OSLO, Norway (AP) — It may sound like an unlikely No. 1 best-seller for any country, but in Norway — one of the most secular nations in an increasingly godless Europe — the runaway popularity of the Bible has caught the country by surprise. The Scriptures, in a new Norwegian language version, even outpaced “Fifty Shades of Grey” to become Norway’s best-selling book.

The sudden burst of interest in God’s word has also spread to the stage, with a six-hour play called “Bibelen,” Norwegian for “the Bible,” drawing 16,000 people in a three-month run that recently ended at one of Oslo’s most prominent theaters.

Officials of the Lutheran Church of Norway have stopped short of calling it a spiritual awakening, but they see the newfound interest in the Bible as proof that it still resonates in a country where only 1 percent of the 5 million residents regularly attends church.

From the Associated Press, Yahoo edition, June 6,2013

Is the spiritual hunger of Norwegians–as shown by their thirst for the Bible– surprising to anyone?

It shouldn’t be. Whenever culture or government excludes religion, people’s thirst invariably rises. Russia experienced a revival after the communist regime failed in the late 1980’s. China is currently undergoing rapid expansion of Christianity due to government persecution of Christians.

Norway’s cultural secularism serves as an invitation for the gospel. God created man with an “empty space” in his spirit that can only be filled with Jesus Christ. Ignoring this “hole” in man’s heart invariably results in revival, a renewed quest for something spiritual.

My wife and I have traveled and ministered in the Norway, a nation of dramatic beauty. It appears there is a growing hunger for God in the hearts of many. Will the church seize the opportunity to proclaim the gospel with clarity?

What is the gospel? Paul clearly expresses the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:3-6: The gospel is the good news that “Jesus Christ died for our sins, and was buried . . .  He rose again the third day and was seen by Peter, and James, and by over 500 others at the same time. ”

The challenge now is for Norwegian evangelists to rise up and offer the living Christ, the only One who can fill the void.  Church of Norway, rise to your destiny!