In the early morning hours of September 11, 2001 the world shifted. Most notably the landscape of New York changed. Dust and smoke billowed into the sky; buildings that stood for decades lay as rubble. Notwithstanding the great tragedy of lives lost; the mentality of America began to change also. War was followed by financial collapse and the prayers once offered turned to scorn. The landscape changed once again. Nativity scenes and The Ten Commandments were removed from the lawns of our courthouses. The standard of marriage has been redefined as well as gender identity. The great staples of our society, God and the family, lie in the crosshairs of a sinful society.
Paul and Silas; Peter and John, saw greater opposition in their day. Jesus was not only offensive to the elite, but Rome blamed the Christians for their own demise. Imprisonment, murder and torture marked the passing of the great revival in the first century. The Book of Martyrs details their tribulation, but despite the opposition to the message, the Gospel flourished. In fact, history declares the greater the opposition, the greater the revival. Every powerful move of God came via tribulation against the body of Christ. The first church was born in the fire of opposition and it thrives today in the same heat. We may not realize it yet, but I feel the Spirit telling us that we are about to step into the last day revival where both opposing forces and a spiritual awakening will converge. The scripture says it like this, “everything that can be shaken, will be shaken.” My prayer is that we will seize the moment of our revival; that we will be ready to receive the souls that are hungry for Truth and the Holy Ghost. The landscape is about to change again and we must be ready to give an answer, stand for righteousness, and gather the harvest.
Pastor Jeffrey Harpole