The Shining Church in Gross Darkness by Dr. 'Tayo Brown
December 29-January 3, 2004

"Arise and shine; for thine light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising" Isaiah 60: 1-3 Brethren, the days ahead will be characterized by thick darkness, you will see some of the unfolding end time event of the wicked one in a short while. I am not talking about the great tribulation but those events that will be fulfilled before we are caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

Those who have put their heart in the things of this world will be disappointed because their heart is not fixed on Jesus Christ. The Lord will shake the heaven and the earth and the desires of all nations shall come to Him "…But now he promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven…yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken as of the things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire" Heb. 12: 26-29

Friends, it is only those who are living and abiding in the secret place of the Most High that would not be shaken. Nothing will shake their spiritual life, faith, health, finances and family. We have entered a day of darkness and of gloominess (Joel 2: 2). This is the time to serve God ACCEPTABLY WITH REVERENCE AND GODLY FEAR. As a Church we must arise to prayer and fasting diligently as we seek God's face like never before. "The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteh greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick (or gross) darkness…And I will bring distress upon men…neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord;s wrath; …Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger" Zeph. 1: 14-18, 2:3

Some of us rather don't want to hear this kind of preaching but it's the truth. In the midst of this, God's people will shine forth with gross light. Friends, you need gross light to shine in this gross darkness. This is not the time to be fearful or to deceive one another but it is the time to pray, to be by our father's business, to love him, to serve him and master his acts of prayers and intercessions especially for our nation, for those who are in authority, for Israel and for the body of Christ.

We must pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers that will harvest our loved ones from the world and mediocrity. We must pray the Lord to confirm his prophecy concerning the great harvest of souls from the yet to be reached areas of the world. The Lord will use this great judgment to shine His light in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and other areas of this world. The glory of the Lord shall fill the Church in this darkest hour that the gentiles will come to this light. This is the time to renounce the hidden things of dishonesty, to cast away the works of the flesh, to be where the Lord wants us to be. A time to live for the Lord and not for mammon. There will be a clear-cut demarcation between the true Church and the one that is parading herself as the bride of Christ but is not through this judgment.

Friends, why can't you run into the name of Lord and be saved. The glory of the Lord has risen upon us and we shall shine in this gross darkness but to the world and the hypocrites it is a time of drowning in the flood of iniquity but there is still time to repent for our God is ready to forgive.

Church, Arise and Shine!

GRA