Out Of The Window

Many flickering lamps burned in the upstairs chamber where we were meeting.  Sitting in an open window listening was a young man named Eutychus. As Paul’s sermon dragged on, Eutychus became drowsy and fell into a deep slumber. Sound asleep, he fell three stories to his death below.   Acts 20:8-9  TPT

The Bible’s message never cease to amaze me. There are unlimited lessons and messages in every verse, passage and account. Today I learned something new from a very familiar account. This takes place on the third floor of a building where a going away celebration for Paul was happening. They wanted to meet with him one more time to share in Communion and hear a message before he was departing for Miletus.

Now Paul might have been an inspirational writer, but history tells us he wasn’t a motivational speaker. So combine the lateness of the hour, the warmth with flickering lamps, a long sermon and a young man sitting in a window on a third floor and you get a true wake up call! Eutychus fell asleep and out of the window and died! But Paul undaunted by the time, ran down, embraced the young man, and told everyone he was alive. Now that must have been quite an announcement. They walked back upstairs and shared in Communion, ate a meal, Paul picked up where he left off, finished and then left.

So what lesson did I learn? Well here’s where it becomes very appropriate for our time. The name Eutychus means good fortune. Eu- good, where we get our word eulogy from and tychus which means fortune. Now you might be thinking falling out a window and dying wasn’t good fortune. True, but getting up walking upstairs, taking Communion and eating a meal sure was. The current application here is that although this young man was hearing the word of God, he got comfortable and fell asleep and fell out of a high window.

So let’s think about what this is teaching us. Today the church as a whole has been hearing the word of God taught, but we have gotten comfortable, apathetic and sleepy. Instead of being on fire, we’re just casting flickering lights that are limited and dim. We’re asleep spiritually and have fallen from the high place Jesus has called us to. And I’m so glad that’s not the end of the story, we have been shaken awake by all the upheaval that is occurring. As Paul puts it, wake up o sleeper! (Eph. 5:14). And we are finally waking up from our slumber and realizing we need to be restored. We need to get back to grace alone. We so function in works when all has been accomplished in Jesus. We need to go back to relying totally on Jesus and His grace. In short it’s all about Him! We need to meet together for Communion, read the word of God, declare it, live it and pray it! It’s 10 days to the September 26, the Day of National Repentance and Prayer, let’s use this time to prepare for a great spiritual awakening and a return to our spiritual foundation on Jesus Christ!