As we enter this sacred time of Solemn Assembly, our hearts are stirred by a divine summons echoing from eternity into the urgency of now: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Ephesians 5:14 ESV). The Spirit of God is calling His Church—not merely to awaken, but to arise. Not merely to be aware but to act. Not merely to see the times but to seize them.

Earlier this year, our first Solemn Assembly led us into a season of spiritual awakening. We awakened to know the time—recognizing the lateness of the hour in God’s prophetic clock. We awakened to righteousness—realigning our lives with His holiness and His heart. And we awakened to prayer—responding to Christ’s call to watch and intercede, as He urged His disciples in Gethsemane: “Could you not watch with Me one hour?” (Matthew 26:40 NKJV).

Now, we move from awakening to arising. From revelation to response. From conviction to commission.

In this present season, our theme sharpens its focus: Arise and walk as children of light. Arise and redeem the time. Arise and be clothed with Christ. The call to arise is not a just a stirring of the soul; it is a command to action. The Church must arise—not just to show the way to Christ but to expose the works of darkness and confront the spiritual apathy that dulls discernment in this evil day.

Ephesians 5:1–16 NKJV charges us: “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children … walk as children of light … finding out what is acceptable to the Lord … walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” This is our mandate—not to reflect the mood of the culture but the nature of Christ. Not to retreat from darkness but to shine in it. Not to count the days but to make the days count.

The Apostle Paul echoes the same urgency in Romans 13:11–12 NKJV: “It is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.”

This Solemn Assembly is not merely a gathering. It is a response to a holy alarm. It is a consecration of hearts to God’s will and a commissioning of lives to His work. It is a solemn “yes” to the Spirit’s stirring and a resolute “no” to the comforts and compromises of spiritual slumber.

Jesus is once again walking among His disciples, urging us to wake up and watch with Him. His visitation is near. His return is imminent. His heart is yearning for a Church that is alert, clothed in light, and burning with obedience.

Let this prayer guide be more than words. Let it be a doorway into a deeper walk—a lamp to light the path of repentance, intercession, and holy action. Let it awaken what has lain dormant. Let it ignite what has grown cold. And above all, let it move us—not just to pray for revival, but to be the revival.

Awakening Church, Arise. The time is now!

Klayton Ko, Senior Pastor
First Assembly of God, Hawaii