"While They Slept"

[Pastor Jeff Carr]

"Monotype Corsiva""">“While They Slept”

mso-ascii-font-family:"Monotype Corsiva";mso-hansi-font-family:"Monotype Corsiva"""> I don’t know of anyone, in this day and age who is actually willing to admit they made a mistake, but how about when God
points it out? I am one known for
challenging people’s thinking, but I do believe, by God’s design and by His
Words. Jesus showed us, it only takes
one to change the world, Paul showed us this is very true in his walk through
the ministry God gave him. On the other
hand, yet the same token, the church missed it, while satan never missed a
beat. The devil used one boysterous
person to remove prayer from school, he also used one very vocal person, to
subdue the truth of God’s Word regarding chastening our children. If you are into visual perspectives as most
large corporations are; it would appear, while the church has slept, satan is winning
in his attempt at a hostile takeover of God’s throne and Kingdom. "Georgia","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia;color:maroon"">Mat 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened
unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the
bridegroom.

mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"">mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia;color:teal"">Mat 25:2"Georgia","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia""> And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"">mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia;color:teal"">Mat 25:3"Georgia","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia""> They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"">mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia;color:teal"">Mat 25:4"Georgia","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia""> But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"">mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia;color:teal"">Mat 25:5"Georgia","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia""> While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"">mso-ascii-font-family:"Monotype Corsiva";mso-hansi-font-family:"Monotype Corsiva""">I need to highlight this last scripture; "Georgia","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia;color:teal"">Mat 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all
slumbered and slept.

mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"">mso-ascii-font-family:"Monotype Corsiva";mso-hansi-font-family:"Monotype Corsiva""">And again;Georgia""> Georgia;color:red"">they all slumbered and slept.

God put it out there for all to see but, it would almost seem as if it was hidden in plain
sight and maybe meant for Kings, to not only search it out, but bring it to the
attention of the body. In this R.E.M.
state, satan has gotten over on the church and done it quickly, but take note;
he didn’t do it violently. There is a
reason for the highlighting of that last word!
The church as a whole has decided to attempt to make God in the image of
man, thus showing not only their ignorance but also the unawareness of the
enemy in their ranks. Yes church, there
is an enemy in your ranks, and you’re probably best friends with him or her as
the case maybe. The most amazing part of
that statement is the fact that we go around trying to kill what we percieve as
the enemy, but the only thing we as the church is doing is killing our
own. What if; the church, the real
church, actually stood up and did exactly what God has been telling them to do
for years and what if they did it with a here and now perspective of the
reward?

mso-ascii-font-family:"Monotype Corsiva";mso-hansi-font-family:"Monotype Corsiva"""> We, the church long to hear someday; Mat 25:21Georgia""> His lord said unto him, Well
done, thou good and faithful servant:
thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many
things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

"Georgia","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia;color:teal"">Mat 25:23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee
ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

"Georgia","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia;color:teal"">Luk 19:17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten
cities.

mso-ascii-font-family:"Monotype Corsiva";mso-hansi-font-family:"Monotype Corsiva""">Lovely words aren’t they and yes the Lord said them, therefore we are called to
believe in them, however; we too often lose sight of the goal. We get sidetracked by every imaginable weapon
satan has devised to entertain us, theme parks, water resorts, concrete
jungles, and all other man built, mind boggling, self satisfying stimuli. Instead of seeing things for what they are,
then obediently following God’s Word, towards these stimuli, then; Mat
11:12Georgia""> And from the days of John the
Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent
take it by force.

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mso-ascii-font-family:"Monotype Corsiva";mso-hansi-font-family:"Monotype Corsiva""">The Kingdom of God, suffered the violence, because we like to back bite and shoot
one another, why? The answer is in our
first scriptures; mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia;color:teal"">Mat 25:5"Georgia","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia""> While the bridegroom tarried, they all
slumbered and slept.

mso-ascii-font-family:"Monotype Corsiva";mso-hansi-font-family:"Monotype Corsiva""">The church is and has been asleep, lulled into a secure sense by bad and or por
teachings and laziness on the part of the supposed believer. mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia;color:teal"">2Ti 2:15"Georgia","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia""> Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Though we would like to blame our teachers, preachers, and those who are supposed to be in
leadership, this puts our failure to obey, squarely on our individual
shoulders!

mso-ascii-font-family:"Monotype Corsiva";mso-hansi-font-family:"Monotype Corsiva"""> What if; we took on a new perspective, what if we had a here and present now goal, what if we sought the Kingdom of
God and His righteousness for His sake but for our admonishment? What if we could hear in our present state
and time, job well done, it is possible, but we must be fully conformed to the
image of Christ. I’ve heard this remark
before so, I take no surprize if someone thinks it isn’t for us, but we really
should remember, what Christ went through, we also must be prepared to go
through, and if our Father thought it noteworthy to tell Christ, then why not
us? Mat
3:17Georgia""> And lo a voice from heaven,
saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Mat 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud
overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
Luk 3:22
And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and
a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am
well pleased.

2Pe 1:17Georgia""> For he received from God the
Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent
glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased

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mso-ascii-font-family:"Monotype Corsiva";mso-hansi-font-family:"Monotype Corsiva""">And the people heard it, and the people heard it, and the people heard it, imagine
your friends, your family, your Pastor(s), even your teachers, standing around
you and suddenly, God spoke out loud, the very words you have been waiting to
hear. 2Pe
1:18Georgia""> And this voice which came from
heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.

"Georgia","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia"">

mso-ascii-font-family:"Monotype Corsiva";mso-hansi-font-family:"Monotype Corsiva""">How encouraged would you be to continue on in full force and wearing full battle
gear and going out ther and taking the Kingdom of heaven by storm. What if these simple words brought us into a
newfound unity in which the enemy was no longer those human beings in our
church, Georgia;color:teal"">2Co 10:3mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia""> For
though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

mso-ascii-font-family:"Monotype Corsiva";mso-hansi-font-family:"Monotype Corsiva""">What if we took the battle, to the proper battleground, Eph
6:12Georgia""> For we wrestle not against
flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers
of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

mso-ascii-font-family:"Monotype Corsiva";mso-hansi-font-family:"Monotype Corsiva""">Instead of us, the memebers of the body attacking the body, continuously making it
weaker and weaker, we stood arm in interlocked arm and kept our eyes on the horizon
for the enemy. I’ll bet we wouldn’t have
time to look at each other, trying to find the enemy within them, remember what
Christ said; mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia;color:teal"">Mat 12:25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto
them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every
city or house divided against itself shall not stand:

It’s well past time, we the people of the Kingdom of God, worked together, encouraging one
another and fight the good fight, because fighting with your brother is not a
good fight.

Father, everyone that reads this, change them to be your perfect servant, and anyone that
glimpses Lord, bring a hunger to know in them, in Jesus precious name

Amen

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