How would you react if an uninvited minister came to your congregation and preached an inflammatory message, telling you that your worship and religious practices are blemished and defective? Centuries ago, the prophet Amos stepped across the border of Judah to proclaim words of warning to the northern kingdom of Israel. He called them to return to worship and practices that reflected a correct understanding of who God is and what He was coming to do in Jesus Christ. Amaziah, a high-profile priest of Bethel, was not amused, and he advised Amos to go back to his home and native land. But God had other plans! With a gripping and amazingly contemporary message, the Lord speaks to our hearts as well. As a popular commentary, You Only conveys how God breaks down all forms of self-styled worship so that His children would lean on the saving work of Christ alone.
Rev. Peter Feenstra is minister of the Owen Sound Canadian Reformed Church, Ontario. He has served this church since 1992. He also served as minister of the Emmanuel Canadian Reformed Church at Guelph for six years. He previously wrote Submitting to One Another Out of Reverence for Christ, a series of sermons on marriage and family life; Unspeakable Comfort, a commentary on the Canons of Dort; and The Glorious Work of Home Visits.