Bonhoeffer, the Gospel and The Current State of American Preaching

There is no doubt that at present time, there is a tremendous famine in the land. Not a famine of food but a famine of cross centered expositional preaching. When I think of the current state of American preaching, I recall the words of the prophet Amos who once prophesied, "'Behold the days are coming,' declares the Lord God, 'when I will send a famine on the land--not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord." Make no mistake, I am not attempting to link this prophecy to a direct fulfillment in the current lack of American preaching. Nonetheless, a parrallel between this prophecy and the current state of affairs is on the face, inevitable.
Perhaps even more perplexing is that God himself has not gone silent but his own "ministers" have suffocated him. This is not a death of God de facto of his own silence but by the simple fact that is own ministers have effectively imposed a gag order upon him. What is this gag order you may ask? Or, "How have we gagged God?" The answer is that many American (and others abroad) have gagged God by shirking their responsibility to preach the the cost of true discipleship, the narrow path and the way of self denial. And as a direct result of this gagging, the gospel is ultimately skewed, potentially even lost; and the glory of God is besmudged.
In contrast to all of this stands ultimately stands Christ but by way of historical saintly example, I think of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer is most known for his quote, "When Christ calls a man he bids him come and die." While this may be a cute and compelling phrase that we like to inscribe on church walls or marvel at momentarily, Bonhoeffer meant it with an utmost seriousness. In his book The Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer also writes , "The only man who has the right to say that he is justified by grace alone is the man who left all to follow Christ." Bonhoeffer knew something of the cost of discipleship but more importantly he did not come up with such ideas on his own. How readily are the words of Christ reflected in Bonhoeffer when Christ says, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple... So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:25-33). Or, "No one who puts his had to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62).
Let me briefly establish something before I conclude. This is not legalism! There are many who will read Bonhoeffer's words or more importantly, Christ's words and immediately think legalism. The devil is a great deceiver. The words of Christ strike not at legalism but at the greatness of the reality of the cross. God has gone to never ending extent to save humanity. He has offered up his own son who has spilt his blood for our salvation and to think that his blood buys nothing more than half hearted Christianity is beyond an absurdity. The very nature of grace is what commands the extent of our own sacrifice.
I want to conclude with an exhortation to all preachers or will be preachers. Preach the hard road to unbelievers. We need to stop trying to woo unbelievers with their own flesh. Promises of ease when they come to Christ are misleading because to truly follow Christ is to lose your life. Tell them that when they come to the Cross, they will in effect be asked to lose everything that they now cherish. Tell them that the calvary road is not easy, that they will face persecution, maybe the loss of jobs and maybe even the loss of their own life. Don't promise ease and the fulfillment of all their earthly dreams. Promise Godliness, coslty discipleship and joyful sacrifice. O that God may raise up such a generation of men who preach the true cost of discipleship.