Text:
Revelations 3:2
“Be watchful
and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not
found your works perfect before God.’’
The
conditions of this world that we live in cause many to live a busy life that
makes them to keep their relations with God in the backseat of their lives. Due
to the rat race age we live in, a number of things are about to die, dying or
dead in the lives of many Christian believers.
We need to
wake up to our condition to change and regain lost grounds before it is too
late because no one knows when the end will come. In the grave, there is no
room for repentance and salvation for the soul.
We need to
examine ourselves and our Christian lives (2 Corinthians 13:5) to know whether
we are still in the faith standing or have fallen from the faith. 1 Corinthians
10:12 warns those who think they are standing to take heed lest they fall from
the Narrow Way.
The verse in
Revelations 3:2 is a call for regular self-examination, watchfulness and
repentance. It is a reminder and a call to godly living. God wants an intimate
fellowship and relations with Man and close communion. He detests lukewarmness
where a man is neither hot nor cold (Revelations 3:15-16). God is perfect and
wants us to be perfect too (Matthew 5:48).
There are
many things that are about to die, dying or dead through neglect, in the lives
of many Christian believers. They include:
1.
Closet
Prayers (Personal Prayer Altar) Matthew 6:6
“But when
thou pray, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy
Father which is in secret, and thy Father which sees in secret shall reward
thee openly.’’
Prayer is
the most important weapon in spiritual warfare. A prayerless Christian is a powerless
Christian. An altar is a place of sacrifice, worship and prayer. It is also a
place of battle and a spiritual entity where spiritual transactions take place.
The closet
is the Christian’s inner chamber and personal altar where he meets with God
regularly in worship and fellowship. This is where requests are made to God in
prayers, supplication and intercession. This is where communion takes place and
where the Christian receives divine leading and guidance on all aspects of life
and ministry.
For a Christian
to become an overcomer and have a victorious Christian life, a fervent and
effective prayer life is necessary which is determined largely by the level of
fire on his personal altar in his inner chambers or closet. The fire on the
personal altar must be kept burning at all times and must not be allowed to go
cold (Leviticus 6:12-13).
For a
Christian Minister, the quality of prayers offered to God in his inner chambers
will determine the manifestation of God’s power and glory in his public life
and ministrations.
There are Ministers
who occupy high offices in church and ministry whose personal altars lack fire,
therefore do not receive any divine revelations and do not hear from the Lord
God anymore. Their spiritual vision has been shut down by their lukewarmness
and they do nothing about it like Prophet Eli.
A Christian
is expected to have private periods where he will commune with God alone via
prayer and meditation. Many cannot pray alone in private because they lack the
discipline and many can only pray in public places where and when others are
praying e.g. church.
Closet
prayer in the lives of many Christians is dying or dead being threatened by
spiritual dryness and lukewarmness. Many conduct it in a light and careless
manner. For closet prayers to be effective and acceptable unto God there must
be no strange fires offered on the altar.
If anyone offers
strange fires on his altars, he risks destruction like Nadab and Abihu in
Leviticus 10:1-2 who offered strange fires and lost their lives. Strange fires
include sinning, strange utterances and languages and ungodly dressing.
Spiritual
dryness is caused by the Sin of Commission and the Sin of Omission. Sin of
Commission is deliberate sinning that causes sudden darkness while the Sin of
Omission through neglect of diligence gradually dims the light until it is
quenched. In either case, the Christian lacks the anointing to move forward in
the Spirit and is one reason why closet prayers are dead in the lives of many
Christians.
2.
Meditation
in the Word (Joshua 1:8) (Psalm 1:3)
Meditation
in the Scriptures is almost nonexistent in many Christians due to their busy
schedules, problems and challenges of life. Many are either too busy to find
the time or too lazy to meditate in the Scriptures.
3.
Family
Altar or Family Devotion
A Christian family must have a family altar where husband, wife and
children gather at regular periods on daily basis to worship and fellowship
with the Lord. A family that prays together stays together.
The fire on the family altar must be kept burning at all times and must
not be allowed to go cold (Leviticus 6:12-13). If the family altar lacks fire,
the devotions will be dry, uninteresting and a mere routine. The family members
may lose interest. But where the family altar is fire-charged, the devotions
will be rich and interesting and an event to look forwards to.
Family altar
is dying because many families are falling apart and marriages too. Many homes
lack a spirit of one accord which is affecting the family altar where the
members are expected to congregate and fellowship with the Lord. Family members
are also too busy to create the time or their hearts are devoted to idols and
idolatries such as Television, Internet and Social Media.
4.
The
Great Commission (Evangelism, Soul Winning, Witnessing) Matthew 28:18-20
A survey of
Christians and the Great Commission reveals that:
About 90% of
all Christians have never won a soul for Christ
About 80% of
all Christians do not consistently witness for Christ
About 2% of
all Christians are actively engaged in the propagation of the gospel
About 70% of
all Christians do nothing towards the propagation of the gospel
About 40% of
the populace worldwide have heard the gospel but have not accepted Christ as
Lord and Saviour
About 50% of
the populace worldwide have not heard about the gospel and have no realistic
opportunity to do so
Yet many
Christians are slumbering, not interested in the Great Commission which is a
commandment in Matthew 28:18-20 and a responsibility of every believer (Acts
1:8) and not the responsibility of a few ‘evangelists’ in the church as
erroneously believed by many Christians.
Many
churches and ministries are busy and more interested investing in buildings and
cathedrals for show and for vainglory rather than invest in evangelism to win
the souls of the lost for Christ.
5.
Holiness
and Righteousness
Prosperity
messages are overriding holiness and salvation messages in many churches and
ministries in this Last day. There are many false teachers in circulation
peddling false doctrines that indicate that holiness and righteousness are not
possible.
Iniquity and lawlessness is on the increase in Christendom despite
increase in gospel activity. The churches are crowd pullers but many of the
members are not genuinely converted Christians. Many are merely religious but
not godly and religious but not saved Christians.
Holiness is
the passport to heaven (Hebrews 12:14) (1 Peter 1:16), not prosperity.
Other things
that are about to die, dying or dead in the lives of many Christians include
Christian hospitality and the active waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus.
We need to
examine our Christian lives and repent from where we have fallen before it is
too late. Death comes like a thief in the night and there are no second chances
for repentance, amendment and forgiveness of sins in the grave.
May we not
go from church to hell in Jesus name.
Let us pray:
Ø Spirit of the world in my life, die
in Jesus name
Ø Spirit of disobedience in my life,
die in Jesus name
Ø Spirit of death and hell in my life,
die in Jesus name
Ø Anything in my life, dragging me to
destruction be uprooted in Jesus name (Matthew 15:13)
Ø Lord, have mercy on me and give me a
second chance
Ø Lord have mercy on me and do not spue
me out of your mouth (Revelations 3:15-16)
Ø Lord, as I run this race, send me
help and strengthen me spiritually in Jesus name
Ø Lord, grant me leadership and
spiritual guidance as I run this race in Jesus name
Ø I command any satanic agenda to pull
me down spiritually to scatter in Jesus name
Ayodele John Adegbulugbe
