“Behold, the days are
coming,” says the Lord GOD, “That I will send a famine on the land, Not a
famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the LORD.
Amos 8:11 There is a
famine in the land. We never tend to
think of a famine coming to the shores of North America, but there is a famine
none the less. As I traveled, I have gone to
many churches across the nation. I have seen and heard some surprising things
that you would not expect to see in the house of the Lord. As trends and fads
come and go, and as pastors and leadership seek church growth, they have
sometimes taken their cues of “how to do it” from the successful business world
around them. That is sometimes their first mistake because church is not a
business. It is so much more! In the business world, the highest goal is for
profits. Money motivates. While the church of God needs money to operate, it
should never be the chief motivator in how we do things. Pleasing God should be
our first agenda. We do not please God when we push our worldly agendas and
seek worldly favor.
Recent trends in the church have
been to make the atmosphere more and more like a night club, with all the
flashing lights, dark sanctuaries, and although we do not serve alcohol, we
prepare gourmet coffees and snacks for all.
If the presence of Almighty God is not felt in His house, making these
kinds of changes will not change God. It will however change us. I fear for the
next generation of believers who have not experienced the power of God in a way that absolutely overwhelmed
them. It is not a carnal thing, but a
deeply spiritual thing. Yet we prepare the atmosphere around us so our carnal
flesh is impressed, while it is our spiritual man that needs to be addressed.
Preach the Word!
As our scripture has said, there will come a day when there will be a
famine for hearing the Word of God. What are you teaching your children? What
are you preaching to your congregation? What kind of spiritual nourishment are
you providing those you are discipling? Is it the philosophies of men, good
books, psychology or ‘how to’ helps? It
may be good stuff, and it may be helpful, but are they getting the Word of
God? It is well documented that most
Bible believing Christians do not take the time during the week to read their
Bibles. Today it is easier than ever before. There are special apps for your
electronic gadgets that can put the Word of God at your fingertips at any moment
of the day. But usually we are far too busy to read a verse, let alone a
chapter. Preach the Word!
Learning to Listen
How do we expect the Words God has
for us to penetrate our wilting souls?
We need to relearn what it means to listen. The scripture did not say it
was to be a famine of the Word of God, but a famine of hearing or listening…..
We are easily distracted! Did you know that the specific clause “hear the Word
of the Lord” occurs 32 times in the NIV?
So what are we listening to? You might remember how in Revelations 2 and
3 the phrase “He who has
an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” is frequently repeated. We are to listen with our spiritual ears to the
Word of God. But if we do not read it, or listen to it as someone else reads
it, we will be spiritually enduring a famine. God gives us His wisdom and
knowledge in many different ways such as through singing, counsel and
encouragement, but the chief way we are to hear his Words are from the Word of
God. When we neglect this, we suffer, as a church and as an individual. God has
given to every believer the Holy Spirit who is to teach us and make the Word
come alive in our hearts. But we still have to dig into the Word for ourselves.
Too often we have a church full a spiritual babies who rely on others to feed
them their daily portion of the Word of God. When this fails to happen, they
fail to thrive. Your spiritual diet will be no better than what those around
you give to you, unless you are mature enough to get into the Word for
yourself. A feast awaits the spiritually hungry man or woman of God in the Word
of God. J. H Keathly puts it this way: We can play church and do a kind of “nod to God” routine putting in our
appearance physically while we are in essence absent spiritually. Result? We
don’t even come close to truly hearing the voice of God. Why?
Because we have removed our hearts from the Lord. We have become passive
listeners because we aren’t really prepared physically, mentally, and
spiritually to hear the Word of the Lord. Church attendance is often simply a
part of our plan to pursue life on our own terms. We attend church not to
really meet with God or listen in order to know, love, and serve Him, but to
feel good, have an experience, to hear beautiful music, to hear an eloquent
speaker, to see people or even to be seen by people. We attend church to soothe
our consciences and maybe earn a little of God’s favor. In this case, one’s
religious activity is a kind of insurance policy—a protection we think. But we
are dead wrong if we think this way because such reasons do not line up with what
God says to us in His Word. If your pastor has become a passive listener, pray for him. If you have
become a passive listener, repent, and get back to the basics of reading the
Word of God, seeking your spiritual nourishment for each day. There is no
substitute for hearing the voice of God speaking into your own heart to your
own special needs. In your family, make it easier to focus on the Word of God
by removing distractions. Help your children to listen by keeping it
interesting and practical to their daily lives. When it comes to paying
attention at church, leave the coffee in the foyer, use the bathroom ahead of
time, and bring your own Bible to church. Mark sections that are particularly
meaningful. Pastors, make it possible for people to read their Bibles by
turning up the lights and clearly giving them references to scriptures. If we are not prepared to listen so we can respond with
our hearts, let’s face it, we are simply playing church and we are withholding
our hearts from the Lord. Our religious activities then become an experiment in
futility. (H.J. Keathly)
So what a person to do? We must
prepare to listen to the voice of God.
God still speaks to mankind today. He never changes. He spoke in ages
past and He will speak to you if you are willing to listen. Pastors, preach the
Word as God gives it! Don’t give in to
the fads of the day. Don’t soft pedal the harsh truths God wants His people to
hear. Let the anointing flow unhindered in your life. It will change those who
are willing to hear!. J. Johnson
Praise
reports and prayer requests…..
Pray for revival! Pray
for those whose lives are filled with arrogance, struggling with
forgiveness, anger and doubt.
Pray for the Johnsons as they seek a new
place of full time ministry...a church that needs loving leadership. Pray
as they intermin pastor in Wisconsin churches. Pray for
grieving families who have lost loved ones (R.
Janowski family, E. Yingling family). Pray for Evangelists, Missionaries,
and Teachers. . Pray for
US Army Chaplain Steve Maglio.
Pray for those needing a healing touch in their bodies: J.
Berens (cancer) Rosemary (chemo treatments) Joyce Johnson (healing her muscles
and feet —neuropathy) Praise the Lord, Joyce’s tumor is gone! Pray for those who are in a famine of the Word of God. Pray for the nation, for the
President, for our service men and women, for
Israel, for Christians in Muslim countries, for the unsaved, and don’t
forget to Praise and thank the
Lord!
Dear friends,
Please continue to pray for us as we seek
God’s future for our lives. Praise the Lord! We are so thankful and so
appreciate each of you who take the time to pray and write. Your financial
gifts are so important and needed. Even though the tumor is gone, we continue
to face many added bills from the treatments for Joyce’s cancer. Your cards and
notes are so encouraging. God bless you all! God is faithful and we anticipate
great things in the future……Serving the Master!
David and & Joyce Johnson
Update…..Joyce
is getting stronger each day. We rejoice in the Lords touch. Together, on June
17th, we will be celebrating our 40th Wedding Anniversary. Praise the Lord for
so many wonderful years together.
PS...Daves birthday was June 2nd.
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