Awakening
“Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Luke 24:44-49
How did the disciples go from fearfully forsaking the Lord after His arrest, to becoming unstoppable witnesses for Christ? They were awakened to to the glory of Christ and the hope of the resurrection. In view of the certain hope of the resurrection of Jesus, Paul admonished the Corinthian: “Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.” 1 Corinthians 15:33-34
Brothers and sisters, like the Corinthians, we live in a world where many are living only for the temporary things of this life. If we are not careful, like the Corinthians, we can allow bad company to turn our hearts away from the infinite hope that we have in Christ. Paul urged those who were losing sight of the hope of the resurrection to wake up from their drunken stupor. In other words, to fail to live in the light of the hope of the resurrection is to be like a drunk who is not fully aware of where he’s going and consequently stumbles and falls.
The hope of the resurrection gives us meaning and purpose for living that enables us through the Spirit to put sin to death and live for righteousness and the greater glory of Jesus Christ. Therefore Paul concludes, “Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.”
Notice here that not only bad company, but also bad theology about God will lead to shameful living. But how many of you know - it's not enough to just have good theology. We must be awakened. We must live in the light of the glorious knowledge of who God is and the hope that we have in Christ by the renewing of our minds daily so that we are transformed to bear the fruits of Christ and resist conformity to this world (Romans 12:1-3).
In an article entitled, “Are we too distracted for revival,” Bret McCraken writes, “The social media algorithm is a menace to healthy Christian formation. Has Satan ever delighted more in any human technological invention? He doubtless cackles in delight at how easily Christians today voraciously gorge on digital junk food ingeniously concocted by AI in Silicon Valley eager to commandeer our attention. Is there a better strategy to undermine Christian mission, formation, and holiness than to fill up every open second in a Christian’s life with ceaseless content, such that we have no free space left in which we might pray, seek, savor, and commune with God? Is there a better strategy to undermine Christian mission, formation, and holiness than to fill up every open second in a Christian’s life with ceaseless content? If revival often coincides with a collective return to fervent, desperate prayer (what Mark Sayers calls “contending prayer”), what would revival look like in a church increasingly too distracted to pray? In a world where the dopamine rush of notifications, likes, and insta-feedback is intoxicating, the more patient discipline of prayer (especially private prayer) can feel like a slog. Is anyone listening? Do I even have the energy or motivation to speak if there’s no immediate feedback loop (RTs, likes, comments) to validate my thought, petition, or plight?
Prayer is a struggle for every generation of Christians, but it’s harder than ever in our stillness-averse age. We’re simply too distracted by ever-present media to long for God’s presence. But if we want revival, we need to want God’s presence. More than we want anything else.”
Do we long for God’s presence more than anything else? Is that longing evident in the frequency, fervency and focus of our prayers? If it’s not, it could be that we’ve become distracted by this world. Our greatest need when we pray is a right conception of God. For this reason the Psalmist wrote, “You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” (Psalm 27:8)
Because Jesus shed His blood and the veil was torn, all who believe can confidently and joyfully say as the Psalmist, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” We should seek the hand of God for our needs, but until we have a right conception of God and all that we are in Christ we won’t fully grasp or desire what we need most. When we seek His face first, the Lord will be glad to open His hand.
What changed the disciples from fearful men to courageous witnesses for Christ? The Holy Spirit opened their eyes more fully to the glory of Christ and the hope of His resurrection. For this reason the Lord said through the Psalmist, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10). And it’s why the disciple waited in an upper room in prayer before the Lord poured out upon them the power and presence of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:14).
May we, by God’s grace, keep from falling prey to the bondage of worldly distractions and seek Him to enlighten the eyes of our hearts to the hope we have in the risen Christ so that we might live fearlessly to the praise of His glory and grace.
Blessings,
Pastor Marco
How did the disciples go from fearfully forsaking the Lord after His arrest, to becoming unstoppable witnesses for Christ? They were awakened to to the glory of Christ and the hope of the resurrection. In view of the certain hope of the resurrection of Jesus, Paul admonished the Corinthian: “Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.” 1 Corinthians 15:33-34
Brothers and sisters, like the Corinthians, we live in a world where many are living only for the temporary things of this life. If we are not careful, like the Corinthians, we can allow bad company to turn our hearts away from the infinite hope that we have in Christ. Paul urged those who were losing sight of the hope of the resurrection to wake up from their drunken stupor. In other words, to fail to live in the light of the hope of the resurrection is to be like a drunk who is not fully aware of where he’s going and consequently stumbles and falls.
The hope of the resurrection gives us meaning and purpose for living that enables us through the Spirit to put sin to death and live for righteousness and the greater glory of Jesus Christ. Therefore Paul concludes, “Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.”
Notice here that not only bad company, but also bad theology about God will lead to shameful living. But how many of you know - it's not enough to just have good theology. We must be awakened. We must live in the light of the glorious knowledge of who God is and the hope that we have in Christ by the renewing of our minds daily so that we are transformed to bear the fruits of Christ and resist conformity to this world (Romans 12:1-3).
In an article entitled, “Are we too distracted for revival,” Bret McCraken writes, “The social media algorithm is a menace to healthy Christian formation. Has Satan ever delighted more in any human technological invention? He doubtless cackles in delight at how easily Christians today voraciously gorge on digital junk food ingeniously concocted by AI in Silicon Valley eager to commandeer our attention. Is there a better strategy to undermine Christian mission, formation, and holiness than to fill up every open second in a Christian’s life with ceaseless content, such that we have no free space left in which we might pray, seek, savor, and commune with God? Is there a better strategy to undermine Christian mission, formation, and holiness than to fill up every open second in a Christian’s life with ceaseless content? If revival often coincides with a collective return to fervent, desperate prayer (what Mark Sayers calls “contending prayer”), what would revival look like in a church increasingly too distracted to pray? In a world where the dopamine rush of notifications, likes, and insta-feedback is intoxicating, the more patient discipline of prayer (especially private prayer) can feel like a slog. Is anyone listening? Do I even have the energy or motivation to speak if there’s no immediate feedback loop (RTs, likes, comments) to validate my thought, petition, or plight?
Prayer is a struggle for every generation of Christians, but it’s harder than ever in our stillness-averse age. We’re simply too distracted by ever-present media to long for God’s presence. But if we want revival, we need to want God’s presence. More than we want anything else.”
Do we long for God’s presence more than anything else? Is that longing evident in the frequency, fervency and focus of our prayers? If it’s not, it could be that we’ve become distracted by this world. Our greatest need when we pray is a right conception of God. For this reason the Psalmist wrote, “You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” (Psalm 27:8)
Because Jesus shed His blood and the veil was torn, all who believe can confidently and joyfully say as the Psalmist, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” We should seek the hand of God for our needs, but until we have a right conception of God and all that we are in Christ we won’t fully grasp or desire what we need most. When we seek His face first, the Lord will be glad to open His hand.
What changed the disciples from fearful men to courageous witnesses for Christ? The Holy Spirit opened their eyes more fully to the glory of Christ and the hope of His resurrection. For this reason the Lord said through the Psalmist, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10). And it’s why the disciple waited in an upper room in prayer before the Lord poured out upon them the power and presence of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:14).
May we, by God’s grace, keep from falling prey to the bondage of worldly distractions and seek Him to enlighten the eyes of our hearts to the hope we have in the risen Christ so that we might live fearlessly to the praise of His glory and grace.
Blessings,
Pastor Marco