By Nate Johnston
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April 8, 2025
A few days before our recent gathering, I heard the Spirit whisper, “Saul has slain his thousands, but David his ten thousands.” (1 Samuel 18:7) That one phrase has been reverberating like a divine alarm clock, signaling not only a leadership shift, but a full-scale transition in how heaven is moving. This was more than a change in kings, it was a change in strategy, in authority, and in season. And it’s happening again. We are crossing over. The Church Age is giving way to the Harvest Age. SAUL VS. DAVID: THE SHIFT IN LEADERSHIP MODELS In this hour, the Lord is highlighting the contrast between Saul and David to help us understand the nature of the shift: Saul represents the Church Age, marked by structure, control, and system maintenance. David represents the Harvest Age, marked by intimacy with God, Spirit-led leadership, and an army in motion. Where Saul was content with addition, David walked in multiplication. The Church Age saw the growth of buildings and platforms. But in the Harvest Age, God is raising up disciple-makers, movement-starters, and kingdom reformers. This is not just a leadership change, it’s a total renovation of the wineskin. From church-centric models to kingdom activation. From pastoral maintenance to apostolic movement. FROM MAINTENANCE TO MULTIPLICATION David’s ten thousands represent an exponential increase in kingdom impact. We are leaving behind the days of measuring success by Sunday attendance and entering an era of equipped and sent ones flooding every sector of society. This isn’t about dishonoring what has been, it’s about recognizing what must now be. GOD-APPOINTED VS. MAN-APPOINTED Saul was chosen by the people. David was chosen by God. The Harvest Age will not be led by the popular, polished, or platformed. It will be led by those with oil on their heads and fire in their eyes. These are the hidden ones emerging, those who have been forged in caves, not conferences. And their mission is clear: raise up the army. THE JOHN 4 BLUEPRINT: JESUS AND THE HARVEST In John 4, Jesus gives us a prophetic roadmap for this Harvest Age: He took a different route, going out of the way to reach the Samaritan woman. The harvest will require us to step out of religious comfort zones and into unfamiliar territory. He drank from a different source offering living water instead of depending on systems. The Harvest Age demands Spirit-led, not system-led, ministry. She dropped the water jug, abandoning her old way of doing things. We, too, must leave behind outdated models to embrace what God is doing now. He crossed religious boundaries, demolishing arguments about where to worship. In this age, worship and revival won’t be confined to buildings. He shifted appetites saying, “My food is to do the will of My Father.” The harvest field is our nourishment. He opened their eyes declaring, “The fields are white for harvest.” The question is: can we see it? PRACTICAL SHIFTS We’ve talked about crossing over into the Harvest Age but what does that actually look like for you and me? This isn’t just about big vision or prophetic language, it’s about real, everyday shifts in how we think, live, and lead. Here’s what that looks like on the ground: 1. If you’re an everyday believer You may not have a title or a pulpit, but you’re called. God’s not waiting for you to be perfect, He’s just waiting for you to say yes. This is the time to stop seeing yourself as just an attendee and start living like a harvester. That means knowing who you are, hearing God for yourself, and letting your life become a message. It means looking at your workplace, your school, your neighborhood, or even your social media as places God has assigned you to. Don’t wait for permission. Start a Bible study in your home. Pray for someone at work. Share what God is showing you. You carry revival, and it starts right where you are. 2. If you’re a pastor or church leader You’re not just called to gather people, you’re called to send them. In the Harvest Age, the role of a pastor is shifting from simply caring for the flock to equipping them for mission. It’s less about growing big churches and more about growing big people. That might look like training your congregation to hear God, multiplying home groups, releasing people into the community, or creating digital expressions of church that reach beyond your four walls. This is the moment to ask: Are we building something that can multiply? Are we empowering people to go and not just come? 3. If you’re in fivefold ministry This is your moment to recalibrate your role for the harvest. If you’re an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher, God is inviting you to get your hands back in the field. This isn’t the time to be platform-focused; it’s time to be people-focused. Apostles: Build blueprints that serve society, not just Sunday. Prophets: Speak into culture with clarity, not just into church services. Evangelists: Train believers to share Jesus wherever they go. Pastors: Shepherd people in homes, workplaces, and everyday life, not just in rows on Sundays. Teachers: Raise up reformers, not just repeaters. We were never meant to do ministry from a stage alone, we were made to equip people for the world. REAL STRATEGIES FOR A REAL SHIFT So how do we get there? Start with the heart. Before anything else, we need a deep, personal connection with Jesus. Everything flows from intimacy and identity. Train people for real life. Don’t just preach, equip. Help people hear God, pray for others, and live naturally supernatural lives. Break out of the box. The Church isn’t limited to a building or a Sunday service. Home gatherings, neighborhood churches, and even online communities are part of this move. Think bigger than church. The goal isn’t just to get people into ministry, it’s to launch them into mission. We need believers making impact in business, government, education, media, arts, and technology. Work together. Apostolic and prophetic voices must partner, not compete. We need both vision and direction to move effectively. THE CALL TO ACTION This isn’t a future thing, it’s a now thing. The harvest isn’t somewhere far off, it’s in front of you. God is calling us to shift. To move from holding ground to taking ground. From playing it safe to walking in faith. So maybe it’s time to lay down Saul’s armor, the systems, expectations, and limitations that no longer fit and pick up the sling God gave you. The one that feels small but holds power. The one that’s uniquely yours. Welcome to the Harvest Age. Let’s cross over together.