Harvest of Souls & Harvest of Resources
(This Weekly Prayer Summary was written by Esmi Lukman, from the CBC English Prayer Ministry, and edited by Brigitta Tedja)
#Harvestseries
Watch full sermon here
Happy New Year Intercessors! Pastor Paul started his sermon with an opening prayer for the celebration of the New Year, thanking God for the year 2022 and believing that the Lord is going to do great things in us and through us this year and beyond. “Harvest” is the theme for 2023.
Pastor briefly shared how he received the theme each year for the Church and below are the five processes:
1. Prayed for prophetic insights
2. Study the Word of God
3. Look at the Word and the Hebraic calendar. This year is 5783—the year of retribution. Retribution means experiencing judgment or reward or curse or blessing. The year 5783 also means stability.
4. Look at the situation of the world
5. Look at the opposite spirit. Amidst the shaking, God is going to do the opposite spirit which is stability.
Pastor Paul explained that this year is a decade of Pey. Pey is the decade of the mouth. God is going to speak to us and for us to use your mouth. We need to use our mouths to share the Good News to encourage others. Pastor shared a short testimony of the children that they are not only singing to perform but they have been moving in the Holy Spirit and in the prophetic.
During the sermon, Pastor Paul asked the congregation to decree and be in agreement with the Word of God together. The declaration is as follows:
“Lord Jesus, I decree right now in the name of Jesus according to Your Word that I will grow, I will reap, I will harvest. Lord, use my mouth to bring healing, to bring encouragement, to bring prophetic words, to lift up those that are discouraged. In the name of Jesus, I declare this year I will win souls for Christ. I declare that I will move boldly in the Holy Spirit, and I will be able to hear what the Holy Spirit speaks to me, and I will move in boldness and confidence because of Jesus. And I declare, I say, ‘Yes Lord.’ You are my Lord. I declare victory, I declare blessings, I declare right now abundance in Jesus' name. I declare healing in the name of Jesus because of Your Word, it will come to pass in my life. Here I am Lord and again I say ‘yes.’ Hallelujah! Amen!”
This year’s theme is taken from the book of Amos:
Amos 9:13, CEV ”You will have such a harvest that you won't be able to bring in all of your wheat before plowing time. You will have grapes left over from season to season; your fruitful vineyards will cover the mountains.”
Amos 9:13, MSG “Yes indeed, it won’t be long now.” God’s Decree. “Things are going to happen so fast your head will swim, one thing fast on the heels of the other. You won’t be able to keep up. Everything will be happening at once—and everywhere you look, blessings! Blessings like wine pouring off the mountains and hills.”
Harvest of Souls & Harvest of Resources
God is going to use us and use our mouths. God is going to put His words in our mouths so that we can harvest souls. Pastor Paul asked the congregation, “When was the last time you shared the Gospel? When the last time you shared the Gospel with your friends, family members, neighbors, and business partners? It is important to know that after God gives us the theme, we need to ask ourselves this question, “What would Jesus do with this theme? And why this theme? Why harvest?" God reminds us again that although we are saved, and that we are a new creation in Christ, God wants us to share the benefits of salvation with others, not only for us to keep and enjoy.
Some people are in Church, but they are not in Christ. If we are in Christ, we will not keep our salvation only to ourselves. When we are in Christ, we will have the desire and boldness to share about Jesus, and everything is based on love, compassion, and patience.
Pastor Paul shared his experience when he received Jesus and shared the Gospel with his entire family. Pastor was the first one in the family to receive Christ, and as of today, he has been following Jesus for the past 42 years. God is going to give you all the friends and family members who are not saved in Christ yet.
As we enter into the year 2023, it is important to see the full spectrum of what the Holy Spirit is doing, both locally, and internationally. Pastor Paul received an email from Cindy Jacobs and Generals International, for which he has been part of the board for +25 years. The Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders (ACPE) consists of prophets from all over the world who gathered, fasted, and prayed together. They asked the Lord what the word is for the coming season. One of the words that was released this year is “Bountiful Blessings and Turmoil”, which may seem to be contradictory. How can we have both bountiful blessings and turmoil? The explanation is that we will see blessings in the midst of turmoil.
In the midst of turmoil, chaos, and instability, God will cause His people to be stable. God will cause us to be rooted and grounded and planted. And instead of being barren, we will be fruitful. In the midst of shaking, God will supply our needs. In the midst of instability, God will cause His people to be fruitful. God will give us the knowledge, wisdom, and creativity we need, the connection and resources we need. God is going to send us the right connection at the right time. We need to not only understand why harvest, but we need to know what to do in the harvest and to know our part and our calling during this season.
Isaiah 42:9 “Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.”
Malachi 4:6 NKJV “And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”
Pastor Paul made a declaration that there will be the restoration of relationships between parents and children. The ancient Hebrew word for “father” means “parents”. Some of us cannot relate with our own parents, siblings, or family members. The source may be internal but God will also restore us from our inner conflicts.
There are two points to emphasize in Pastor Paul’s sermon:
1. The Ministry of Reconciliation
All of us have a Ministry of Reconciliation. God has given us the task of telling everyone what He is doing. We have our parts in the body of Christ. The ministry that all of us have in Christ is the Ministry of Reconciliation. Why?
2 Corinthians 5:17-19, NKJV “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the message of reconciliation. [God has given us the task of telling everyone what He is doing].”
God has entrusted us with this ministry, so we need to use our mouths to tell everyone about Christ. Pastor Paul shared a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, who was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British rule:
“If the world is introduced to the Christ of Christianity, it would receive Him, but the world is introduced to the Christians of Christ, and it rejects Him.” — Mahatma Gandhi
What an indictment on Christianity in our world today!
But “We are called to be IN the world but not OF the world!”
Some are called Christians but are not followers of Christ!
2. Fishers of Men
Mark 1:16-17, NKJV “And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."
When Jesus said, “I will make you fishers of men”, it will happen! Jesus stated, “Follow Me and I will make you …” If you do not fish men, could it be possible that you are not following Christ? If you neglect the message of the Good News, could it be possible that you are not following Jesus?
Pastor Paul shared about a man from Japan who wanted to know Christ when he came to America for college, but nobody shared the Gospel to him. He went back to Japan and he was the one who initiated the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Pastor Paul also shared a few of his gym testimonies. Pastor used his mouth to encourage his friend to return to the Lord and join his family and go back to Church. On another occasion, he prayed for his friend who tragically lost his nephew. God used Pastor Paul’s mouth to encourage others. God has entrusted us with the Ministry of Reconciliation.
The Context of Fishing:
Washing their nets. (Luke 5:2) – Dirty nets need to be washed.
Mending their nets. (Mark 1:19) – Fix the nets when some areas are torn or broken. When they caught a lot of fish, their net broke.
Casting their nets. (Mark 1:6) – Jesus said “Go cast your nets.” When they cast their nets, it was so much, that their boat almost sank. In other words, they received too many blessings. When we wash, mend, and cast our nets, we receive a lot of blessings.
Pastor quoted from a motivational speaker, Bob Harrison: “Can you imagine that kind of blessing? It was a net-braking, boat-sinking kind of blessing!”
We need to be observant! What if you share the Gospel with somebody who was planning to do something bad and that person changed his/her mind because you shared? Use our mouths. Are we following Jesus or are we just church-goers? Pastor did not like reading before, but the first book he read completely was the Bible.
What Are We Going to Do?
As a Church, Pastor shared a very important announcement for the ordination of Dion Kurniadi and James Sudarsono as pastors of City Blessing Church. The Greek word of “ordination” found in the New Testament is “horizon” which means to set a boundary or a limiting space. We as believers have authority but we do not have the ability to function everywhere. We all function differently. Paul the Apostle stated that we are like parts of a body. Every one of us have a specific function in the body of Christ.
Every time there is an ordination, you enter a new horizon. It is the recognition of grace that is on your life. Pastor Dion and James have already been functioning as pastors. The ordination will recognize their functions, giving them a new horizon in life. Only Jesus will make the place and only He provides the grace. All Pastor Paul does is to recognize the grace that gives them functional ability to operate in the new horizon.
In closing, we need to operate in the anointing for the harvest. We need to wash, mend, and cast our nets! We pray for more workers and more of the young generation for the great harvest to come. There will be a harvest of souls and a harvest of resources!
Prayer Points:
Pray to make a shift, a change, have a new hunger
To not look for something else to satisfy ourselves
No compromise, not be paralyzed
Corrupted soul, repeated cycles, break curses
Freedom from guilt and shame
Pray that we use our mouths to share the Good News
To have passion to share the Gospel to those around us
To have boldness and confidence in the Holy Spirit
Pray to take on the role of the Ministry of Reconciliation
Pray to be fishers of men
Wash, mend, cast our nets
Pray for us to have roots and to be planted for stability
That in the midst of shaking and instability, we will remain fruitful
No roots, no fruits
Pray that God will grant us wisdom, knowledge, creativity, connection, and resources
Pray for a restoration of families
Pray to operate in the anointing of the Holy Spirit for the harvest