It’s Time for An Awakening!

The world is growing darker each day. As children of the light we do not belong to the night or to darkness. Since we belong to the day, let us be sober and put on the breastplate of faith and love and for a helmet the hope of salvation. We should not be like other people who are spiritually sleeping, but alert and awake to the truth of the gospel.

The need for body of Christ to awaken from it’s slumber has been a constant stirring in my spirit for many years.  It is time for the church to wake up and arise from its deadness!  Ephesians 5:14 says, “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Evidently, the church of Ephesus must have fallen asleep.

Personal testimony

On November 21, 2007 I heard the following words in my spirit: “You will have to be strong and courageous. Many are living for self without seeing the condition of God’s house.” As a former church administrator/minister I sensed that many people leave God’s house after church service feeling empty, unsatisfied and weak in their faith. This is not what God intended for His people, and it grieves Him to see it. What I didn’t understand then was that a time would come when the church would be in decline, and many would turn away from the faith to what Paul called, “

In my search for understanding of what the Spirit was revealing to me I read Jesus’ letters to the seven churches in Revelations, and “The Church Awakening, An Urgent Call For Renewal, by Charles (Chuck) R. Swindoll, a respected evangelical Christian pastor, author, and radio preacher. The author’s purpose was to call the church to become aware of how far we have drifted from the truth of the Gospel message. I’m sadden to see that six years later to see that the church has not changed. Spiritual deception and ignorance is still evident in the Church and society today.

Awaken from dead religion

Spiritual Awakenings have take place through the history of the church during times of spiritual complacency. The body of Christ must awaken many from the deadness of religion and strengthen what remains of the church Christ started. We must come out of our religious way of thinking and receive divine revelation that opens up to new realms of thinking and possibilities that can only be achieved by faith in God.  We must have a clear vision that unites the Church in fulfilling Christ’s commission to “go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And teach them to obey all the commands given to the early Apostle, if the Church is to fulfill its highest calling in Christ (Matt. 28:19-20).

Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is one who keeps the Law. In many aspects of life, especially in communities, a clear vision acts as a guiding force. Proverbs 29:18 emphasizes the importance of divine revelation in providing vision. Without proper guidance people become unrestrained, wandering aimlessly without a clear direction. Proverbs 29:18 emphasizes the importance of divine revelation in providing a clear vision for the Church to fulfill the work Christ left us to do. 

Understanding the Present Time

Paul wrote in Romans 13, “And 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. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.”

It is high time for the Church to wake up from its slumber, put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. “Will we stand for God’s Word? Will we live righteously or is the truth and God’s Way a dead thing of the past?” Our eyes must be open and our faculties must be alert and vigorous in the critical season. Lukewarm Christianity will not fulfill God’s purposes for his church.

Christ’s Words to the Seven Churches

“When the Church is absolutely different from the world, she attracts it.  It is then that the world is made to listen her message, though it may hate it at first.” – D. Martin Lloyd-Jones

The Book of Revelation  was given by Jesus Christ to His angel or  “messenger” to give to the Apostle John.  John was given a vision of end-time events leading up to the return of Christ. He was told to write in a book what he saw and send it to  seven churches that represented congregations of the church of God: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. These churches were not a sum total of the church of God. Christ selected these seven churches of the many churches in Asia Minor in order to get His message across to the Church. It’s not that there  were no problems or sins in the other churches but the problems talked about in these seven churches illustrate the spiritual condition that may be possible in the churches until He returns.

Revelation uses signs or symbols to convey spiritual truth to the church (Rev. 22:16).  The prophecies spoken of in Revelation did not mean they would come to pass right away, however they do indicate how quickly time will take place when they are fulfilled. I must say there are things taking place today that I never imagined would happen in my lifetime.

In Revelation 3, the Lord spoke of seven dangers in these churches that are prevalent in the church today. He begins by commending what was good in the churches, and then proceeds to tell them what is amiss. There was hypocrisy, and lamentable decay

1.  The congregation had forsaken its first love. The church was busy working for the Lord, without passion.  They drifted away from heartfelt devotion to Christ.  All the spiritual activity and all the gifts and power cannot substitute for a solid relationship with God.
2. To remain faithful to God in spite of tribulation or poverty.  We must beware of compromising what we believe for the sake of riches.

The Message to Sardis

Speaking to the church at Sardis Jesus had this to say, “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief ,and you will not know at what time I will come to you (Rev. 3:1-3).

Think about the many revivals throughout church history. Think about the ministers God has used to pioneer some of those revivals. It was the presence and power of God in these meetings and on these ministers that drew the people. Throughout history people have always craved the supernatural. I know that the local church also caters to people’s natural lives and natural needs, and cannot be run like a revival. But the people also need continual renewal and refilling of the Holy Spirit.

“My soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory.” (Ps. 63:2-3)

The Spirit of the Lord is saying “Wake up! Strengthen what remains, and is about to die. We have unfinished work to do before the return of Christ. ”  In the Book of Acts, we see the power of the Holy Spirit working through the first-century churches—not just in the miraculous sign gifts, but in the daily witness of the churches.

Blessings,

Dr. Francine is an ordained minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. She hosts a broadcast called “Going Beyond Church” on Facebook. You can connect with Dr. Francine on Facebook at @afrancinegreen as well as on Twitter @beyond_2017. Visit her website at http://www.afrancinegreen.com.

Notes:

All Scriptures are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE) unless otherwise noted.