:1: “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.”;
JUDGES 6:12: “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.”;
JAMES 5:7: “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.”
“Arise, shine” is not an admonition, it is a command. We have to get up and pierce the darkness of the world with the light of God. It is certain that darkness will cover the earth and that will be the opportunity we need to shine. If darkness does not cover the earth, our light will not be appreciated. God presupposes that we have the capacity to shine. Whatever is born of the spirit is spirit. It takes courage to walk in the spirit. It takes the spirit to shine. Every man that ever followed Christ had a level of low self-esteem at some point, just like Gideon. Nevertheless, they always rose to the occasion to fight God’s cause. We need to realize that we are valiant men because of the Holy Spirit that is resident in us.
The Last Harvest is the Harvest of the People who will sit with God on the Throne. Jesus is the First Type of such people. God is not just interested in saving us from sin. More importantly, He wants us to become sons that will be in His class. As a people, we must begin to believe God for the outpouring of the Spirit. We cannot achieve anything of significance without the Spirit.
JOHN 4:31-35: “ In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. 32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? 34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. 35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.”;
MATTHEW 6:10: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
It is good that we do God’s will but it is more important that we finish His work. Harvest becomes possible when the fruits are fully ripe. God is only interested in harvesting fully grown sons. We have to play our roles in catalyzing the process of making men sons. We have to see the way God sees. Men are fond of seeing the harvest as something confined to the distant future whereas God sees that the fields are white. We are raised to transform wildernesses into lush gardens.
The rapture is not an escape route, it is a harvest. It is a harvest of sons unto glory. We have to ensure we don’t slow God down. We often slow Him down when we do not play our expected roles in speeding up the process of bringing sinners into His Kingdom, raising them as sons and bringing them into glory. The harvest is now, it is not a tomorrow thing. The king’s business requires haste and we cannot afford to be sluggish.
MATTHEW 28:19: “ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”; I CORINTHIANS 15:56: “The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.”;[biblegateway passage=” EZEKIEL 33:1-9″ display=” EZEKIEL 33:1-9″];
We have responsibility for every sinner who comes around us. The only way to absolve ourselves is to warn them of the impending wrath of God and His grace that is available to save them. We can understand the harvest better by paying more attention to agricultural processes. Many people are involved in the harvest process. Some clear the bush, some plough, some make the ridges, some plant the seeds, some water, some weed, some prune, some reap the harvest and some process the harvest. We must never think that whatever role we play is insignificant, it is a vital contribution to the whole process. Different skills and gifts are needed for the harvest.
Our field of operation is the whole earth. The nations must change their laws to conform to the laws of God. We have been called to stand as witnesses to prove that God is the true Saviour. The parable of the talent tells us that laziness is not acceptable in the kingdom of God. We must become doers; if His will is done in heaven, it is our duty to make sure that it is also done on earth. In teaching all nations, we are sowing seeds. In baptizing them, we are reaping the harvest. To baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is not just merely immersing them in water, it is to flood their hearts with the knowledge the godhead. We will not become sons, ripe for the harvest, until we have conquered the law of sin and death. We can only bring others into son-ship when we are walking the path of sons already.