The Year of Enlarging! by Hamilton Filmalter

Laguna Hills, CA

Would You Like an Enlargement of Your Spiritual Life, Family, Business, Ministry, Vision, and Life?

The Holy Spirit gave me the word: "Enlargement for 2016." I believe that the Father is going to bring enlargement to your spiritual life, as well as to your family, business, and/or ministry. I want to encourage you to believe Jesus for this. However, I believe that Jesus desires to take us to a higher place and that He wants to enlarge your vision, life, and ministry beyond what you have been doing.

Let us see from the Word of God what the Holy Spirit is saying to us right now about 2016:

"You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before You as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder" (Isaiah 9:3 NIV84).(Photo via Pixabay)

Isaiah 9:1-7 (please read the whole passage) is a passage that the Lord has often given Helena and me to pray over the harvest in the nations. It is also read and preached by many during this season at the end of every year. It is a prophetic word about the glorious salvation and deliverance that Jesus would bring us. He destroyed the yoke of slavery to sin and gave us the peace and joy of eternal life. Jesus is now seated at the right hand of the Father and rules over the nations as Lord and King.

Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end... Isaiah 9:7 NIV84

We see the Kingdom of God greatly expanding throughout the Book of Acts as the rule of Jesus was established in the hearts of thousands of new Believers. This expansion of the Kingdom has continued throughout the ages, with times of both great increase and other times slow and little growth. The good news is that the Holy Spirit is still at work today! The promise and call still stands for us in 2016:

"You have enlarged the nation, O Lord; You have enlarged the nation. You have gained glory for Yourself; You have extended all the borders of the land"(Isaiah 26:15 NIV84).

How is the Church Enlarged?

God's spiritual nation today is all the born again Believers, both Jews and Gentiles, 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. Isaiah continues by saying:

"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 NIV84).

We are all expecting a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit that will lead to a great ingathering of souls. It has been prophesied, and many have prayed for it. 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: (Photo via Pixabay)

"'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 NIV84).

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 to 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..."

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. Instead of trying to maintain the "elephant," which is difficult and takes a long time to reproduce, let us rather multiply like rabbits.

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. I want to stir all pastors, ministry leaders, and house church leaders through Paul's words to the Corinthian Church:

"...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 NIV84).

As a 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. (Photo via Pixabay)

So, our hope is that your activity in the harvesting of souls will be greatly expanded in 2016 and that you will break out and reach 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!

Hamilton Filmalter
River of Life Ministries
Email: activeintheharvest@gmail.com
Website: www.activeintheharvest.com