The Word of God is alive and powerful - it can penetrate the heart and reform the mind. When the Scriptures are proclaimed, the potential for life change exists. Through devotion to the principles of Scripture, we can see the Lord work powerfully in and through us. And, we can be grateful for those who teach the Word to us. Isaiah 52 relates:
7 How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
8 The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice;
together they sing for joy;
for eye to eye they see
the return of the Lord to Zion.
Next time you think that your preacher has gone a little bit too long, consider the congregation of First Baptist Church Sharon, located in Laurel, Mississippi. The Clarion-Ledger newspaper website reported:
Matt Olson, senior pastor of FBC Sharon in Laurel, Mississippi, recently spoke from the pulpit for four days. The preacher recently tested his endurance in a show of faith and broke an unofficial world record for the longest sermon.
The Southern Baptist church described it as a 96-hour revival. They arranged for him to have support for the whole event, including prayer teams, medical monitoring and a technical crew to film and livestream it.
Pastor Olson loves God’s Word, and went through a program that reminded him of what life would be like without it, according to the article, which said:
Olson told FOX News Digital that he was inspired to try it after a 10-day missionary training program put him in a simulated hostage situation. He said in a personal video that he spent 96 hours without access to his Bible.
He said: "I couldn't hold it, couldn't read it, couldn't study it, couldn't draw strength from God's Word, and it wrecked me…” The article said, “The experience made him remember how much he remembered and what he didn't.”
So he preached for four days. Through the entire Bible. From Genesis to Revelation.
Did it set a world record? Possibly, but not according to Guinness. He broke the current record for longest speech at 90 hours, 2 minutes. He hit 96. But, the church did not seek Guinness verification due in part to cost, but also the church did not want it to be regarded as a “publicity stunt.”
So, remember Matt Olson next time you’re tempted to look at your watch near the end of your pastor’s sermon. But, there really are some pertinent considerations here. One is that we can evaluate the degree of our devotion to the Word of God. We can recognize the sustaining power of Scripture and make sure that we are spending quality time with God in the study and meditation of His Word.
And, the pastor put forth a chilling thought - what would our lives be without the Word of God? If we think well, not a whole lot different, then perhaps we should redouble our level of surrender to the teachings of Scripture. Because the Word of God will produce fruit as we allow it to do its work, as we allow the Holy Spirit to express Himself through us. God’s words are spirit and life. And, we can depend on Him to reveal more about Himself - and about us - as we make the Bible a priority.