"GOD'S CALL TO HIS CHURCH"

 GOD'S CALL TO HIS CHURCH

             God is moving in unprecedented ways in our midst today! In this decade of the 1990s we are witnessing God moving on many different levels, both in His church and in the world. Yet in the variety there is a unity or harmony in what He is doing. It is these different levels that create this wonderful wholeness that
we will address in this article.
 
First level - Personal
             God is certainly moving on a very personal level. Individual Christians are experiencing a mighty touch of the Holy Spirit resulting in a spiritual renewal encompassing a greater love of Jesus, a more sanctified life, a greater sense of God's presence, and more power of the Holy Spirit. These personal renewals are
happening not only here in America but all over the whole world as well.
 
Second level - Churches
             There is also no doubt that God is moving at the corporate body or church wide level. We all are aware of dramatic manifestations of the Holy Spirit occurring within churches or other corporate Christian organizations. We need only listen and we will hear wonderful reports of this sweeping move of the Holy
Spirit on God's people at various locations. This move is resulting in unprecedented revival breaking out, phenomenal church growth, and the presence of God being manifest.
 
Third level - Regional/national
             The third level of God's move is over geographic regions or even entire nations. There are churches in South America numbering 100,000 plus where God is moving mightily! We all know of South Korea's church of several hundred thousand members. We hear reports of entire villages or cities in the 10/40 window coming to Christ because every person in the village had a vision of Jesus on the same night! God in His sovereignty seems to be selecting geographical areas and sending His Holy Spirit into those regions with amazing results (amazing from our point of
view, that is!)
             These levels of God's move are truly awe inspiring, especially for those of us who have been Christians for a long time and have hungered for revival for years. But now I want to address yet another level on which God seems to be moving among His people.
 
Fourth level - Transnational and Transdenominational
             In the last few years God appears to be calling His more mature people into a deeper commitment of prayer, targeted evangelization, and spiritual warfare. By more mature I mean those believers who are the ever present remnant within God's church; those who are mature, faithful, and on whom God can call for His special purposes.
             Another term for this remnant is God's holy or royal priesthood.              

1 Peter 2:5 refers to God's chosen people as a "holy priesthood."
 
             "(you) also, like living stones, are being built into a
             spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual
             sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
 
1 Peter 2:9 refers to God's chosen people as a "royal priesthood."
 
             "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy
             nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the
             praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful
             light."
 
             The King James Bible, in Revelation 1:6, refers to God's chosen people as "kings and priests."
 
God's Call to His Royal Priesthood       
             As I have already stated, I believe that today God is calling His royal priesthood to a level of spiritual activity virtually unheard of, at least in this century. It is this level of activity to which I want to devote the remainder of this
article. We will examine such things as spiritual mapping, identificational repentance, prayer walks, prophetic intercession, and breaking down the barriers of worldwide racism and denominational walls.

             But first let me make clear that I am not saying that this chosen remnant doesn't need or will miss out on the first three levels of God's move. The remnant will not be, and is not being, excluded from the personal renewal, the sense of His presence, and the moving with power that God has for all His people. It is simply that I believe God has an additional work for those who are mature in Him. For we know that, "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required . . ." (Lk 12:48 KJV)
 
Spiritual Sight Beyond the Local Church        
             The first thing that is obvious when we analyze this unique move of God is that He is calling His priesthood to a vision far beyond the local church. In fact, He is calling us to a vision beyond even our own nation and our own denomination. God seems to be uniting believers all over the world with His plans and purposes. As we are all aware, this expanded vision can be communicated and coordinated with our growing worldwide technology and our communication super highway, with such tools as computers, fax machines, and so on.
 
1.          Spiritual Mapping
             As I understand the term as used by today's church, it involves superimposing our understanding of forces and events in the spiritual domain onto places and circumstances in the material world Another way to say it is that spiritual mapping is the targeting of specific locations, events, or people groups
for prayer, spiritual warfare, and evangelization.
             It used to be that the western church had the "whole world" to reach with the gospel of Christ so we could start anywhere and go from there. That is no longer the case. Because the early missionaries have done their work so well, we now have entire regions and nations that have strong national churches and, while they may need advanced technology and teaching tools, they no longer need the traditional missionaries.
             So it was that we began to hear about targeted "unreached people groups." These were identifiable groups of similar people who had not yet heard the gospel. I believe God then gave us the inspiration of the 10/40 window. This "window" is the belt of people groups running from the 10th to the 40th parallel which contains the highest percentage of non Christians who are the most resistant to the gospel.
             Now, as we are becoming more refined in our targets, organizations such as AD 2000 and Beyond, the Christian Information Network, and The Sentinel Group, are coordinating specific cities all over the world for prayer. For example, in October of 1995, churches and individual Christians all over the world joined for a month of directed prayer for more than 100 cities within the 10/40 window.
             The underlying principle in spiritual mapping is the understanding that certain demonic forces control certain regions. They have the authority to control an area because of some past act by the people who inhabited that region. For example, several hundred years ago a people in a region of South America could have made a covenant with a demonic being, even sealing it with a blood sacrifice. When this event occurred, that established a demonic stronghold over that area. Usually the people were looking for some sort of protection or favor from the demon in exchange for worshiping it and making sacrifice to it. Down through time most of these strongholds have never been broken.
             What then has been happening is that the ongoing local festivals, holidays, rituals, and the like continue to renew or perpetuate these demonic commitments. And most often the people participating today don't even realize what they are doing. But so long as the covenant or bargain remains in force, the demonic beings have a free hand in the control of that region.
             One man God is using mightily in this whole area of spiritual mapping is George Otis, Jr. His book, The Last of the Giants, is a pioneering work and is worldwide in scope. In it Otis explains how his organization, the Sentinel Group, is now analyzing such events as local and regional festivals, feast days, and region-wide carnivals. They are tracing many of these events back to demonic rituals and dedications to local gods. Otis' organization is also making data available on specific locations or categories of physical places such as historic locations of blood sacrifices. These places where blood covenants were made with the demonic realm and sealed with a blood sacrifice are no different than the places we read about in the Old Testament which were demonic strongholds and an abomination to God.
             This spiritual mapping is a tool, and I believe a very powerful tool, which God wants His chosen priesthood to use to break the strongholds of the enemy over places, regions, and people. It is this local or regional Christian priesthood that has the standing and power to declare the old covenants broken. Of course, that breaking of the demonic hold is only a step in the process of clearing the region of darkness so people will be free to embrace Christ when they hear the gospel preached. For Paul said, "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (2 Cor 4:4 NIV).
 
2.         Prayer Walks
             A companion element to this spiritual mapping is the activity now known as the Prayer Walk. This consists of a group of believers actually walking around, over, or to a specific place. There can be no question that the selling of one human being by another is a despicable act and one which opens the way for the enemy to invade and occupy a land. 

 
3.         Identificational Repentance
 If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land." (2 Chr 7:14 NIV)
 
             I believe God is calling his royal priesthood to a new level of repentance, not only repentance for our personal sins, but corporate repentance as we identify with the sins of others.
             Much of what I say in this section will be based on a book written by John Dawson entitled Healing America's Wounds.  He is also the founder of the International Reconciliation Coalition. I believe Dawson has captured the heart of God in this matter. I also believe that this book and its content are prophetic in the sense that, although it is written primarily to the American church, its principles can be applied to every nation and people group on this earth. Dawson shares a vision of God using His royal priesthood to heal wounds inflicted by people in every land.
             The term "identificational repentance" can be defined as the call of God on a Christian to identify with his or her people group and its history, to accept not only the benefits of that heritage, but also its sins against others and against God, and to repent before God and those wounded by those sins. In a sense it is God calling on us to recognize our own society's injustices and to repent for them so that a healing can take place.
             Dawson makes the very valid point that only the Church of Jesus Christ is in a position to do this because only the blood of Jesus can truly cleanse and heal these wounds. Unbelievers can't do it because they do not have the authority to apply Christ's blood in this manner.
             Some might say that this identifying with the sins of our forefathers isn't necessary because Christ died for all our sins nd there is no need to do anything more. Dawson addresses this objection in the following manner. He reminds us that God had instructed the Israelites to apply the lambs' blood over the door of every Israelite home in Egypt on the night of the final plague of the death of the firstborn. What would have happened if one Israelite father said to his family, "Look, we are part of God's chosen people. We don't need to apply the blood to our front door because we already have the right to use it!" We know what would
have happened, don't we? The firstborn of that household would have died that night.
             In the same manner, we Christians not only have the right to apply the blood, but we must do it! It is not enough to have the right to avail ourselves of the blood of Christ, we must apply it. And who better to do this applying than God's royal priesthood?
             There is strong Biblical precedent for this identificational repentance. One of the most beautiful prayers in all the Bible is when Daniel, one who was highly esteemed in the heavenlies, prayed for forgiveness of his people as he identified with their sins. He prayed, "We have sinned. . . ." (Dan 9:5 NIV, emphasis added.) The prophet Ezra understood this when he asked God to forgive the sins of his people and referred to himself and others as "a remnant." (Ezra 9:8 NIV) Nehemiah also makes this type of identificational prayer of forgiveness in chapter 1. And in Nehemiah 9:2 the Israelites confessed their sins "and the wickedness of their fathers" as they asked God's forgiveness.
             

Dawson lists four steps which embody this concept:
 
             1. Confession: Stating the truth; acknowledgment of the unjust or hurtful actions of myself or my people group toward other persons or categories of persons.
             2. Repentance: Turning from unloving to loving actions.
              3. Reconciliation: Expressing and receiving forgiveness, and pursuing intimate fellowship with previous enemies.
              4. Restitution: Attempting to restore that which has been damaged or destroyed, and seeking justice wherever we have power to act or to influence those in authority to act.
 
             Dawson understands that, like the Jews who returned to Jerusalem during the Babylonian captivity, God is calling on His people to build up the walls as well as stand in the gap. Indeed, God expressed His displeasure when He stated, "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in gap on behalf of the land so that I would not have to destroy it, but
I found none. So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD." (Ezek 22:30-32 NIV)
             So God is calling us to both build up the walls and also to stand in the gap. It is this standing in the gap that encompasses spiritual warfare. We know that demons enter into wounded places. They see hurt as an open door, both to the individual and to a corporate body. Dawson uses the following analogy to further
emphasize the necessity of building up the wall as we stand against demonic forces.
             Suppose a worker was out in a field using a very sharp knife to cut a crop. And suppose the worker cut his arm badly during the course of the day's work. Immediately the flies and other insects would start to swarm around the wound, trying to make a home in it and live off it, wouldn't they? At this point the worker has two choices. One, he can just keep on working, pretending the wound isn't there, or that it isn't so bad, and just do the best he can to keep the flies away. Or two, he can pause, recognize the seriousness of the wound, dress it and take care of it, and then continue his work. Of course, once the wound is given proper attention, the flies and other insects will realize that they have no future there and will leave!
             And so it is with the sins and wounds of our societies and people groups! No one can deny that they are there. We in America have our wounded race relations, particularly among the whites and Afro-Americans and Native Americans. For example, in recent months the entire Southern Baptist denomination issued a public statement repenting of its historic role in slavery in America. Clearly this denomination has come to an understanding of the power of this repentant move.
             Other nations have the wicked "ethnic cleansing," tribal wars such as in Rwanda, the "superior race" problems of Asia, the vast system of India, and the list goes on. There are powerful demonic strongholds gripping every region and nation in the
world.
             Here in America God has stirred up a powerful new work in the last few years called Promise Keepers. Promise Keepers is dedicated to calling Christian men to become the kind of men that God and His word call us to be. I am convinced that this movement is God breathed, Holy Spirit led, and is part of the movement we are talking about. One of the areas that Promise Keepers is addressing is the racism in America. It is moving across racial lines and its leadership is calling American Christian men into a deeper understanding of the absolute necessity of tearing down racial barriers. Promise Keepers is also calling on God's church to reach across denominational barriers to accomplish His purposes.
             To give you a concrete example of how God is working all these principles together, let me tell you of a prayer walk we heard about recently. History tells us that the Crusades began in Cologne, Germany when the bishop of that city urged his followers to retake the Holy Land, even at the point of the sword. We all know the wicked acts against the Muslim and other nonChristian peoples which took place during the Crusades . . . all in the name of Christ. Recently a group of Christians undertook a prayer march which began in Cologne and which will end in Israel. They are walking over the crusade route and all along the way they are asking forgiveness of the peoples along the route for the atrocities which their ancestors committed against these people in the name of Christ.
             This walk is also a time of intercessory prayer and the breaking down of demonic strongholds which have gripped these peoples for centuries. There is no doubt in my mind that this prayer walk, this prophetic act, will help to build the broken walls. By this act and others like it, as we as God's priesthood, engage in intercessory prayer and spiritual warfare, we will clear the skies above these areas of the darkness so that the light of Christ may shine forth!
             
 
             Oh, Lord! Thank You for Your awesome move in our world today. Thank You that You care for and love every human being on earth so much. Thank You for moving on countless individual believers and on Your church in this hour.
 
             Thank You, Lord, that You are calling on Your 
             royal priesthood to enter into this awesome work of
             global evangelization. Thank You for giving us such
             powerful tools for this work as intercessory prayer,
             prayer walks, and an understanding of what deep
             repentance can do.
 
             Oh, God, continue to move on Your people. Continue
             to send Your Spirit to call our spirits to unite with
             Yours to accomplish Your plans and purposes in this
             generation. Continue to purify Your church and prepare
             us to stand without spot or wrinkle as the bride of
             Christ. In Jesus' mighty name we pray!
 
 
GOD'S CHURCH OF THE 1990'S
             The Lord is moving in unprecedented ways in His church today. Everywhere we travel the word is going forth! We are entering the Decade of Harvest of souls. Millions of souls are hungering for Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour even though they may not yet know His name. The time is now! The harvest is ripe!
             Let's take a quick graphic look at the world's population. Assuming the biblical historical view, looking at Figure 1 we see that it took over 5,600 years for the world's population to reach one billion. It only took 90 years for it to reach two billion, 30 years to reach three billion, then only sixteen years to reach
four billion, and only fourteen years to reach five billion!
 
              From these statistics it is easy to see that the world's population is experiencing astronomical growth.
             With the enormous population on earth today, we must ask, "How is this decade's great in-gathering going to take place?" Through the centuries God has used His church or His people as the vehicle through which He accomplishes His purposes on earth. Thus we ask, "What kind of church is God calling us to be in this great decade of Harvest?"

             We must believe the answer, at least in part, is:
 
             1. His church must be focused on His Kingdom and not on
what the world has to offer.
             2. His church must be prepared to allow its offerings to
be tested by fire.
             3. His church must be without sin.
             4. His church must seek His presence.
 
             The Feast of Tabernacles in Deuteronomy 16 is a kind of blueprint for God's church today and in the next decade.
 
             Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after
             you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor
             and your winepress.  Be joyful at your Feast--you, your
             sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants,
             and the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless and the
             widows who live in your towns. For seven days celebrate
             the Feast to the Lord your God at the place the Lord
             will choose. For the Lord your God will bless you in
             all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and
             your joy will be complete. Three times a year all your
             men must appear before the Lord your God at the place
             he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the
             Feast of weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. No man
             should appear before the Lord empty-handed: Each of you
             must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord
             your God has blessed you. (Deu 16:13-17 NIV).
 
             This feast ordered by the Lord was the last of seven feasts. It came at the end of each liturgical year. It was directly related to the harvest and was meant to be a time of great joy for all the people.
             Let's examine these instructions to the Israelites and draw a parallel for the church of the 1990's.
 
We Must Live in Booths.
             Because of the instructions Moses received from the Lord, he commanded all Israel to erect temporary "booths" or small wood and straw huts in which they were to live for the duration of the seven day feast.
             What did this mean? To Israel this was an annual reminder that they were strangers in the land after they left Egypt and during their 40 year journey to the promised land. They lived in tents, temporary dwellings, during that 40 years. God wanted these booths to be an annual reminder that they were in bondage in Egypt and that He delivered them, and that they were thereafter sojourners, or strangers, awaiting entry into the promised land.
             What does this say to us today? To us the dwelling in booths is a symbolic statement regarding our residency. We have been delivered from the bondage of sin and we have no permanent dwelling here on this earth. We are, as King David said, "...a stranger on earth." (Ps 119:19 NIV). We are citizens of another Kingdom, the Kingdom of God. This world and all its kingdoms are temporary. The Apostle Peter said. "...the heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare." (II Pet 3:10 NIV).
             If we are truly strangers in this world, then any bond to this present world is wrong. The Apostle John states it this way, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (I John 2:15 NIV).
             If we are fully committed to Christ then we must live in a booth, figuratively speaking. Does that mean we can't own a nice home or drive a nice car? Does it mean we cannot partake of the pleasures offered by our society?
             No, it doesn't. But it does mean that things cannot have a hold on us. A Christian can possess most anything in the world -so long as it doesn't possess him (or her)! There are many things capable of possessing us. The list is long: positions, titles, intellectual pursuits, carnal pleasures, money, jobs, homes, things, authority, one's spouse or children... even one's own ministry is capable of possessing us.
             Thus to live in a booth today means to recognize that we are aliens in this earth and that it offers nothing worthy of placement ahead of Christ. We are to be willing to turn loose of anything that we hold or own if He commands it.
 
We Are to Make Offering by Fire.
             In the Old Testament there were two categories of offerings for worship at the tabernacle: those made with fire and those made without fire. Offerings without fire were things such as grain or drink offering. The offerings by fire were primarily meat or flesh of an animal.
             What does "offering by fire" say to us today? We are God's church. The church is not the building in which we meet. The church is God's people, all those who are redeemed. We are to let the light of our fire be seen by all who observe us.
             When and where are we to do this? The Lord tells us, "...But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in All Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8 NIV).
             To repeat what has often been said, "We are all witnesses...but the question is: What kind?" How do we test our "witness" offerings? The Apostle Paul instructs us:
 
             "By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as
             an expert builder, and someone else is building on it.
             But each one should be careful how he builds. For no
             one can lay any foundation other that the one already
             laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this
             foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood hay
             or straw, his work will be shown for what it is,
             because the Day will bring it to light. It will be
             revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality
             of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he
             will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will
             suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one
             escaping through the flames." (I Cor 3:10-15 NIV).
 
Obviously this means all our "works" or "offerings" will be fire-tested. What works will burn and what works will withstand the fire?
             The answer is simple. All our work (i.e., witnessing, teaching, etc.) that is motivated by love of the Lord is gold, silver and costly stones - it is eternal work. While all our work that is motivated by self is wood, hay and straw - it is temporary.
             "But, Lord, all my work is for you...isn't it?"
             How I wish it were so! We are such poor judges of our own deeds. The Prophet Jeremiah said, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? 'I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind...'" (Jer 17:9-10 NIV). "Alright, Jeremiah, you're right. Lord, I want my offering to
stand the test of fire."
             The key to this testing of our works is found in the heart. An example I often use in leadership seminars illustrates the heart motive clearly. Suppose you have a friend who was deathly ill and you fasted and prayed for days for his healing. Then you sensed the Holy Spirit urging you to go lay hands on him and
pray. When you did he was miraculously healed. The next Sunday he went to church and gave a glorious testimony about his healing...and never once mentioned your name!
             How do you feel? What's going on in your mind? Is it, "Glory to God! Isn't Jesus faithful? I'm so glad God healed my brother! Hallelujah!" or is it rather, "How ungrateful! After all my fasting and praying he didn't even mention my name! It'll be a-cold-day-you-know-where before I pray for him again!"? If we care not who gets the credit for our work we are on the right track. It doesn't take a genius to recognize which of the above thoughts are gold, silver and costly stones, an offering acceptable to the Lord, and which are not.
 
We Are to Have No Yeast.
             During the Feast of the Tabernacles there was to be no yeast in the Israelite's booths or food. They weren't even allowed to touch any yeast.
             Throughout the Old Testament, yeast is a symbol for sin. The analogy between yeast and sin is a powerful one. When yeast is worked into a lump of dough, at first it can't be seen or detected. But as time passes it's presence becomes obvious by it's visible effect on the rising dough. Sin works the same way in our lives...at first it often cannot be seen or detected. But as time passes, it's ugly, decaying work becomes all too evident.
             Today's American society tells us, "There is no such thing as 'sin.' Anything is OK as long as it doesn't hurt anyone." Tragically, the end results of that philosophy are what we are seeing today are in the form of broken lives, broken homes, lives destroyed by incest, drugs, alcohol... the list seems endless.
             Today we are experiencing God's prophetic words as said by the Apostle Peter, "...It is time for judgement to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" (I Pet 4:17 NIV).
By this we conclude that it's not the devil who has made the church in America a perpetual media event. It's God purifying His church. What "no yeast" says to us today, during this last, great harvest, is abundantly clear. God is going to mightily use those harvesters who have put sin out of their lives.
             He is preparing His church for harvest today.
 
             "...Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
             to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with
             water through the word, and to present her to himself
             as a radiant church without stain or wrinkle or any
             other blemish, but holy and blameless." (Eph 5:25-27
             NIV).
 
             Recently I spoke about "no yeast" in a church. At the end of the message, just as I asked the people to stand for a closing prayer, a prophecy came forth. In the prophecy the Lord very lovingly (and Scripturally) commended the people for their love and worship of Him. But then He went on to say, "There are those
in this church with sin in their lives. There are those here who are adulterers, those who are fornicators, those who are involved in pornography, those with idols, those who are double minded, those with lusts and greed..." He then called for repentance and a turning away from all sin.
             God is serious. In times past He has tolerated yeast in the church. No more. His harvesters are going to be doing His mighty work...without yeast.
 
We Are to Appear Before the Lord.
             During the Feast of the Tabernacles all men were commanded to appear before the Lord. Since men were the only ones counted in the census of that day, it is clear that all were to appear before the Lord.
             Yes, today that does mean church attendance. The Bible says, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day appearing." (Heb 10:25 NIV). King David said, "I was glad when they said unto me, 'Let us go into the house of the Lord.'" (Ps 122:1 KJV).
             In my early Christian walk I was a "mugwump." A mugwump is a Christian who sits on the fence between the church and the world. He has his mug in the church and his wump in the world! He smiles and says, "Praise the Lord!" in church but those who work with him can't tell him from any other "sinner." The Lord is calling us to be 100% Christians, all the time and wherever we are.
             But "appear before the Lord" also means entering into Divine presence. It means laying everything aside and entering into His presence. It means spending time with Him. It means setting life's problems aside, finding a place of solitude, and spiritually entering in before Him.
             Many years ago I went early to a Sunday evening church service. As I stepped through the door the overwhelming presence of God met me. I sat quietly weeping tears of joy as I "appeared before the Lord." I didn't have to go early. My early attendance was in response to the still, small voice, quietly inviting me, "come." A voice so gentle and undemanding it is easily overpowered by many of life's demands.
             Since that time I regularly put my busy schedule aside and "appear before the Lord." It's not He that needs it. It's me, I need it. It refreshes, edifies, purifies, cleanses and strengthens me. It sharpens my harvesting skills.
             In the same sentence of the Scripture that commanded all to appear before the Lord there was further instructions, "...don't come empty handed." (Ex 23:15 NIV). In other words, He commanded an offering. Today He commands that we give our money to Him as tithes and offerings.
             Let me make one thing clear. God does not need our money! He owns the cattle on a thousand hills - He even owns the hills. He doesn't need our money! Then why the command to give?   Because He has created us with a "built-in" need to give. We are the beneficiaries of giving. Yes, that's right, we benefit. Obedience to His command to give brings benefits to us as the givers. 
             There are stages of giving: 1) Grudging, but obedient. "OK (grumble, grumble) God says I should give, so here it is." 2) The steady and obedient. Those who have learned, "...it is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20:35 KJV) and 3) The cheerful giver! The cheerful giver is the person who has joyfully
learned that it is he who gets the benefit from giving, "...for God loveth a cheerful giver." (II Cor 9:7 KJV).
             Let us then come into His presence with a gladness and expectancy in our hearts...and our gift cheerfully held in our hand.
 
The Feast Was at the End of Harvest.
             In my childhood my family were farmers and we lived largely on what we grew. My fondest memory of those years is the joy that came at harvest time. The tilling of the soil, the planting and the watering had been hard work indeed. But now the reward for all the labor was ours. What joy and delight shown from the faces at harvest time of all who labored hard those long months.
             Another fact about harvesting is that it takes little effort to pick ripe fruit. Often all it takes to pick ripe fruit is just a touch and the fruit falls into your hand. That's the way ripe fruit is.
             In this decade of harvest there is going to be ripe fruit such as we have never before seen in our lifetime. God is preparing hearts by the millions. All we need to do is touch them and they will fall into His hands.
             Some years ago I taught a home Bible study. One evening I taught on the sovereignty of God. After the study a brother was politely taking the opposing view stating, "Yes, but God has to have us to prepare hearts, sow the seed, water it...then in due time harvest the souls for the Lord."
             Before I could respond, there came a knock at the door. Expecting a late comer to the Bible study I opened the door. There stood a young man whom I had never before seen. As I was about to ask what he wanted he looked anxiously into my eyes as these words came from his mouth, "Sir, I need Jesus in my life.
Someone told me if I came here I could be told how to find Him." And indeed he did! Not only did God prove His sovereignty, He gave an example of what ripe fruit is. All I had to do was touch.
             God's harvest is ripening. There are millions of people who have never been inside a church, yet who are turning to God. He is readying countless millions for His mighty harvest. There are five billion souls on earth and the number is growing daily.
 
             "...the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
             Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out
             workers into his harvest field." (Luke 10:2 NIV).
 
How is He going to do this? He is going to empower us with His
Spirit.
 
             "On the last and greatest day of the feast [Feast of
             Tabernacles!] Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, 'If
             a man is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever
             believes in me as the Scripture has said, streams of
             living water will flow from within him.' By this he
             meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were
             later to receive..." (Jn 7:37-39 NIV).
 
             This is indeed the Decade of Harvest. At the same time He is preparing souls for harvest He is also recruiting harvesters. Harvesters who are living in "booths," not possessed by things of this world. Harvesters whose offerings stand the test of fire. Harvesters who have put aside the yeast of sin in their lives and are walking uprightly before Him. Harvesters who appear before the Lord regularly and allow Him to instruct and enable them for service. Harvesters who are quick to hear and obey His voice.
 
             "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers
             of men." (Mk 1:17 NIV)