No Joy, No Harvest

Him hallelujah oh blessed be the name of the Lord I knew brother Mike Williams would not give up in that opportunity to say that that's why I love him dearly I am grateful to be here at this conference and I have received so much already from all of the speakers and the things that have been done my life has been touched I have been challenged and I want to go home and make a difference how about you I'm grateful to brother manga and his family for this inv ation to be here I it is a privilege to be asked to speak at this conference and I prayed much and asked the Lord to inspire me and to anoint me with the message that he has chosen amen but I do intend to preach it with all of my heart soul mind and spirit will you help me he is a man of God so I'm sure he knows the mind of God and what's needed for this hour also and then of course to my family that has been so supportive and a great Church in Brooklyn New York that's praying for me and to friends that have called and all of you across this building that have just said kind words I deeply appreciate it and to some of the pastors that are here from the New York Metro District I want to say thank you for being here we love and appreciate you and then of course one very insor important Pastor that's here brother and sister Lincoln Graham I saw them up there in the balcony and I make mention of brother gram because you have to remember that you don't get anywhere by yourself it's always somebody that lends you their pulpit and I remember that little church in Queens 221st Street Pastor Graham and he loan myself and Chester Mitchell my brother that pulpit and that's where we developed our ministry and so to Lincoln gaham we say thank you let's give him applauding right now invite your attention to the Book of Joel chapter 1 verses 9 to 12 and then of course a special thanks to my friend my home missions director brother Jack Cunningham he's not only my director he is a friend mentor and I deeply appreciate his friendship and how he just pushes me on anybody that knows brother Cunningham knows that he is a encourager of young men amen amen praise God brother Chester Mitchell has brother Cole which he he calls Uncle Bill I have brother Cunningham and so I'm grateful for that and brother Cole has told me I can't have him Chester already has him that's all right thank you Joel chapter 1 reading from verse 9 to verse 12 the meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the Lord the priests and the Lord ministers mourn the field is wasted the land mourn it for the corn is wasted and the new wine is dried up the oil languish it be ye ashamed oh ye husband men howl oh ye Vine dressers for the wheat and for the barley because the Harvest of the field perished would you say that with me because the Harvest of the field is perished the vine is dried up the Fig Tree languish it the pomegranate tree the palm tree also and the apple tree even all the trees of the field are withered because Joy is withered away from the sons of men because because Joy is withered away from the sons of

men because Joy has been withered away from the sons of men Joel says in verse 11 the Harvest of the field perish and so with the help of the Holy Ghost I'd like to preach to you from the thought no joy no Harvest no joy no harest brother Cunningham would you come and pray right now thank you we'll all pray everybody raise your Hallelujah and you may be seated all across North America and around the world within the ranks of this great United Pentecostal Church 1996 was declared the year of the Harvest I know that all of us have been challenged from the beginning of last year and again even in this conference to race The Reaper and to continue to reap the Harvest when we speak of the Harvest it is the act or the process of in gathering it is the Eng Gathering of the crop that is ripen my fellow ministers pastors and evangelists I have come to declare to you today that it's harvest time the crop is ripe not only on the foreign field but the crop is ripe right here in North America it's ripe for picking it's ripe for reaping it's ripe for in gathering and I'm telling you this pay that God has intended for the church to have Revival it is Harvest Time it's not for tomorrow it is for today it is for today it is the will of God that every Church experience in time Revival and no devil can stop us from experiencing Revival because God's on our side and if God be for us no devil can be against us hallelujah Joel 3: 13 and 14 tells us God speaking through the prophet Joel he says put he in the sickle for the Harvest is ripe he said come get down for the Press is full the fat overflow for their wickedness is great multitudes multitudes in the valley of decision for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision I've come to remind you today as to what the prophet of Revival has declared to us he said that the Press is full and it's overflowing he said there are multitudes that need to be reached nobody should ever say brother Mitchell I can't reach anybody there are multitudes that are out there waiting for you and I to declare the Gospel of Jesus Christ and God is telling us if there is ever a time to reach the Harvest it's in this hour John 4: 35-38 tells us what Jesus had to say concerning the Harvest he said say not e there are yet four months and then cometh the Harvest behold I say unto you lift up your eyes and look on the fields for they are white already to harvest Jesus also said in Matthew chapter 9: 37 he said the Harvest truly is plenteous and great but the laborers are few pray ye therefore the lord of the Harvest that he will send forth laborers into the Harvest field I want you to notice tonight that Jesus did not say there was a problem with the Harvest he said the problem is with the laborers and he said Church if you are to pray about anything pray that God will send

laborers you don't have to pray for Revival Revival is destined to come but what we need to pray for is more laborers people that are in tune with the spirit of God people that know that they are blessed to reach the laws the problem was not with the Harvest but with the laborers and as pastors all of us could say in regards to our church we have a shortage of Bible study teachers Sunday school teachers bus Ministry workers altar workers prayer warriors ushers and greeters track Ministry and all of the other Ministries that we have in our church it's not a lack of ministry we have we have a lack of laborers people that have an interest in the Harvest now in order to answer the question of today as to why the laborers are few we must first examine Israel's history Joel 1: 1-2 gives us a brief history lesson as to why Israel failed in their day to reap the Harvest and so Joel was commandeered by God to highlight the situation as to what was going on and so the Bible tells me that God Commander Joel and he said Joel I want you to begin to highlight the severity of the situation he said Joel I want you to pick out some people and I want you to let them know just how bad it has gotten in the camp of Israel that the Harvest is going to waste and so in verse two he says Joel tell the old men and all the inhabitants of the land in our day he would be saying tell the Pioneers tell the forefathers the one that were praying for Revival to come to this church tell them how it came and this church fell verse three he says tell the children of it let your children tell their children and their children another generation he says I don't want one generation to go by that does not know that I did bless them I did bring full of Bountiful Harvest but they were so caught up in other things they lost something that was significant to reap in the the harvest and I want you to let them know in verse five he says alert the drunkards and the drinkers of the new wine in other words the revivalist minded people those that are praying for Revival he said Joel tell the husband men and the vine dressers the pastors and the ministers after he told Joel to alert certain people he said Joel now I want you to inform and call to attention the severity of the situation after you finally get their attention tell them just how bad it is and so in verse five he said the new wine is cut off in other words not too many if any at all is receiving the Holy Ghost anymore they just have a good time they come and they Revel in their Revelation but nobody is interested in a soul being born anymore the wine has been cut off verse n he says Joel it's really bad tell them the meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the Lord the priests the lost the Lord's ministers they're mourning in other words there is no more such thing as sacrificial giving to the work of the Lord very few want to give up them their time much less their finances and so the meat offering has cut off and the drink offering has cut off oh God help us oh God help us in this hour not to lose interest in the Harvest he said Joel the field is wasted the land mourn it for the corn is wasted the new wine has been dried up the oil languish it he said Joel they're they're opening churches but as fast as they open them that's as fast as they're closing

he said the Harvest of the field perisheth people not are not being reached and evangelized anymore then in verse 12 he says the vine is dried up the pig tree languisheth the pomegranate tree and even all the trees of the field are withered no fire in the Pulpit anymore no fire in the Pew no interest coming from the heart of the preacher to reach the Harvest and no interest coming from the Pew to reach the Harvest he said Joel it's really bad but he said Joel I want you to tell them why for there is one single reason why the Harvest of the field has perished there is a reason why the new wine has been cut off there's a reason why the vines have been dried up and the Fig Tree and the apple tree and the pomegranate tree and all the trees of the field Joel there's one reason why the Harvest has been wasted he said God what is it he said Joel tell them it's because Joy Joy has been withered away from the sons of men not from The Outsiders that don't expect God to bless but from those that are close to him that knows his promises that he was going to bless when he did bless them they did not have what it take to in gather the Harvest I am telling you it's not that God doesn't want to bless your church I think opportunity comes to every one of us in every community in every church but I wonder when when the opportunity finally does come to reap the Harvest will we have what it takes you said brother Mitchell what are you talking about see Joy is a strong feeling of Happiness a manifestation of Happiness through an outward rejoicing an outward excitement but can I tell you this outward excitement is due to an inward satisfaction and I don't know of anything else that can satisfy the soul but Jesus Christ and if you can't get happy over knowing that you know Jesus then you do not qualify to reap the Harvest you've got to have joy in knowing that you know Jesus before you can draw from the Harvest field we must be excited about what the Lord has done for us we must become excited and joyful and knowing that our sins have been washed away we are delivered saved and we are on our way to heaven if you can't get excited over knowing that you are redeemed you have lost it you have lost it if you're waiting on the music to get excited I'm sorry the music is not the thing that's needed to reap the Harvest it's Joy over knowing that you know Jesus it's Joy over knowing that your sins are washed away you got to come to church in spite of your situation raise your hand and say when I think of his goodness when I think of his goodness and what he's done for me not a new job not more money in the bank not a new car but but my name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life that ought to bring joy Hallelujah if you can't get excited over knowing that you know that your sins are washed away then you've lost the very purpose of why Jesus came every time I walk into the house of the Lord everything else might not be the way I want it to be in my family on my job at the church come on somebody the architect didn't do it just right the contractors didn't do it just right this is not going right the bank's not treating me right but when I think about

what Jesus has done for me how he died and he set me free and he shed his blood For Me Above my circumstances I ought to be able to give God some praise would you give him some praise if you know you're saved give God some praise if you know you're redeemed give God some praise come on come on you might not like the hotel you're in you might not have much money in your bank you're going home to a situation that you can't control but I'm still going to rejoice in the god of my salvation we've got to regain the joy of the Sal salvation hear me pastors I challenge you to go back to your churches and to stir up Joy but before you Stir It Up you better first Define where it should be coming from hear me you can't go back and let them think it's the music that gives Joy it's a good job it's Financial stability it's our status in Life or our education it's not the material things like a nice car a new home nice pair of shoes nice dress nice hat you tell them whether you have those things or not that does not bring joy it should be knowing Jesus Christ that brings Joy you need to go back and tell them our joy does not come from the things that accompany salvation these things accompany salvation but once you have salvation sometimes those things that accompany salvation they're here today and they're gone tomorrow but Jesus Christ who is Sal he is the same he is the same yesterday today and forever he said I'll never leave you I'll never forsake you you might lose your car you might lose your house you might lose a loved one but he said you'll never lose me I'll always be there for you in the morning time in the evil time in the good times in The Bad Times I'll be there for you if he could give me a little bit more monitors I appreciate it you may be see that you see the Harvest is connected to our joy the Harvest is contingent and our joy and if there is no joy there will be no Harvest turn to your neighbor and say no joy no Harvest no har if you can't get excited about Jesus how are you going to reap people what are you going to reap them and tell them are you going to give them some blessing plan that's what other people are doing we got to give them more than just a blessing plan and an oil that comes from the Jordan River we've got to give them Jesus who is the peace that pass it all understanding what makes the difference between us and those that are out there is what we have to give it's what the focus is on and it's got to be Jesus he's got to be the only reason we live and oh what a reason Oh What A Reason hear me he may be seated hear me David's prayer of repentance included a request for restoration of joy in Psalms 51 but hear me to get genuine Joy because he didn't just say he wanted Joy he said what kind of Joy he wanted joy that comes from knowing Jesus he says before you even get to that request you've got to First according to verse three acknowledge your

sins he said if you want this true Joy you're going to have to come to a place where you become honest before God and he said God I acknowledge my sin verse 2 and S he requests a good washing and a cleansing and also a Pur he said God I want you to do something for me I just don't want you to forgive me I need something else and so I need a good washing I need a good cleansing and a good purging can I tell you every now and then we need to shut down everything we're doing and just give that church a good washing from top to bottom you don't hear me I'm telling you it's good to be out there in the Harvest field but it's no good having a man teaching a Bible study that's got a rotten attitude and think you need him you might as well bring him off the field and get him to have a good washing and a good purging so he can go out there and be effective he said Lord I desire a clean heart and renew within me I need a right spirit I need a right Spirit he said God where I want to get back to I can't really get there if I don't have a right spirit I won't even be effective if I don't have a right Spirit I'll get to where you want me to be but I'll never be effective if I don't have a right Spirit he said restore unto me the joy but not just Joy the joy of thy salvation Isaiah said God is my salvation I will trust and not not be afraid David was saying God what I want is a restoration of you because that's what produces joy and it was only after David asked God for a restoration of Joy did he vow or even dare to say then will I teach transgressors thy ways and sinners will be converted I'm telling you if we dare to teach Bible studies and we don't believe and get excited about what we're teaching it just won't work it's not that day don't want to hear it it's that you don't believe what you're saying if you say that Jesus is God you better say it with some Joy if you believe that God is a way maker you better say it with joy if you believe he's a bridge over troubled water don't sit there and mop and have a pity party and tell people I know the Lord will make a way for me you tell them God is my refuge and my Fortress my God in him will I trust the world knows when you're saying what you believe from when you're just giving them a line because you have to teach certain Bible studies you have to tell certain amount of people about Jesus but no no no no no no no if you can go to them and say you don't know like I know and in the process of telling it if you feel a little shout shout a little if you feel like dancing dance a little if you feel like talking in tongues talk in tongues a little if you want to run the ass run the eyes a little I tell you what they'll get convinced faster than anything else turn to your neighbor and say neighbor tell it with joy preach it with joy whatever you do do it with joy can I tell you our joy must not come from just good music shouting and dancing don't mean you're joyful shouting and dancing just simply means you are responding to that which has been orchestrated to turn you on I'm a musician I know what I'm talking about but can I tell you you don't need music if you you got it on the inside you don't need a good organ player to shout if in your heart you've got the melody

writer or come on somebody say yes you don't need somebody to come to this pulpit and tell you to shout if you know what the Lord has done for you you clap your hands you'll sing you shout you rejoice because you know Jesus for yourself and can I tell you preachers I'm not trying to offend you but honey sometimes it depends on what you do too you can't just sit there and tell them to shout and you're sitting down waiting for your turn and then when you get up you say come on Church get with me they're going to say well why didn't you get with us if you want them to have joy you walk in with joy if you want them to shout you shout if you want them to dance you dance if you want them to Rejoice you rejoice they will do what you do they will do what you do when you preach preach with joy when you sing sing with joy you know what I tell my song leaders you know when I tell my musicians and choir members I said my God we got so many people coming every week they're so depressed they're so heavy laden the last thing they need to see is some song leader that's out of tune out of touch has no excitement at all in their bone singing about I'm coming up the Rough Side of the Mountain and burden Downs Lord you ought to be saying you don't know like I know what the Lord has done for me I don't have money in the bank but he saved me I don't have a nice car but he saved me can you get excited about knowing Jesus right now can you get excited about knowing Jesus right now come on come on come on why don't you begin to exercise what God wants you to do come on come on we ought to have joy Hallelujah turn to your neighbor and say neighbor you haven't got started yet come on how many of you redeemed say yeah you got the Holy Ghost Say Amen you're saved Sanctified spoke in tongues when the Holy Ghost came say Amen well why don't you clap your hands why don't you stomp your feet why don't you leap for Joy why don't you let the devil know that because of the times 1997 we are Joyful We Are joyful we're joyful everything isn't going right but we're joyful and got church troubles but I'm joyful a bunch of people just left me but it didn't affect my joy because my joy don't come from more tide payers more visitors my joy comes from knowing that I know that I know that I know that I'm redeemed and my name is written in the L Book of Life say yeah I think I'm trying to convince some of you doing it oh Jesus turn to your neighbor and say I got troubles but I feel the joy of the Lord oh yeah I got troubles I don't know how I'm going to pay my bills but I know something I'm redeemed he saved me and if I die today I'm on my way to heaven and I'm so glad he may be seated can I tell you this kind of joy that I'm talking about originated in heaven when you read Luke chapter 2: 9 to 11 it emphatically declares the introduction of the savior to the world it says that on the day that the Angels

were going to make that grand announcement all of heaven was not sad all of heaven was excited the Bible said that when they made the announcements the angel said fear not for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy not just Joy but great joy that means all of heaven when the announcement was made was excited was expressing happiness over what was being announced that Joy was not only it did not only stay in heaven but when it started in heaven it transferred to the hearts of men because the Bible said when the wise men found him the joy that the Angels made the announcement with was transferred into the hearts of the wise men and when they found the star they took it into another dimension they didn't just Rejoice they said Angels you all made the announcement but we received it and we rejoice with exceeded great joy oh you don't hear me they didn't just have joy they had exceeded great joy they went wild they went nuts they went beside them themselves I wonder if we could go while we think we've done it we think we've really reached the Apex of worship you haven't seen anything yet cuz I'm telling you if the church ever gets back to being excited about just Jesus everybody say just Jesus not the things that salvation brings just Jesus not the blessings that accompany salvation just Jesus just Jesus not Jesus mixed with material things not Jesus mixed with a finan your blessing just Jesus can I tell you when we get excited about just Jesus nothing affects us then the man on the first world his praise will not be hampered because he's got a problem with his job the man in the middle row he won't be saying I don't feel like getting with it Pastor today I'm so burdened down with my financial situation I I wasn't able to pay my mortgage on time I wasn't able to pay my light bill everything is just going wrong somebody else on the right hand side won't be saying preacher you don't know what my kids were caught doing last week no no no when we walk into the house of God it's just Jesus yes could you do this for me could you raise your hands in spite of what you're going through right now hold on and lift your voice as loud as you can and just call him by his name one more time one more time we're not asking you for anything we're not asking you to do anything for us we just come to call upon your name we just come to worship you we just come to give you praise we just come to glorify your name just Jesus just Jesus just Jesus Jesus in the morning Jesus in the evening Jesus when the Sun goes down just Jesus can I tell you you may be seated when the Angels transferred that Joy from Heaven to Earth can I tell you it didn't mean they didn't have any more joy cuz even though when they made the announcement they had it with joy and when they gave it to the the wise men they had Joy but can I tell you when the Angels made the announcement they said you know what we know what he's gone to do and we know that when his plan is fin finally accomplished then it's going to get into first gear and the very first

person that we see transfer membership from a sinner to a child of God is going to give us the queue one more time that we need to express some joy and so the Bible said that all Heaven Rejoice did you hear me oh all Heaven touch your neighbor and say all Heaven All Heaven Rejoice over just one sinner one sinner one sinner you tell me you can't have joy in your church if one sinner sits on the Pew and they become converted your church ought to be electrified with joy when you say one person has just received the Holy Ghost the entire church ought to go up in smoks oh Hallelujah because when the announcement is made in heaven that somebody has just been saved all of Heaven Rejoice could we do that right now could everybody just rejoice hallelujah thank you I wish you wouldn't have to wait for me to tell you to shout though because if you're really joyful I should be having a hard time continuing you ought to be so excited about your salvation you want to shout even when it's not time to shout you want to dance when nobody's telling you to dance you want to rejoice when nobody else is rejoicing because you know that you've been redeemed and you you run your way to heaven come on somebody come on don't let anybody have to tell you to be rejoicing huah hallelujah hallelujah can I tell you if Joy is in heaven according to Luke 15 and: 7 over just one sinner as it is in heaven yeah it should be on the earth If Heaven shouts over one Earth ought to be shouting over one but can I tell you what happens when Heaven and Earth got the same announcement about what took place last year tell us brother cunning H in our five Crusades here in North America Tidewater Virginia during Hurricane Bertha 119 got the Holy Ghost Chicago at Wheaton College 74 got the Holy Ghost San Diego California 228 got the Holy Ghost St Louis Missouri 252 got the Holy Ghost and at The Summit in Houston Texas over 1,000 received with the Holy Ghost Hallelujah can I tell you Heaven is not doing what some of you are doing you're busy trying to figure it out some of you are trying to say should I believe it did everybody talk in tongues while Heaven is saying the news is good to us we feel like shouting over it Hallelujah can I tell you if Heaven accepts the report Earth ought to accept the report Heaven is not saying I wasn't there Heaven is not saying I didn't hear it Heaven is saying I believe the report and then when we get to the Foreign Fields Hallelujah Ethiopia 78,000 in one day Hallelujah you heard it in this conference in Pakistan stand 6,000 most of them Muslims filled with the baptism of the Holy Ghost Jo hello somebody oh Hallelujah can I tell you when that announcement was made come on heaven was going nuts over the news and one of the Angels looked down at Earth and they probably looked down at you and said what's wrong with him what's wrong with that church what's

wrong with those people how come they're not doing down here what we're doing they probably turn to Jesus and say Jesus do they doubt that you can do it I'm telling you whatever is happening in heaven ought to be happening on Earth If Heaven rejoices over one sinner Earth ought to be rejoicing If Heaven Rejoice over 78,000 Earth ought to be more excited about it could we raise our hands and thank God for that Jo hallelujah hallelujah Joy Isaiah verse 12 12 and verse3 tells us therefore with joy right right shall you draw Waters out of the wells of Salvation if you don't have joy in the Salvation how are you going to draw from the wells of salvation cuz you got to have joy and you've got to do it with joy joy is the instrument that's used to reap the Harvest and Israel failed to reap it because they lost their Joy so they said by the Rivers of Babylon there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion that's their first mistake they sat down when you're in Babylon and things aren't going the way you want to go in your church don't sit down don't become comfortable in a non Revival environment stir up a little trouble do something ruffle some feathers chase out some devils but for God's sake don't sit down and say hey nothing is happening here I might as well be at ease because can I tell you when we get back to Joy when we get back to Joy when we get back to Joy Psalms 126 tells us the Lord will return again the Captivity of Zion and those that dream he said then are mouths will be filled with laughter and our tongue will with singing saying the Lord had done great things for us whereof we are glad if you can go home and get joy in your church God's going to turn the Captivity of Zion again and I'm telling you it's going to start happening but it's got to happen with you preacher you've got to go back home and when you hit that Pulpit hit it with Joy walk into that church with joy start making your announcements with joy get your song leaders and get and say don't sing No Dead songs here today sing songs that's going to invoke Revival sing songs that's going to invite the cner to the altar when you get there preach a message of Salvation that's going to touch the heart of the sinner if there's no water in the baptistry go home clean it out and fill it up wash all the baptismal Ro get ready for a harvest and walk in with the instrument of joy and say devil this ground that has not been reaped in a long time is getting ready to have some and you tell that church I I sympathize that you can't pay your bills I feel bad over things that are going wrong in your life but the things that accompany salvation is not what we're here for that's not where your joy should be coming from if you're saved clap your hands if you spok in tongues when the Holy Ghost came shout hallelujah hallelujah that's what I want you to go home and do and if you can get that church alive again and you can get everybody thanking Revival and you can fine-tune the instrument of Joy I'm I'm telling you you reap a harvest he said they that sow in

tears shall reap in Joy he that goeth forth and weeping bearing precious seeds shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing his sheep with him I'm telling you if you go home and fine tune the joy you will not be disappointed I guarantee you you get joy from the very onset of the first song something is going to happen can I tell you you'll put the devil on notice can I tell you it's God's will for us to have Revival it's God's will for every Church to have Revival God wants to do great things amongst us this hour but if we lose the joy the Harvest will come along but we won't have what it takes to reap it because I'm telling you it's ripe already to harvest but what's wrong with the joy what's wrong with the joy the Harvest of the field perished because Joy was withered away from the sons of men and where there is no joy there will be no Harvest