Covenanter Witness Vol. 53 - Rparchives.org

see."sleep"nothing."come"LESSON HELPS FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 8, 1954VOLUME LIII WEDNESDAY, JULY 21,1954 NUMBER 3Getting down to business for God !Awake, Church of God! It Is Near TwelvePeter Wiseman*Condensed from "The Alliance Weekly*St. Paul, in his letter to the church in Rome,said, "And that, knowing the time, that now it ishigh time to awaken out of (Rom. 13:11).The slowness of Christian people to realize thetime is, in itself, startling and distressing. The scientific world appears to be more concerned over thesituation than the religious world is. Outstandingscientists, with their knowledge of the danger ofatomic destruction, said some time ago that it was8 minutes of 12. Since the Korean conflict, some ofthem have moved up the hands a bit, but the Churchstill sleeps!The sweeping advance of atheistic Communismis alarming. It has spread so rapidly that one cannothelp but wonder if the way is not being readied forthe Antichrist to come. But the Church still sleeps!Tlie creeping paralysis of this Laodicean Age ishaving a deadening effect on spiritual people. Insteadof the Church realizing this, and guarding against itby doing something vital about it, she still sleeps !The trouble with the church of the Laodiceanswas her complacency. She said, "I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need ofGodsaid, "Knowest not that thou art wretched,andmiserable, and poor, and blind, and naked : I counselthee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thoumayest be rich ; and white raiment, that thou mayestbe clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness donot appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve,that thou mayest The church was neither coldtacks.nor hot ; and that was to God a sickening thing (Rev.3:14-18).We listened to a radio broadcast recently, abroadcast contacting the great centers of populationin America, seeking to know what preparations arebeing made to cope with probable atomic-bomb atThe revelation as to what has been done andwhat is being done is heartening indeed ; but the conclusion as to the probable loss of life during such attacks was most distressing: approximately 50 percent, provided a warning had been given. In the caseof sneak attacks the percentage of loss would greatlyincrease. I could not help but wonder what thechurches in such centers are doing about a greater.loss, that eternal loss of the soul. Who is concernedabout this? But for a few earnest Christian peoplehere and there, the Church still sleeps !If you have not a deep concern over present conditions in the world and in the, Church, will you notask God to put such concern on your heart ? Will younot ask God to give you a new vision of the need andthe possibility ? then, act !What is the time ? and what are we going to doabout it?God's visitation here and there among us revealsHis willingness to pour out His Holy Spirit in mightyrevival power when we meet the conditions. But willthe Church really awake to this fact ? Will she awaketo this opportunity which presently may pass, neverto return? Will she? It is true "that in the last daysperilous times shall (II Tim. 3:1-5), and itseems clear that "the last days" are upon us; butit is equally clear that "in the last days, saith God,I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh" (Acts 2:17).We are still living in one of the "day," "the last days"of which the day of Pentecost was the first, and during which days God has promised to pour out HisSpirit!Read the challenge of the Almighty, "If I shutup heaven that there be no rain, or if I command thelocusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence(Continued on page 40)