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The Time Is Now! Song: Here am I, here am I, use me (x2) Here am I, here am I, send me (x2) Esther was a young Jewish woman that was born as a minority in an oppressive society into a broken family situation; the odds were against her right from the start. But virtually overnight, Esther went rags to riches, from poverty to the palace, and became the wife of King Xerxes I, making her one of the most powerful women in the world. Irony seems to fill the pages of the book of Esther. Just as a Persia has unknowingly crowned a Jewish queen, the King’s vizier (a higher ranking government officer), Haman, is plotting a diabolical scheme to exterminate the Jewish race through a bloody genocidal slaughter. There is only one Jew in the land who is in a position to intervene on behalf of her people … Esther. Perhaps the pleasures of the palace had begun to intoxicate Esther. We see chapter 4 that she begins to struggle with what course of action to take though it should be obvious. It would be a tragedy for her to rise from the gutter to palace only to lose her head in a misguided attempt at heroic glory, she thought. Taking this matter to the King was a risk of everything that she had … including her very life. Perhaps a more subtle approach would be best. Maybe she should just lie low and continue to be a good friend of the King and if an opportunity presented itself, she could plant a seed in his heart on behalf of her people without jeopardising herself. After all what good would she be to anyone if she were dead? In Esther 4:13-14, Mordecai (Esther’s cousin), sensing her internal struggle, sends to her this stern message: "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" In other words, Mordecai said, Esther, you have been placed in the position you are in because you are a strategic part of a divine purpose that is much larger than yourself. If you try to protect your position at the expense of the divine purpose, God will drop you and replace you. Had Esther chosen to try to protect herself at the expense of her people, God’s purposes would still have been fulfilled, but she would have been the one destroyed. So reach out to the lost and confused world with a great sense of urgency. I have personally sensed in my spirit that the world has reached a critical point. We need spiritual revolution; a Holy Spirit tidal wave, an unleashing of supernatural intervention… and I believe that the time has come. This is not the time to keep silent. This is not the time for watered-down methods and seeker sensitive friendship evangelism. If we ever needed something radical, reformational and revolutionary it is now. God has placed His Church in a strategic position and will use His fire-infused people to push back the darkness. This mandate is not an incidental auxiliary to our “real” Church activities and programs. It is the very purpose that we exist on the earth. We have come into the kingdom for such a time as this and for this very occasion! God’s purposes roll through the earth like a freight train that cannot be stopped. The most dangerous place in the world is in the way of those purposes. If you doubt this, just ask Pharaoh. Gamaliel’s Principle 34But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honoured by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35Then he addressed them: "Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God." (Acts 5:34-39). If God can’t use your Church, He’ll find another one. If He can’t you, He’ll find someone else. The question is NOT, “Will God accomplish His purpose?” the question is, “Will you have the unparalleled privilege of partaking in the highest honour of man – the reason you were born and the reason you were saved – to assist God in the fulfilment of His purpose in the Earth. Leonard Ravenhill once said, “The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized during the lifetime of the opportunity”. I believe that this is the world’s moment in history. If we miss it now, we will live with eternal regret. That’s we must stand shoulder high together and seize it for Calvary’s sake. Shalom Evang. John Bamidele Oseh |