I had a few extra minutes so I picked up a book written by one of the most famous preachers in American history, a man known for having had a brilliant mind. The cover of the book said it was “an exposition” of the book of Ephesians. I opened it with great expectation, but I soon discovered two sad things.

Sadly, this highly educated and respected preacher was not at all certain as to which version of the Bible is best. He quoted first from one and then from another. The second thing that troubled me deeply was this. Instead of being an exposition of the scriptures the book was more of a collection of stories, one after another. I’ve got to admit that it was pleasurable reading and many of the stories made great illustrations, but that is not an “exposition” of God’s Word.

This experience served to remind me that much of the so-called preaching today is far from an exposition of God’s Word, which it should be. Most modern day preachers are more concerned about entertaining people than they are about educating and edifying them. Listening to them might be highly enjoyable, but God didn’t call His messengers into the entertainment business. When Paul instructed Timothy to “Preach the word”(2 Timothy 4:2) that’s exactly what he meant. He did not have in mind using a few scriptures as a jumping off place for their stories. Nor did he tell him to preach about the Word. The command is to “Preach the word”, not about it. We need to remember that it’s what the Word says, not what we say about it that is most important.

If you are a preacher I hope you will give serious consideration to this very important matter. If you aren’t a preacher, it is my prayer that you will understand the importance of hearing good solid expository preaching. You owe it to yourself, and your family, to make sure your soul is being fed the pure Word of God. Nothing short of that can meet your needs. Do what you’ve got to do to make it happen. Don’t waste your time and subject your family to listening to some liberal preacher tell their stories. Think about it!

WHERE ARE THEY?

The older we get the more prone we are to think about the “Old Days”. I used to hate it when “old folks” did that! Now I find myself doing the same. Frankly “the good old days” were not always so good. I’m glad some things have changed. But, there are some things I really do miss. One of the things I miss most is seeing people with an insatiable appetite for God’s word. I don’t mean that there are no such people today, but clearly there are not nearly as many.

I can remember when there were a lot of folks who truly had a hunger and thirst for the Word of God. They just couldn’t get enough of it. They were like little birds crying to be fed. They would spend hours studying the Bible and asked one question after another. I miss that. In this fun-loving, pleasure-seeking, self-centered society today you seldom find people like that. I wonder why? The Bible hasn’t changed and man’s basic needs are the same today as they were a thousand years ago. The Bible is as relevant today as it was back then.

To my mind, there is nothing more exciting than to be in a room filled with young folks who want to dig deep into the word. It’s thrilling to watch them grow in faith and listen to them talk about facing the challenges of Christian service. We used to expect that from new Christians, but times have changed. I’m not smart enough to figure out why things are so different or exactly what to do about it, but I sure miss those days.

Maybe it would help if we made it clear that what we see today is not the norm. Any normal healthy Christian will have an appetite for God’s Word. Those who don’t are not just headed for trouble, they are already in trouble – and they need to know it. We don’t do them any favor by pretending that all is well. Spiritual growth is impossible without the nourishment of God’s Word. The sooner people learn that the better off they will be. We hear a lot of talk about love for God but when it comes time to study His Word most of these folks are no where to be found. I wonder –Where are they?

Bev and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary yesterday! WOW–who says God doesn’t still work miracles? We are so very thankful for the wonderful blessings God has bestowed upon us for all these years–words fail me! We plan to celebrate this occasion by taking off the next two weeks, so I won’t be blogging or sending Morning Manna out for a while–at least that is the plan. We plan do to some traveling and catch up work around the house–mainly just enjoying one anothers company with as few interruptions as possible. In the mean time we are looking to improve our web site and our email system–hopefully we can get our problems fixed by the time we return. It is our prayer that God will richly bless each of you. Please pray for us as we travel!

I just received the following from Joycelyn:

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE

The time has come to have to let you know that Bro. Darrell Rogers has taken his last Breath here in this world But his first with the Lord. We all knew that it would come and that we can be sad for our loss of a best true and loving friend. We must be so thankfull that he is now out of pain and has a new body with no more ills. The wordly part of us cries for the physical Darrell that we could talk to and turn to and for his comforting ways. Then our spiritual side is crying out in joy knowing he has reached the final destination we all stive for {to be with our Lord and Savior}. I could not end this without doing what he would want of me. That is to ask that if you don’t know the Lord as your Savior now is the time because Bro. Darrell wants to see you again and Jesus is the only way.

Please say a prayer for his Family. They will need our comfort now and for some time to come.

He Passed around 1:00 am on Thursday March 4,2010.

God be with you now and always. Love to all. Joycelyn

 

I heard an odd story on the news last night. A couple robbed a jewerly store in Philedelphia of over $1000,000 but in their haste to get away they left their son! That proved to be their undoing–they were captured a little while later.

The more I thought about that story the more I began to realize that those parents aren’t the only ones guilty of neglecting their children. Millions of parents are so caught up in trying to gain this worlds goods that they lose their children. It is sad that so many people do not understand what’s important and what’s not. The Bible tells us that children are a gift from God–we should think of them as such.

I read about a man who said, “Children make a rich man poor!”. Another man responded by saying,”No, children make a poor man rich.” He was right! To have children is a great privilege, but it is also an awesome responsibility. Be careful that you don’t lose you children by trying to gain great riches. Your child is of greater value than any amount of money–treat them that way. Think about it!