FromNowUntilForeverBook8.5x5.5 REV.indd

• 60 percent ofAmericanscan’t evenname fiveof theTenCommandments. • 12 percent of adults believe that Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife. • A survey of graduating high school seniors revealed that over 50 percent thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife. 2 How did we get ourselves into such a situation? Is it because there are not enough churches? I don’t think so. It seems like a new church pops up every week on the western edge of metro Atlanta where I live. Is it because we’re not getting the word out? Again, I say no. With the onslaught of conventional and social media, we’re inundated with faith based programming. Rarely a day goes by that I don’t receive notification of an upcoming conferenceor seminar. Add to that countless books, blogs, and podcasts. So, if the reason for this crisis is none of the above, then what is? Obviously, it’s the famine of “hearing” the Word Amos prophesied and it manifests itself particularly in three areas. Dissention— During the ministry of the prophet Jeremiah, his words of God’s impending judgment on Judah were read be- fore King Jehoiakim. Displeased with what he heard, the rebellious ruler started cutting pieces of the scroll on which the message was written and threw them in the fire to burn. (Jeremiah 36: 23). Figuratively speaking, this is how most people respond to God’s word in our society today. Not liking what they hear, they simply close their ears to the message. Distraction— Those who comprise this group carry no particular animosity toward the Bible. In fact, they probably have three or four copies around their homes; maybe even an app on their phone. They’re simply too consumed with worldly matters to receive the message. The shear amount of things to do, places to go, and programs to watch, much of which has been brought about by prosperity, compounds the pr

5