Does The Church Need to Wake Up?

a·wak·en·ing – An act or moment of becoming suddenly aware of something

Throughout history, awakenings have been key catalysts for change, both in the lives of nations and in the lives of individuals. In the book of Revelation, the apostle John penned a message from Jesus to the Church in Sardis, a stern challenge to awaken spiritually or face some harsh consequences. I believe this same challenge is relevant to us (The Church) today…more than ever.

“I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.” ~JESUS {Revelation 3:1-3}

Here are a few takeaways from this passage that are vital for The Church:

1. GOD knows what you do – even when you’re fooling everyone else.

You can fool your spouse, kids, parents, friends, co-workers, neighbors, pastor, church family, and the woman behind the cash register at Kroger – but you cannot fool God.

2. Your reputation doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t line up with your actions.

You can have a great reputation for being someone of godly character, but God sees what you’re doing behind closed doors when no one else is watching.

3. Holiness matters.

4. Get back to the Word.

This is a biggie! We don’t have the authority to discard or dilute Scripture. I love what Perry Noble says – “If it’s watered down, it’s not the Gospel.” We need to remember that Jesus is the Living Word. This means for you to discard Romans (or any other Scripture) as dated writings is to discard Christ. It’s imperative for The Church to stick to the Word. Even when it’s offensive? Yes. Even though it’s not politically correct? Yep. Our end goal as believers is not for everyone to agree with us. You can communicate the good news of Jesus and some people will still hate you. In fact, Jesus told us, “the world will hate you.” Love it anyway.

5. Repent. 

We cannot be forgiven if we’re not willing to repent. Revival starts with us. If our world is ever going to have a spiritual awakening – it has to begin with me – in my own heart. The world will never wake up if The Church is still sleeping.

Because I’m hearing impaired I can pretty much sleep through an explosion. It takes a vibrating alarm clock, Fitbit band, or my wife shaking me back and forth to wake me up. I believe The Church needs to be shaken. We need to wake up. Too many churches and Christians are basing their beliefs on what’s popular in culture instead of what the Word of God says.

Let’s wake up, baby!