End Times Church Countdown: the sleeping church answers back

The watchman knows this will happen. The sleeping church knocks on his door and says, “You there, come out and confront us. when have we been sleeping?”

The church shows him a lot of stuff they have been doing: Sunday worship service, Sunday school, youth meeting, cell group meeting, women fellowship, Wednesday prayer meeting, monthly Holy Communion, baptism, wedding, periodically visiting and bringing gifts to old folks home, patients and prisoners etc.

The pastor proudly displays the program list. “See, we are fully occupied.” The committee chairman proudly shows a set of accounts of weekly collections, regular tithes, faith pledges, building funds received from the old faithful. “See, we are never in the red.”

“So, where have we erred?” They challenge the watchman. They bring along a list of the topics of sermons preached over the last year to prove that they have not slacked in preaching. The topics are indeed popular, mostly concerned with how to live healthy balanced Christian living, covering a full range of useful topics: health, relationship, finances, social behavior, career, good neighbor, responsible citizenship, education, parenting, marriage, morality etc.

The watchman has nothing to say. He sees no need to answer to this question. It is not him who says they are sleeping. They just knock on his door and say so.

However, he gives them a list of the non-sleeping church priority Bible-based characteristics:

1. Worship God and not worship man.

2. Minister to God and not to man.

4. Hear God and Fear God and not hear man and fear man.

5. Focus of Jesus Christ and His redemptive work on the cross.

6. Believe in the Bible and practice accordingly.

7. All aspects of the church activities are centered on the above.

8. All aspects of the lives of the believers are centered on the above.

9. Very end times focussed, just as Jesus has commanded and the Apostles have duly obeyed. So did the early Christians.

10. There is an increasing intensity of the moving and manifestation of the Holy Spirit in all aspects of above.

The church takes the list and leaves. The watchman prays that the church will wake up and abide in Christ and let the Word of Christ abide in them. Then they will be the awake church and not the sleeping church as they themselves know they are!

Oh, church, watch and pray!