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Posts Tagged ‘Faith’

In interviews, I am often asked, what makes me persevere when others stop? Why did I escape the NYC streets, while so many others perished on them? Well, there are a number of reasons, but the one that I would like to discuss today is that of faith; faith to continue in the face of adversity. Faith to know that I not only can, but will overcome life’s challenges because I believe in something greater than myself. Faith to know that I have the ability to impact this world in a powerful way. Faith to know that humanity has the ability to join me in my pursuit to recreate our existence into a place where ideas, freedoms, happiness, and joy are staples of our society, rather than brief glimpses of hope.What Is Faith?I know that when I speak of faith, many of you automatically think of religion or the notion of a higher power, which is fine. But, what I mean by faith is more than simply believing in a particular religion or believing in a higher power. No, faith in this context is founded on the notion that you will be able to overcome life’s challenges and leave the world better than you found it because of your belief in an entity or idea larger than yourself. Whether your faith is guided by religious underpinnings, belief in nature, an idea, a particular worldview, or a higher power, it is your intimate relationship with these entities that serve as thy rod and thy staff when dealing with life’s challenges in pursuit of this outcome.Many of us look at faith in a very simple way. We often cling to a particular religion, God, or worldview without ever really utilizing our faith as a foundation for our daily lives. For example, many of us attend weekly religious services as though we are punching in our time clocks at work. However, does this practice mean we have faith? Does the fact that you attend religious services mean that you have put your faith in the entity that your religion subscribes to? If yes, how so? How does your faith in this entity show up in your daily life? What is its influence, if any?Faith is based solely on belief, not proof. Therefore, do you believe what you say you believe in? And, how does that manifest itself in your life? Finally, how do you translate your faith (in whatever entity you choose) into you servicing the betterment of humanity?A strong sense of faith in something greater than ourselves allows us to take on tasks, struggles, and burdens that appear insurmountable. Faith provides clarity and direction, where there is none. You may ask, what should I have faith in? The answer to this question is personal and only you can answer it, not your parents, religious leader, boss, or favorite celebrity. Nevertheless, it is a question worth answering, as faith in nothing will leave you at the mercy of every possible distraction known to man. And when I say faith, I mean more than saying you belief in something larger than yourself and simply going through the motions. I mean believing so much that you look to your faith as your foundation. It is that faith that will carry you when you are not strong enough to carry yourself.My Personal Journey Towards FaithWhen I was a teenager, I believed in a higher power, but had no faith that this higher power could help change my life for the better. I often chastised this entity for allowing the drugs, violence, and extreme poverty to thrive in my community. Why was poverty so embedded in my community? Why was violence so commonplace? Why was no one there to help? Where was this so-called higher power? Was I not worthy of the same assistance and guidance from this entity that my counterparts from higher income brackets seemed to enjoy? Or, was I destined to die on these streets simply because I was born of a different race and socio-economic standing than my counterparts?All of these questions swirled around in my head, as I toiled about the poverty stricken Brooklyn streets that I called home. Even today, I cannot answer many of these questions, but I am here to tell you that I survived. In fact, I did better than that, I thrived. You can too no matter what your situation is, as long as you weave your faith into your daily life. You see, life got tougher for me, before it got better. During the darker periods of my life, I chose to create a relationship with this higher power. I allowed this higher power and its higher purpose for me to consume me. Never before, had I done that. Prior to this occurrence, I simply went to church, listened to the sermon about this so called God, and went on with my life until the next sermon. There was no connection between this entity and my everyday life. But that all changed when I found myself in the Middle East during the first Gulf War at the age of 19.Fear can be a great motivator to reevaluate one’s life, priorities, and worldview. It was for me. From the moment I created an intimate relationship with this higher power, my life has moved with velocity to where I am now. That’s not to say that I have not encountered trials and tribulations. We all do, but I walk with a sense of confidence that I do not believe most people have access to, and it is because I have a strong faith in something much larger than myself. I believe that because of my intimate relationship with my creator, I will be able to overcome and successfully deal with whatever life throws at me.I now access a power that I could not access on my own. My faith allows my spirit to thrive when others seem to crumble. Armed with my faith, I will be able to fulfill my purpose, just as King, Ghandi, Mandela, and Mother Teresa fulfilled theirs.What Is Your Faith?I remember Dr. King saying, “I have seen the mountain top…” What did that statement mean? It meant he saw his vision being fulfilled. Can you say that about your life’s vision as confidently as he did? Do you even know what your life’s vision is? If yes, have you transcended to a higher level (from existing to being), being who you were meant to be? Being the champion for what society needs to move to the next stage of development? If not, what is stopping you? I propose a lack of faith, the kind of faith that allows a man like Dr. King to press on against daunting odds so that we all could join him in seeing the mountain top.Understand that faith does not promise that the world will be nurturing or even supportive of your endeavors, but it will help you deal with the world as it is and then help you to recreate yourself as well as the world so that it works for all of humanity. As for my calling, I am working hard so that no one else has to experience the feelings and situations that I have, unnecessarily. My faith gives me the strength to carry on my crusade, because reality tells me that millions of people still experience similar feelings and situations that I did, because they don’t know of any other way of dealing with life’s challenges. But, that is my call to action, what is yours? Moreover, what is stopping you if you are not actively engaging in your crusade?To Successfully Meet The Challenges Of Your Calling You Must Have Faith In…Whatever your skills or talents, use them to uplift humanity. What else are you going to do with your time on earth? Buy another house? Go to another party? Hmm, maybe be of service to another? You can choose to simply just exist, but trust me that leads to an unfulfilling life. Armed with faith you can aim for your higher purpose and access your greater self. Armed with faith you can add to this world as long as you believe that you can. Now, there are many people that do not believe in a higher power, and that is fine. However, regardless of your religious or spiritual views, you must have faith in something if for no other reason than to simply make it through the day in this sometimes-crazy world. Whether you have faith in your fellow man, religion, a higher power, an idea, a particular worldview, or nature, we all must walk with faith if we intend on succeeding in making this world more humane. What faith do you walk with?

“I’ve told you and I’ve told you and I’ve told you and I’m sick of telling you, so this is the last time I’m going to tell you.”

You hear those words coming from someone’s mouth–mom, dad, the wife, the boss or teacher–it’s not a good time to reply, “Good, because I was getting sick of hearing it!”

Why do we, even the best of us, have to be told so much? Certainly with chores around the house and tasks to do at work or school. Absolutely when it comes to spiritual matters? Why do we Lutherans always have to be told about the cross?

Why are we so hard of hearing?

I wonder if today’s text, Luke’s account of Jesus’ Transfiguration, won’t give us some insight into this all-too-human weakness.

Glory in the Cross

1.Jesus’ heavenly glory draws us.

2.Jesus’ suffering and death saves us.

First of all, Transfiguration means simply that your appearance has been changed—for the better! Your form hasn’t been changed—none of that science-fiction body morphing stuff. You stay the same, the same you, but your appearance is different—glorious. We say young children, brides and pregnant mothers beam? Well, imagine beaming from literally every pore of your skin. That’s what happened to Jesus on the mountain. His heavenly glory showed in and through his mortal body.

“Now about eight days after these sayings, (after Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ and Jesus’ talk about him suffering and dying and if anyone would be a follower of his they were going to have to take up their cross and follow Jesus, too) Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white (28-29).”

It was like Jesus was shining like the sun. So brilliant was the light coming from him that it even made his dingy clothing look dazzling white. It is a glorious sight in and of itself, but Jesus’ companions make it even more glorious.

“And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory (30).” These were the two most important prophets of God in the Old Testament. If you wanted to summarize all that was best and good about the Presidents of the United States, you would say, “Washington and Lincoln.” If you wanted to summarize all the men of God in the Old Testament, you would say, “Moses and Elijah.” And there they were, alive in their bodies, talking with Jesus. You can tell this was a glorious sight by the effect it had on the Apostles.

“Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah’-not knowing what he said (32-34).”

Peter, James and John were tired from the hike up the mountain. While Jesus had been praying, they had been napping! Upon waking up they see Jesus, in his glory, and Moses and Elijah just as they are about to take their leave. They missed it (almost)! Wait, wait, don’t go! Like a little child sleeping through almost all the fireworks on the Fourth of July, Peter wants it to last. He’ll build shelters for Jesus and Moses and Elijah. Just stay.

Jesus’ glory drew them.

It is no secret I’ve been spending the last couple of months trying to come up with some music for our 10·2·10 service. It is not that easy. A lot of the music they are singing in other churches focuses on the glory of Jesus. Almost exclusively. Now, songs that sing of God’s glory, that is not a bad thing. A quick look at our Favorite Hymn roster from last September found such glorious hymns as “How Great Thou Art,” “Beautiful Savior,” “Holy, Holy, Holy,” and we could just as well throw in there “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee.” But we want balance. And we’ve got it in our old hymns. “Amazing Grace,” “The Old Rugged Cross,” “Just As I Am” and “I Know that My Redeemer Lives”—even if it took almost 200 years to get that balance. I think it is much more upbeat to focus on the glory of Jesus, his eternal nature, his power, his majesty in nature, his wisdom in creation. That draws us. It does. People actually pay good money to go on vacations where they can see glorious sunsets, glorious, snow-capped mountains, glorious vistas of a tropical beach jeweled with waves. One of the highest joys of heaven is going to be seeing God in all his glory. And that is a hope that revives us and gives us courage to face the death of loved ones and even our own deaths.

But there’s the problem. How are we going to get to heaven? How are we going to afford that eternal vacation to see those glorious sights? We aren’t perfect people. We aren’t glorious people. We aren’t so holy that our holiness takes on a physical dimension so that even dull, earthly eyes can detect it. We have sin! We need a Savior! We need to look closer at this glorious God to find a different glory, the glory in the cross.

God does not let Peter blather on about the glory he was seeing from Jesus. “As Peter was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him (34-35)!’”

Certainly there is no doubt in anyone’s mind who Jesus is. He is the Son of God, attested by God the Father’s own voice heard on the Mount of Transfiguration. Jesus is the Christ, the One Chosen to be the Savior of the world. A glorious person on a glorious mission. What folly it would be not to listen to Jesus! That’s what God the Father was getting across to Peter and the gang, and to you and to me.

Let’s review. What had Jesus been talking about? Luke starts this section by referring to Jesus’ past “sayings.” We saw those sayings centered upon the cross and Jesus’ role in dying on the cross to pay for the sins of the world. What was Jesus speaking to Moses and Elijah about on the Mount of Transfiguration? “His departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.” That’s just a nice way of speaking of his death which would soon take place in Jerusalem. The betrayal. The arrest. The staged trial with false witnesses and predetermined outcomes. The miscarriage of justice in Pilate’s palace. The scourging. The death march. The crucifixion, death and burial. That was Jesus’ departure. Forget about first class or economy. Forget about flight delays or cancellations in getting back to Chicago by plane earlier this week. This was a departure none of us would have the heart to stand in line for, even if we could physically and spiritually endure it.

The cross was his departure and Moses and Elijah consider it so glorious that they have to come back to earth to talk to the glorious, transfigured Jesus about it.

“Listen to him,” God the Father is telling us. “Listen to him,” Moses and Elijah are telling us. “I’m talking about the cross,” Jesus is saying.

Because Jesus’ cross saves us.

If I have a friend who is big and important, chances are he is not my friend because he is big and important. He is not going to be one who is busy all the time telling everyone how big and important he is. He is not going to be spending all his time being his own publicist. He is going to be my friend because I like him, I love him, and I love the things he does. Do you think that off-duty police officer in Salt Lake City gave a hoot who he was when he heard the rifle shots in the mall and looked at his pregnant wife? Probably the only thing he thought was, “Do I have my revolver with me?” and since he did, off he dashed to pin the shooter inside one store to stop his roving rampage until the on-duty police officers came. And do you think his wife loved him because he is a police officer? No, she loved him because he loved her enough to risk his neck to put a shooter out of commission before he shot his wife and he cared enough for all those other people out there to call down the risk of a gun battle in a shopping center upon himself.

Jesus is not an off-duty policeman. Jesus is not Mayor of Bigtown. Jesus is bigger than that. Jesus is God himself, the Son of God. And God is not some cheap, in-the-back-pocket figurine, like a lucky rabbit’s foot. God is the almighty God, the transcendent God, the eternal father, the glorious, holy God. We spent the whole first half of this sermon establishing that.

And look what he does. He put it all away to die on the cross to pay for our sins. That is why he came into this world. That is why he disciplined himself to lead the perfect life as the perfect human being. That is why he steeled himself to start the trip downhill, and it is all going to be downhill for Jesus from this point on until his resurrection on Easter Sunday morning, downhill to his death. For you. For me.

Now who are we going to listen to? And what are we going to hear? As Christians we will turn a deaf ear to those voices out there that say there are better things to do on Sunday mornings than go to church. We are going to tune out those voices that say you don’t have to be constantly in God’s Word to be a good person, to show the discipline to avoid drugs, booze, affairs, gambling addictions, the simple world-weariness that would make you toss a few Molotov cocktails hoping the police would end your life. Corruption sinks into all of us if we are not constantly being renewed by the Holy Spirit who only comes to us through the means of grace, the Gospel in Word, the sermon, the Bible readings, and Sacrament, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We know that because God has told us that. We want to listen to our God, not to the world. They can’t save us from death. We want to listen to our God, not to the devil. He doesn’t want any to get to heaven.

What are we going to hear? We’re going to hear of Jesus’ love for us that led him to the cross. We are going to hear of Jesus’ love for us that made such a huge sacrifice. We are going to hear of Jesus’ love for us that washes us clean of all our sins in God’s sight, not because of the good in us, but because of the good in Jesus for us. We are going to hear of Jesus’ love for us that will love us no matter what. That’s the real glory of our God, the

Glory in the Cross

1.Jesus’ heavenly glory draws us.

2.Jesus’ suffering and death saves us.

Did you tell her? Did you tell her this Valentine’s Day that you loved her? Did you let him know? Did you let him know this week that you loved him more than any man on the face of this earth?

When we see God’s love to us in the cross, it doesn’t become a matter of dutiful repetition, because that’s the way God wants it. It becomes a matter of “tell me again.” “Say it one more time.” “I know you’ve told me a million times before, but I never can get enough of hearing it.” We Lutherans, maybe more than all other Christians, love much, because we have been told much.

“And ye, O peoples, to whom God gave the liberty to choose your own magistrates, see to it, that ye do not forfeit this favor by electing to the position of highest honor, rascals and enemies of God.” —John Calvin

“Political slavery ensues when the public sleep.” —John Dickinson, 1732-1808

At this critical time in the history of the United States, as the nation has selected a new president, there is passivity, indifference and unconcern among pastors and the Christian Church. As one prominent church leader, John MacArthur, recently said, “I wouldn’t spend five seconds thinking about the fall 2008 election.” This mindset is antithetical to the scriptures and historical theology. It reveals a perverted view of church and state that consigns the secular world to a realm outside the influence of the Christian community. By inversion, this myopia views the spiritual as the only sphere wherein God’s will is accomplished. The modern church has become a microbe fortress with virtually no voices to call the nation to repentance. There is a somnambulence of spirit and mind that has overtaken the church world. We are insulated within a micro-world and have consigned the society in which we live to irrelevance. The vacuum of non-involvement with the secular world by Christians is immense. One 20th Century theologian diagnoses the passivity of the modern church, “In the early church there were persons called ‘Anchorites’ who went off into the desert, separating themselves from all social contacts and living solely for God. From that early movement, monasticism was born. In our time, we see a somewhat similar response among some evangelical protestants. They believe that the Christian community should be so separated from the secular sphere that individual Christians should not go into politics or vote in elections, that they should withdraw from the culture, live in distinct communities, have Christian friends exclusively, work for Christian companies, or in general, have nothing to do with this world. It is a way of saying that the authority of the state is illegitimate.” (James Montgomery Boice, Foundations of the Christian Faith, p. 691). The institution of civil government is not illegitimate, it is ordained by God to restrain evil and show forth His glory. In the words of John Murray, “…when the civil magistrate trespasses the limits of his authority, it is incumbent upon the church to expose and condemn such a violation of his authority.” (The Relation of Church and State, p. 253).

The Anchorites of the Middle Ages lived in stone cells approximately 12 x 12 with a small aperture cut through the wall to view the world outside. They devoted their entire life to academic and scholastic study, while repudiating a world they felt was irretrievably lost. Their influence on society was as effectual as an ant on a crumb of bread. The present day Anchorites confidently assume that their weekly or weakly sermon will counter the encroaching darkness that is encircling their religious sphere like a hurricane enveloping a small island. Behind a bluster of verbiage they vainly believe their words are holding back the night. The lacuna of pro-test-ant voices from the matrix of the Christian church has allowed the virulent hatred of theism to capture the agora of ideas. Mere exposition is anemic without confronting a degenerating culture. Apologetics confined to an ecclesiastic cell is cowardice not Biblical courage. The words of a Nineteenth Century Reformation Scholar and theologian, Abraham Kuyper, are disturbing to our comfortable isolation: “There is no doubt then that Christianity is imperiled by great and serious dangers. Two life systems are wrestling with one another, in mortal combat. Modernism is bound to build a world of its own from the data of the natural man, and to construct man himself from the data of nature; while, on the other hand, all those who reverently bend the knee to Christ and worship Him as the Son of the Living God, and God, Himself, are bent upon saving the ‘Christian Heritage.’ This is the struggle in Europe, this is the struggle in America, and this also is the struggle for principles in which my own country is engaged, and in which I myself have been spending all my energy for nearly 40 years. In this struggle, apologetics have advanced us not one single step. Apologetics invariably begun by abandoning the assailed breastwork, in order to entrench themselves cowardly in a raveline [3 sided fortress] behind it. If the battle is to be fought with honor and with a hope of victory, then principle must be arrayed against principle; then it must be felt that in Modernism the vast energy of an all-embracing life system assails us, then also it must be understood that we have to take our stand in a life system of equally comprehensive and far-reaching power.” (Abraham Kuyper, Stone Foundation Lectures: Lectures on Calvinism, 1895, p. 3). A one-dimensional perspective of the church is ecclesiastical suicide. It leaves civil government out of the purview of church authority and God’s sovereign will. “…it was always understood that both church and state were responsible to God in whose wisdom each had been established. They were two independent servants of one master. Although neither was permitted to rule the other, each was to remind the other of its God-appointed duties and recall it to upright, godly conduct if it should stray. Today, however, the doctrine of the separation of church and state is taken, primarily by church people to mean that the church is irrevelant to the state–though the state increasingly brings its secular philosophy to bear on the church. Thus, Christians withdraw from politics, neglect even to inform themselves of national and international issues. And, as a result, the articulation of spirital or moral principles is eliminated from debates on national and international policy. The state becomes its own god with its chief operating principle being pragmatism.” (James Montgomery Boice, Foundations of the Christian Faith, p. 665). When the church is anemic, civil government by default becomes the guardian of the people. Government becomes the foci of trust and hope.

“Wherefore no man can doubt that civil authority is, in the sight of God, not only sacred and lawful, but the most sacred, and by far the most honorable, of all stations in mortal life.” (John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 4, Ch. 20, Sect. 4).

The philosopher and theologian, John Calvin, who designed the secular and ecclesiastical constitution of Geneva in 1540, believed that no walls should separate the influence of the believer from the secular sphere. His doctrine of church/state relations is eye-opening. “All we wish to be understood at present is, that it is perfect barbarism to think of exterminating it [civil government], its use among men being not less than that of bread and water, light and air, while its dignity is much more excellent. Its object is not merely, like those things, to enable men to breathe, eat, drink, and be warmed (though it certainly includes all these, while it enables them to live together); this, I say, is not its only object, but it is, that no idolatry, no blasphemy against the name of God, no calumnies against His truth, nor other offenses to religion, break out and be disseminated among the people; that the public quiet be not disturbed, that every man’s property be kept secure, that men may carry on innocent commerce with each other, that honesty and modesty be cultivated; in short, that a public form of religion may exist among Christians, and humanity among men. Let no one be surprised that I know attribute the task of constituting religion aright to human polity, though I seem above to have placed it beyond the will of man, since I know more than formally allow men at pleasure to enact laws concerning religion and the worship of God, when I approve of civil order which is directed to this end.” (John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 4, Ch. 20, Sect. 3). Calvin valued civil government as having more worth than food to the body and air to breathe. He even calls the state the “religious polity” which is a system of divinely-ordained human government, established by God to glorify Himself and restrain the rebellious nature of man. To him, the state was to reflect from the matrix of the church, a recognition of God as Sovereign Creator and acknowledgement and worship that is due Him. Calvin invested the state with power to restrain idolatry and blasphemy against God. He was in no way apolitical. This is a far cry from pastors and Christians who say that the government is not worth our time and effort to change, amend or restrain. The religious life is not active in the whole of our being, but in a fraction, confined to feelings or the volition. A partial influence of character now obscures the full impact of a redeemed life. Religion and its authority is being excluded, “…from the domain of public life; henceforth the inner chamber, the cell for prayer, and the secrecy of the heart should be its exclusive dwelling place.” “And the result is that, in many different ways, religion, once the central force of human life, is now placed alongside of it; and, far from the thriving of the world, is understood to hide itself in a distant and almost private retreat.” (Abraham Kuyper, 1895, The Stone Foundation Lectures p. 40). The church shadowboxes phantoms of their own devisings. Conferences are held to attack straw men of antiquity, and rededicate their habitually rededicated lives, while the judicial and legislative organs of the nation are increasingly hostile to the name of God. The time consumed on such minutiae is irrational. Little sermons, pridefully delivered as textually sequential, are as far-reaching as the tip of one’s nose. Rhetorical fluff has replaced the Word of God that existentially confronts all of life.

“America is the only country ever founded on a creed.” (G. K. Chesterton)

The philosophic and theological inflence of the Reformation not only established churches but created nations from the central teaching of God’s sovereign will and call. No individual would hold allegiance to any foreign despot that restrained the worship of God, for God alone was the Ruler of heaven and earth. The matrix of constitutional principles came from an understanding of God’s sovereign nature. “The Declaration of Independence dogmatically bases all rights on the fact that God created all men equal; and it is right, for if they were not created equal, they were certainly evolved unequalled. There is no basis for democracy except in a dogma about the divine origin of man.” (G. K. Chesterton, What I Saw in America, 1922). The individual has dignity and worth not deriving from civil law, but solely from God’s hands, as made in His image and likeness. “…Calvinism has captured and guaranteed to us our constitutional civil rights; and that simultaneously with this there went out from Western Europe that mighty movement which promoted the revival of science and art, open new avenues to commerce and trade, beautify domestic and social life, exalted the middle classes to positions of honor, cause philanthropy to abound, and more than all this, elevated, purified, and enobled moral life by Puritanic seriousness;…”. The Reformation, “Created a church order, which became the preformation of state confederation, it proved to be the guardian angel of science; it emancipated art; it propagated a political scheme, which gave birth to constitutional government, both in Europe and America.” (Abraham Kuyper, p. 29, 155). There are some evangelicals, MacArthur and his followers, who view the American Revolution as illegitimate. Their perspective values the authority of colonial England as the God-honored government of the land. They reject the Reformation foundation of the American constitution and diminish the value of our democratic state, as decreed by God for the enobling of man and the propagation of the Gospel. This ahistorical view rejects our religious heritage and fosters a myopic mindset that perceives no interrelation between the church and state. Such a view of our history is quite simply troglodytic. “America had been founded primarily for religious purposes…” “The Pilgrim Fathers had come to America precisely because England had become immoral and irreligious. They had built the ‘City on the Hill.’ Again, their descendants had opted for independence and liberty because they felt their subjugation was itself immoral and irreligious and opposed to the Providential plan. There is no question that the Declaration of Independence was, to those who signed it, a religious as well as a secular act, and that the Revolutionary War had the approbation of divine providence. They had won it with God’s blessing and, afterwards, they drew up their framework of government with God’s blessing,…” (Paul Johnson, A History of the American People, p. 204). The constitutional framers understood that their work was Divinely ordained and empowered by the God of heaven.

What would Calvin have thought or said, living in 21st Century America, where a candidate, and now president of the United States, was accorded titles of divinity? By all that we know of him, he certainly would have spoken out in anger with authority. Just recently, a U.S. House of Representative, Jesse Jackson, Jr., said that an additional book should be added to the Bible, describing the ascendancy of the greatest redemptive figure of Western history. He would call it the Book of Obama. “The single most extraordinary event in American history, even a redemptive act of divine revelation. The event itself is so extraordinary that another chapter could be added to the Bible to chronicle its significance.” (from Politico, June 5, 2008, article by Josephine Hearn, “Black Lawmakers Emotional About Obama’s Success”). Barack Obama has been accorded the title of “The Messiah” by the Nation of Islam. Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, has declared that he (Obama) has entranced our youth and that the day of messiah has arrived. In Obama’s own words, upon receiving the nomination for President of the Democratic Party, “Tonight the tides will slow and the earth will heal.” The New Testament portrays Jesus’ death and resurrection as the only redemptive hope of humanity but Obama says of himself and his followers, “We are the hope of the future; the answer to the cynics who tell us our house must stand divided; that we cannot come together; that we cannot remake this world as it should be. Because we know what we have seen and what we believe–that what began as a whisper has now swelled to a chorus that cannot be ignored; that will not be deterred; that will ring out across this land as a hymn that will heal this nation, repair this world, and make this time different from all the rest.” (Barack Obama, Speech in 2/5/08). With unbridled hubris, he declares, “I am confident that we can create a kingdom right here on earth.” (Barack Obama, October 8, 2007 speech). We have no need for political rulers but men and women of truth who will endure rejection and umbrage to support the unborn, maintain the historic definition of marriage, support Israel as a sovereign state without further territorial concessions and maintain the economic value of the individual, the incentive to achieve. The rhetoric from Barack Obama and his adoring throng come from a matrix of unbridled pride and arrogance unprecedented in American political history. We have heard cult voices utilize such language in the past but they were relegated to the lunacy of mindless extremism. But Obama seduces an entire generation with political/cultic language that is more reminiscent of an illusionary god-complex. In ancient Rome when a conquering general returned to the city with his army and the spoils of war, the whole population would greet him with praise and acclaimation. But running behind the general’s chariot would be a man who would whisper in his ear, “You are not a god, you are mortal.” The church needs to remind Obama that he is not the messiah, he is only a sinful mortal. To perceive of John Calvin’s view of state authority is to understand that he would have opposed and exposed such blasphemy against God.

“On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; all day and all night they will never keep silent. You who remind the Lord, take no rest for yourselves; and give Him no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” (Isaiah 62:6-7)

“And I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ but they said, ‘We will not listen.’” (Jeremiah 6:17)

“At every stage of her existence the Church is in need of watchmen who will guard the flock from all that would destroy it.” (E. J. Young, Book of Isaiah, Vol. 3, p. 470)

As ancient sentinels were stationed on the walls of a city to alert the inhabitants of approaching danger, especially at night, so the prophets of Israel were to sound a tocsin voice to the nation of Israel of impending calamity. The prophets of Israel were the heart of God in human flesh. They encountered every aspect of life in reference to God. The prophets diagnosed the spiritual, cultural, social, economic, political and military condition of the nation from the perspective of eternity. Their voices knew no bounds of influence and repercussion. Nothing was outside the authoritative domain of the prophetic voice. From kings to pauper, all would come to know the mind of God through the enflamed heart of the prophet. Their message embraced the totality of Israel’s life and history. Their voice captured the present from the transcendence of eternity. The prophets mindset encompassed the world, not just a sliver of religious activity. “The prophet is not only a prophet. He is also a poet, preacher, patriot, social critic, moralist.” “The prophet was an individual who said, ‘No’ to his society, condemning its habits and assumptions, its complacency, waywardness and syncretism.” “The prophet faces a coalition of callousness and established authority and undertakes to stop a mighty stream with mere words. Had the purpose been to express great ideas, prophecy would have had to be acclaimed as a triumph. Yet the purpose of prophecy is to conquer callousness, to change the inner man as well as to revolutionize history.” (Abraham Heschel, The Prophets, p. VIII, XIII, p. 16-17). The prophets left no avenue of society untouched by the revelation of God. Their voice hit the solar plexus of society with warning and redemption. No aspect of life was sacrosanct from their fiery confrontation. “By his very claim, his was the voice of supreme authority. He not only rivalled the decisions of the king and the counsel of the priest, he defied and even condemned their words and deeds.” (Abraham Heschel, p. 260). The lack of authoritative voices that speak power to power, truth to lie, clarity to obfuscation, is sorely felt in a nation inebriated by the rhetoric of self-exaltation.

Jesus gave a warning in Matthew 10:16 to his disciples, to be alert of impending danger on the horizon, in the midst of a hostile world. “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be shrewd as serpents, and innocent as doves.” The phrase “shrewd as serpents” and “innocent as doves” is found in the Midrash on Cant. 2:14. Israel is described as “harmless as the dove”, towards God, and “shrewd as serpents” toward the Gentile nations. The serpent has a sensory system that can detect approaching prey or predator by ground vibrations. They can detect motion more than 100 feet away. The believer is to be cognizant of what is on the horizon. We are not to be overtaken by events. When Israel failed to be prudently prescient, they paid a high price as a nation. The epithelium of the church has placed the believer in a state of vulnerability to the encroaching dangers of the culture.

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing any more, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” (Matt. 5:13). There was a common expression among the rabbis in the time of Jesus that the Torah was the “salt of the earth.” “For as the world could not do without salt, neither could it do without the Torah.” (Soferim 15.8). The Torah was believed to have a preservative effect upon the world. The world would rot in an accelerated rate without the retarding affect of the Word of God. But Jesus does something amazing in this passage, He transfers the meaning of Torah to the Galilean disciples, a band of weak, incompetent, unschooled men, despised by the educated of Jerusalem. Jesus says that the Word in and through them would restrain the spoliation of the world. No teacher in the history of Israel has ever made such a declaration. Our presence in word and deed, is to be a preservative in the midst of a dying age. Our lives are to penetrated every realm, retarding corruption. Our influence is to glorify God and affect this world. May we see the glory of God once again shine from sea to sea as at our nation’s birth. Our presence in the midst of this age retards the accelerated spoliation of a dying world.

The need to pray currently for our nation is incumbent upon all of God’s people. A united confluence to seek the will of God is the only restraint to the encroaching darkness over the land. There are thousands of believers across America that are grieved and are being awakened by God for the future of this nation. Only dependence on the Sovereign God can redirect the present course that embraces progressively an autocratic view of life. At signal moments in our past, God has drawn his people in concerted prayer. “Wherefore, although it is true that while we are listless or insensible to our wretchedness, he waits and watches for us, and sometimes even assists us unasked; it is very much for our interests to be constantly supplicating Him; first, that our heart always be enflamed with a serious and ardent desire of seeking, loving, and serving Him, while we accustom ourselves to have recourse to Him as a sacred anchor. In every necessity; secondly, that no desire, no longing whatever, of which we are ashamed to make Him the witness, may enter our minds, while we learn to place all our wishes in His sight, and thus pour out our heart before Him.” “It is very absurd, therefore, to dissuade men from prayer, by pretending that the Divine Providence, which is always watching over the government of the universe, is in vain importune by our supplications, when, on the contrary, the Lord Himself declares, ‘He is nigh unto all that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth.’ (Ps. 145:18).” (Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 3, Ch. 20, Sect. 3). God is the Sovereign Lord of all the nations and He has ordained that His will be accomplished in a unique way through the weakness of our intercession.

The church is losing its spiritual and moral ground to the kingdoms of this world. Yet in their conceited illusion the evangelical anchorites justify such societal degradation as a sign that the end of the age is imminent. This is the ultimate escape from responsibility to our children and their children’s generation. “Religious living is not only a private concern. Our own life is a movement in the symphony of ages. We are taught to pray as well as to live in the first person plural.” “All generations are present as it were, in every moment.” (Abraham Heschel, A Philosophy of Judaism, p. 422-423). The Christian cannot shut himself up in his church and abandon the world to its fate. A concatenation of generations have falsely assumed that the consummation of the age was within their lifetime. “…Occupy [Gk. "pragmateuomai", daily affairs of life, commerce, judicial functions] till I come.” (Luke 19:13). “Watch therefore: for you know not what hour your Lord doeth come.” (Matt. 24:42). Jesus commands constant vigilance regarding the believer’s interaction with society.

“…humanity glorifies God by subduing the earth by words and by work. Tragically, the pious abandon culture to the non-pious. They foolishly argue: ‘Why polish brass on a sinking ship?’ One polishes brass to glorify the ship’s Maker, who will not allow His ship to sink. In other words, the ‘purpose-driven life’ aims among others things to produce a godly culture.” (Bruce Waltke, Old Testament Theology, p. 221).

For too many in the church, the canard has been embraced, “Why polish the brass on a sinking ship?” The answer to that sophomoric question is, God is the Captain of the ship and He has not forsaken it. Yes, the ship of state is listing, but we are called to be a restraint and empowerment toward a God-honoring government. We are at a crisis in American history and only the Sovereign God can restrain a movement that is dishonoring to Him at its very core. If we are silent and passive, we will suffer the consequences with the rest of the nation under God’s chastening hand. Though millions have cried out for a leader after their own heart, as Israel of old, the consequences of God giving Israel an alter-ego, Saul, for a leader was grievous. “And he gave them their request; but sent leanness unto their soul.” (Psalms 106:15). We must pray and seek God to take us out of the small confinement that we are in. We must see Him as the Sovereign Lord of heaven and the nations of the earth. Only God bearing His holy arm can restrain the arrogance and the supercilious movement that is capturing the imagination and seducing millions of Americans.

The systems of dependence are rapidly diminishing in stature and reliance. The promise of constant economic expansion is now being seen to have been illusory and myopic. The stratum of an economic and material foundation of life is being shaken by the seismic changes that call our entire capitalistic system into question. It is as if we as a nation are being sequestered into a cul-de-sac of despair. In this time of the death of America’s golden calves may we be granted the grace of God to be quickened by His spirit to breathe again the breath of eternity in the midst of the death throes of a dying age. “A sense of contact with the ultimate dawns upon most people when their self-reliance is swept away by violent misery.” (Abraham Heschel, A Philosophy of Judaism, p. 422).

3 John 2 Beloved, I wish above all things that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.Hebrews 6:12 …be followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.1 Timothy 6:17 …trust in God who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Hi, my name is Andrew Hittle. Did you know that God really desires for us all to be saved and prosper? Now I’ll try to stick to modern day language to help maintain a level of mutual understanding. I don’t want anybody to say that they have no idea what I am talking about. I was born April 1, 1979 into a Christian home and was taught the Word since my youth. The problem is, as I am sure you all know, some people tend to go their own ways.  I got into alcohol and drugs and lost sight of God and His grace. I almost forgot about God completely and was living for myself. The good part is, other people were praying for me. It took a few years but I finally decided that my life was a wreck and I needed Jesus again. I decided to put down my flesh, my anger, my addiction, and my hate, and I repented and turned from my ways. I was sober again and I felt great. I even went to Bible school and completed a 3 year coarse. God had begun to work on my spiritual development as well as my finances. Things were going really good, so it seemed. But, I had started running a construction business and I had gotten very busy. I wasn’t really making much time for God anymore, and the devil had found a weakness in me. He distracted me and stole my time. I made decent money for a little while but soon got back into the flesh and things slowly fell apart again.Deuteronomy 8:17-19 You say in your heart; My power and the might of my hand has gotten me this wealth. But you will remember the Lord your God for it is He who has given you the power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenent which He swore to your fathers as it is this day. And it will be, if you do at all forget the Lord you God, and walk after other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you will surely perish. Before I knew it, I was running my own life again, rather than letting God run my life. I felt like a disgrace. I knew God didn’t want me to live like that. How could I let the devil trick me into going back. I should have stayed close to God and given Him all the thanks for what He had done in my life. My finances were in a mess again and I was still living in the flesh. Finally, I decided enough was enough. No one could decide for me. I knew the Word was true, and that God desired for me to be saved. But being in a state of sin, I really had no assurance of making heaven. I didn’t want to live in that fear anymore. All glory and honor goes to God for having grace and mercy on me. I repented and turned from my sinful life again. I got back into the Bible and starting studying hard. I started praying for 1-3 hours a day, and confessing the word over my own life, even at work. God has given me an abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness. In God’s eyes I am righteous (or in right standing) with Him. I can now go to Him anytime I want and know that He hears me. Once again I am walking in God’s favor in every area of my life. I am married with 4 children and I am pleased to say that my marriage is doing awesome. I pray for my kids every day so I know they will grow up to serve God like I am. I am serving God with my whole heart now and I am NEVER turning back. Since I allowed Jesus to take control of my life again, He helps me through life, and guides my steps. When a problem comes up, He is always there with me.I guess if you don’t know anything about the Bible, then you probably don’t know that John 3:16 says that God gave His only Son Jesus, (to die in our place for OUR sins) so that we could have everlasting life by believing in Him. I guess you may not know this either; that Romans 10:9 says that if you say with your mouth “Jesus, Be My Lord.” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (I have paraphrased these verses so that the average person can understand what they mean.) So, if you have never confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior, just do it right now. Romans 10:10 says with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. So, just say this: “Jesus, please be my Lord and Savior. I believe you died for me and God raised you from the dead.” It is as simple as that. Great. Now, the way to get the manifestation of God’s Word in your life for other things is very similar to what you just did. It is to confess the Word and personalize it for yourself. The only difference is, NOW you need to meditate on it day and night. I know this sounds a little excessive but God has to know that you are serious. Plus according to Hebrews 11:6 it is impossible to please God without faith. It also says He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Now this doesn’t mean that sitting in a church service will bring you faith. Many churches never even include a single verse from the Bible in an entire sermon. I am talking about the actual written Word. John 1:1 basically says that the Word is God. Therefore by reading the Word to ourselves, we are literally hearing God Himself speaking to us and faith is coming. He has set out every provision for our lives right there in His Word. All we have to do is find a verse and claim it as our own.Let me give you a few examples. You can say these things to God and actually believe what you are saying. Then God will take your faith and reward you for your confession of faith. Note: You won’t believe it the first time you say it. You may believe it in your mind, but it is up to God to decide when you actually believe it with your spirit, or your true inner being. That is why God said to meditate (continually go over in your mind and in your mouth) what He says about you in His Word. Joshua 1:8 says to meditate day and night and observe to do all that is written… then you will have good success.So here are the examples of things to say to God. Note: If you have already been saved but you have sin in your heart right now, you can start with the first example, and work your way right down the list without feeling guilty for anything you have ever done.“God, according to 1 John 1:9 if we confess our sins, you are faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from everything we have done. So God I just ask right now for forgiveness for (you fill in your own personal sins here) and I thank you so much for forgiving me and putting me in right standing with you.”“God, according to Romans 8:1 there is no condemnation (punishment, guilt, etc.) for those who are in Christ Jesus who don’t walk (live constantly) in the flesh but walk in the Spirit. So, I thank you right now for not condemning me. I will not walk in guilt of past sins that have been forgiven.”“God, according to 1 Peter 2:24 You took my sins and put me in right standing with you. You were also wounded for me so that I could be healed. Thank you, I am totally healed in Jesus Name.”“God, according to Psalms 1:1-3 I am blessed (empowered to prosper in every area of my life) because I delight in Your Word, and I do meditate on It day and night. I am like a tree planted by rivers of water, bringing forth fruit in my season. Whatever I do must prosper. Thank you God in Jesus name.”“God, according to Proverbs 3:1-6 You are directing my paths. I have favor with You and with man. I am keeping your Word in my heart and I have long life (in abundance) and peace. I am keeping mercy and truth with me and I trust in you with all my heart. I am not leaning on my own understanding, Lord. I thank You for directing my paths.”“God, since I am in right standing with you, I can claim Ecclesiastes 2:26. You continually give me wisdom, knowledge, and joy. Thank you so much for this.”These are just a few examples of personalizing the Word. This is what God wants us to do. If you begin to live like this on a consistent basis, you will see God do things in your life that are unexplainable. You will have no recourse but to say, “This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in my eyes.” (Psalms 118:23) Matthew 6:31-33 Take no thought saying; What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? …your heavenly Father knows you have need of all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. I know it sounds simple, but examine yourself. If you find yourself getting frustrated over something, thinking “I must do this certain thing or else…” then you are, in fact, in the flesh. Ask for forgiveness and say something like, “God, I am sorry for acting like that. Please forgive me. From now on I am not leaning on my own understanding. I trust in You. My faith is in You, God, not my natural abilities. Thank you for guiding me and giving me peace and joy.” I’m telling you this really works. My most earnest thanks goes out to you for taking the time to read this. It is my deepest desire to help others grow and prosper, because I have been taught and mentored as well. I could not have done it all alone.

THE DANGEROUS SLEEPDr. D. K. Olukoya

One of the places that man suffers his major defeat is in the bed. The sudden trouble of a lot of people started on their beds. One wonderful thing that God can do for you in life is to give you power over the battle of the bed. When you win that battle you will start moving the way God wants you to move. You will not become a prayer warrior if you are still in the bondage of the bed. You will not be useful to the Almighty if the bed is still your cell. You will not become anything powerful to the Almighty if you spend too long a time on your bed.

I read the story of a man who died at the age of 75. He spent almost 25 years sleeping and about six months praying, out of 75 years. It is clear that the fellow had gone to hell fire. He spent one-third of his life sleeping. If you are still caged by the bed then you cannot make any headway spiritually. The major spiritual battles that many people won in their lives were won after midnight.

Matthew 13:25: “But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares, among the wheat, and went his way.”

The enemy does not come to entertain. Sometimes, we start firing at the enemy when he had already planted his evil seed and is gone. We start firing when the destruction has already been done. Sometime ago, a friend of mine boarded a vehicle to Lagos from somewhere in the eastern part of the country. He sat beside the driver and as they were going he noticed that the driver was dozing. He told him to park the vehicle and sleep for a while before continuing on the journey, to avoid an accident. But the driver abused him and told him that he was not sleeping. He slept off again and before they knew it, they had ended up in a pit. The accident occurred because the driver was sleeping but did not admit he was doing so, like many people would do. Some people allow the spirit of slumber to operate their spiritual life. Today, they are awake and tomorrow they are asleep. Witches and powers of darkness look at many of us in amazement because they don’t sleep. They don’t need coffee to remain awake. I know of a fellow, a child of the devil, who decided to hold night vigils against a person for one month. For the one month, from midnight to 3.00 am, he was cursing the man. The person being cursed was busy sleeping until he started seeing himself walking into a coffin.

Please, at this juncture I would like you to pray like this: “You the powers of the night, my life is not your candidate, in the name of Jesus.” If you are the kind of person who sleeps so heavily that you cannot wake up at the first tap, you need deliverance, because it means you are going deep down and to the level that anything could happen to your spirit man. If your spirit man can sleep that far, there is a problem.

Romans 13:11 “And that knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.”

Paul said they were sleeping and had to wake up. If physical sleep is very bad what about spiritual sleep?

Sleep is a period of rest during which the sleeper loses the awareness of his surroundings. So, the danger in sleep is the loss of awareness. The elder brother of sleep is what medical people call “coma.” Some people are in spiritual coma. Messages and prayer do not worth anything to them. They may be at church service but would not hear what the preacher is saying because they are already dead spiritually even though they are alive physically. When a person falls asleep, all his physical activity decreases, his muscles relax and he could have a nightmare. Occasionally a person sleepwalks. A person who is sleep-walking can rise up, go to the kitchen, drink something go back to the bed and continue to sleep. And if you say, “Who drank this thing?” He would say, “I never stood up, I did not go there.” This is not common in Africa though. I pray that it will not happen to you, in Jesus’ name. Some people even discuss in their sleep. That is why a local proverb says that sleep is the friend of death. It is during sleep that the agents of Satan in our environment lay evil eggs in people’s lives and they try to make sure that their victims do not know what they have done, because if they know, they will shake off the evil eggs. That is why the Bible says that while men slept, his enemies came quietly, planted evil and went away. It is not all enemies that will attack you directly. In fact, most enemies will not attack you directly. They just come, lay their evil eggs and go away.

When you lose the battle of the bed, you lose all battles. Satan has destroyed so many good things because of sleep. When you are addicted to sleep physically it is bad, but it is even worse when it is transferred to the spirit man. Sleep gives the enemy a chance to sow tares. While men sleep, many human tragedies occur. For example, fire, hurricane and tornadoes sweeping homes and cities away sometimes before the victims wake up. So, sleep is a time of insecurities, you cannot protect yourself at that time. It is a time of inactivity and a time of delusion when you assume that all is right only for you to wake up to see a great change. So, we need to be aware of the dangers of spiritual slumber. Great changes may occur for the enemy would be at work. Some people would say, “When I went to sleep last night, I was okay but by the time I woke up, I had become another person.” Some people go to bed sound only to wake up mad. The powers of the night waited for them to sleep and planted things in their lives.

Please, take this prayer points: “Every seed of the power of the night, roast, in the name of Jesus.”

The Bible categorizes spiritual sleep into many classes. We will look at some of them. This will help you to know whether you are awake or not. The fact that somebody’s eyes are open does not mean that he is not sleeping spiritually. 1. The sleep of Jonah: Jonah 1:5-6 : “Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.”

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SLEEP OF JONAHIt was an unrealistic sleep, a sleep of illusion. The storm was raging, men were in danger but Jonah did not realize it at all. Likewise many people today think that they can put a cover over their head and all the bad things they are seeing around them would go away simply because they are sleeping. No, they will not go away. The sailor confronted Jonah, “What meanest thou, O sleeper arise, call upon thy God. Can’t you see what is happening around?” There are many people like Jonah, a lot of things are happening around them, yet they are sleeping. Many, today are roaming about sleeping unrealistically. Their sin is raging like the hurricane and is as dark as the night and the danger is great but they want to believe that everything is going to be all right. That is why Paul warns: “Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead and the light of Christ shall shine upon thee.Unfortunately, many will die under this delusion because their eyes are covered, they think that the world will just go on like that and that nothing will happen. They believe that politicians will be politicians, military men will be military men, governors will be governors, etc. No, very soon, things will happen. If you are sleeping like Jonah, I pray that the Lord would deliver you, in Jesus’ name.Some people have the call of God upon their lives and God has told them where to go but they have slept off like Jonah and have also decided to go another way. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh but he headed for Tarshish and slept off on the way. Eventually, he went from his bed of sleep into the mouth of a fish and was there for three days. He did three days dry fast in the belly of the fish because of unrealistic sleep. He was running away from God and consoled himself by sleeping.

2. The sleep of the apostle and the sleep of the disciple: What is the nature of the sleep of the disciples? It is the sleep of weariness. Mark 14:37 says, “And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? Couldest not thou watch one hour?” He first called him Peter and later called him Simon. There is a difference between the two names. Peter means rock while Simon means reed. Anytime Peter began to do a slow motion in the Bible, Jesus would not call him Peter, He would say Simon. And when he was doing well, He would call him Peter. When Peter left Jesus and began to fish after the resurrection, Jesus said, “Simon son of Jonah lovest thou me…” Here He called him Simon which means a reed, somebody who shakes here and there. “Simon, sleepest thou? Couldest not thou watch one hour?” That is, could you not do one-hour night vigil? There are many people like that. The only night vigil they do effectively with minimal sleep may be the ones organised by the church. Such people are deceiving themselves. When you cannot sit down and do a personal vigil for at least one hour, you are sleeping the sleep of the disciple. Jesus asked His disciples to pray for danger was coming. The betrayal was to come that night and soldiers were coming. Perhaps if Peter had prayed that one hour prayer, he would not have denied the Lord. When danger came, they stood up and were wide awake but that could not help the situation. I pray that you will not wake up when it is too late.

Today, people are exhausted and weighed down, and their senses are dumb spiritually. There is a need to be watchful, for the enemy will attack when we least expect. While righteous men sleep, the enemy does not sleep. The Bible says, “Be sober, be vigilant for the devil, your adversary walketh about seeking whom he may devour.” Evil lurks in every corner when the righteous people are weary. The disciples slept the sleep of weariness and we see where it landed them.

3. The sleep of Samson: It is very sad to know that many men are sleeping the sleep of Samson. They leave their wives at home and locate a local Delilah somewhere and are sleeping there. To worsen their case, their friends who will come and smoke cigarette at their funeral are encouraging them to die. Samson, whose birth was prophesied by an angel, a supernatural man, could not withstand the lap of Delilah.

Judges 16:19: “And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.” The seven locks of head stand for perfection.

WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE SLEEP OF SAMSON? It is the sleep of presumption. That is the spirit of “I can handle it, no problem,” the spirit of over-confidence. Samson knew that he was in danger for Delilah was after the secret of His power, but he could not help himself. Delilah made him to sleep on her knees and she cut off his hair. When he awoke due to the cry of the Philistines, he said, “I will go out like other times.” But the Bible says that he did not know that the Lord had departed from him. He was surprised that day because he had presumed that everything was still okay. Then his eyes were pulled out and he was made to grind pepper in the mill of the enemy. It is wrong to presume that you are safe and therefore place yourself in danger. One day, you may wake up and find that the Lord has departed from you.

4. The sleep of the sluggard: A person who will sit for exams and is sleeping eight hours everyday will end up a failure. Proverb 24:30-34: “I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding, and lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well. I looked upon it, and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep; so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.” Many Christians are very lazy. They don’t want to do the Lord’s work. Just as a lazy person cannot do well physically, also a lazy person cannot do well spiritually. Laziness is the reason people give excuses for not doing what they are supposed to do. For example, they would complain that Bible studies usually take time and that is why they do not attend. Many are inactive when it comes to sowing the seed to the kingdom. Lazy people lack spiritual exercise. Family worship and Bible study are foreign to them. Just as a lazy farmer will not receive the best crop, a lazy Christian too will not receive the best from the Lord. The sleep of carelessness that many people sleep cannot fetch them anything from the Lord.

5. The sleep of Eutychus: Act 20:7-12: “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep; and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third floor, and was taken up dead. And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, trouble not yourselves, for his life is in him. When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.” This is the longest sermon in the Bible. Here was a man who had a bed at home and could have slept at home, but he did not do so but came to the house of God and decided that everything they were saying there was sleeping tablet and he started sleeping. And as he slept, his enemy that pursued him to the meeting said, “We shall use you to disgrace them here.” He slept until he fell down. If a fellow would be sleeping like that while a message is going on, it shows that he will not be useful at a night vigil. He would be a useless disciple. One of the things that has captured especially this country is that there are some people who wake up in the morning while believers are still sleeping and take over the whole day. They give orders to the day to co-operate with them while Christians are still sleeping. If you wake up at 8 a.m. and pray a five-minute prayer, and later you say, “I don’t know how today went,” that is the sleep of Eutychus.

6. The sleep of the foolish virgins: We have their story in Matthew 25. They did not have sufficient oil in their lamps and yet they were sleeping.

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHETHER YOU ARE ALREADY DEEP IN SPIRITUAL SLEEP?

When prayer ceases to be a priority to you. When you become content with the spiritual knowledge that you have already acquired. When your biblical knowledge is not applied inwardly. You just go to church, hear the message and read the Bible but you cannot apply them inwardly. They have no effect on your thought life or on your way of life. When thoughts about heaven and eternity cease to be regular in your life. You don’t think about heaven. It does not cross your mind that this world is not a permanent place. You are only concerned about material wealth. It is a sign of spiritual slumber. You forget that our period on earth is temporary, that very soon all you have acquired in this world would become raw materials for fire. When services in the house of God hold no delight for you. You are not interested in what goes on there. When spiritual discussion becomes a source of embarrassment to you. For example, in your office, talking about Jesus or spiritual things becomes highly embarrassing because you know that those around will certainly know that you are not behaving like a Christian. When things like leisure, sports, recreation, entertainment, etc. take a large part of your time, sleep has crept in and if you don’t wake, up the enemy will come and sow tares or lay eggs if they have not already done so. When you commit the sin of the mind and body without your conscience pricking you. When the aspiration for holiness is no longer paramount in your heart. When you look for Scriptures to back up your unholy behaviour, you know the truth but you are running away from it. People can always recognize the truth when they see it and they can always know when they are trying to wriggle away from the blunt truth. The truth may be bitter and unpalatable but it is very stubborn. No matter what you do to it, it will stand looking at you. If you knock it down, it will stand. You throw it away, it will stand. You bury it, it will come up. It is very stubborn. It may take time to manifest, but it must manifest. When acquisition of worldly material is the major part of your thinking. When you are singing Christian songs and chanting Christian words just from the lips and not from the heart. Surrendering to Jesus, only what is convenient is a sign of spiritual slumber. Taking the Lord’s name in vain shows that you are sleeping. You talk about the Lord as if He was your houseboy. Saying that He has spoken something when He has not spoken: you did not receive a revelation and you say you did. Watching dirty movies and T.V shows and reading impure literature is a sign that you have already slept. A lot of people can stay glued to the T.V for hours without sleeping but immediately you say, “Let us pray” they sleep off. When with the slightest excuse you avoid spiritual duties, you have slept. When you are contended with your lack of spiritual power and you no longer seek power from high. The first key to spiritual power is lack of rest in your soul because you are not satisfied with your present level. When you pardon your sin and your laziness by saying that God understands, you are spiritually sleeping. When you as a Christian can easily adjust to the life style of the world. You dress differently to church and differently outside. It is a sign that you are spiritually asleep. If you still crack dirty jokes with unbelievers, or they feel at ease in your company to do whatever they like, then you are asleep. The correct position is that they should find it very difficult to do or say certain things before you. When you are willing to cheat your employer, you have slept. Today, my cry to God for you is that you will wake up like Paul said. Paul was not talking to unbelievers. He was talking to Christians. He said, “Awake thou that sleepest and Christ has shown you light.” So, it is time to awake from our sleep because now is our salvation nearer than it was before. Do not waste time clearing the evil eggs that the enemy has laid in your life while you were sleeping. The time you should do useful things for the Lord, you are busy using it to do deliverance for what happened to you while you were sleeping. It is better to be awake and pursue the enemy right into their gates. This is a serious matter and must be tackled aggressively.It is not a good thing for you to say that you go to church and God does not speak to you. You cannot hear Him even on simple things of life such as your job. You are a Christian, yet you are gambling with life. When somebody begins to experiment with life, he does not get the best out of it. The best thing is to be in the right place at the right time and to be sure what the Almighty wants to do with your life. The fact that what you are doing is good does not mean it is divine. If you have things to sort out with the Lord, do that now. Look back at your spiritual life. Look at what is happening now. Are you having the best? Haven’t you noticed the mistake that you have made because you could not hear from heaven? Haven’t you noticed the mistake was because you were spiritually asleep? You have given your enemy opportunity to plant weeds. Sort yourself out with the Lord. Make a promise that as from now on, your spirit man will be on fire and that fire will be burning on the altar of your life. Why should your ears be making noise and you are hearing nothing? Why should your eyes be itching but you are seeing nothing. You know everything about your field of specialization but you do not know what the Holy Spirit is saying about your life. Please, pray aggressively.

PRAYER POINTS

1. O Lord, wake me up from every spiritual sleep, in the name of Jesus.2. Every evil seed sown into my life while I was sleeping, be removed by fire, in the name of Jesus.