TIME TO AWAKEN |
"Therefore let us not sleep, as do others do, but let us watch and be sober." (1 Thesallonians 5:6) As we approach the end of the third decade since the 1990 revolution in Romania, the impact upon the church is evident. The transition from the old oppressive regime, which restrained open evangelism, to the current era of liberty and open capitalism, has left varying marks upon the steadfastness of the believers. The church of the Lord Jesus Christ is called to watch and to live circumspectly. Such living seemed more natural under the old oppressive regime. Today, we too often see believers who are failing to resist the natural tendency to sleep. We are called to awaken from sleep and to live soberly while it is yet day. But why are so many families struggling? Why are so many churches lacking young men to serve in leadership? Why are so many widows and elderly left alone while their children have abandoned their homes to work abroad? It is sad when we observe these situations in some of the churches in which we serve. Of course, Christian families are never immune from trials and temptations. Rather, Satan never wastes his time. He is by nature, a murderer, a thief and a liar. He comes only to kill, steal and destroy. And families within the church are his prime target Let’s take a short journey back to the Garden of Eden. Just say, Adam was busy on a project in the garden and he told Eve “relax, take a walk in the garden, while I finish this project.” Of course, the tempter knew that Eve was alone and vulnerable and he came to keep her company. We might wonder, if Adam and Eve had a better communication system, would things have turned out differently? We wonder, if Adam had well communicated the command not to eat of that one tree, and the danger of disobedience. We wonder, if she had known God on a personal level as Adam did, would she have feared the Lord and not fallen into temptation? What is needed, and sometimes seems sorely lacking, is a fear of God. God’s Word says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And indeed it is, when we have it before we contemplate breaking His commandment (James 1:14,15). It is something else when we see “the fear of God” coming only after the fact! Perhaps too many living under the new covenant of today have abused the grace of God, and walked in so many liberties that the testimony of the church and the message of the Gospel has been stained with fearless living. We live in such desperate times brother and sisters, not just in Romania or Moldova, but in all parts of the globe. It is time for true, genuine, heartfelt repentance, as such as it was in the Old Testament when people would tear their clothes, put on sackcloth and pour ashes upon their heads. They would then confess their sins and cry out to God for forgiveness. It is not the time for dust-covered Bibles. It is time to seek His face, in the Word and in prayers. May God have mercy on us, restore us and give us again the fullness of the presence of His Holy Spirit! |