“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
Across the Western church, everyone is resting right now. There is very little to disturb us as far as persecution or trial is concerned. Therefore, across the Western Body of Christ– we rest. It’s not a bad thing; in fact, it’s a blessing to be in a nation that allows the freedom of religion to be practiced. Although some may disagree, our lack of hardship is not an indictment against us; even though we know that the persecuted church in Iran & China is growing, it does not mean they are the only true followers of Jesus. Just because Western believers are “at rest” from persecution, doesn’t mean they are all lazy, slothful followers of Christ. We know that persecution often does create an atmosphere for Believers to be tried and true to their faith, but does it have to be the only way? The question, therefore, isn’t whether persecution is the only real way to be tested as a faithful follower, but the question is, ‘Can we be faithful to Jesus no matter the situation we are in, whether abundance or lack, victory or pain?’ Can we, like Paul, say, “For I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things, I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:12-12).
This really is at the heart of the symbolic application we will discuss today: Can we be faithful to get oil in our lamps in the mundane activity of life? Can we prepare our hearts to receive more of Jesus when we can't see him, feel him, or sense him? So, let’s begin answering this question by using our imagination:
Imagine the 10 virgins as Western Believers at rest in this season. Because there is little to disturb them by way of outside persecution, they sleep/rest with ease. They all lie symbolically asleep, each one dreaming of something that makes their heart still feel awake. Picture them sleeping, then, with smiles on their faces, bodies relaxed.
And now imagine peering past their outward slumbering appearance and into the ethereal world of their dreams. Symbolically, dreaming speaks of the things we’d love to accomplish, what we wish we could see happen and enjoy. So, as you peer into the dream realm of these 10 women, what is that thing that they dream of that makes their heart feel alive and content? What is their mind meditating on, longing for, and dreaming about? As we peruse the dreamlife of the ten, we may find that this one, dreams of seeing Jesus, while another dreams of a bigger ministry. One dreams of hearing, ‘Well done,’ from The Father, while another dreams of everyone knowing her name.
From the outside, these slumbering women all look the same. And even the internal condition has a similarity; both groups – 10 wise and 10 foolish – share this in common: the amount of oil in their vessels is changing. And for both groups, life goes on as normal and so they are both unaware of the changing nature in their vessels. While the wise are resting and going about routine, they do not even realize that oil is being poured into their lamp; meanwhile, the other group of foolish women, doesn’t realize that it is dwindling down. Plainly stated, while they are all sleeping, one gets oil while another does not. The difference between them is what they dream about - where their heart and mind is focused. One dreams of the Bridegroom while another dreams of her lamp.
One of the easiest distractions in a Believer’s life can be the very ministry they offer to others. Whether it’s a pulpit ministry or an evangelistic ministry, the things we do for the Lord can actually become idols that make us feel alive without ever flowing from the heart connection with Jesus he so desires. We feel alive in our “successful” ministry for the Lord, but does He feel the same? The Wise Virgins are the believers who have, most likely, fallen into the trap of “ministry being their calling”, only to discover their own poverty and tendency to put idols before Christ, and have now returned to the heart of worship. Sure, it would be better for the wise to learn from other people’s mistakes, but I find far too often in the Western church that it takes a massive spiritual slap upside the noggin to get us to see how idolatrous ministry can be. In other words, there is a huge chance that the wisest among us has overcome the very temptation that the foolish ones still embrace as “true spirituality.” Yet, through overcoming the temptation and snare, the wise are now the undistracted ones, the ones who will not be ensnared again by the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. The wise have learned that as the Bride of Christ, we are called to set our eyes on Jesus – him and him alone. Friend, this is your call. This is your position for eternity. All other activity must flow out of this, and if ministry ever becomes “your calling,” then you are doing something wrong.
After a hard season of ministry, a church I knew saw a couple leave who had, by all appearances, been “all-in” to the ministry their congregation provided, only for the pastor to discover they were disgruntled and had never spoken to him about what had them upset. As a pastor who gives hours, finances, talent, as well as blood, sweat, and tears sometimes to your flock, it is discouraging when a member suddenly leaves in a wrong attitude. I sat and listened to this young pastor’s story, fully understanding his heartbreak. He turned to me and said, “What’s the point then of laying down your life for people if they just walk right out on you? Without you even getting the chance to make it right!” I felt the Spirit of Wisdom touch my heart as I opened my mouth and said, “We lay down our life for Jesus. Him, and him alone. If we live for him, then even if those closest to us betray us, the pain won’t stop us from pressing on in faithfulness and love. Our ministry is to Him and He was a man of no reputation. They slandered him and walked out on his ministry – so we are in good company. ”
Everyone of us have to fight the need to be needed, the need to be liked, or the need to be “relevant.” None of these things are the source of getting oil to sustain us. Remember: you get oil by simply sitting before Jesus with a locked gaze. And locking your gaze is easy for those who have learned how to get oil by locking their gaze. I know that sentence seems like a word salad – but let’s read it again:
You get oil by simply sitting before Jesus with a locked gaze. And locking your gaze is easy for those who have learned how to get oil by locking their gaze.
Whenever you enter a time of worship, whenever you sit down on your couch for 5 minutes of meditation, whenever you are driving your car and you turn off the radio to simply breath His name, know that it matters. Those moments in the here and now with Jesus, no matter if they are big or small or long or quick, they matter more than you know. Say it aloud: Every moment I chose to stop and gaze at Him matters. Every time you pause for 30 seconds to simply reconnect your heart to the Lord’s, gets you oil in your lamp. Why? Because oil is symbolic of our heart connection with Him. Oil is not symbolic of our ministry. The lamps symbolize our ministry, but they are useless without the oil that causes them to shine. If you are serving others in any capacity, it will drain your oil because they are not the source of oil…He is. So, when you are ministering (whether that be wiping the snotty noses of your children or preaching in the pulpit), take a moment to connect with Jesus throughout your ministry. Stop and reconnect with simply prayers such as, “I love you, Jesus...I choose you, Jesus...” Through the mundane, practice connecting with Jesus -day by day, step by step, moment by moment. Stop worrying about your calling. Just rest in the one thing that is needed: locking your eyes on Him. This is all that matters.
Awake, O, Sleeper
And all of that practice of connecting to Him will prepare you for a great reward on the Day of His Coming. Jesus told us to store up treasure for ourselves in heaven and then he plainly told us that things like success and money and fame are not eternal treasure at all. Oil, however, is treasure that will last forever. So practice connecting to Him in the boring junk of life and you will be prepared for Jesus' coming. But this practice of connection will also prepare you for something else:
6 Then at midnight, the cry was heard, ‘Behold, the Bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.
Contextually, this passage is about the return of Jesus to the earth; but symbolically, I believe it’s about preparation for the Spirit’s “coming” among us in power, both corporately and individually. When the cry comes forth that Jesus is truly moving in power somewhere, everyone is awakened. No one is left sleeping. I experienced first-hand this awakening in the 1990s. All across North America, the Lord’s Spirit was “coming” to gatherings in a tangible way. From the Toronto outpouring to the Brownsville Revival, I literally watched tens of thousands of people awaken to Jesus like never before. People stood in lines for hours just to get inside a church. Why? Because God had stepped down among us in power and it was something worth waking up for! However, some people were awakened as sleep-walkers – moving and alert, but still asleep in the heart. Much like Jesus’ appearing in Jerusalem, the disciples were awakened in awe of Jesus’ awesome power, while the Pharisees were awakened in anger to all that He was. They had an appearance of being awake, but they were far from it. Professing to be shining wise men, they were actually dimly lit fools. As Jesus said to them, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matt. 22:27-28). The Pharisees expected Messiah to come in a way that was palatable, expected, preconceived, but Jesus’ coming first as the Lamb of God offended them and their hearts remained asleep.
All of the “practicing connection” with Jesus in our day-to-day life, prepares us to not be offended if He shows up in a way we aren’t expecting. This is certainly applicable in the way He may “show up late” in our painful circumstances or losses when we wish he would have come sooner. Staying connected to Him through the hard times and then the practice of daily connection to Him prepares us for moves of His Spirit that may seem unlikely or even bizarre. Because we have learned His ways in our day-to-day life, we are better prepared to discern a wave of His Spirit. Let’s use our imagination again and ponder Matthew 25:
When the cry is heard that the Bridegroom is coming, all the virgins awaken! They all trim the wick, making their lamps ready to receive more oil. The wise take their vessels and receive the fresh outpouring that they have on reserve. The foolish trims their wicks, too, in order to receive, but there is no oil on the heart to spark the fire. Their lamps are going out.
Then at midnight, the cry was heard, ‘Behold, the Bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ...but while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
Many will miss what Jesus is doing in the earth today, because they have not taken the time in the mundane to get oil. It does not mean that Jesus will not pour out His Spirit on them in times of refreshing, for when revival comes, it sweeps the worthy and the unworthy alike. But the heart that is prepared is the one that will receive promotion in times of refreshing - a deeper season with Jesus where He takes them into His chambers (Matthew 25:10). Why? Because they have learned to enter the chambers of the King when He was unseen and unfelt. In other words, in their boring day-to-day life, the wise have practiced being with Him whether they could feel Him or not. And when waves of the Spirit’s moving hit their heart, they are prepared to not get swept away by offense or immaturity. They have oil in their lamps to keep them burning even in the unpredictable waves of glory.I speak metaphorically when I say this, but when revival takes place, foolish believers are often left in an immature state, found as servants and not as friends, found as maidens, and not as the Bride. Why? Because they have lived a life of distraction, never learning to fix their gaze on Him in their weekly routine. “Revival”for them, then, is simply another chance to “do ministry,” in serving more, promoting themselves more, etc.
You want to be the Wise Bride, Reader. As seen in Matthew 25:11-12, servants are left out in the cold when He comes. This applies to His literal coming and also applies symbolically to His coming in power among our gatherings. The season we are in now with Jesus is one of rest from our enemies, to be sure. But any bride will tell you that the season before the wedding day is anything but restful! It is full of preparation for that day. It is more than just making sure the dress and the cake are perfect – it’s making sure you are ready to be a wife, a friend to the Bridegroom forever. An engagement exists to prepare the young couple’s hearts in maturity for the sacred seriousness of marriage. If we, as God’s people, can take this season of betrothal seriously, preparing to know Jesus more, than we will be growing in maturity and will be ready to see Him when He comes. Once again (let me drive it home), this is not simply about His Parousia in the sky but his coming in power among us. People that lock eyes with Jesus in the day-to-day are people who are learning to hunger for more of Him, and when the Spirit comes in our gatherings, they have a better grasp of His heart and mind because they know Him well. They have positioed themselves at His feet when other things were calling them. The learning to not be distracted in the mundance perpares them to not be distracted by the outward things that can accopany a move of God. They will be mature enough to chew on the meat and spit out the bone, discerning what is truly of God and what is merely immaturity or even the flesh.They have learend the better part.
Luke’s account of Mary & Martha in 10:38-41, gives us a glimpse of two people who both love Jesus, but one is distracted by serving while the other is choosing the better part:
38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore, tell her to help me.”41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
The good part that cannot be taken from us is the time we spent with Jesus for nothing else than simply time with Him. Not what He can do for us, not how he can fill us to prophesy or heal or grow our ministry…just Jesus for Jesus’ sake. Now, don’t get me wrong: as you PURSUE OIL, you cannot HELP but have a shining lamp. You lamp will be shining if you are full of His Spirit! And that shining lamp is at the heart of every true servant; not their own name, not their own ministry – but HIS light shining in them is what propels people to carry reserve oil with them wherever they go. I believe Marys will become Marthas, but Marthas won’t necessarily become Marys. What do I meant by that? Someone who has learned how to sit at Jesus feet and lock their gaze on Him, cannot help but share His love with others through servanthood. It is a natural outflow of having oil on reserve because our Master was the Servant of All. Therefore, Marys will become Marthas. What Mary did is the part that cannot be taken from us: that time with Jesus alone, where we learn from Him as God. The part that Martha played, however, came to an end. The meal was done. The dishes were washed. The guests all left. It was over. Just ask Martha: serving comes to an end. Ministry most certainly can be taken from us – our servanthood will all fall away depending on the uncertainties and season of life. Therefore, Marthas do not necessarily become Marys if they have not learned to do the “one thing that is needed” (vs 42). And that One Thing will never be taken from us - it will follow us even into eternity.
Beloved Ones, every little movement of your heart to chose simplicity with Jesus is positioning you to better receive His mighty moving in power. Moves of God ebb and flow. Revival never lasts too long. However, those who are prepared to receive a move of God and carry it with them even after the river has stopped flowing and the ministry has ceased, these are the Wise who learn to be bring oil with them wherever they go, most often long before the wave of Glory came. They positioned their hearts to simply know Him for the sake of knowing Him. And whether they ever see a "great move of God" where souls were saved and bodies are healed, or if they ultimately see Him coming on the clouds at His 2nd coming, they are ready to receive Him, with wicks trimmed and lamps burning bright.
Let the Bride make herself ready! (Rev.19:7)
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