Be awakened to walk into your God-given callings!

The Lord says,
"It is a time of awakening! Be awakened to walk into your God-given callings and assignments on earth! Never doubt, for I will never leave you nor forsake you! I am in the midst of exposing the plans of the enemy that comes against My people! Look to Me, for I will fight for you, and I will defend you!"

If you look at the origin of this word 'awaken', it comes from two English words, namely 'on' and 'waken'. Indeed, this is your time to 'switch on', and not 'switch off' in fulfilling all that the Lord has called you to be on earth! And this is your time to 'be awakened', and not 'slumber'; for the Lord is in the midst of raising up His people for the greater glory that's coming!

Not just that, He has even begun exposing the plans of the enemy in ways you've never seen before! Like the days of Paul when he confronted the spirit of divination! (Acts 16:16-18) The spirit of divination is in effect a satanic spirit from the forces of darkness. It is any spirit that claims to be the truth, but is not. The word 'divination' here simply means 'to be inspired by a god (it can be any god, but not the true and living God)'.

And we are now living in a time when whatever can be shaken, will be shaken! (Hebrews 12:27) Like the days of Paul when the foundations of the prison that kept him bound were shaken to the core, and everyone's chains were loosed! (Acts 16:25-34) Indeed, nothing that originates from the enemy or from the flesh can stand this shaking time! Every 'foundation' built by the enemy shall be shaken to the core! And every man-made ways (be it in the church, or in the world) shall also be shaken to the core! So, people of God, don't just listen and be easily swayed by the voices (or ideas) of this fallen world! But instead, listen to the sound of mighty waters that has already been released in the spiritual realm! Ezekiel 43:2 says, 'And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory'.

You may ask, "How do I fulfill my part in this time of greater glory?" 

In 2 Timothy 1:6-7, Paul exhorted Timothy, "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

Now, how do you 'stir up' the gifts given to you? You 'stir up' the gifts given to you by beginning to use them wherever you are, and wherever He puts you! Don't wait until you are given a 'formal position' before you start using them, because that's not how the Lord worked in the early church! The early disciples were full of the Spirit and were led by the Spirit; and they were preaching, teaching and making disciples wherever the Lord put them, be it in the marketplace, or in every village, town, and city that the Lord led them to! And as they walked in it, the Lord will also know how to set up divine appointments for them. When Paul responded to a vision of a Macedonian man standing and pleading with him to come over, concluding that the Lord had called him to preach the gospel there, the Lord did His part by setting up a divine appointment through Lydia who opened her home! (see Acts 16:9-15)

By the way, the words 'stir up' here is 'anazopureo' in Greek, consisting of three words, namely 'zo' (bring to life), 'pureo' (kindle the fire), and 'ana' (up). In other words, 'bringing to life' and 'kindling the fire' (whatever the Lord has given to you) by using them! And you have nothing to fear, for God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind!

In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus Himself said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." You see, in Him, you too have the highest authority and mandate, and the Lord has promised that He will be with you till the end of age! Be who God has called you to be! Amen!

The 'seed' must die before it bears much fruit

John 12:24 (NKJV): "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain."

There are two Greek words for 'grain' in the above verse, the first is 'kokkos' and the other is 'karpus'. Therefore, I can put it this way: "Most assuredly, I (Jesus) say to you, unless a grain ('kokkos') of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain ('karpus')."

'Kokkos' in Greek literally means 'kernel of seed', and 'kernel' speaks of 'the central, essential part of something'. On the other hand, 'karpus' in Greek means 'fruit, or something that is to be plucked or harvested'. As you can see, Jesus was actually saying, "Unless a kernel of seed falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much fruit!" He was in effect speaking about Himself and what was to come (i.e. His death and His resurrection).

Jesus is that 'seed' who died on the cross for you some 2,000 years ago! Not only did He die for you, He has also taken away all your sins, curse and shame! In short, He died to give you life!

In the natural realm, a seed has to 'die' (i.e. be 'buried') before it germinates and a new plant sprouts out (i.e. emerges, comes forth, grows). In other words, death leads to the sprouting of new life! And this one seed would eventually bear many fruits and thus, produce many more new seeds.

Jesus was buried on a Friday, and resurrected on a Sunday - one is 'kokkos', and the other is 'karpus'. As we celebrate Resurrection Sunday, or the Feast of Firstfruits, we are also celebrating the sprouting of new life and fruits, hence the producing of many more new seeds! 'Resurrection' therefore speaks of 'the one seed that bears many fruits'. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 says, 'But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep (died). For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming'.

One may ask, "Was it necessary for Jesus to die?"

Yes! He had to die and go down to the grave in order to conquer the grave (i.e. death) for us! 

Matthew 27:50-52 says, 'And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep (died) were raised'.

This 'seed' is also the seed of greatness that draws all men to Himself. In John 12:32, Jesus said, "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself." The expression 'lifted up' here means 'being elevated, exalted', which speaks of Him being crucified on the cross for all to see. And notice the words 'all peoples' here? This speaks of 'every nation, tribe, tongue, and people on this earth'.

Acts 4:12 says, '... for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which one can be saved (i.e. receive salvation), but by this name Jesus Christ'. Jesus Christ is God (the Father) revealed. One cannot know the Father without knowing Jesus. It is the same in the natural realm: “How can you see the (physical) sun if you don’t see its light?” Jesus is the Light (John 1:7-9), the Father manifested. 'Father' here refers to the 'Originator', the one God who is the Creator of heaven and earth, the Great I AM (see Exodus 3:14). In John 14:6-7, Jesus says, "I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me... If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him." One of the disciples then said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." (John 14:8) Jesus then answered, "... He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?" (John 14:9)

In John 14:12, Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do..." Right now, many more people on earth are being preached (or made known) with the good news of Jesus Christ ('Yeshuwah', meaning 'Salvation') than in any other era in the history of mankind, even during Jesus' days on earth! In short, more people are getting to know the gospel (good news) than ever before! And yes, even in the most remote and impenetrable part of this earth! Thanks to tools like the internet and multimedia technology, and with bigger stadiums and more state-of-the-art facilities like those in auditoriums, bigger crusades can be held as well - to reach more lives, save more lives, and deliver more lives!

When Jesus' side was pierced, blood and water came out (John 19:34). This marked the beginning of the Church Age being ushered in (and fully manifested by the time of Acts 2:1-4 when the Holy Spirit fell upon the people). 'Blood' here speaks of 'the forgiveness of sins', whereas 'water' speaks of 'the ministry of the Word and Spirit', and it's only in the Church (the Body of Christ) that these can be found! By the way, the word 'side' here is 'pleura' in Greek, which literally means 'rib'! Just as Eve (Adam’s wife) came forth from Adam’s rib, the Church (Jesus’ bride) came forth from Jesus’ side! (see also Genesis 2:21-22, Romans 5:14-15, Ephesians 5:23-27)

After Jesus had risen, John 20:25 says, 'The other disciples said to Thomas, "We have seen the Lord." But he said, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hands into His side, I will not believe."' The Bible says some eight days later, Jesus came again and stood in the midst of His disciples, and this time, Thomas was among them. He then said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing." (John 20:26-27) And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28). Notice the words 'My hands' and 'My side' here? What happened on that day was actually prophetic of what was to come, and we are now living in that time - the end-time. 

'His hands' here speaks of 'His works' of advancing His kingdom; and

'His side' here speaks of 'His Church', i.e. the Body of Christ, or His people (His bride).

In other words, His works and His Church will always be seen and be evident in this world till His coming again! And no matter what the 'enemy' does, or how the 'enemy' wants to destroy and kill off this move of God, they are doing it in vain and they are bound to fail. Glory be to God!

Many ideologies and empires may come and go, but this great work of our Lord will still remain and continue ever stronger, even till the very end of age. There's no stopping Him whatsoever - not even persecution or oppression by any earthly government or authority, because in Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus has promised, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of age."

People of God, you and I are very much part of this great move and work of our Lord on earth today. Let's join our hands and faith together as one Body (of Christ) for this great wide move of God. This is the time to look out and reach out! This is the time to go and preach the good news wherever you are! This is the time to 'proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day, declare His glory among the nations, and His wonders among all peoples'! (Psalm 96:2-3) We are all in this together, and by the grace of God, we'll live to see this prophecy in Habakkuk 2:14 coming to pass in our time, that 'the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, just like the waters cover the sea'. Amen.

Accelerated times, the End-time

Amos 9:13a (NKJV): “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed…”

We are living in exciting and accelerated times. Just imagine how technology has advanced within the past 30 or 40 years! Just 30 to 40 years ago, there wasn’t any remote control for television, and there wasn’t anyone carrying cell phones around! Many today, even the most ‘savvy’ of users, are finding themselves trying to play ‘catch up’ with the latest models of gadgets. Even before one is done with all the features of his/her gadgets, new models/versions would have been launched in the market! This is how things are accelerating! And it seems quicker and quicker!

Read Amos 9:11-15. This prophecy is one of the most literal and clearest of prophecies about Israel in the end-time. In the year 1948, on May the 14^th, Israel became a nation again, and this marked the beginning of the accelerated times. Everything seemed to have advanced rather quickly (& still is) since then - in scientific discoveries, technological advancements, medical breakthroughs, or space technology. And of course the first rocket to the moon was also launched during this period of time! The prophecies in Amos 9:11-15 have indeed come to pass in our time.

God has always looked at Israel as a spiritual nation, and when you look at this nation, you’ll also see God’s spiritual ‘time-table’ at work. In short, you’ll know the sign of the times by looking at this nation, specifically Jerusalem. In Luke 21:24, the Bible says ‘Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled’. The second part of this prophecy became a reality in the year 1948.

Amos 9:13 describes the ‘accelerated times’ this way: ‘the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the sower shall overtake the treader of grapes’! It means even before the seeds are planted (or while the seeds are still being planted), there’s already a harvest of the fruits! Such is our time today! To put it simply, this is harvest time! Picture it this way: Even before you finish preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ (or sharing a testimony of God’s glory) to someone, that person would have accepted the Lord as his/her personal Savior and Lord! And there’ll be more and more such testimonies all over the world! Hallelujah!

Let’s now cross-refer to Matthew 20:1-16, where Jesus shared a parable of the workers in the vineyard. This parable is also called ‘the parable of the 11^th hour’.  Here’s how it goes: The landowner went out to hire laborers to work in his vineyard, and when he had agreed with the laborers to pay them a denarius a day (i.e. a day’s wage), he would then send them into his vineyard to work. So, he did this about the 3^rd hour (i.e. 9 am), he did the same about the 6^th hour (i.e. 12pm), and then about the 9^th hour (i.e. 3pm). Finally, he did likewise about the 11^th hour (i.e. 5pm).

By the way, the Jewish working time ends at the 12^th hour (i.e. 6pm). This means the 11^th hour laborers would only have worked for one hour. At evening, when the time came for the landowner’s steward to give all the laborers their wages (beginning with the last to the first), the 11^th hour laborers received a denarius each. And when the 3^rd hour laborers (i.e. the first group) came, they supposed that they would receive much more. After all, they have slogged for 9 hours (i.e. 9am -6pm) in the vineyard, and they thought they deserved better! But, to their surprise, they also received a denarius each. So, they complained against the landowner, saying, “These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.” But the landowner answered one of them, saying, “I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?”

The above parable actually speaks of God’s grace for the 11^th hour generation. You may ask, "So, who are those in the 11th hour generation?" You and I are! This is the end-time generation, i.e. the 11th hour generation! And mind you, this is also a greatly blessed generation, like those 11th hour laborers in the parable. Now, this parable is never meant to be a ‘religious’ parable. Instead, it’s meant to ‘shake’ those ‘religious’ people who thought they could earn God’s favor with their own strength or sacrifice. This parable is also not rewarding the so-called ‘heroes’ (who sacrificed the whole day), but instead rewards those who ‘have nothing to boast about themselves’. This parable speaks of the Father’s heart of grace for you. Grace is undeserved and unearned. It's about depending on Him and trusting in Him, instead of your own ability to 'make it happen'.

It's not about who work the hardest, but to those who trusts in the Lord, these are the ones whom God gives the most! God looks at the heart. 

Jesus also said, “For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 20:16). Indeed, you have been chosen for this '11^th hour generation', and it's a great blessing! Cherish it! Indeed, you are now reaping the benefits of all the hard work (and years of toil) of your forefathers! Your forefathers were those from, say, ‘the 3^rd hour, the 6^th hour, or the 9^th hour’ period of human history. For example, it took so much out of Thomas Edison to ‘light’ a bulb, but today, and with just a 'token', you can easily enjoy a good bulb by just purchasing it from a hardware store near home!

Spiritually, this is also harvest time! Souls everywhere are ready for the reaping into His kingdom, even in the hardest of grounds. God is working through you, the believers today, and you are born (and raised) for such a time as this, when ‘the gospel of God’s kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations’ (see Matthew 24:14). The stage is set! The time is now! And it's time for you to arise and shine! Read Isaiah 60:1-18. This prophecy also speaks of our time, the end-time! God has promised His providence. God has promised a transfer of wealth. There'll be protection at your 'walls'. His name is Salvation ('Yeshuwah' in Hebrew). There'll also be Praises of the Lord at your 'gates'! So, let your 'gates' be continually opened (Isaiah 60:11), because His glory has risen upon you and His grace for you is super-strong. Amen!