Awake Or Asleep?

Wherefore He saith, Awake thou that sleepest, 

and arise from the dead, and Christ shall 

give thee light. See then that ye walk 

circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 

redeeming the time, 

because the days are evil.

Ephesians 5:14-16

     We hear much about overcoming, that God will give us overcoming life. This is not true for God will not give us overcoming life, He gives us life as we overcome. God does not lift us up, we have to get up ourselves. Think on this: The man who had the withered arm had to stretch out his arm and then was healed, and the blind man, had to go and wash his eyes seven times and then was healed. We must take the initiative. If we take the initiative, that is do the overcoming, then we will find that we are inspired of God and this He gives, this life He gives is life immediately. I can write this blog, even insert the words from these early fathers, even give to you (ccel.org) the place where you can go and read for yourself. I can lead, you have to take the initiative. 

     Let me get back to what the early Church fathers had to face and we now have to face as well, those heresies that plague Authentic Christianity. In Egypt there was a Syrian school of Gnosticism and was influential and linked to those students to Gnosticism bringing that heresy into the Church and had much influence. A man (138 A.D.) became influential, Marcion, a man who hated the Jewish Scriptures and the Jehovah described in those Scriptures. He was eventually condemned and expelled from the Church but he did have influence causing the need to, in self-defense to give to this problem as to what books were to be considered canonical and authoritative for doctrine and life. This cause the writings of creeds, a test for orthodoxy. 

    Manicheanism which is similar to Gnosticism founded around (216-276 A.D.) developed a particular philosophical system that would combine Christian thought and Zoroastrianism and other oriental religious ideas, a dualistic approach to Christianity. He taught about pure light that emanated from the mother of life who in turn was a higher emanation from the ruler of the kingdom of light. Man's soul, as he taught, was linked to this kingdom of light. Salvation was a matter of liberating the light in his soul from the thralldom to the matter of his body. This led to an ascetic life to be able to have released this light. This would then led them to be sharers in the holiness of this elect group so that they would be supplied their physical needs. Now they could participate in salvation. Even Augustine who has had much influence on the Church while he was seeking the truth was led to become a disciple of Manichean belief. In time Augustine, some 12 years, came to see this as heresy and then after devoted much energy to refute it. 

      "Let us admonish and correct one another.Let us then also pray for those who have fallen into any sin, that meekness and humility may be given to them, so that they may submit, not unto us, but to the will of God. For in this way they shall secure a fruitful and perfect remembrance from us, with sympathy for them, both in our prayers to God, and our mention of them to the saints. (Literally, “there shall be to them a fruitful and perfect remembrance, with compassions both towards God and the saints.”) Let us receive correction, beloved, on account of which no one should feel displeased. Those exhortations by which we admonish one another are both good [in themselves] and highly profitable, for they tend to unite (Or, “they unite.”) us to the will of God. For thus saith the holy Word: “The Lord hath severely chastened me, yet hath not given me over to death.” (Ps. cxviii. 18.) “For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.” (Prov. iii. 12; Heb. xii. 6.) “The righteous,” saith it, “shall chasten me in mercy, and reprove me; but let not the oil of sinners make fat my head.” (Ps. cxli. 5.) And again he saith, “Blessed is the man whom the Lord reproveth, and reject not thou the warning of the Almighty. For He causes sorrow, and again restores [to gladness]; He woundeth, and His hands make whole. He shall deliver thee in six troubles, yea, in the seventh no evil shall touch thee. In famine He shall rescue thee from death, and in war He shall free thee from the power (Literally, “hand.”) of the sword. From the scourge of the tongue will He hide thee, and thou shalt not fear when evil cometh. Thou shalt laugh at the unrighteous and the wicked, and shalt not be afraid of the beasts of the field. For the wild beasts shall be at peace with thee: then shalt thou know that thy house shall be in peace, and the habitation of thy tabernacle shall not fail. (Literally, “err” or “sin.”) Thou shall know also that thy seed shall be great, and thy children like the grass of the field. And thou shall come to the grave like ripened corn which is reaped in its season, or like a heap of the threshing-floor which is gathered together at the proper time.” (Job v. 17–26.) Ye see, beloved, that protection is afforded to those that are chastened of the Lord; for since God is good, He corrects us, that we may be admonished by His holy chastisement."

     As hard as it might be we must take care to ensure that the Church, you and I, are teaching Authentic Christian Faith. God will chastise us, but God will not cause us to be overcomers, we must initiate this for ourselves. We care, we love our brothers and sisters so then we must care for them. This is what Clement of Rome wrote about and those heresies that came into the Church in different forms were already being taught. The question is: Will you take the time to read the Bible, to read what these very early Church fathers wrote? If you do, if you take the initiative you will find that God will bless.

Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God:

     depart from me therefore, ye bloody

men. For they speak against Thee wickedly,

     and Thine enemies take Thy name in vain.

                Psalm 139:19-20

Take the initiative and God will bless

Richard L. Crumb