Customer Reviews

Famine in the Land

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Famine in the Land opens with a quote from the great preacher Martyn Lloyd-Jones. "The most urgent need in the Christian Church today is true preaching; and as it is the greatest and most urgent need in the Church, it is the greatest need of the world also." Author Steven Lawson continues, "If the doctor's diagnosis is correct, and this writer believes it is, then a return to preaching - true preaching, biblical preaching, expository preaching - is the greatest need in this critical hour. If a reformation is to come to the church, it must be preceded by a reformation of the pulpit. As the pulpit goes, so goes the church" (page 17). What follows is four chapters which are, appropriately, expository in nature and which examine the priority, power, pattern and passion of expository preaching.

The book is divided into four sections. In the first, the author writes about the priority of biblical preaching, using verses from Acts 2 as his text. He teaches that God's church must be done in God's way in order to thrive and survive in the way the Lord intends. He then goes on to show the priority Jesus and his apostles placed on biblical preaching. The second chapter examines the power of biblical preaching, and examines Jonah and his preaching to the city of Nineveh. He teaches that solid preaching needs to be courageous, compelling, confrontational and compassionate in order to conform to the biblical model. The third chapter, which examines the pattern of biblical preaching, looks back to Ezra as he read and explained the Law to the people of Jerusalem. Lawson writes about the necessary preparation for delivering an expository message and provides a call to preachers to become true teachers of the Word. The final chapter looks at Paul's words to Timothy found in 1 Timothy 4:13-16 and speaks of the passion of biblical preaching. The author shows the pattern of reading, applying and teaching the Word and also speaks of the importance of perseverance in the ministry.

The book is laced with effective illustrations, and even better, with multitudes of wonderful quotes about preaching. A personal favorite is found on page 64. "Unfortunately much of contemporary preaching seems out of balance, having become too much like what someone described as 'a mild mannered man standing before mild-mannered people urging them to become more mild-mannered.'" It is followed by words spoken by Philips Brokks. "If you are afraid of men and a slave to their opinion, go and do something else. God and make shoes to fit them. Go even and paint pictures which you know are bad, but which suit their bad taste. But do not keep on all your life preaching sermons which say not what God sent you to declare, but what they have you to say. Be courageous" (page 64,65).

The only addition I might have made to this book was a section on how the listener is to prepare to hear an expository sermon. There are many books describing how an expositor is to prepare and deliver such a sermon, but few include wisdom directed at the layperson. However, I acknowledge that such a section would have been outside the scope of this book which is directed primarily at pastors.

This is one of the best and most accessible books I have read on this topic. Any believer, and pastors especially, will benefit from reading it. While more and more churches are watering down their messages in order to conform to the times, it is increasingly important that pastors follow the biblical model of preaching. This book will provide biblical guidance to help correct this "famine in the land."

This is a great book for anyone who is weary of programs, formulas, or church growth seminars, or if you've ever written down scripture references during a topical message only to be disappointed later, after looking them up on your own and finding out they were used out of context.
I mean no disrespect to anyone involved in ministry, but I think a lot of what goes on today centers on what "we can do", rather than what God is doing through us. I think it was D.L. Moody who once said something to the effect, "God didn't give us the Holy Scriptures to make us intellegent as to what they said, He gave them that our lives might be changed by them."

MOST IMPORTANTLY, if you have a love for God's word and feel called to preach or teach or witness Christ in any capacity, you should get this book and read it, again and again.
It's precepts are simple; "Learn the Word, live the Word, preach the Word from the Word."
I bought a copy and read it a few months ago with the idea of lending it out to other like minded believers, but instead I've recently bought 5 more copies to give away to some friends of mine who are actively involved in teaching ministries, so now I can re-read, study, pray about, highlight, and underline my copy.
I'm sure you'll find this little book to be a welcome addition to your library and a great encouragement in your walk with the Lord.

"The most urgent need in the Christian Church today is true preaching; and as it is the greatest and most urgent need in the Church, it is the greatest need of the world also." So said Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the famous expositor of Westminster Chapel. And so begins this book, a passionate call for a fresh generation of preachers from Steve Lawson, who is himself a gifted expositor of the Word.

With the conviction that a preacher is meant to become a mouthpiece for the text of Scripture, this book wonderfully models expository preaching, even as it teaches it. Chapter One, "Feast or Famine? The Priority of Biblical Preaching," is an exposition of Acts 2:42-47, which unfolds the primacy, pattern, purity, passion, and potency of the apostolic teaching in the early church. Chapter Two, "The Need of the Hour: The Power of Biblical Preaching," expounds Jonah 3. It is a rousing study of "of one man (Jonah), equipped with one message (God's), committed to one method (preaching), who effected great spiritual change" (p. 58). The author examines the call to preach, along with the character and consequences of true preaching, highlighting its courageous, compelling, confrontational, and compassionate dimensions, as seen in the life of Jonah.

Chapter Three, "Bring the Book! The Pattern of Biblical Preaching," is a study based on Ezra 7:1-10 and Nehemiah 8:1-18. This chapter unfolds the preacher's preparation of the word in study, his personalization of the word in obedience, and his proclamation of the word in preaching. Finally, in Chapter Four, "No Higher Calling: The Passion of Biblical Preaching," an exposition of 1 Timothy 4:13-16 is given. This chapter includes a brief look at Calvin and his "Reformation of Exposition" (p. 110-112), in the course of Lawson's unfolding of the pursuit, pattern, perseverance, pains, and preoccupation of biblical preaching.

The author's contagious love for the Word, extensive study of preaching itself (dozens of excellent quotations on preaching are sprinkled throughout the book), and obvious zest for homiletics and the artistry of preaching make this an exciting and encouraging book for preachers which will serve to stoke the fire in many a discouraged preacher's heart. I greatly enjoyed it and recommend it to other pastors and preachers.

Steve Lawson wrote Famine in the Land to "fortify the allegiance" of all teachers/preachers of scripture, "rally all who are in the trenches (of preaching)...to discern and deflect the many threats that have arise in this present hour against expounding the full counsel of God" and to encourage congregants to support the expositors under whom they regularly sit. Famine in the Land was written to directly address the need for the restoration of biblical exposition to the modern pulpit. Lawson writes then about the priority, power, pattern and passion of preaching, in that order.

Regarding the priority of preaching, Lawson explores the second chapter of acts to discover how preaching was ultimate on the "to do" list for the apostles and Lawson also explores the results of making instruction the ultimate apostolic priority. Lawson comments how the primacy of preaching was both modeled and commanded and how apostles taught doctrine. He also comments on how the apostles preached the deep truths of God uncompromisingly to hungry listeners and how that preaching was effective to build the church, saying that if the church today would return to the primacy of preaching, the effects of Acts 2 would be seen again (not charismatic revival, mind you, but a faithful and morally/spiritually pure church).

Regarding the power of preaching, Lawson explores the book of Jonah. Lawson comments on how God's call is specific regarding person, place and purpose. He comments that preaching must be courageous, compelling, confrontational and compassionate. Lawson then writes on revival; how such preaching would produce true revival that is saving, sobering, sweeping and sanctifying.

Regarding the pattern of preaching, Lawson explores Ezra 7:10 and Nehemiah 8:1-18. Lawson comments how a preacher must prepare for preaching with consuming, careful, comprehensive study. He writes how Ezra internalized the scripture with an obedience that was personal, prompt, passionate and plenary. Lawson closes the chapter writing how Ezra instructed with reverence, reading and restating of the Scripture.

Regarding the passion of preaching, Lawson explores 1 Timothy 4:13-16. Lawson comments how the preaching of the word should be a consuming and constant pursuit of the preacher because it is a commanded pursuit. He writes that the ministry of the word should be composed of balanced reading, exhortation (application) and teaching (doctrine), and he writes that this ministry should be the preachers "painfully pursued perseverant preoccupation" (He's pretty shameless with the alliteration though...)

Lawson writes with a passionate style that grabs the reader with sincerity and one feels the compelling conviction behind his "pen". Then again, if you've ever heard him speak, that's no shocker. He communicates his familiarity with the history of exposition with many historical quotes and analogies to buttress his case. The book is an excellent outpouring of a pastor's heart on a very important subject, and is more motivational in nature than anything else. If one is looking for a 'how to preach' book (meaning mechanics of exegesis and homiletics), this is not the book for you.

That being said, I also gathered that Lawson wrote his book as if he were "preaching to the choir", so he seems to assume that his audience already knows how to do exegesis and organize a homiletical outline. He didn't really define his terms, nor give concrete examples of the bad preaching he was writing against, nor did he really articulate the concrete components to good preaching (exegesis, hermeneutics, etc.). If I were still a Charismatic, I could read Famine in the Land and agree with basically everything in the book (I'm sure Creflo Dollar thinks he is doing what Lawson is talking about...). Then again, which Charismatic would stumble across a book like this by a Dispensational Cessationist like Lawson? Ha!

If you're already preaching and find yourself struggling against the tide of popular sermonizing, or congregations that have not grown to appreciate exposition, or are starting to wonder if systematic exposition is worth fighting for, this book is for you.

All in all, it was a great book that I will likely return to for encouragement in the future, and in that the book fully meets its purpose.

This book is an expansion of a four-part series originally published in Bibliotheca Sacra in 2001-2002. Lawson's plea in this book is to get back to the expository preaching of the world. In his own word Lawson sees this book to directly address, what is "the crying need of the hour, specifically that the modern-day pulpit be restored to her former glory of generations past, days when God's truth was fearlessly proclaimed -days when doctrinal clarity, theological precision, and heart-searching application once poured forth from pulpits."

Lawson hopes in this passionate call for expository preaching to show us the priority of biblical preaching, the power of biblical preaching, the pattern of biblical preaching, and the passion of biblical preaching. The author attempts to define the problem and offer the only biblical solution--expository preaching.
Lawson draws from some great expositors in the past and as such there are very good quotes strung throughout this book. The author's passion is present on every page of this book. You know that Lawson avidly practices what he is proclaiming in this book. Furthermore, he is right. I agree with about everything in this book. However...

This book might be unnecessary. I hope I am wrong because it is a quality book and it is very beneficial. Yet, Lawson writes in the MacArthur style that does not attempt to prove his statements but merely states them as true. If you are already convinced of expository preaching then this book will simply add a few more bullets to your gun. As one that is fully convinced of the need for expository preaching and as one that agrees with everything Lawson says--I found the book unchallenging. If you are not convinced of the need for expository preaching then I am not certain that this book will convince you. Therefore, it is my opinion that this book might be unnecessary; it reaches neither audience.

And this is a shame because Steven Lawson has a lot of good things to say. He is a man worth listening to and following. I wish that he would have either attempted to prove the need for expository preaching and therefore wrote in a more polemical style or attempted to strengthen those that already believe in the need for expository preaching.

Steve Lawson is a good communicator, whether in person or print, so his book Famine in the Land (FTL) was an easy read.

To begin, I was captured by the title as I could not agree more that there is a famine in our land of the Word of God in American churches just as in Amos' day.

The thesis of the book is that God alone determines "the place expository preaching should have in the church today, as well as define[s] how the Word is to be preached"; therefore, his goal is "to fortify the allegiance of all who proclaim the Word of God" so that the modern pulpit might be "restored to her former glory" (19).

Growing up in Southern California's seeker church environment and taking in the philosophy of ministry uncritically pandering to the people's felt needs made sense. It was years later that I realized "God's work must be done God's way if it is to know God's blessing" (26).

I was so used to man-centered ministry that I am so grateful for books like FTL because I need a more biblical philosophy of ministry and preaching.

I wholeheartedly agree with Dr. Lawson that with the state of the church as it is "the crying need of the hour is for divine power to be restored to evangelical pulpits" (57).

This book really challenged me. I am so aware of my weaknesses and inadequacies, but this book has inspired me to be one of the few who Dr. Lawson calls the strongest man with the strongest message for the strongest ministries.

Today, when ambiguity and compromise are more of the accepted norm, FTL has helped me to remember that I have to constantly choose between faithfulness and popularity as I try to do my part to add the living water of God's Word to our dry and dusty spiritual land.

This book is a must have for every preacher, in all places, for all times. Steven Lawson has emerged as a pastor that is known for one thing: Passionate Expository Preaching. This book I was expecting to be a mirror of Dr. Lawson's message at the Shepherd's Conference titled, "Bring the Book." But what I found was that this book was an expansion of that sermon and not one could replace the other. I did enjoy the book more, I believe, because I heard Lawson's sermon on the topic first, as I could hear the passion that Lawson preached while reading his words.

The book exposits The Priority, Power, Pattern and Passion of Biblical preaching. Lawson accomplishes this through the story of Jonah, Ezra, Paul and Timothy focusing on the passages in the book of Jonah, Ezra 7:10, Nehemiah 8:1-8 and 1 Timothy 4:13-16. Lawson is very clear and I don' t know if it was because I did hear his sermon but it seemed as though the admonishing and exhorting teachings were leaping from the pages to my mind in how I could change the way I teach and preach. This book along with the sermon, "Bring the Book," should be given to every preacher whether seasoned or new to the ministry.

This book is a must read for pastors and all believers who desire to have a church centered around biblical, Christ exalted teaching. Dr. Lawson brings the bible to life by expositing four passages that are centered around teaching the Word of God to convert sinners and strengthen believers. Isn't it amazing how the Bible can speak for itself when it is interpreted through expository preaching!? If you are interested in learning the importance of teaching the full counsel of God and the Bible in it's entirety, and not just the popular teachings that tickle the flesh; this book is exactly what you've been looking for.

Some time ago I preached a message based on the prophet Micaiah's experience with the King of Israel in I Kings 22 wherein this monarch, in attempting to bring King Jehoshaphat into a military alliance against a common enemy, held a great banquet wherein the false prophets (all 400 of them) were summoned to give their "advice" in going to war. In one accord they all agreed that such a venture could not help but know success. King Jehoshaphat however, insisted on having the prophecy of one more prophet, and so Micaiah was summoned though the King of Israel was against it knowing that this man would prophecy only the truth.

On a number of occasions over the past few years I have been placed in Micaiah's position though never to bring forth truth against error, but simply as one that takes a different point of view. I do that not for controversy's sake, but because I sense that something in the very able opinion of others is perhaps lacking.

As a pastor seeking our Sovereign Lord's direction back into full time pastoral ministry, I am ever on the outlook for books that will bring me encouragement in the essential matter of expository preaching. This is a discipline that is sorely lacking in the pulpit of our present day. Hence when I came across our brother Lawson's book and read the reviews here on Amazon, I very much looked forward to having it as a valuable contribution to my modest library. I received the book within a few days of ordering it.

My first thought, given that it was a hard back, was that it was quite short. In fact it was even shorter than I had first imagined. It's listed at 128 pages but when the blank pages are eliminated, and the mountainous footnotes are taken away, there are but 89 pages of script left. Further, the font size is unusually large for a book that measures barely six by eight inches.

Brother Challies (a fellow Canuck whom I respect very much) mentioned above that there are a great many quotes in the book. Indeed true, in fact, there are so many quotes that the author's actual contribution is greatly minimized. Hardly a page goes by that there are one and sometimes more quotes of a great many authors. Of course what all these are saying is very true, but one is left from time to time wondering what the author of this book actually has to say for his original material is actually at a bare minimum.

The one area that did rather bother me, however, was his use of Jonah as an example of a compelling preacher of the Word. Like many preachers, I have preached through the book of Jonah on more than one occasion, and I hardly find him a heightened sample of, in our author's words, a "courageous, compelling, confrontational, compassionate" preacher. In the first place he did everything in his power to avoid following the divine directive that he was given. That cost him. Then when he did make it to Ninevah, the message he delivered was as brief as he could make it, and somehow I've always gotten the feeling from the text that he delivered it as quickly as possible to get the whole thing behind him. I see very little courage in the man; his compelling message was that of Almighty God; his confrontation was as brief as possible; and as for compassionate, well I'm certain that chapter four, verse one tells it better than anything else, for when at the message the city repented of its evil and God turned from destroying them, we read: "...it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry". This is compassion??

What Jonah best teaches is the absolutely sovereignty of God, not the effective preaching of a reluctant servant.

Now, please do not think that I am attempting to put our brother down for his attempt to bring forth a much needed book on a subject that we as preachers need to hear more about. I would say rather that I am just disappointed in having very little to read of what this dear brother is saying, for he, on a personal level really has very little to say.

In Christ,
J.D.

this book is wonderful. gives a awsome look at the preaching of the Word of God. no fluff, just truth about preaching and handling the scriptures.
Adam, Tampa