A few days ago, at about 6:00 am, I was driving to an out-of-town grocery store to do some shopping. As I drove through town, I noticed a truck parked in the parking lot of a local business with its bright beams on. I thought it was odd but went on to the market. After almost an hour, I returned. The truck was still there with its bright headlights blaring in my face.
The second time I passed by, light from a lamp behind the truck illuminated the truck’s interior. This time I saw the presence of a man slumped over the wheel. I spun around the block and pulled alongside the truck to perform a welfare check. As I pulled alongside the driver’s window of the truck, I prepared myself not knowing what the man would do as I knocked on the window and awakened him. After a few hard knocks, he finally woke up. I asked if he was OK. He explained himself and thanked me for checking. After I made sure he was OK, I drove back home.
As I drove away from the parking lot, I heard the Spirit say, “Wake up, O sleeper”, a term used in Ephesians 5:14 by Paul. I put that experience and Scripture aside until later when I could be reminded of the context of the verse.
In Ephesians 5, after listing a group of sins that dishonor God, Paul writes, “Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.” (vs. 10-11). As a reminder, Ephesians 5 was directed at God’s people, not the world. An unredeemed world doesn’t know any better.
The exposure of sin in the Church is both an act of love and a purification. Paul offered examples of the kind of sin that creeps into the Church that dishonors God and disempowers her witness, “Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you” (vs. 3-4).
Unchallenged sin in the Church will continue to negatively influence us if it is not confronted in love. Followers of the Lord and their leaders can fall asleep to the truth of God’s word. Paul offers a further word of instruction, “Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. (vs. 6). We need to wake up or be awakened from our slumber to see what we have become so that the anger of God will not fall on us. Yes, God gets angry in the context of the new covenant.
All of this led up to the words in verse 14, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” The Church can be lulled into a disregard for God’s word to such a degree that we become like the young man sleeping in his truck in the darkness of the early morning. It is our calling to knock on the window of those who call themselves followers of Christ but have fallen asleep in their faith. That knock is an act of love.
The sins of our nation are a reflection of the failures of the church. 2Chron 7:14 states that if we His people repent and turn from our wicked ways, He will hear from heaven, forgive our sins and heal our land. Revival and the healing of our land are both dependent on the repentance of the church.