From: Francis Harper
Spiritual Starvation
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, 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 the Lord; 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 the Lord, and shall not find it. In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst” (Amos 8:11-13).
We are quite likely one of the best-fed nations in the world, yet we are mal-nourished spiritually. It is true that man does not live by bread alone. Jesus said: “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
Jesus called himself the bread of life: “I am that bread of life. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. But I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:48-51). It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).
The widespread spiritual starvation in our nation today is not due to a scarcity of the Word of God. The Scriptures are available at a reasonable price and we can read them without fear of persecution. What has happened to our appetite for the word of God? “Blessed are all that do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 5:9). When an animal does not come to the bunk or trough to eat, the farmer knows it is sick and needs some special attention and care. Likewise, when a church member misses church, the good pastor will make an effort to determine the cause of the absence.
Nephi counseled: “Feast upon the words of Christ; for behold the words of Christ will tell you all things what [that] ye should do” (2 Nephi 14:4).
Psalm 119, the longest chapter of the Bible; praises the word of God from beginning to end. Perhaps the most memorable of its 176 verses are these: “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth . . . Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119: 103, 105).
Many in our nation, and even in the church, are scripturally illiterate. Those who neglect to search the Scriptures are forfeiting one of the greatest of all blessings. Jesus said “. . . Search the Scriptures . . . they are they which testify of me” (John 6:40).
God is our refuge and strength, a present help in time of trouble (Psalm 46:1). The same could be said of the words of God contained in the Scriptures. In his autobiography, Charles Derry referred to Isaiah 41: 10-13: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. . . .” He wrote: “The above scripture was a tower of strength to me, for which I thank my God . . .” (Autobiography of Elder Charles Derry, page 152. 1997).
The Lord often speaks to us using words from the Scriptures. On October 24, 1990, I wrote on the margin of my Bible adjacent to Isaiah 41:10, “I read this on a day I was down [depressed and discouraged], 10-24-90.” I was strengthened and blessed, even as Charles Derry was blessed.
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Dear Ones,
In the late night hour of October 15, 1996, I dreamed that I was meeting with a group of priesthood. I was seated within the group when I felt someone from behind me give me a hug around the neck. I turned and recognized an elder I had known many years before. He smiled and said, “I’m still with the church, but I’m fixin’ to starve to death.” Thus ended the dream.
Later in the afternoon of the day this dream was received, an evangelist of another denomination of Christianity stopped by to visit. He was accompanied by one of his associates. In our conversation I related the unusual dream I had received that day. As I shared the phrase, “I’m still with the church, but I’m fixin’ to starve to death,” I noticed that the two men looked at one another and smiled. I immediately asked them why they had smiled. Their explanation was that Jon Wallace, the evangelist, had been using the phrase, “I’m fixin’ to,” in his preaching so much lately that his family had mentioned it!
I had been wondering why the phrase “I’m fixin’ to” had been used in the dream. It was not characteristic of my manner of speaking, nor to my knowledge was it the manner of speaking of the elder who had spoken it. The Lord had arranged for the evangelist and his assistant to come see me in precision timing to confirm the spiritual nature of my dream. God works in mysterious ways.
After the dream I have related above, I felt that I should contact the elder who had said he was starving to death, but he and his family had moved to California. I didn’t have his address or phone number. The message I had for him was not delivered at that time.
Many months later, during our busy season at the Woodbine Farm Supply, my itinerary for the day included a delivery of ag chemicals to a customer near Little Sioux, Iowa. Next I needed to pick up some livestock feed at Ute, Iowa. The shortest route between Little Sioux and Ute would be through Preparation Canyon State Park. As I traveled toward the park I noticed a sign pointing toward a scenic overlook which had been recently constructed. I had not visited this tourist site, so although it had not been on my schedule for the day, I decided to stop for an unscheduled visit.
Upon my arrival at the overlook, I proceeded up the walk to take a look at the broad expanse of the Missouri River bottom lands. A man had preceded me there, but I could not identify him until he turned toward me. It was the elder who had said to me in my dream, “I am still with the church but I’m fixin to starve to death!”
I was grateful for the opportunity to warn my brother that staying with a church which is not teaching the unadulterated gospel of Jesus Christ could result in his spiritual starvation.
The message delivered to this elder on May 25, 1999 was from the Lord. It should be seriously considered, not only by him but by the many thousands who have chosen to stay with the Community of Christ Church, in spite of its apostate condition.
Surely it is true that every Christian is in danger of starving to death spiritually. Apostle Oakman warned a group of priesthood many years ago, “Don’t go down to Egypt to get your corn.” In other words, don’t be content with the thinking of the world. Jesus warned his disciples to beware of the leaven, or doctrines of men. There is only one true source of spiritual sustenance. We receive our spiritual food and drink from Jesus, the living bread and water.
My Love to All,
High Priest Francis Harper
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