Vol. VI No. 25 Dec. 23, 2007

Famine in the Land

Written by Christopher Mentzer

As we come to the end of another year I look out across our county and notice that a famine is there. One that has been there for the last couple centuries and one that will continue into the centuries to come. What could this famine be? The prophet Amos has the answer: “11. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord Jehovah, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of Jehovah. 12. And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east; they shall run to and fro to seek the word of Jehovah, and shall not find it.” (Amos 8: 11-12)

A lack of scripture reading is prevalent in this county today. One of the major factors to this famine is the number of denominational churches. Every church created is devised of man and not God. Why don’t people read their bibles? Two reasons: 1) They aren’t encouraged to do so, and 2) People rely on their preachers to tell them what the bible says. Here’s an example:

Here is an excerpt from an address by the cardinals in the Roman Church to Pope Pius III, which is preserved in the National Library of Paris, folio Number 1068, Volume 2, pages 650 and 651. Pius III lived in 1503.

“Of all the advice that we can offer, Your Holiness, we must open your eyes well and use all possible force in the matter, namely, to permit the reading of the gospel as little as possible in all the countries under your jurisdiction. Let the very little part of the gospel suffice which is usually read in mass, and let no one be permitted to read more. So long as people will be content with the small amount, your interest will prosper; but as soon as the people want to read more, your interest will fail.

The Bible is the book, which more than any other, has raised against us the tumults and tempests by which we have almost perished. In fact, if one compares the teaching of the Bible with what takes place in our churches, he will soon find discord, and will realize that our teachings are often different from the Bible, and oftener still, contrary to it.”

Just by this little example we see what power certain churches have over people. Here’s what Acts 17:11 says concerning the Bereans, “Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so.” This verse shows that they didn’t take the preacher’s words at face value. They searched the scriptures to see if he spoke the truth.

So who was this preacher of question? Was it someone who couldn’t be trusted with the truth? Someone who was new to teaching the gospel of Christ? On the contrary, it was, in fact, the apostle Paul, one of God’s chosen. Was Paul offended that they checked up on him? Not at all!

Even though he was speaking from God, people checked to see if he was telling the truth rather than simply rely on his word. Paul’s letter to the Galatians dealt with a problem of not following these teachings: “6. I marvel that ye are so quickly removing from him that called you in the grace of Christ unto a different gospel; 7. which is not another `gospel' only there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.” (Gal. 1: 6-7) Perhaps they didn’t check the scriptures as those in Berea. If they had they wouldn’t have left it for another doctrine. Paul continues in verses 8 and 9, “8. But though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach unto you any gospel other than that which we preached unto you, let him be anathema. 9. As we have said before, so say I now again, if any man preacheth unto you any gospel other than that which ye received, let him be anathema.”

The only way one can be certain of whether the truth is being told or not is simply by reading the truth that is found in the scriptures. By doing this, we can contain the famine that exists in our country.