Awaken Pt1
For more messages and resources by Cameron Conway visit https://conwaychristianresources.com
The following series is a revision and the long awaited completion to a rant I first wrote last year. It has been expanded with new material and has been divided into several bite sized parts which will be released every week, until it is finally completed. Saying this, be aware that this is not written in a chapter by chapter format rather it is a continuous manifesto without literary divisions. It is meant to be read in its entirety in order to fully grasp the messages. So I challenge you that as the weeks go on you will refer back to the previous installments and reacquaint yourselves with what has been spoken before so you may fully receive what is written. I pray that these words will grip your hearts and haunt your souls with the questions we fear to ask ourselves, the answers buried in our spirits and the commissions Christ has placed upon us. May the Holy Spirit seize your hearts and speak to you anew.
Before we begin I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes, it was spoken by Leonard Ravenhill and I pray you receive the message of it; “A prophet is the villain of today and the hero of tomorrow”
Who are we? Really who are we? As the body of Christ, the visible expression of Jesus the Messiah on the Earth, who are we? Are we who we’re supposed to be? Are we living to the fullest degree that Christ called us to? Or are we asleep? For if we are, today at this very moment, the call to awaken from our slumber must be answered. For it is Christ himself who cries out into our hearts.
“Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” Ephesians 5:14
First off, who are we now? We are the Body of Christ of course, that’s what we’re told on Sunday mornings every week, that’s what we’re told by televangelists, and that’s what we’re told right in the Bible, see for yourself.
“For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.”. 1 Corinthians 12:12
“Now all of you together are Christ’s body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it.: 1 Corinthians 12:27
” And the church is his body; it is filled by Christ, who fills everything everywhere with his presence.”. Ephesians 1:23
“Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which belongs to Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! 1 Corinthians 6:15
That should be convincing enough for now. But what does that all mean? Well the best place to answer that is the book of Acts. The chronicles of the first generation of Christians, who are not the highest possibilities of Christian life but rather our stepping stones.
We see them feeding the poor, taking care of the widows, praying together, working miracles and most importantly preaching the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ. That he came, died and rose. Conquering sin and death, casting down the Prince of the world and becoming not only our Savior, but the King of the World. But I’m getting ahead of myself now. The key point was that they left the upper room and preached the gospel. When is the last time your church on a Sunday morning all got up and went outside and started preaching to who ever was around you? Or is that too scary a thought? What’s so frightening about the simple gospel of Jesus Christ?
“ For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” ! Corinthians 15:3-4
What’s so scary about telling people about that? The Church, the Western Church (which will be the main focus of this rant) has done a good job with the social aspects of the early church, we run soup kitchens, thrift stores, and give when it’s comfortable to the needy. Overall we do a decent job following Isaiah 58:1, the social gospel, where people are convinced to convert because they were showed kindness, they see genuine love and are attracted to it (John 13:35, 1 John 4:7) “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” But the doing of good works isn’t everything, if it were, we would be saved by those works alone. Our works are rather a sign that we are already Christians, just like faith without action is dead.
What about everything else the early church did? The scary stuff we don’t want to hear about or do in public, outside our little closets! What about the part when they prayed? When they prayed together and alone, when they spent time together in peoples houses, when they preached publicly. Back in the days before the church had walls. Not just physical walls mind you. What changed? Why are we afraid to leave our church walls? We tithe, give away the clothes we don’t want anymore, we throw a can of beans in to the bin on Thanksgiving. We smile and nod at church, we know the lyrics of the top 20 songs on the CCM chart and think “that’s enough, I’m saved Jesus came died and rose and that’s it, so I’ll just hold on till Jesus comes back.”
I’m asking these questions because most people don’t. What’s the divide between us today and Paul, Peter and John? We go on and on about how the first martyr Stephen waited tables and took care of widows and use it to motivate others to do the same. But he was a martyr, he died, he was stoned. For what, feeding widows? No he did something else, something that gets over looked when people talk about his voluntary works of service.
“8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. 9 Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. 10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.” Acts 6:8-10
He Preached! He did miracles, and by the spirit was more wise than all those debating with him. It wasn’t the widows that got him killed it was the gospel of Jesus with signs following. An expected result of the Gospel just like Paul said would happen.
Rom 15:18-19 18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient — 19 in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. Romans 15:18-19. NKJV
Doesn’t just that make you think? Very few have ever died for doing good works but thousand upon thousands have died preaching the Gospel of Jesus. I can’t remember the last time someone was taken to court for giving money to a soup kitchen. But how many Christians have stood before the worlds judgment seats just for confessing that Jesus the Son of God came in the flesh died upon the Cross, rose from the dead, ascending to Heaven becoming King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Our savior and only bridge to God. Are we afraid of the people? Are we unwilling to take the risk? Or are we compromised by the world?
Stephen, James the Lesser, Paul, Peter, Luke, Timothy, All the Apostles except for John, all died because of what they believed. They believed it so much they couldn’t keep quiet, they couldn’t just hide in a cave like Elijah and be silent. They knew it was true, many of them witnessed with their own eyes the works and words of Jesus They couldn’t be kept silent about the gospel no matter how may times they where punished. They were lights in the darkness, beacons drawing people to Jesus. But the world saw them not as lights, not as heroes of the faith, they saw them as Enemies and as the villains of the accepted world and their way of live. They were seen as terrorists of the status quo, and of the religious/social way of life. The Apostles wouldn’t bend to the whips of the Pharisees and the Romans. They didn’t compromise themselves with the ways, pleasures, lusts, and perks of the world. They held fast to the words of Jesus spoken in Matthew 10:27 and Mark 4:19
“What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.” Matthew 10:27
“and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.” Mark 4:19
They held fast to this till their deaths they set and example to the rest of the body of Christ, and were rewarded with eternal life. Unfortunately even in their own lifetimes the new gentile and jewish believers didn’t have the same dedication. There was just something about that old way of life that was just too tempting or perhaps comfortable. Most of the Epistles written by Paul, Peter, John, James and Jude was an attempt to correct this very attitude in the church. Jesus Himself also spoke of this in chapters 2 and 3 of Revelations. He was correcting the attitudes and conduct while complimenting the 7 churches of Asia. He called for holiness and an uncompromising faith in Him. What was realized and demanded here 2000 years ago? Simply that it is a matter of perspective, like most issues in life. They knew who they were, they knew what they were called to do, and what to do about it, and how to react to the world around them. They knew their identity. Do you know yours? Who were they then? They were children of God, Ambassadors of Christ, they were the redeemed saints, servants and adopted brothers of Jesus Christ. They were the temples of Holy Spirit, called to preached to all nations, peoples and tongues. To trample on serpents, scorpions and all the power of the enemy. To heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the leapers. They were called to love, serve and to know God. (you should be jumping around now, because you’re the same as them!!!!) This is who they are in our eyes and in Gods’ eyes but in the world eyes they were and we are the Bad guys, the enemy, the Villain, the Evil ones all because we are the light that exposes their darkness and sin.
To be continued
For more messages and resources by Cameron Conway visit https://conwaychristianresources.com
