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No Famine in His House
"'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. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, but shall not find it. In that day the fair virgins and strong young men shall faint from thirst... They shall fall and never rise again." Amos 8: 11-14
Strong words were needed back then, and strong words are needed today. Amos, whose name in the Hebrew language is a derivative of a "Burden Bearer," prophesied a stern warning to Israel's Northern Kingdom, sounding an alarm about the impending doom. But no one was listening.
Then, not unlike today, life was pretty good, the nation was enjoying relative prosperity and security, and the regional enemies (Aram, Assyria, Babylon, and Egypt) were not posing any serious threat. Neither the secular nor the religious leaders gave any consideration to the warning signs of the coming disaster, and neither famine, draught, plagues, or death swayed the population from its addiction to hypocrisy, injustices, and spiritual indifference.
The real clincher, however, from the prophetic perspective, and the most alarming symptom of national decline is the corporate inability of the people to HEAR the Word of God. Notice that the prophetic admonition didn't say that the Word of God wasn't available or accessible; rather, it was the hardness of heart and callousness of conscience that rendered the people unable to HEAR the WORD.
The Hebrew word "Hear" in this passage is taken from the root word SHAMAH meaning not merely "to listen," but rather "to hear and to obey." We can listen to many words and sounds, but hearing them is a different matter all together.
And as Amos predicted back then, many in our day wander from sea to sea and from north to east, running to and fro in search of the WORD of God, but all they can do is LISTEN, analyze and scrutinize the Words they hear with their carnal faculties while the life transforming power of the LIVING WORD never really enters their heart and spirit so as to grant them eternal overcoming life!
Some are too wounded to hear; others too proud to let God in. Whatever your excuse may be, isn't it time to find a house of worship where the WORD is living and active and powerful to the changing of lives and the working of miracles? This is our vision and our goal here at Touch Heaven Canfield Church, and those who are becoming part of this family bear witness that there is no famine in this house!
To hear more of this lesson, join us for our mid week Hebraic Treasures of The Scriptures services on Thursday nights, and invite a friend, a neighbor, or a relative who is famishing out there.
In fact, why not forward this message to them right now? Your own witness and personal outreach is still the best and the only marketing plan heaven ever endorsed! And remember, our main worship services are now on Sunday mornings @ 10:00 AM.
See you at church.
Pastor Reuven Doron
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