A New Awakening?

Scripture

35You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the master of the household will return—in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak. 36Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. 37I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!” Mark 13:35-37

Observation

Jesus ends His description of the end times with a poignant wake up call!  He’s addressing our tendency to lose focus the longer we have to wait for fulfillment. Mission drift begins to take place as we justify small compromises and settle for the “good enough for now” instead of the passionate pursuit of “my very best for Jesus” that we started out with. It’s the picture of a husband watching his pregnant wife like a ticking time bomb. He’s got the go back packed and the routes figured out depending on the time of day when her water might break. He’s got his eye on the prize and sleeps with one eye open in great expectation of the arrival of his child. The difference is that the father knows this is happening in nine months. We don’t know when Jesus is coming back so He’s giving us some details to watch out for and wake up to! Jesus is saying all this in response to Peter’s question “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to be fulfilled?” (Mk. 13:4). Jesus starts out by telling his disciples to wake up and by the end of the chapter He says “to everyone: Watch for him!” So the end times will be marked by a move of God that both wakes up His Church and wakes up the lost.

Application

In contrast to revivals which happen to the church like Awaken 25, awakenings happen in the culture around us often outside of the church. Dr. Joseph Castleberry explains, “During an awakening, people outside the churches become aware of their need for God and start flooding into the Kingdom of God in large numbers. The Jesus Movement, for example, was an awakening, in contrast with the charismatic renewal, which largely occurred among confessing believers. The way those two movements overlapped was what caused a Great Awakening in America, as many millions of people came to faith or came alive in their faith. America has had a Great Awakening about every 80 years throughout its history, roughly in 1735, 1805, 1885, and 1965.” On college campuses, on football fields, with Hollywood elites, and the biggest streamers and influencers in the world reveal there are rumblings a new awakening happening. It’s too early to tell but most of this is happening outside of the Church. How does this tie in with today’s passage? Greg Laurie who was at the center of the Jesus Movement said that one of the marks of an awakening is a great expectation of the soon return of Christ.

Prayer

Lord, revive Your Church and Awaken this world to who you are! Now is not the time to pull back but to press in. Now is not the time to have sleep but to fall to our knees. You are coming back soon and I want to be ready!  If You are coming back at evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak then I want to be spiritually alert to what You’re doing in me and in those around me regardless of what time of day it is! Come Holy Spirit! I love what You are up to and I don’t want to miss it. Show me the things that have been lulling me to spiritual sleep. In this season of Lent and fasting let me look to see Your soon coming morning, noon, and night! What if today was the day You returned?