2022 Let the Harvest Begin

Carter Conlon from the historic Times Square Church in New York City. You have to let that truth come into your heart, not by your might, not by your power, not by anything you bring to the table other than just a heart that says, Lord, I am willing to go where you're calling me to go. We're glad you've joined us for A Call to the Nation with Carter Conlon from Times Square Church in New York City. We're living in calamitous times here on the earth, a time of wars and rumors of wars, a time of famines and of pestilences, and a time where Christians are hated for following God. But in the midst of all of this, Jesus tells us His Gospel will be preached in all the world, and then the end shall come.

With all this going on, how can the Gospel be preached? Let's join Carter now as he gives you the answer to this question with his message titled 2022 Let the Harvest Begin. The message God's given me is simply called 2022 Let the Harvest Begin. So Father, I want to thank you, God, with all my heart for the word that you've given to me. I thank you, Lord, that the year 2022 we go into it surrounded by your love, infused, God, with the confidence that only your presence in each of our lives can give us.

We're not much in ourselves, but you in us is everything. So, Lord, we ask God that you would use us for your glory in a new and a profound way in the days ahead. We ask you, Lord Jesus Christ, that you would raise up an army of soldiers for your kingdom's sake who don't even know yet that they're soldiers in your army.

But God, you would break through every wall of unbelief and reach the center core of every heart and cause us, cause us to rise up and say, I'm going with God. Cause us to say, Lord, if you've given me your Holy Spirit, then that's my inheritance and I lay claim to that. Lord Jesus Christ, before you come and return to this world, we ask that you would grant one great and glorious harvest on the face of the earth.

God almighty, that you would bring an innumerable number of people into your kingdom and God, you would do it through people that you're going to use for your glory, that you're going to raise us up as the end time church. You're going to give us the strength that we need, the giftings of the Holy Spirit. And Father, we thank you.

We thank you, Lord. It's not our might. It's not our power. It's not by our intellect, but it's by your Holy Spirit. God, this kingdom will be built by your Holy Spirit animating us, empowering us, causing the promises of God to come to life as we choose to believe you. Jesus Christ, we ask you that you would raise us out of all weakness and raise us into the strength that your cross has provided for us. My God, raise us out of voicelessness and give us a voice, Lord, to speak to this generation. Give us a song, as David the psalmist once said, where we were brought out, God, of the sinking places of this world and set upon a solid rock and put a song in our heart that many can see it and fear and will turn to you. God almighty, we believe that what we're about to read is our inheritance and we lay claim on it and we thank you for it in Jesus' name.

Amen. Acts chapter 2, 20-22, let the harvest begin. Verse 14, Peter, standing up at the 11, raised his voice and said to the men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known unto you and heed my words, for these are not drunk as you suppose since it's only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel, and it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your young men shall see visions.

Your old men shall dream dreams. And on my men servants and on my maid servants, I will pour out of my spirit in those days and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath, blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.

And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Now the apostle Peter identifies this moment that I just read to you from the scriptures as the beginning of the last days. And so the last days, according to the word of God, began actually on the day of Pentecost and have been unfolding over the last 2,000 plus years. And it is in my heart to tell you that I believe that we are in the last of the last days now.

We are approaching the return of Christ. The last days, of course, as described by Joel the prophet, he spoke about pestilences. If you go to the Old Testament and read from the book of Joel, there was a pestilence that had come over the land. And you think about this worldwide pestilence called COVID that's not going to go away.

It's just going to continue mutating and actually could in the long term actually become more fearful than it is today. He spoke about famines coming upon the earth, the darkness coming on this earth as in the heavens. The sun shall be dark and the moon shall be turned into blood.

The stars of heaven will be affected. He spoke about nations being enraged against both God and against his people. And Jesus Christ himself in Matthew chapter 24 verses 6 to 14 actually concurs with Joel about the last days.

Listen to what he said when he was asked by his disciples, disciples said, tell us what will be the sign of your coming in the end of the age. Verse 6 of Matthew 24 he says, you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you're not troubled for all these things must come to pass but the end is not yet. Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines, pestilences, earthquakes in various places.

All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you and you will be hated by all nations for my namesake. In other words, it will become extremely unpopular as this world launches into its final rebellion against the lordship of Jesus Christ.

It will be unpopular to be a follower of Christ. And then many will be offended and betray one another and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

And because lawlessness will abound the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations and then the end will come. So we look at a calamitous time in the earth, a time of wars and rumors of wars, of famines, of pestilences, of betrayals, of people hating the followers of Jesus Christ. And in the midst of all of this then suddenly Jesus says, but this gospel will be preached in all the world and then the end shall come. And so we ask ourselves how in the world is this gospel going to be preached?

Well the answer is easy. It's Acts chapter 2 verses 17 and 18. Let me read it again. It will come to pass in the last days says God that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men shall see visions.

Your old men shall dream dreams. And on my maidservants and on my servants I will pour out my spirit in those days and they shall prophesy. So the answer being that God himself will preach the gospel through a people that have abilities which he alone could have given them. It's really that simple. That's the way it started on the day of Pentecost.

120 ordinary people. I've shared it probably dozens and dozens of times from this and other pulpits because my mind loves to go back into that room where where they had gathered. It was a fearful time. It was a dark time.

A murderous spirit had gotten a hold of this world. It just crucified the Son of God, the Lord of glory. And in the midst of all of that you'd wonder how is this message of the cross going to be preached?

He had told his disciples that as the Father has sent me now I'm sending you and it must have been in their heart. How in the world are we going to do this? How are we ever going to overcome the limitations of our own abilities? The limitations of our own mind, our own heart, our own sense of worth or worthlessness, whatever it was that they were dealing with. The answer is simple. God himself was going to inhabit a people through his Holy Spirit and give them abilities that he alone could give them to do what he called them to do.

It's really that simple. These men and women came out of the upper room and by the Spirit of God they were given the ability to communicate with people of other nations, other language, other cultures with abilities given by God himself that the observer, the serious observer knew that only God could be doing this. Who could be giving these people these abilities that they don't naturally have?

Doing things they didn't naturally learn to do, going places they couldn't naturally go, given resources that they didn't have when they first went into that place of prayer that only God could have given them. You see this is a great promise of our day. The harvest is already here. The fields are already white to harvest and God now is looking for a people, just another group of ordinary people like you sir in your home, like you ma'am, like you a young person. He's not looking for super men or super women. He's not looking for people with innumerable diplomas on their wall.

He's not looking for you to argue his existence on the earth. He's looking for you to open your heart and let him be God and prove who he is through your life to every doubter that you'll ever encounter. You have to envision with me these people coming from the temple and they had just been involved in a very meaningful religious exercise and yet as they're passing by this group of people that have just come out of an upper room with the glory of God literally in their soul and their mouths speaking things that that they've never been taught to do. They're communicating in a way that they've never known how to communicate and they're standing in public view with a boldness. This perfect love of God that had just touched their hearts had cast the fear of man out of them. The fear of repercussion, the fear of the future, all these things were gone because the one who so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son is now inside of them and that love that casts out fear is now pouring through these ordinary men and women who've just decided.

They made a decision. When they went into that upper room they just said I'm going where God is and I'm going to do what God just called me to do and I'm going to do it for his glory. They didn't know how this was ever going to be performed but suddenly the scripture says the room was filled with the sound of a rushing mighty wind and cloven tongues of fire representing the presence of God's Holy Spirit sat upon not just select ones in the room but everyone in the room was filled with the spirit of almighty God. The rich, the poor, the educated, the uneducated, the strong, the weak, everyone in that room was filled with the Holy Spirit and they came out of that room into the marketplace and they began to speak to people in languages that they had never learned, known languages, and they were speaking about the glorious things that God had done, is doing, and is preparing to do.

That was their conversation. In the Greek New Testament it says they were speaking the megaliths of God which means the anticipated outworkings of this new inward presence of God in their life. There was, remember, when the spirit of God comes upon your sons and daughters and handmaids and men servants they will prophesy which means they begin to move in unison with God about the things that God is about to do in and through them and in the lives of anyone who calls upon him in theirs or our generation. Joel also makes this incredible statement, you know, he says the harvest is great and we're living in a season in the world right now where people, the harvest is ready. People's attentions have been gotten. They're not sure about the future. They're afraid of disease. This is the first generation in a long, long time that don't see a hope and they don't see a future and they're suddenly being moved as a mature harvest would be being more or less swayed by the wind and Joel said there are multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision.

In this season of harvest Joel's speaking about in the last day that multitudes are there as the threshing instruments are beginning to come and gather the harvest and they're in their hearts. They don't know which way to move. They don't know what to do. They're being moved about by winds and yet in the midst of it all the voice of God is calling them, calling the undecided to make a decision and that's what God is doing for you. He's calling you to make a decision for him.

Don't be undecided any longer. Don't sit on your couch and declare yourself to be unworthy or just a drug addict or just a depressed person or somebody whose family's a mess or hopeless. You are the end time army of God. You have to let that truth come into your heart, not by your might, not by your power, not by anything you bring to the table other than just a heart that says Lord I am willing to go where you're calling me to go. In the book of Acts Peter the apostle spoke some great truths about the salvation that God was offering the people and the scripture says when they heard it they were cut to the heart and they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, men and brethren what shall we do? When they heard it their hearts were moved and a question came to their lips.

What shall we do? And that's the question I believe is coming to some of your hearts right now. Pastor I hear you. I heard Kate tonight. I heard Pastor Teresa. I heard Brother Ross. I heard those that have been praying. I heard it in the songs and I'm feeling moved upon but what is it that you want me to do? If we're going to trust that God will give us his Holy Spirit let's go back to the original instructions in the Bible.

Peter said to them three things. Number one he said repent. In other words put away your sin. Have a change of heart. You've walked your own way. You've made your own choices.

You've done your own thing. It's probably why you're feeling so empty as you're listening to my words. Well stop going that way.

That's what it means. Stop the journey that where you have prescribing the ways the pathway for your own feet. You're living by your own thoughts.

You're your own judge of what is good and what is evil when there's a clear standard of that presented to you in the word of God. So the the first thing Peter says to the people stop where you are. Stop what you're doing and turn towards God and let his word now become your truth. Be sorry for the way that you have been living.

That part of repentance is a sorrow for sin. Be sorry if you're living in a way you shouldn't be living. You're doing things you know. You know instinctively it's wrong. You might not be a student of the Bible but you instinctively know that theft is wrong. You instinctively know that cheating on your marriage partner is wrong. You instinctively know that sex outside of marriage is wrong. You instinctively know that drunkenness is not a good thing or addiction is not a good thing. You know that pornography is something that you should not be ingesting into your mind and into your spirit.

You know it. Peter said the first thing to do is repent. Make a decision in your heart. I'm not going to live this way anymore.

Make that decision. Come to God and say Lord I am truly sorry for the way I have lived my life. I have fallen so short of what you desire my life to be. That's why the prophet Isaiah says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There's not one righteous not even one. And then he says let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. You saw that on the announcements today the water baptism that just happened at Times Square Church.

Baptism is a symbol of two things. Number one it going down into the water we're making a statement saying God I'm not going to live in my own strength anymore. Just as in as much as the spirit of God raised you out of the grave your word says that if I will turn to you you will also quicken my natural my mortal body. You will raise me up from the power of death and sin that has been operating in my life and you will give me a new life. The Bible says that you and I will become new creations in Christ. So going down into the water is simply identifying that that I am dying to my own way of living.

I'm dying to try to trying to craft a path going forward in my own strength in my own wisdom and I'm going to live according to your word your strength and your will for my life. It's also water baptism is also a public declaration. It's coming out of all that is apart from God going down it's it's in a sense of public humiliation it is in one way because it it's an awkward thing for many people until you fully are committed to Christ to go into that the waters of baptism basically making a declaration. That's why the Bible says if you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord you shall be saved. And this this public confession that I am not afraid or ashamed to be identified with Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. And so Peter says repent be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is the promise of God turn from your sin put away trying to do things in your own strength trust that I will give you the strength to be the person I've called you to be and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Verse 39 says for the promise now God can't break his promises the promise is to you is to you and to your children and to all who are afar off as many as the Lord our God will call. And so I say 2022 let the harvest begin because the promise is to you it's to you this is what he says if you'll turn from your sin if you will identify with Christ in water baptism you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Truly amazing this promise is to you and we talk about the need for restoration in our families to your children the promise is to all who are far off that means members of your family perhaps and others that are just seem to be a thousand miles from Christ right now but as they see your life being transformed before their eyes they too will turn from their sin and identify with Christ and receive the Holy Spirit. And as many as the Lord our God will call people that God will use your life to reach people that you're not even aware that you're going to be speaking to but once the Holy Spirit has control of your life you'll be taken into places that only God can take you and doing things that only God could do through you. And so father in Jesus name oh God almighty God almighty three thousand people that they had the sense to hear the gospel that was preached from the lips of your servant Peter. I pray that people online by the hundreds perhaps the thousands will have the sense to turn from their sin to identify with you Jesus Christ the son of God that we would yield our lives everyone would yield their life to you and not be afraid to confess you publicly through their voices and through the actions in baptism and God you promised the Holy Spirit you promised giftings and abilities and power you said you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be witnesses of me in Jerusalem and Samaria into all the uttermost parts of the earth this is who your church is my God this is who your church has always been. Now I'm going to ask you online to pray a simple prayer with me and make it your own say these words after me Lord Jesus Christ thank you for dying for my sin today I open my heart to you and I do repent of my sin and I ask you to forgive me come into my life and be my Lord and be my Savior. I give you my heart I give you my future I give you the testimony of my lips I give you the testimony of my life I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me abilities to declare you to this generation and to my family and my friends in ways that only you could do it change my heart change my life change me from the inside out and let my voice from this day forward be used for your glory oh Jesus thank you for loving me I choose to be part I choose to be part of this end-time harvest into your hands almighty God I commit my spirit in Jesus name if you prayed that and you meant that I'm going to ask you to do one more thing just text the word connect to 51,000 that's connect to 51,000 and somebody from Times Square Church will be in touch with you let us help you get started in your new walk with God and so we're so thankful for those of you who have given your lives to Christ you will never regret this decision God bless you. Thank you for joining us this week for A Call to the Nation with Carter Conlon from Times Square Church in New York City. For more information log on to tsc.nyc. That's tsc.nyc. You can count on a powerful message each week on A Call to the Nation with Carter Conlon.