God's spiritual nation today is all the born-again Believers that make up the Body of Christ worldwide. The only way that the Church is enlarged is through the harvest of new souls. This is how the Kingdom continues to increase. There are many parts of the world where great glory is brought to the Lord in this way. However, in many Western nations, there is a spiritual barrenness.

"As a woman with child and about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pain, so were we in Your presence, O Lord. We were with child, we writhed in pain, but we gave birth to wind. We have not brought salvation to the earth; we have not given birth to people of the world". - Isaiah 26:17-18 NIV

We have lots of activity in the Church, with many conferences, special events, prophetic and healing meetings, but very little is happening with regards to the harvesting of souls. Now the Holy Spirit is giving us this charge:

"'Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,' says the Lord. 'Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities'" - Isaiah 54:1-3 NIV).

This word follows the well-known and powerful prophecy concerning the suffering of Jesus on the Cross and His resurrection from the dead in Isaiah 53. This is the greatest revelation of God's love to us. We are compelled by His love for us to go and bring Jesus His reward that He paid for with His Blood.

We need to break out of the four walls of our church buildings and Christian meetings and GO WHERE THE LOST ARE. This stretching out of the tent and lengthening of the cords:

does not mean enlarging your church building or building bigger church buildings, 
but it is an enlargement of our labor in the harvest.

Isaiah 9:3 in the New King James Version says: "You have multiplied the nation and increased its joy; they rejoice before You according to the joy of harvest..."

EXPAND YOUR PRESENT ACTIVITY IN THE HARVEST

The enlargement that the Holy Spirit is challenging us with is to push for the multiplication of new Believers and the multiplication of new small churches in the homes of these new Believers.

It is Time to Expand Your Own Activity in the Harvest!

It is time for out-of-the-box thinking and action. We need our faith to increase. We need to overcome past disappointments and fears that hold us back.

"...Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the Gospel in the regions beyond you..." (2 Corinthians 10:15-16 NIV).

As a pastor, ministry leader, or house church leader, stretch out your faith and expand your own activity in the harvest. Begin to make regular calls for salvation with a short explanation of the Gospel (see Luke 24:45-49; Acts 2:37-41; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Even if nobody responds at first, persevere Sunday after Sunday, because in doing so, you are:
stirring the Believers about the lost,

and you are sharpening your sickle.

Do not give up; the breakthrough will come.

At the same time, lead your people out to go and do door-to-door evangelism on a regular basis.

This kind of activity in the harvesting of souls will facilitate the breaking out and reaching out to the lost souls outside of your usual sphere of influence of family, friends, and co-workers.

There is great joy awaiting you in the harvest, and an eternal reward in Heaven!

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
http://afministry.ning.com