Hi Brian!
We are so sorry for the loss of your grandfather. I am fully convinced that God heard and answered your prayers for him and that you WILL see him again! We are thanking HIM for peace, joy, and an abundance of great memories!
The word for this week is "awake". We will be looking at two different Greek words translated "awake". The first is found in Romans 13:11 and Ephesians 5:14:
11 Besides this you know what [a critical] hour this is, how it is high time now for you to wake up out of your sleep (rouse to reality). For salvation (final deliverance) is nearer to us now than when we first believed (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Christ, the Messiah). AMP
14 Therefore He says, Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine (make day dawn) upon you and give you light. AMP
This is the Greek word "egeiroo". Strong's Concordance and Thayer's Greek Lexicon both say: to arouse from sleep. Vine's Expository Dictionary says: awakening from a state of moral sloth.
The other word is found in 1 Corinthians 15:34:
34 Awake [from your drunken stupor and return] to sober sense and your right minds, and sin no more. For some of you have not the knowledge of God [you are utterly and willfully and disgracefully ignorant, and continue to be so, lacking the sense of God's presence and all true knowledge of Him]. I say this to your shame. AMP
This is the Greek word "eknepho". Strong's Concordance says: to rouse oneself out of stupor. Thayer's Lexicon and Vine's Dictionary say: to return to oneself from drunkenness, become sober, to return to soberness of mind. Vine's also says: a return to soberness of mind from the stupor of consequent upon the influence of evil doctrine.
When reading the Epistles we need to remember that these were letters written to the churches. They were addressed to the born again believers. The first two references are speaking to those believers who are not aware of the times in which we live! They may have become lazy in sharing their faith, thinking that there is a lot of time left before Jesus comes again. Though that may or may not be true, for some TODAY is the last chance they may have to hear the Gospel! Each day is a gift from God and we should live the life He has given us to the fullest, as a witness of HIS light and life and love!
The second reference is speaking to those believers who have gotten so involved in, and enamored by, the world that they have forgotten that HE is to be our standard of right and wrong. We are to live to please HIM and bring glory to HIS Name, rather than our own. This must involve a balance between understanding the Biblical standard of what is sin and God's unconditional love for the sinner! We are to hate the sin, but love the sinner. We don't judge people, but we must never compromise the Truth. If we go back to the two most important commandments that Jesus gave, we should be able to walk that balance with success and be a light to the lost. Matthew 22:37-39:
37 And He replied to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect). [Deut 6:5.] 38 This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself. AMP
Even if some of your friends and family don't appear to be interested in hearing the Gospel, they WILL be won over by your life and the love that you display! They're watching and I KNOW that they really like what they see! You and your family are a great blessing to us! We love you and appreciate you! Here is another song from Hillsong called "Awakening":
Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!
