The Night Cometh

The most concise definition of MAN that I’ve ever heard was given by my discipler. He simply defined man as Morning|Afternoon|Night.

Jesus’s statement in John 9:4 reveals his categorization of human existence into these three seasons. Whilst there is some truth to the proverb that ‘death and the grave marks the night of a man’s life as he rests from his labour’s/toil on the earth’, the deeper truth however is that this line of thought doesn’t convey the sense of urgency with which Jesus made this remark.
How So? Because it inadvertently permits wiggle room for many to ‘wave off’ repentance until their old age, and also for many believers to drag their feet in living out a purpose driven life until they have notched up their personal objectives and accomplishments.

In Luke 9:59 we see this very point played out in the discourse between Jesus and a believer…..

Jesus: “Come follow me” …
{Lay down your self focussed life and come take up a kingdom focussed one as a co-labourer with me in bringing my Father’s kingdom come on Earth}

Believer: “Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father” ….
{Lord allow me to attain some things and first cater to my needs wherein i will achieve self-fulfillment, after that i am all yours to do with me as you please}

Jesus:  “Let the dead bury their dead:but go thou and preach the kingdom of God”
{let those who are dead to God’s will and kingdom purpose pursue aims which have no bearing on eternity. But to you whom i have given resurrection from the dead into new life in the kingdom, your priorities must be to seek ye first the kingdom of God & his righteousness..} 

The sense of urgency with which Jesus went in pursuit of kingdom objectives was unmistakeable. It is rather telling that he performed most of his recorded miracles whilst he was en-route to a destination.

M.A.N in the Morning Afternoon Night sense is allegorically similar to the developmental stages of an infant: “Sit – Stand – Walk”

Our Morning:

• This is the season we ought to spend “Sitting” at his feet. Like Jesus who was “found….in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions“.Luke 2:46
• The season when the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, ………and of eternal judgment is laid, understood and concluded. Hebrews 6:1-2
• Though psalm 1:1 admonishes us from spending this season “sitting in the company of mockers“, it is often our period of folly, when we are primarily driven by our lustful desires and wants whilst we exhaust our energies on selfish pursuits over kingdom minded pursuits.
• It is the time when we need the most attention, and care, and discipline through discipleship, in order that we take deep roots in the word and in God.
• This is the season when we are ‘consecrated’ unto service according to Numbers 8:7 where:..”to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them (the word), and let them shave all their flesh (learning to walk in the spirit, in order not to fulfill the lusts of the flesh), and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean“.

Our Afternoon:

• It is the time to begin walking “….out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house“…. unto the place of divine purpose and destiny that God has prepared for us.
• It is our season to receive the Holy Spirit and Power by divine impartation.
• The season to bear fruit and bring forth seed for generational transfer not just leaves only..
• It is not the time we ought to “stand in the counsel of the ungodly” nor “walk in the way of sinners” but the time that we begin “going about doing good & healing all them who are under the power of the devil“…Acts 10:38
• It is the season for us to”stand firm, being un-moveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, …1 cor 15:58
• It is season we have to “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage…Gal 5:1
• Numbers 8:15 prescribes it as the age (25yrs) where having been ‘cleansed & purified’, we take up some preliminary service in the temple.Numbers 8:15, 24
• Numbers 4:3 marks this season of our lives at its prime from age 30, where we “go in to do the (full)service of the terbanacle of the congregation“.
• This is the season when the gifts of the canonical sages given to us at birth as discussed in “while bethlehem slept” ought to be fully active as we take up the’Kingship’, ‘Priesthood’ & ‘Prophetic’ mantle for service in the kingdom.
• It was no coincidence that our Lord Jesus started his ministry at age 30.
  That Joseph was appointed premier in Egypt also at age 30
  That David was made King over judah at age 30.

Our Night:

• This is the season in our lives when the Spirit though willing, the body may be weak. As it was with David in 1 Kings 1:1 we may be stricken in years and may be unable to keep warm even when they put covers over us.
• Numbers 8:26 actually stipulates that “at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer” rather focussing on teaching the younger generation, and keeping the “charge of the house of God“….
• A time when “having fulfilled the purpose of God in our generation we are laid to rest” or death takes us away…Acts 13:36

 What does this all mean for you and i?

It means we must be keenly aware that there is a time and season for everything in life Eccl 3:1-8, and like Jesus, we be conscious that there is an ‘ideal’ season for the establishment and fulfillment of divine purpose in our lives.

We must be keen to number our days in order that we can apply our hearts unto wisdom, whilst we still have the strength, and whilst the window of grace (daylight) to carry out the assignment is still open to us.

Jesus is still saying to many of us:”follow me”. Unfortunately too many of us by our stance, mindset, and our hearts desires keep saying unto him “suffer me to go and bury my father“. We fail to understand that true fulfillment can only be attained when we understand our purpose and walk in it.

Jesus came that we might ‘have life and have it more abundantly‘. He is not against our having secular lives and Jobs, in many cases he has opened those doors of opportunity to us. These doors of opportunities are our platforms to “do the works of him that sent us“. i.e. Preach the gospel, live righteous lives that bear witness to the kingdom standard (not as hypocrites), make disciples, heal the sick, cleanse the leper’s, cast out devils…Doing all of this freely, because we received of him freely..John 10:10

Responding to his call to “follow me” doesn’t always require every one of us to enter into full-time ministry, but it does require a re-orientation of our minds and hearts towards prioritizing & living for kingdom goals and objectives above all else.

Even though we have accepted him as our Lord, in relegating his purpose and procrastinating to do the works of him that sent us, our lives actually say to him “I accept you as my saviour, and i am happy to receive your salvation and gift of eternal life – However your Lordship over my life is going to have to wait until i have lived this life to full satisfaction“…..”when it is night, i’ll give attention to the works of him that sent me“.

Night is fast approaching….have you begun the works of him that sent you?

More grace to you.

13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
….James 4:13-17