Awakening

 11And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. Romans 13:11-12...."Has the church become 'revival proof?' Can He awaken what doesn't realize it's asleep?" Unknown

One of the truly great singer/songwriter/evangelists was Keith Green, who was a central figure in the Jesus Movement of the late 60's and early 70's. One of his greatest songs was "Your Love Broke Through," with my favorite lyric in it being, "Like waking up from the longest dream, how real it seemed, until Your love broke through. I've been lost in a fantasy that blinded me, until Your love broke through." Green was speaking of his life prior to the Light and Life of Christ breaking through what he thought was real, and revealing to him what truly was real and eternal; Jesus Christ. Even so, I think that lyric, as well as the above quote, are on point as far as concerns the western church. We're asleep. Asleep in the Light as another of Green's songs says. Asleep, and yet we don't know it. We're dreaming that all is well, the church, and especially us. We think we're fully alive, but we're not. I feel He is speaking to us as He did to the church in Sardis, in the book of Revelation; "Now wake up! Strengthen what little remains for even what is left is at the point of death." That's where the question from the unknown source above comes in. Can He awaken us when we seem so oblivious to the fact that we're asleep?

We have found it easy to fall asleep because we no longer have our hearts tuned to His voice. We have watered down His Word and it's meanings, particularly His warnings that our found there. Someone said that love does win, but also warns. We have not heeded many warnings of late. We have so cheapened His grace as to make it a free pass to living a lukewarm spiritual life. We've embraced "casual Chrisitianity," which is something totally unknown to both Christ and His Word. Francis Chan said that a lukewarm Christian is an oxymoron. There can be no such creature. Yet we've made ample room in the church for just such creatures.

We the church have become so much more self-centered, and so much less Christ-centered. This is seen in the music we sing. So much of it is about how much He loves us, how much He wants to do for us, what He's given, what He yet wants to give. All this is true, but where are the songs that center on His glory, and above all, upon His holiness, or His command for us to be holy as He is holy? We've turned Him into more of a dispenser of blessings, than a majestic Father who calls us to fall before Him in wonder and worship. Like sleepwalkers, we're sleepwalking through life and not aware of it. They say one should never try to awaken a person who is walking in their sleep. In our spiritual lives, He can do nothing else. Can He? Can He do so with us, or are we in such a deep sleep that we have become "revival proof?" Awakening proof?

The words of Christ through Paul in Romans, and directly to the Sardis church in Revelation have one deep bond in common; they carry a great sense of urgency. I believe He speaks such urgency to the church today, and every day, but are we listening? Or have our comfort, security loving lives lulled us into sleep, or at best, a half-awake state? We must awaken. We must wake up. Former President John F. Kennedy, as a young man, wrote a book titled, "While England Slept." It detailed how Hitler was able to build Germany into the deadly superpower it became, and into the monstrous force it would show itself to be. All while England, fearing confrontation, slept. Whatever our reason, fear, apathy, or simple self absorption, we cannot remain asleep. The power of the darkness grows, but it can only overcome the church, quenching the light we are charged to shine, if we are sleeping. May we, you and I, awaken, rise up, and meet the increasing threat. Today, His salvation is nearer than when we first believed. Tomorrow it will be even nearer.

Blessings,

Pastor O