“Wake Up”
Talitha cumi
By
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
OPENING THOUGHT:- The Covid-19 Pandemic has changed the way we do life and if we stop for a moment and just look at the change that it has made positively instead of looking at it negatively, then we will be able to embrace the change. Although the struggle has been tough the changes it brings are beneficial if we just stop and see the good. EXAMPLE:- Wearing mask in public, like in stores, and in restaurants may not be comfortable but it is beneficial in stopping the spread of Covid-19. Business forced to close at 11:00 P.M. is something most people find hard to deal with, but it forces people to go home to families and not be out all night. The Bible says in John 3:19 “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil”. Stay home orders and places being closed has made families come closer together and experience something that many families have lost and that is dinner time.
There used to be a time when families gathered around the table without the distractions from television, phones, or anything else ate dinner, talked about the day and how everyone was doing. There was a closeness in the family then that really hasn’t been that way in years. Sadly, we have been lulled asleep by becoming so busy with so-called life that we rarely had time to fellowship with family and break bread together. Dinner time moved from around the table to in front of the television to the point of just grab something on the way out the door. Studies show that when there were family dinners around the table on a regular basis that there was better academic performance among the children, higher self-esteem, greater sense of resilience, a lower risk of teen pregnancy, lower risk of substance abuse and even lower obesity. The pandemic has awakened many to realize how precious family is and has awakened us to the importance building family relationships; therefore, many families are reviving the importance of and actually getting back to dinner time at the table.
PRAYER:-
SCRIPTURE:- Mark 5:39-43 says “And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.”.
The subject of this message is Wake Up the subtopic is Talitha Cumi.
OPENING:- I believe the people of God today are at a place more so now than ever before that have a hunger and thirst for more! Not more of the superficial religious rhetoric and routines that we have been so accustomed to, but for more of a relationship with God that is filled with the things God promised belongs to them who believe as stated in Mark 16:17-18.
Over the past few months, the church has been forced to change, church doors have been closed, pastors and preachers have been on social media expounding upon the Word of God without all the fabricated church hype. The change has caused an appetite in the people of God for the deep things of God because Deep calleth unto Deep. This hunger I believe has changed the churches days of star-studded preachers, sappy sugar coated sermons, and coffee shop mentality services that are filled with a lot of froth but have no substance, people desire to be feed with the meat of the Word of God and not just pacified with milk.
1 Corinthians 3:1-3 says “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men”. Paul writing to the church in Corinth, said he had fed them with milk. Why didn’t he feed them with meat? They were carnal-minded, too much a part of the world, not separated unto God.
The word of God given to the church of Corinth here wasn’t the beginning of the church at Corinth. The church had been established for a period of time, but the enemy crept in and all kinds of sin, strife, disobedience, religion and confusion came along with it. They were arguing over doctrine such as speaking in tongues, baptism in the Holy Spirit, and circumcision.
They wouldn’t receive the meat of the Word and in all actuality even the milk they consumed was contaminated by the opinions of those who served it. Paul told the people at Corinth they walked as men, not as Jesus, not as saints of God.
Sadly, today many Churches are passing up the meat of the Word and have become involved in the same types of problems as the church of Corinth. Some churches have so much division, strife, murmuring, grumbling, religious rhetoric and complaining because they lack the meat of the Word.
It is the meat of the Word that gives strength, God’s strength. God’s strength is Love, faith, goodness, mercy, grace. Those who have not received the meat of God’s Word remain babes and unfortunately asleep.
WATCH THIS: - If as babes they receive contaminated milk they become sick. There are sick Christians today, who have been fed the contaminated opinions of others, fed contaminated religion, fed the milk of traditions and the rudiments of men instead of the meat of the Word of God.
WATCH THIS:- If you study prophecy or Biblical symbolism there are certain things that are established in the basics and one of those things states that when a woman is mentioned in scripture symbolically and prophetically it deals with a church or a religious system.
EXAMPLE:- The harlot of Revelation 17 that rides the scarlet beast represents the Apostate Church and Religious System of the End-Times. She is described in Revelation 17:4 as being “arrayed [dressed] in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication” that description has to do with the wealth this religious system / church has.
Revelation 17:2 says, “with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication”. This refers to political intrigues in which the leaders of these nations collaborate with this immoral woman, apostate church, corrupt religious system in spiritual misconduct, with each party seeking its own advantage. God called Israel’s disobedience to Him adultery and harlotry.
WATCH THIS: - In our text we see a damsel (young girl/woman), Jarius daughter, her name is not mentioned so prophetically speaking she represents the church or a religious system.
She is considered dead by the people around because of her inactivity. She is lifeless, motionless, emotionless, and still.
She is of the age of twelve (12). 12 signifies perfection of government or rule, the number 12 represents God’s kingdom, perfect government and divine authority both in heaven and on earth (through the church).
Jesus grabs the girl by the hand – represents being lead by God – the church is lead by God. Precious Lord take my hand lead me on let me stand.
Jesus tells her to arise – to get up from her sleep. She’s not dead, stop being motionless and emotionless.
The girl walk – her steps were ordered by the Lord.
Jesus says giver her to eat He didn’t say give her milk to drink, but give her something to eat – WHY - because she needs strength to live and fulfill her purpose.
God’s purpose for the church was and still is to be the Ecclesia, a people called out of the world that through the power of the Holy Ghost would ignite a revival in the world. Awakening the conscience of those that are blinded by sin to the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, leading many sons and daughters into glory. The Church should be transforming everything it meets and being the lights of the world leading lost souls out of darkness into the marvelous light of Jesus Christ.
Let me inject here a very important fact, the church is not the building you assemble in for corporate worship, that is what we have designated as a sanctuary, but we are the church. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own”. Temple is a dwelling place.
WATCH THIS: - However, the world believes the church is dead because of its inactivity not closed because of the Pandemic but because of its inactivity to be as effective as it should be. Since it is ineffective instead of the world being conformed to the church, the church has been assimilating to the world.
Assimilation: - a change in a sound or action so it becomes identical with or similar to something or someone else. It’s hard to tell the difference between the church and the world for the most part. To steal the line from the Patty Duke show they walk alike, they talk alike, they even dress alike, and sometimes they even act alike – but they’re not cousins.
There is a story of a pirate and a parrot. The pirate and the parrot went to the night club the music was loud and exciting. The next day the pirate took the parrot to church, the parrot looked around said to the pirate same crowd.
Because we so often assimilate with the world, people of the world are laughing at the church mocking the church and living contrary to the what the Word of God says all because the church has been asleep. It’s time for the church to wake up and eat.
Ephesians 5:14 says “Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light”.
It’s time for the church, the Ecclesia to let God grab us by the hand, lead us the way He wants us to go, hold up a standard of Holiness to wake up, stop being so inactive and eat and feast on the power of prayer! 1 Timothy 2:1-3 says “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour”.
We must wake up and pray with passion, focus and faith. We must pray for the lost. We must pray for each other. We must pray for this nation. We must pray for the world. We must pray about this Pandemic. We must pray for the leaders of Government and the Church. We must pray that God intervenes to break up the hard hearts of the world! Pray without ceasing - actively.
It’s time to wake up and feast on Holiness Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy 1 Peter 1:13-16. "Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy." Peter is quoting from Leviticus 11:44 and Leviticus 19:2. When God told Israel the church in the wilderness, to be Holy He was instructing them to be distinct and different from the other nations and He gave them specific laws and regulations to govern their lives. It’s time for the church to be different from the world, to stop sleeping in the bed of assimilation and be ye Holy for holiness without you can’t see the Lord. Wake up Church!
It’s time for the church to wake up because it is Harvest Time. Proverbs 10:5 says “…but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame”. Shame, on the farmer who sleeps while his ripe crops are falling and being trampled underfoot. He is a disgrace to the honorable profession of farming. Shame, on the Christian / church that sleeps while the fields are ready for harvest allowing them to be trampled by sin.
It is Time to wake up because its War time, and the Enemy is Wide-awake. This is a spiritual battle for the souls of men and women, boys and girls. While we sleep, people are being made captive by the enemy, sold into the slavery of sin and the devil is filling the minds of people with discouragement and defeat. The enemy doesn’t wait for us to be ready for their attack he is wide awake, ruthless, determined, and cunning. The devil could not care less if we ever wake up, in fact, he prefers we do not it makes his job a lot easier. It’s time for we are soldiers in the Army of the Lord and we have to fight, hold up the blood stained banner until we die.
It’s time to wake up because we are Watchmen placed by the Lord on the Walls to Give the People Warning Ezekiel 33:6 says “.. and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand”. Sleeping on duty is treason and the soldier that falls asleep and fails defend the safety of those is criminal.
The Manual of Military Law published 1914 says “A sentinel found asleep at his post while on active service would if the character and circumstances of the offence were sufficiently grave be liable to suffer death”. Death is separation from God
It’s time to wake up and eat Church.
CLOSING:- It’s time for the church to wake up and eat at the table. Richard Smallwood wrote a song called “AT THE TABLE” and some of the words are:- Come on in where the table is spread and the feast of the Lord is going on. Joy is here where the table is spread and the feast of the Lord is going on. Seekin' healing for your body! It's over here.
Seekin' healing for your soul! It’s over here. Seekin' for your souls' salvation! It's over here If you want the Lord to make you whole! It’s over here. Love is here where the table is spread
and the feast of the Lord is going on. All you need to do is wake up and eat at the table.
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
