21/07/2025
THE SLEEPING BRIDE: WHEN THE CHURCH FORGETS HER FIRST LOVE
There is perhaps no image more heartbreaking than that of a bride waiting for her groomâonly to fall asleep just moments before his return. This, unfortunately, is the state of the modern Church. Dressed in religion but drowsy in relationship. Active in programs but absent in passion. Loud in noise, yet quiet in intimacy with Christ. We have become a sleeping bride, forgetting our First Loveâthe very One who called us, saved us, and is coming back for us.
âNevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.â
â Revelation 2:4 (NKJV)
My Wake-Up Call
I was once a zealous young man, deeply involved in church activities. I was part of every youth meeting, every choir rehearsal, and even led prayer groups. Outwardly, I appeared vibrant and âon fireâ. But inwardly, I was drifting. I was doing for God, but I had stopped being with God.
The turning point came during a moment of personal crisis. I had just lost my biological mother at a young age. The pain was silent but deep. I turned to activities as a distraction. I thought ministry would fill the gap, but nothing satisfied that emptiness. Then God sent peopleâlike Mummy Emmerencia, Apostle Ayuka Kelvin Chinemere, and Mme Diboraâto shake me awake spiritually. Their love and spiritual guidance reignited my passion. I began to see the difference between church work and intimacy with Christ.
Like the Church in Ephesus, I had to repent and return to my First Love.
âRemember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works.â
â Revelation 2:5a (NKJV)
The Modern Bride and the Mistaken Identity
Today, many Christians wear the title âBride of Christâ but walk in spiritual amnesia. We forget that we are called into relationship, not performance. We post scriptures but donât meditate on them. We attend conferences but neglect the secret place. The oil in our lamps is drying up, yet we carry on like everything is fine.
Jesus warned us about this in the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). All ten were virgins. All had lamps. All were waiting. But only five had oil. The others slept without preparation. And when the Bridegroom arrived, they missed Him.
This is not a time for playing church. It is a time for awakening.
A Personal Revival
When I started the prayer group âThe Boanerges,â it wasnât from a place of perfectionâit was from a place of calling. I had tasted the emptiness of the world and longed for revival. And God met me. Not in noise, but in stillness. Not in the crowd, but in the secret place.
I began to spend hours again with His Word, not to preach it, but to meditate on it. I began to cry again in prayer, not for a platform, but for His presence. And I realized that Jesus hadnât left meâI had fallen asleep.
The Church today needs such personal revivals. Not just mass crusades, but inner awakenings.
âA Church that is awake will shake nations But a Church that sleeps will only entertain them.â Apostle Joshua Selman (Nigeria).
