Thinkaloud | wake up!

… the exquisite wonder of living moment-by-moment

I

f, as the old saying has it, “the road to Hell is paved with good intentions,” then a fair number of people who think they are Christians are on the broad road.  These are weak people who at one time or another made an emotional decision to follow Jesus but who were uninstructed in the faith.  As well, they were too lazy to learn what it meant to be a Christian, and when the Lord did speak to them their hearing was tuned to other, more palatable, sounds.

Such people are known by their attitude and lifestyle of spiritual frivolity.  That is, they are so biblically illiterate and so deaf to the Holy Spirit, that they cannot discern between good or evil.  They are more interested in the adornment of their pampered and over-fed bodies than they are in the adornment of their spirit.  They spend time and money on clothing for their person but never give a second thought to the garments of personal righteousness.

They are, if the truth were known, bored to death with talk of spiritual matters, and a growing life in Christ, but they are eager to have their ears tickled with the latest bit of news, and they are positively enchanted by the newest movie.  Their god is the status quo,  and they live aimless lives, which ignore the finer things of the Holy Spirit.

These are the heartbreak of the prophets, the despair of preachers; a silly and blind people who are ripe for the judgment of a holy God.  These are the spiritual descendants of those who crucified the Lord of Glory, spiritual corpses whose ghastly attempts at beautifying themselves only bring further degradation and despair.  These are the false Christ-naming wolves who are willing to sacrifice everything and everyone but themselves; people who pay lip service to the Most Holy One, but who, in their inner lives, serve the Lord of Hell itself.

God says to such: “Wake up!” “Awake from the slumber of death!” And those who respond to that call find themselves beholding beauty of such poignant glory that what before ravished their spirit now seems tawdry in comparison.  To those who awaken to righteousness God has the exquisite wonder of living in moment-by-moment communion with Him.  Oh, what a cause of celebration, of true heavenly glory!

During these times there will be a falling away from the true Church of Jesus Christ. The spiritually frivolous will be successfully seduced by the destroyer whom they have never ceased to worship in their hearts.  The lukewarm Christians, those who are along only for the good times, will be scattered when the enemy begins to press the battle. While many will flock to forms of religion which promise only peace and personal security, there will be fewer who, at personal cost, will be willing to follow the way of the Cross.

And yet, far above the raging of the enemy, and distinct from the noise of the world’s mad dance of death, sounds the wild, sweet music of Heaven - the muted thunder of celestial melody that has an unutterable beauty - and that fills the heart of the hard-pressed soldier of Jesus Christ with bursting joy.

Mark where your affections lie in these perilous times, know the source of your energy, be aware of the centre of your life.  And, if need be, awake from the sleep of death.

Writer: Lieut.-Colonel Maxwell Ryan is a former Editor in Chief in Canada and the UK. In retirement he is a part-time chaplain in a Salvation Army hospital in Winnipeg, Canada, a copy editor of theRubicon and the author of theRubicon series called Resurrected Writers.

2 Comments to Thinkaloud | wake up!

1. Max , I still have the original copy of this article that you wrote for the February 3rd , 1990 issue of the Canadian War Cry hanging on my Office wall at home. This ‘wake-up’ call still serves as a challenge and inspiration to me nearly 20 years later - I still quote it from time to time in messages and in personal counsel ( with due credit I might add !! ). I praise and thank God for you and for this truly prophetic and relevant message to the Army , and the rest of the church . I remember you telling me years ago that a former leader in the Canada Bermuda Territory said that this message sounded too “John the Baptistish !! “. All I can say to that is… ‘make way…’. God bless and keep you always His; dear friend , mentor, and hero of the Faith to me !! ( Hope to see you in April !! ).

   Peter Eason
   ( Major )
Peter Eason ( Major ) on March 9th, 2008

2. Dear Max:

   I was inspired to read your posting about the ministry of the prophets. I think God has given you the voice of a prophet, and I, for one, wholeheartedly agree that this moment in history, desparately needs to listen to the voice of the prophets, wherever they may originate. These are indeed perilous times not only for the Army, but for the whole church of Jesus Christ, and it behoves us all to have ears that have the patience and obedience to listen.
David Hammond on March 11th, 2008

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