BBD 11.19.10 Sleepy People (Classic)

#1 · November 19, 2010, 12:05 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on November 19, 2010, 12:05 pm
Posted by: edwrather <edwrather@...>

Visit the Burning Bush websites:

www.theburningbush.net
www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites have received visits from more than 170 countries.
Celebrating 11 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the
Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more
than 11,000 subscribers across the world.

Please join the Burning Bush Prayer Group. The group began in 1998 and is
made up of more than 300 prayer warriors. Send prayer requests and receive
prayer requests. To join send an email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

If you love to send and receive inspirational emails the Burning Bush
Inspirational Group is for you. To join send an email to
bbinspire-join@welovegod.org

You can now leave comments/feedback about the devotionals at
www.theburningbush.net.

The Burning Bush Devotional
Welcome to the 2710 new subscribers since January 1, 2010!!
There were 1367 new subscribers during 2009!!
Classic from 2002

11.19.10

Sleepy People

Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break
bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his
message until midnight. ...And in a window sat a certain young man named
Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and
as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken
up dead. But Paul went down, fell on him, and embracing him said, 'Do not
trouble yourselves, for his life is in him.' - Acts 20:7,9-10.

It can be dangerous to fall asleep in church, or even in a courtroom.
Danielle Davidson found out about the hazards of sleeping in court when she
dozed off after staying up late, several nights studying for college exams.
The judge found her sleeping to be disturbing because the people in the
courtroom were laughing at her and he sentenced her to spend two days in
jail. I've done my share of sleeping in church (Never in court - usually too
much tension.) and I think it is because it is such a peaceful place. But
some preachers especially in generations gone by were intolerant of people
sleeping while they were preaching. At the church where I pastor, a previous
pastor had just started his sermon, and noticed some people were already
asleep. He must have been a little upset because he stopped preaching, and
went home telling them if they were going to sleep, they could just sleep.
One of those who was there, said that it was such a shock, that he woke up
after the preacher said that.

Eutychus and Paul had the ultimate sleeping in church experience. Can you
imagine falling asleep during a sermon, dying and coming back to life with
the apostle Paul lying on top, hugging you? And depending on whether you
went to Heaven or Hell while you were dead it could be even a greater shock!
You have to think that Eutychus must have resolved to never, ever, to sleep
in church again!

Of far greater consequence than falling asleep in church, or even in a
courtroom, is that of falling asleep to the spiritual realities of life. The
apostle Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:6; 8, "Therefore let us not sleep,
as others do, but let us watch and be sober. .But let us who are of the day
be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the
hope of salvation." We should be constantly aware that there is a spiritual
side to all of life.

Our Father is at work, and we should be constantly seeking, to see if we
might somehow join Him in that work. There are those who are going out into
eternity without a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We should be standing
in the gap through prayer, through witnessing, through giving, and through
service holding back the lost from perishing. ".watch and be sober" be ready
for action, be ready to "warn those who are unruly, comfort the
fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders
evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves
and for all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give
thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians
5:14-18)."

Have you been asleep? Wake up! There is much to do!

Copyright © 2002-2010. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the
devotionals on a non-profit basis with source credited. The Burning Bush
website has been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email
version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent. Ed Wrather began
writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of these first
devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to prison
facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Many prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer
Request page. You can also post your prayer requests there and they will be
forwarded to the Burning Bush Prayer Group (Of course, I am always in need
of prayer - please pray for me.).

If you are not my friend on facebook or myspace you can be, just add me. The
devotionals are posted in my blogs on those two social networks and you can
leave comments, feedback about them there. There are other social networks
designed just for Christians, however, this is an outreach project to reach
those who may not know the Lord or may have wandered away. You can help me
reach out to them.

For information about how to hear my testimony in your church visit this
link: www.theburningbush.net/pages.asp?pageid=22160

If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may
subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

Two videos of my sermons are posted on GodTube (now Tangle) at:
connect.tangle.com/Wrather

You can listen to services at my son, Clark Wrather's church (First Baptist
Church of Broken Bow, Oklahoma) live on Sunday mornings at 10:55am CST
www.kkbifm.com/

There is a complete devotional archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here
is the URL: www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You can unsubscribe to the pure text version of the devotional by sending a
blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the
confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the
confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

Posted by: edwrather <edwrather@...>

Visit the Burning Bush websites:

http://www.theburningbush.net
http://www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites have received visits from more than 170 countries.
Celebrating 11 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the
Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more
than 11,000 subscribers across the world.

Please join the Burning Bush Prayer Group. The group began in 1998 and is
made up of more than 300 prayer warriors. Send prayer requests and receive
prayer requests. To join send an email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

If you love to send and receive inspirational emails the Burning Bush
Inspirational Group is for you. To join send an email to
bbinspire-join@welovegod.org

You can now leave comments/feedback about the devotionals at
http://www.theburningbush.net.

The Burning Bush Devotional
Welcome to the 2710 new subscribers since January 1, 2010!!
There were 1367 new subscribers during 2009!!
Classic from 2002

11.19.10

Sleepy People

Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break
bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his
message until midnight. ...And in a window sat a certain young man named
Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and
as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken
up dead. But Paul went down, fell on him, and embracing him said, 'Do not
trouble yourselves, for his life is in him.' - Acts 20:7,9-10.

It can be dangerous to fall asleep in church, or even in a courtroom.
Danielle Davidson found out about the hazards of sleeping in court when she
dozed off after staying up late, several nights studying for college exams.
The judge found her sleeping to be disturbing because the people in the
courtroom were laughing at her and he sentenced her to spend two days in
jail. I've done my share of sleeping in church (Never in court - usually too
much tension.) and I think it is because it is such a peaceful place. But
some preachers especially in generations gone by were intolerant of people
sleeping while they were preaching. At the church where I pastor, a previous
pastor had just started his sermon, and noticed some people were already
asleep. He must have been a little upset because he stopped preaching, and
went home telling them if they were going to sleep, they could just sleep.
One of those who was there, said that it was such a shock, that he woke up
after the preacher said that.

Eutychus and Paul had the ultimate sleeping in church experience. Can you
imagine falling asleep during a sermon, dying and coming back to life with
the apostle Paul lying on top, hugging you? And depending on whether you
went to Heaven or Hell while you were dead it could be even a greater shock!
You have to think that Eutychus must have resolved to never, ever, to sleep
in church again!

Of far greater consequence than falling asleep in church, or even in a
courtroom, is that of falling asleep to the spiritual realities of life. The
apostle Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:6; 8, "Therefore let us not sleep,
as others do, but let us watch and be sober. .But let us who are of the day
be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the
hope of salvation." We should be constantly aware that there is a spiritual
side to all of life.

Our Father is at work, and we should be constantly seeking, to see if we
might somehow join Him in that work. There are those who are going out into
eternity without a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We should be standing
in the gap through prayer, through witnessing, through giving, and through
service holding back the lost from perishing. ".watch and be sober" be ready
for action, be ready to "warn those who are unruly, comfort the
fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders
evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves
and for all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give
thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians
5:14-18)."

Have you been asleep? Wake up! There is much to do!

Copyright © 2002-2010. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the
devotionals on a non-profit basis with source credited. The Burning Bush
website has been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email
version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent. Ed Wrather began
writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of these first
devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to prison
facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Many prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer
Request page. You can also post your prayer requests there and they will be
forwarded to the Burning Bush Prayer Group (Of course, I am always in need
of prayer - please pray for me.).

If you are not my friend on facebook or myspace you can be, just add me. The
devotionals are posted in my blogs on those two social networks and you can
leave comments, feedback about them there. There are other social networks
designed just for Christians, however, this is an outreach project to reach
those who may not know the Lord or may have wandered away. You can help me
reach out to them.

For information about how to hear my testimony in your church visit this
link: http://www.theburningbush.net/pages.asp?pageid=22160

If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may
subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

Two videos of my sermons are posted on GodTube (now Tangle) at:
connect.tangle.com/Wrather

You can listen to services at my son, Clark Wrather's church (First Baptist
Church of Broken Bow, Oklahoma) live on Sunday mornings at 10:55am CST
http://www.kkbifm.com/

There is a complete devotional archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here
is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You can unsubscribe to the pure text version of the devotional by sending a
blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the
confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the
confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.