A JOYFUL SEASON OF HARVEST

In 1992, the minister for whom we worked started the year off by saying, "'92 is the year for you."

I had no idea what all that would entail, but I believed he had heard from the Lord and if we pressed in to the things of God, we would see the extraordinary.

In February of that year, I was amazed when the circles with which we fellowshipped began to experience revival like I had never seen or imagined.  It was a revival of the joy of the Lord.

It was the most astonishing thing I had ever witnessed.  Like a rushing mighty wind the Holy Spirit would pour Himself into our offices, our cars, our homes and our church services, filling our hearts with over-whelming joy. 

1 Peter 1:8

...yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory

Old-timers had seen this type of move of the Spirit, but for most of us, we were like little birds who had never seen rain.  We'd get in the presence of God, look upward and nearly be overcome by the deluge of joy that flooded our hearts and minds.

It was time.  The Church, the Body of Christ as a whole, had become dry and barren.  We needed a deluge - a flood of God's glory that would take us to a higher place in Him.

2 Corinthians 3:18

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory...

Something changed within our hearts.  We moved up to a new level of God's glory.

There had been the charismatic revival of the 70's when God restored the Baptism of the Holy Spirit to large portions of the Body of Christ.

In the 80's a revival of teaching swept across the nation, restoring the importance of faith and the Word of God.

Neither of these moves stirred up the controversy that surrounded this revival of joy. 

Some thought it was ignorance gone to seed.  Some thought it was "the flesh" running amok. 

When all was said and done no one could deny the change that had come to our hearts because of this overwhelming joy.

What made this move of God so different?  Well, we laughed.  We laughed a lot.

The very religious thought it was irreverent to laugh in church.  But, because the Holy Spirit inspired it - because it was a move of God - it was holy.  And what He did in our lives through it was a holy thing.

Romans 14:17

For the kingdom of God is...righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

How does this joy work?  It works in many ways, but here's an illustration of one of the ways it can change us:

Let's think for a moment about a rotten tooth - one that causes so much pain it effects every part of our daily life until we get it fixed.

Now, let's say we go to the dentist and he says, "It's got to come out."

What do most good dentists do to numb our pain?  They give us what is commonly called "laughing gas." 

Once we're under the influence of the anesthetic, the dentist is able to remove that rotten tooth with minimal pain. 

This is what can happen during an outpouring of joy. 

Perhaps there is some past hurt or sin that causes great pain.  Perhaps there has been unforgiveness that has brought decay to the soul.

If the Holy Spirit overwhelms us with joy, we laugh and laugh and laugh. 

And when its over, those old hurts and rotten things have been removed - plucked out of our hearts and minds by God Himself - forever changing us by the power of His joy.

This move of God was not without it's problems.  As with anything, there will always be people who will take things to an extreme.

Not long into this precious outpouring, there were all sorts of excesses that cropped up.  Some churches spent all their time laughing.  They neglected the teaching of the Word and people got off into doctrinal ditches. 

This type of thing made many ministers nervous.  Some began to shy away from allowing the Holy Spirit to move at all in their services.  Many breathed a sigh of relief when people stopped laughing and got "serious" about the things of God.

Psalm 126:1-2

When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.

Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.

For those of us who witnessed the restoration of joy, the above passage has a special place in our hearts.  When God sets one free - joy, laughter and singing should abound.

Now that we've moved into the new millennium, there are many who are searching for the next move of God.

Many have said the next great move of God will be a restoration of the miraculous and then a harvest of souls - where great multitudes will be saved.

Let us not get so caught up in looking for the new, that we forget the things we have seen and learned from the past.

We have not ceased to have a need for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, have we?  Is the Word of God still to be the focal point of our teaching?  Is it possible to please God without faith?

We still have need of all these things.  And the Body of Christ still has a need for an outpouring of joy.

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.

The above passage is all about harvest - perhaps the "great" harvest for which so many are now looking. 

God longs to receive the precious fruit of the earth - the souls of mankind coming into the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Psalm 126:4-5

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

The same Psalm we referenced earlier about joy is also about harvest.  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see they go hand in hand.

Having been raised on a farm, I can certainly attest to the fact that harvest time is the most exciting and joyful time of the year.  It's the time when the farmer reaps the full benefit of his labor.

I do not believe that it was by chance that God chose to restore joy to the Body of Christ in the last decade of the previous century/millennium. 

Some may think that this "joy thing" has passed - that God has moved on to the next big thing.

God does not intend to restore things to the Body of Christ for them only to be lost or swallowed up in the next phase of glory. 

No, the things He has restored are vitally important to be able to move on.

We don't get to leave anything out.  When it comes to harvest, we need the Holy Spirit - we need His Word - we need the God-kind of faith - and we need His joy.

Folks, its harvest time!  If you've lost your joy, will you have the strength you need to do your part in the harvest?

Nehemiah 8:10

...the joy of the LORD is your strength.

Ha!  Ha!  Ha!

May / June 2004