Daniel Bramlett
Jesus said often “The Kingdom of God has come, repent and believe in the Gospel!” This was the message He preached and the message He gave authority to His disciples to preach. What does it mean?
For a few thousand years the Hebrews wandered in and out of God’s purpose for them. They learned the purpose for sacrifice and then made a mockery of it. They understood the reason for the Law and then broke it. They wanted so badly to stay in favor with the God who rescued them and somehow, at the same time, flirted with every idol that crossed their paths. Such was life apart from the work of the Holy Spirit of God in the individual’s heart. They desired holiness, but were constantly overwhelmed by their sin.
Enter Jesus. He comes on the scene preaching a message of fulfillment. He was not preaching change. He was not offering a fresh interpretation of the old law. No, Jesus was saying the time had come for the Kingdom of God to be seen and felt; to be known in the flesh…in and through Him! HE was the fulfillment of all they had been waiting and praying and hoping for. What Jesus invited the masses to was not a new version of themselves, but Himself. God opened up His heart towards us and gave us the One thing we couldn’t earn or write about or carve out of wood: His Son; His Word made flesh or real for us.
His message has not waned in strength or influence one bit. Because of the cross, the Holy Spirit is still working in the hearts of the Church, prompting men and women to preach the Gospel in power. He is still moving us to do the works of Jesus on a daily basis. We are not a forgotten, left behind people. We are more remembered now than ever!
When Jesus first sent the disciples out with this message on their lips, He offered them these words as a reminder of their mission. He said, “The fields are white with harvest, but the workers are so few. Pray, therefore, to the Lord of the harvest, to send out workers into the harvest field!” The need is great, but the need-meeters are few. Who will become a need-meeter?
Has anything changed today? Isn’t the human heart still empty? Aren’t we still facing the same enemy? Isn’t our character still ruined by our own sin and our minds filled with the empty philosophies of our culture? Yes, but the world is still hungry for truth, hearts are still open to revelation, and minds still yearn for something beyond us. Our sophistication has gained us nothing. Our economic progress has left us bankrupt. BUT Jesus has not yet returned. You and I are still breathing. There is still time…for a Kingdom Advance.
A Kingdom Advance is what Jesus sent the disciples out into the harvest fields for. A Kingdom Advance is why Jesus came. It is a pressing back of the darkness and chains that have bound people for so long. It is an answering of the questions that plague the minds of those who do not know how and why they were created. It is a simple presentation of the Gospel with the understanding that it is the power of God unto salvation.
Can we be a part of that? Everything in me shouts “God, don’t forget Southwest Arkansas! Our fields are white and our people are ready to go! We want to be a part of this great pressing back of the darkness and the mighty pressing into God’s presence Jesus demonstrated and the church has experienced for two millennia. We are ready! Send us out!”
Do you want to be a part of a Kingdom Advance? Are you willing to move, speak, and act in spite of your fear and apprehensions? Do you yearn for a fresh pouring out of God’s Spirit upon our area? Will you join me in my prayer for harvesters? If so, let’s go!