"Therefore let us not sleep, as do others: but let us watch and be sober."—1 Thess. 5:6

Ministers of the gospel have the privilege to point out curves on the road to heaven. We have the undesirable task of warning believers about its dangers and yet we have the joy to inform of its privileges. We at times must and to warn saints who may seem to be in a perilous position.

There is a portion of the road that leads from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. This portion of the road has more dangers than any other portion. There are no lions; there are no dragons, and there are no dark woods, and no deep pitfalls; yet more pilgrims have been destroyed in this portion of the road than anywhere else, and not even the Doubting Castle, with all its piles of bones, can claim nearly as many lives. It is the part of the road called the Bewitched Highway.

What is the state of sleep that the Christian must beware of? It is not death. He was dead once, but he is now alive in Christ Jesus; and therefore shall never die
Sleep is a state of insensibility which too often infects even the best Pentecostals. When a man is asleep he is numb to his surroundings. The world goes on, and he knows nothing about it. You can stand under his window and yell, and he sleeps on. A fire is in a neighboring street, his neighbor's house is burned to ashes, but he is asleep, and never knows. People are sick in the house, but he is not stirred; they may die, and he doesn’t weep for them because he is asleep. A riot may be raging in the streets of his city; a war may be in full swing, but the Christian that is asleep doesn’t share in the turmoil.

A volcano may explode somewhere near him, and he may be in great danger, but he cannot escape because he is sound asleep, he is insensible. The winds are howling, the thunders are rolling across the sky, and the lightning’s flash at his window; but the Christian who sleeps simply does not care and is insensible to them all. The most awesome music may be playing but he sleeps, and only dreams. As Christians, we must closely watch our conditions. Every Christian has at one time or another fallen into a condition of insensibility.

You wished you could feel; but all you felt was pain. You wished you could pray. It was not that you felt prayerless, but it was because you were numb. You would give a fortune if you could just feel now.. You can sing with your mouth, but your heart does not enter into a deep sense of worship. It is time for you to arise our of spiritual sleep! It is time for the worshippers to Arise!

You go to the house of God; but when the saints send their music up to heaven, you hear it, but your heart does not leap at the sound. Prayer is offered up to God's throne; once you could pray, too; but now, while your body is in the house of God, your heart is not there. At one time, if you thought of a soul being condemned to Hell, you would weep for that person, but now you aren’t moved with compassion because it is all just old hat to you. At one time in your walk, the thought of restoring a lost soul caused you to find a way to help rescue a sinner from his sins, but now those are just memories of the past.

We must confess that we are way too insensible way too often. You want to be awake: but you are restless because you feel like you are wrestling to get out of this state of slumber.
The person who falls into spiritual sleep is subject to a variety of illusions. When we sleep, judgment departs from us. When we sleep, dreams arise which cause us to think about strange things. Illusions deceive us!

Sleep is a state of inaction. No daily bread is earned by the Christian who has fallen into spiritual sleep. The couch potato is not a productive person. Life is in their physical body, but they are positively dead in relationship to activity.

Far too many Christians are inactive! God forbid that a Pentecostal would ever be inactive. An inactive Pentecostal is like a wrecked ship that has become stuck on the shore of circumstances. Sleeping Christians at one time attended prayer-meetings, but not now. At one time they would get involved in the work of the kingdom, but they are asleep now. Where are the men of God that are not afraid to preach what the book really says?

Giving a nice essay talk may be flowery, but is that preaching? Where are the men that preach their hearts out, and express their soul in every sentence? Where are the men that make preaching their practice? The Church must arise. Let the preachers arise, and thus let the worshippers arise.

"Where is the spirit of prayer, where is the life of devotion?" It is not the will of God that the basic practices of the early church be extinct! God wants to wake up the church, and send us more earnest worshipping men and women! God’s will is for us to be fervent in our worship!
The Child of God who is asleep is in a state of insecurity. The murderer has an inroads to the Child of God that sleeps: Jael smote a sleeping Sisera.
Abner took away the spear from the bolster of a slumbering Saul
A sleeping Eutychus fell from the third loft, and was taken up dead.
A sleeping Samson was shorn of his locks, and the Philistines were upon him.
Sleeping Pentecostals are always in danger because the spiritual muscles get weak. Regular physical rest is one thing and very needful to the body, but may I remind all of us that when we get to Heaven there will not be a need for physical sleep any longer because we won’t wear out and we won’t get tired…..your spirit is willing and must awake to the lifestyle of worship that God intended!

I speak to every Pentecostal right now….. if you are sleeping in a spiritual sense, you are in danger. Satan cannot steal your salvation…that is something that you have to give up, and your salvation is hid with Christ in God. But when you allow yourself to fall into a spiritual sleep, you lose your spear from your bolster; When you don’t exercise your muscles, they deteriorate, so also, when you fall into a state of inactivity within the body of believers, even sitting on a church pew, you run the serious risk of losing much of your faith.

"Yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night." "Ye brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." This is one of the greatest messages the Pentecostals put forth: don’t you know that your Lord is coming? In such an hour as ye think not, the man who once hung quivering on Calvary will descend in glory; "The head that once was crowned with thorns" will soon be crowned with a diadem of brilliant jewels. He will come in the clouds of heaven to his church!

Do you want to be sleeping when your Lord comes? Do you want to be like the foolish virgins, or like the wise ones,

When a friend comes to your house, if they are important to you, you go the extra mile to get your house extra clean! Every corner of the room has its cobwebs removed; every carpet is turned up; and you make every effort to have the house clean for his coming. That is how we need to treat our relationship with Jesus Christ!

Father I see that you are drawing a line in the sand
And I want to be standing on your side
Holding your hand

Let Your Kingdom come
Let it live in me
This is my prayer
This is my plea

Let the worshippers arise….
Let the sons and the daughters sing
I’m surrendering my all
I surrender to the King

Father I hear it getting louder
The song of your redeemed
As the saints of every nation
Are awakening to sing
From our hearts there comes an anthem
O hear the Heavens ring
This is our song
A song to our king

Let The worshippers Arise!!!!!!!!

Courtesy: AFRICAN YOUNG PASTORS (AYP)


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