State of the Church: The Celtic Revival (7)
You will have to understand all this in a spiritual sense, as a warning that your souls may wither because of such a pestilential famine for the Word of God.
– Gildas, The Ruin of Britain
“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
A famine of hearing
Gildas is here in the process of reviewing Old Testament prophets whom the Lord used to condemn the false shepherds of their day. He was in touch with what was going on in Ireland at this time, where revival was still growing, and faithful men of God were being trained to shepherd His flocks. Gildas’ book is a call to repentance for priests and church leaders in Britain, where he lived. He knew the situation there and read out the condemnations of Scripture against unfaithful shepherds.
Our excerpt comes from his summation of Joel’s prophecy of a coming famine, which, Amos made clear (as Gildas knew), was to be a famine of hearing the Word of God.
This was the situation in Britain in Gildas’ day. Priests—who were the shepherds of God’s flock—were merely going through the motions of ministry. They were not attending to the ministry of the Word, but only holding masses and hearing confessions and making an easy life for themselves in the name of the Lord.
Meanwhile, the people were starving for the pure food of Scripture. Their souls were withering from the famine of hearing that the priests of Britain had caused by their neglect of the Word of God.
Gildas’ book provided more true and consistent preaching of the Word than the people of Britain had heard for many years. Sadly, what he wrote would not have been available to the people who needed it.
Feeding on the Word
Thank God for shepherds today who feed their flocks on the pure milk and solid food of Scripture, and who encourage and urge them to feed daily on that Word for the strengthening of their souls. Pray that they will be faithful to preach the whole counsel of God, as Paul did (Acts 20.26, 27), and that they will call on those they serve to search the Scriptures daily and learn all the truth of the Lord (Acts 17.11).
I am persuaded that we are experiencing a famine of true and faithful preaching and hearing of the Word of God. This is evident by the fact that there is so little preaching or teaching about the Kingdom of God and Jesus’ command that we should seek that Kingdom and righteousness as the defining priorities of our lives. The Kingdom of God is the solid food every believer needs, the power of God for righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 4.20; Rom. 14.17, 18). And that souls—saved souls, redeemed souls—are withering on the vine is evident from the fact of our diminishing impact on the morals, culture, hopes, and aspirations of the people of this country.
Only the Word of God can give us the life and Spirit we need for revival, renewal, and awakening (Jn. 6.63; Heb. 4.12). If you are daily in the Word, persevere; if you are not, then by all means begin today and remain faithful in this holy and essential feast.
Our nation is on the brink of ruin. Politics won’t save us. Education cannot provide what we need. We need to hear and feast on God’s Word and help others to do so as well. Only this can keep our souls from withering and our churches and nation from ruin.
For Reflection
1. Have you reviewed your time with the Lord lately? Can you see any need for improvement?
2. How can you encourage your fellow believers to feed daily on the Word of God and prayer?
Psalm 119.129-133
(No Other Plea: My Faith Has Found a Resting Place)
Your testimonies, LORD are sweet;
I hide them in my soul.
Your words give light unto my feet,
and make my thinking whole.
I open wide my mouth to You:
LORD, feed me with Your Word!
I vow that all You say I’ll do:
I love Your precepts, LORD.
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Need some help in reading and studying the Scriptures? Order your free copy of The Joy and Rejoicing of My Heart and gain the skills and incentive you need for daily feeding on God’s Word.
Men, check out our Spring Men’s Reading Groups. Great reads, sound learning, warm fellowship.
Other columns of interest: This week: In our ReVision series on “The Church” we consider the vision of Church presented in Scripture. Our Read Moore podcast is working through our book, The Kingdom Turn. The focus of our Scriptorium daily study is on “Matthew: The Coming of the Kingdom.” Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
