Don’t Slumber From the Word: Remember Eutychus!
Don’t Slumber From The Word:
REMEMBER Eutychus!
It certainly is funny — but it is not for fun — that The Holy Spirit expressly detailed the slumbering circumstances of a brother who slept away from The Word of God, and fell to death.
“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. There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together. 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.” Now when he had come up, had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he departed. And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted,” Acts 20:7-12.
Just as Eutychus “was sinking into a deep sleep” and eventually fell from his perch to death, so is many a believer sleeping and falling away from The Word, both literally and spiritually.
As Paul raised him back to life, let This Word raise you back to The Word of Life!
Are you sinking deep into sleep away from The Word, overcome by sleep like Eutychus?
I say to you by The Word of The LORD: “Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light,” (Ephesians 5:14).
Jesus said, “Remember Lot’s wife.” (Luke 17:32).
In like manner, I say remember Eutychus.
Do not be “overcome by sleep” (literally and spiritually), “for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.” (2 Peter 2:19).
I believe The Holy Spirit noted and detailed the Eutychus slumber to caution us to watch and guard against sleeping and slipping away from The Word of God, both literally and spiritually.
When people ‘sleep and slip’ from The Word, they begin to believe and teach error, indeed, walk in error and thus depart from the faith.
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,” 1 Timothy 4:1-2.
Sleeping and slipping away from The Word happens in various ways, as The LORD Jesus explained in the meaning of parable of the sower:
“Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away The Word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive The Word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.” Luke 8:12-14.
All these are like Eutychus in diverse ways.
Are you shallow with The Word? Remember Eutychus. Are you distracted from The Word? Remember Eutychus. Are you too busy for The Word? Remember Eutychus. Are you lazy with The Word? Remember Eutychus.
Then The LORD noted, “But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard The Word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.” (Luke 8:12-15).
Don’t sleep away from The Word. Stay awake. Study it. Keep it and bear fruit with it — a hundredfold.
As our LORD Jesus Christ said, “… blessed are those who hear The Word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:28).
“And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” 1 John 3:22. (See also John 8:29).
Our only anchor to keep us from drifting away “in this present evil age” is by holding fast to The Word of Life, (Galatians 1:4; Philippians 2:16).
I fondly recall my boyhood experience of fishing in canoes on a huge dam. A canoe easily and unnoticeably drifts on water if not ‘anchored’ (secured), or well berthed.
To guard against this during a fishing expedition, we would secure a canoe by temporarily sinking long poles deep in the waterbed through loops of rope tied to the two ends of the canoe, so it won’t drift away from our current fishing position on the water.
My beloved brethren, we must ALWAYS be anchored to The Word of God so as not to drift away, sleep away like Eutychus. Sleeping from The Word is slipping from The Word.
“My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.” Proverbs 4:20-22.
In John 4, the Samaritan woman, having encountered Jesus, left her water-pot (her own understanding! See Proverbs 3:5-7), went her way into the city, and testified about Him.
Then the city folk went out of the city and came to Jesus. (Our “speech and… preaching” must always point to and bring people to Christ, 1 Corinthians 2:4,5). And many of them believed in Him because of The Word of the woman who testified about Him.
Very pointedly, The Holy Spirit then noted that, “And many more believed because of His own Word. Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for WE OURSELVES HAVE HEARD HIM and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world,” (John 4:28-30, 39, 41-42).
Do you hear and know Jesus Christ for yourself, or just what someone else says about Him?
Nowadays, too many believers rather watch preaching/ teaching on television and YouTube (and other digital platforms) than study The Word for themselves!
With the avalanche of error and false teaching these days, we must study The Word for ourselves, be deep-rooted in It so “that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may GROW UP in all things into Him who is the head — Christ” (Ephesians 4:14-15).
“And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” Mark 13:37.
“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong,” Corinthians 16:13.
“The LORD Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.” 2 Timothy 4:22.
“Farewell” Acts 15:29.
~ Jacob Awagah
“And having been perfected, He became The Author of Eternal Salvation to all who obey Him,” Hebrews 5:9.
Absolutely right. Thank you. God bless.