Arise and Shine
I believe that Isaiah 60 is where we are right now. The chapter begins with “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” If Jesus the Light has come to you, it’s time to rise up and get ready. Every time Jesus shows up anywhere: in a person, a church or a region, the light comes, and Isaiah 60 can be fulfilled. It says that the glory of God will be seen on us by others.
The chapter continues: 2 “For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. 3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” Even now in 2016, Darkness covers the earth. Anyone can see this. BUT GOD IS NOT WORRIED or AFRAID. Neither should we be worried because the light is never threatened by darkness. I think we are about to see the largest harvest for Jesus the globe has ever experienced.
We are already seeing more people come to Christ than ever before in history. Darkness just makes the light more attractive and the nations will be drawn to the Light. Does your picture of the future include the mighty things that God promises? Many end times views are so pessimistic I think they affect Christians badly. I am suspicious of any view of the future that does not include victory and harvest.
Read on as Isaiah prophesies what will happen: “Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar”. So lift up your eyes, just as Jesus said and see the harvest. The prophet goes on to say the if we lift our eyes, we will be radiant. This is like when Moses’ face shown after he spent time with God on the mountain. I believe that real Christianity will show up on your face! It is more important that we reveal God himself to others. The Kingdom of God does not consist of words, but of power scripture says.
Instead of churches seeing themselves as holding places for Christians waiting to be rescued out of the world, we can be the light that attracts the nations to Jesus. Sadly, much evangelism doesn’t give a glimpse of the Shining Jesus.
Often the church is:
Unreceptive to the Holy Spirit – (Our guide and power)
Unloving to the lost – (The gospel must be presented in love)
Unattractive to culture – (because we are stuck 90s)
Uninterested in nations. – (Consumed with ourselves and our welfare)
Unnecessarily weird – (Some are weirder than the Holy Spirit)
Unconsciously distracted – (by our own activities)
Unwilling to invest in the harvest. – (preferring to eat our seed)
Unconnected to the marketplace – (The primary setting to reach the lost)
So, for 2017 and beyond, expect global harvest. Isaiah prophesies it as we receive and reflect the light and glory of Jesus. Keep yourself positive looking to the light and the harvest rather than getting pessimistic looking at the darkness and seeking to escape it.
