Do You Have Enough Oil?

April 27, 2009

By Steven Sandlin

”Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 25:13).

Matthew 25:1-13 tells a parable of the ten virgins who were waiting for the bridegroom. There were five wise and five unwise. The way the world is today, these scriptures fit rather well. The church is now eagerly waiting to meet Jesus but we, as the church, are just like the ten virgins. Half of us are the five wise, while the other half of us are the five unwise. The oil represents the Spirit of God, also known as the Holy Ghost as was given to the 120 on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:4.

We, the people of God, are the lamps. I, as a Holy Ghost-filled child of God, have a responsibility to let my lamp shine no matter what life circumstances I am going through.

All you have to do is read the paper or watch CNN, MSNBC or Fox News and you will see how close we are to the return of Christ for His church. We have to keep our lamps burning bright and have plenty of oil. To do that, we have to be full of the Holy Ghost and let Him shine through our words, actions, and attitudes!

The scripture says that the five unwise came with no oil (Mathew 25:3), and Matthew 25:8 says they asked the five wise to share their oil because they had let their own lamps go out (which tells me that they had some oil at some point, but just enough for a season).

The bridegroom did not arrive in the time frame in which they had expected, which is evident by the amount of oil they brought. The part of the church that represents the five unwise have the Holy Ghost, but they are not doing enough with it to sustain them. They are still whining and complaining about how life is treating them. Every time you see them, they have something negative to say. We need to deal with these people as the wise did to the unwise by telling them they must find their own oil because there's nothing we can do to prepare them.

If we're not careful, we can get so wrapped up with their situation that before we know it, we will be just like them. The church does not have time to baby sit those who only want enough of God to get by on. If we spend our time doing that, we risk the chance of missing out with the bridegroom ourselves. We do not have the luxury of time with the way the world currently is. We have to be like the five wise virgins: keep ourselves full of oil at all times, keep a watchful eye and guard our hearts and minds. Christ is looking for those who have been wise and have kept enough oil. The Bible tells us that we don't know when He's coming back, but rest assured that time is drawing closer every day.

ninetyandnine.com

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Steven Sandlin is a 32-year old husband and father who lives in the Memphis area and attends The Pentecostal Church of Memphis under the leadership of Pastor Terry Black. His passion for End Times and his desire to study it is a result of a specific journey he has been on for the past five years. He loves the word of God and appreciates what he has gained and learned throughout his journey.