Famine in the Land

For weeks I am hearing the same message from people. They are starving. People are starving to death but probably not in the way you are thinking. They are starving to hear the word of God. Some have given up on the entertainment driven church. While in many of those churches the crowds swell the maturity and deepening in Christ often does not. Others have told me, "If I wanted to go to a concert I would buy a ticket."

There is a famine in the land. "'Behold, day are coming,' declares the Lord, 'When I will send a famine on the land, not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and from the north even to the east, they will go to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.'" [Amos 8:11-12]

I hear the same story over and over again. Some family has been seeking a church home for some time. They have visited all the bigger churches and just want to go to a church where they are not being entertained and where the full counsel of God's word is preached. I recently visited with a lady who came as a guest to our church. She told me later she wanted to go to a church where words like sin, repentance, holiness were used. Recently a senior adult lady who came to celebrate the baptisms of her grandsons walked up to me and told me repeatedly, "Thank you for preaching the word of God." I got the distinct impression this is more of a rarity these days.

Come on preachers. I have read many of the same books you have. Seeker sensitive or seeker driven and purpose driven are not the only ways to build a church. People are starving spiritually for all the fluff they are given. Many preachers drive themselves to be creative, cutting edge, relevant, and practical. You might come back and say you are after the lost. You will use whatever you can to reach the lost. I remind you the great commission is not just a commission for evangelism. We are to go and make disciples. Discipleship takes time and the teaching of the full word of God.

In this day and age church has become big business and small ministry. One lady recently commented to me that she longed for reverence in the church once again. Church has become so casual. God is not casual. He is holy. He is uncommon. We must have preaching from the word of God that reminds people of God's character. We must be reminded of the call on us to live lives of distinction. We need preaching that calls people to salvation and calls the backslidden to repentance. We need preaching that both comforts and challenges as well as exhorts and convicts.

The diet preached from some pulpits would be like a family never having anything for dinner other than desert. The kids might love it at first but sooner or later the ill effects would begin to show. Our bodies crave nourishment. Last night Brenda made vegetable soup. The night before we had meat loaf, mashed potatoes and turnip greens. These are hearty meals. They provide strength and energy for the day.

Paul urged us to preach the word of God. "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom; preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction." [II Tim 4:1-2]

We need preaching like that. We need messages from the word of God that help people to press through adversity, to endure suffering, to survive tragedy, and to cope with failure. We need preaching that calls people to live in holiness, to resist sin, to deny lust, and to be content regardless of external circumstances. We need preaching that reminds people we are living for something more than this life. We need to preach in such a way we prepare people to face the judgment seat of Christ.

You can find preaching everywhere. Still there is a famine in the land. All people really want is a true encounter with the living God. They do not need our eloquence or the latest greatest technology. They need the steady diet of preaching God's word week in and week out. We as preachers and teachers must put an end to this famine. So long to preaching that tickles the ears. Hello to God honoring preaching that remains faithful to the biblical text. Let the lush pasture of God's word be supplied to hungry and malnourished sheep from the pulpit until there is no more famine in the land for hearing the word of God.