Monday, March 25, 2013

Sleeping Church


And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?
Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.
The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.
And again he went away, and prayed,
and spake the same words.
And when he returned,
he found them asleep again,
(for their eyes were heavy,)
neither wist they what to answer him.
And he cometh the third time,
and saith unto them,
Sleep on now, and take your rest:
it is enough, the hour is come;
behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
Mark 14:37-41
"Picture a Sleeping Church, In this fearful hour of trial Christ’s human nature longed even for the sympathy of His disciples. A second time He rose from the earth and went to them and found them sleeping. This was not a deep sleep. They were in a drowse. They had a limited sense of their Lord’s suffering and anguish. In tenderness Jesus stood for a moment bending over them, and regarding them with mingled feelings of love and pity. In these sleeping disciples He sees a representation of a sleeping church. When they should be watching, they are asleep."
The Signs of the Times, 8/14/1879 E.G.W.

And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Revelation 3:14-16