I have often wondered how people can hear the preacher preach, week after week, and seemingly nothing in their life changes. When they hear preaching on faithfulness they listen but still plan things that conflict with worship times. When he preaches on witnessing they never show up for outreach or ask prayer for a lost person. This type of behavior baffled me until I studied through Acts chapter 20. I read the account of the ultimate “sleeping in church” story and it occurred to me that many are asleep in church with their eyes wide open.
Act 20:9-12 “And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. When he, therefore, was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.”
This man experienced a great miracle because of his sleep. I don’t suppose he intentionally took a snooze, but rather, because of the late hour, and the length of the sermon, he did a little head nodding until he was completely out of it.
The fall from three stories was enough to kill anyone. He was taken as dead until Paul stretched himself over him and his life was restored to him.
Eutychus experienced a miracle. His life was not only restored back to him but there is no account of him having any problems from the fall. No broken bones, no concussion, nothing of a physical nature to report. The Bible tells us that after he was restored to life, he ate with them, and talked until daybreak.
This passage sends a great lesson to American Christians.
Weekly, many across America go to church, maybe even to Sunday School, but as they went through the process, they were asleep with their eyes wide open. It is very easy to sit and appear to be listening, and yet not hear a word.
What would be the result of this sleep? Will we fall out of a third-story window? Probably not, but we can fall into a stupor and miss what God is trying to say to us, while we seem to be paying attention. Our minds wander, little things distract us, and before you know it, we have missed God’s message to us. A message for which we will be held responsible. We are accountable to God for what we should have heard if we had been listening!
Another aspect of this lesson is from Paul’s perspective. We can pay attention and reach out to those who may be sleeping. No, not physically sleeping, but those we see going through the motions, but not changing. I’ve often wondered why so many hear the same messages, but just don’t seem to get it. Their lives are contrary to the message being preached. They may be like Eutychus, asleep. They are plunging into destruction and someone needs to rescue them.
We need to reach out, find those people, and befriend them. Have them in your home. Make a meal for them. Get to know them, and be an example to them. Pray for them daily. Be their “Paul.” Some of those that are sleeping may attend every week. They make have been doing this “sleeping with eyes wide open,” their entire life.
Paul used the power God gave him to bring this man back to life. We can do the same if we are in tune with the Holy Spirit. We can wake up those who have fallen asleep. Look around and find those in your church who are faithful attendees, but do not live to obey the truths they hear at church.
Who is your Eutychus? If you don’t know someone like this may be the Eutychus is you!
You need to either wake someone up or wake up!
