"A Passion For God"

Subtitle: The Spiritual Journey of A.W. Tozer

"Tozer's messages pierced hearts and illumined minds with a profundity uncommon among Bible teachers and preachers.  Indeed, spiritually alert people recognized that he possessed unique charisma - a sacred anointing."

- Lyle Dorsett, A Passion For God, Chapter 1, pg 16

A man whose books have become a source of great blessing to me personally over the past two years, is a man named Aiden Wilson Tozer.  After reading a couple of his books, I felt the strong desire to learn more about the man himself, and so I read through the book "A Passion for God: The Spiritual Journey of A.W. Tozer" by Christian biographer Lyle Dorsett.  In this biography, Dorsett takes you through Tozer's life, from his birth in 1897 until his death in 1963.  Tozer is considered one of the most profound and insightful Christians authors of the 20th century.  Though Tozer has always been regarded as a very gifted author, Dorsett points out that it was actually Tozer's strong biblical preaching that most people were blessed by in his own time.  Particularly among Tozer's admirers were youth and young adults who would flock to hear him preach God's Word in ways that struck them meaningfully and convictingly (unlike many preachers during that time).

One fact that Dorsett focused on about Tozer's life which is especially meaningful to me as a Christian, was that Tozer was completely untrained theologically.  Tozer absolutely loved reading as many books as he could, but he was completely self-studied, having never attended Bible college or seminary.  Yet God used him mightily for the great benefit of the world-wide church, both then and now.  For people like myself, who have never gone to Bible college or seminary, Tozer's life is a great witness and testimony to God being both able and willing to use those whom the world often deem's as "unworthy" for the work of the Lord.  Tozer himself once said "To serve God you need neither a title, an office or a business card."  That truth is perhaps the greatest blessing I've taken from Dorsett's biography on Tozer.

In addition to recommending Lyle Dorsett's insightful book on one of the most important preachers and authors of the last century, I would also recommend the books of Tozer himself.  Both his life and his writings can be a tremendous blessing to those who have not yet had the chance to enhance their hearts and minds under his enduring legacy as they continue to serve God with all their life.

"Tozer's messages - whether written or spoken - caused people to thirst for Living Water, hunger for the Bread of Life... In the final analysis, those who imbibed Tozer's fare were spiritually enlivened and hungry for more of Jesus."

- Lyle Dorsett, A Passion For God, Chapter 6, pg 112

"Echoes From Eden"

"Although the human mind stubbornly resists and resents the suggestion that it is a sick, fallen planet upon which we ride, everything without our consciences, our innermost spirit, confirms that the voice of God is sounding in this world - the voice of God calling, seeking, beckoning to lost men and women!"

- A.W. Tozer, Echoes from Eden, Chapter 1

 

In his book "Echoes from Eden" A.W. Tozer deals with how God has constantly been calling out to sinful mankind to return to Him, ever since He first called out to Adam after he and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden and hid from God's presence (hence the name of the book).  Tozer points out the many diverse ways in which God unceasingly calls out to us (conscience, nature, morality, the Church, the Scriptures, and the Holy Spirit).  Concerning the call of God through Scripture, Tozer declared, "God is calling us with many, many voices, but there is no doubt that He entreats mankind most perfectly in the revealed Word of God."  But even the Scriptures by themselves are not a sufficient voice to successfully call men and women to God, but rather the voice of the Scriptures need to be heard through vocals of the Holy Spirit speaking within us.  Concerning the paramount important of the voice of the Holy Spirit, Tozer wrote, "God is speaking to mankind with more than one voice, but it must be said that the dearest, most distinct and most easily distinguished voice is that of the Holy Spirit.  The call and reproof and conviction by the Holy Spirit give grave and serious meaning to all other voices calling men home.  If it were not for the presence of the Holy Spirit speaking through the consciences of men and women, no other voice would have any significance."

God's voice is the one voice that contains within it the whispers of salvation and the answers to our deepest heart cries.  His voice does not go silent, does not rest nor sleep.  It is the loudest and yet most tender and diverse voice in the universe.  It is ever-speaking, ever declaring His love for us, and unceasingly summons us to Himself.  How could we venture to deafen ourselves to such a loving and pursuing voice?

"There is a divine voice that continues to call.  It is the voice of the Creator, God, and it is entreating them.  Just as the shepherd went everywhere searching for his sheep, just as the woman in the parable went everywhere searching for her coin, so there is a divine search with many variations of the voice that entreats us, calling us back."

- A.W. Tozer, Echoes From Eden, Chapter 1

"The Expository Genius of John Calvin"

"In all of life, one supreme passion consumed John Calvin: the glory of God.  All truth revealed in Holy Scripture, Calvin believed, was intended to make known God's glory and to lead the reader to behold and adore His majesty."

- Steve Lawson, The Expository Genius of John Calvin, Chapter 3, pg 39

Written by Steve Lawson, this book explores the preaching methods of John Calvin.  In addition to being a Reformer and a theologian, Calvin was also a preacher who pastored his own church in Geneva, Switzerland.  Calvin helped to sustain and spread the 16th century Protestant Reformation, and he did that not just through his books (such as the "Institutes of the Christian Religion" and his 22 volume Bible Commentaries) but also through his faithful and time-enduring preaching of the Word of God, as Lawson writes, "Calvin's convictions forced an emphasis on the priority of the pulpit.  As the Bible was opened, reformation was unleashed."

Through this book, Lawson goes through the methods of Calvin's preparation and delivery of his sermons.  Calvin's method of preaching is referred to as "expository" which means to preach the Bible from within its own context and to proclaim what the original authors actually meant (which was a rare form of preaching in that time), rather than taking verses out of context and creating one's own meaning.  Reading Lawson's book, you come to realize the intense love John Calvin had for the Scriptures and his fervency in defending its truths.

"As a man, preacher, writer, and theologian, Calvin was unflinching in his pursuit of God.  He was an ardent Bible student and an impassioned servant of the Lord.  Week after week, month after month, year after year, and decade after decade, he anchored himself to the biblical text, then made it known to his people."

- Steve Lawson, The Expository Genius of John Calvin, Chapter 3, pg 50

"Called By Christ"

"We should surrender ourselves to Christ and His service to the same extent that He surrendered Himself for our salvation." - Andrew Murray

This is the second book I've read by pastor and writer Andrew Murray (1828-1917).  The first book being "Humility" and this second book being "Called By Christ."  In "Humility" Murray addressed the need for Christians to recognize their low and solemn state as sinners before a righteous and holy God.  In "Called By Christ" Murray addresses what Christians are to do in order to be developed as missionaries for God specifically within the foundational setting of a local church, as Murray wrote, "I have a deep burden on my heart for foreign missions.  But I have an even deeper concern about the one thing on which missions most depends: the state of the home church."  Murray stated that individual Christians must seek after and live out a holy and Christ-honoring life first within a local church before they can even begin to be fruitful on the mission field abroad.  Concerning this important truth, Murray wrote, "There can be no forward movement in missions, no great offering of life, without a deepening of the spiritual life of the church leaders and a real spiritual revival among the church members."

In "Called By Christ" Murray points out the many callings that we have on our lives that are needed to be fulfilled in order to be true Ambassadors for Christ and Ambassadors of change in the world.  Such callings include,

1. The call to have a healthy and vigorous prayer life - "The measure of prayer is the measure of power" - Andrew Murray

2. The call to be totally dependent on God for all things - "The secret of our strength for the work God has given us is absolute dependance on Him.  God meant this to be an inconceivable privilege and honor.  He intended for us to live in utter dependance on Him, just as His Son lived.  Jesus, in fact, went to the grave to prove how surely God will work mightily for one who gives himself up completely to His will." - Andrew Murray

3. The call to live sacrificially as Jesus did - "Just as Jesus' love showed itself in a life of intense and unceasing action, so our love must be ready to wait on His will and to place our abilities at His disposal.  We should constantly be on the lookout to see, not how much we can manage to keep for ourselves, but what we can find to give Him who has given His all so unreservedly for us." - Andrew Murray

May we all seek out, pay close heed to, and answer the call of Christ to be His disciples which will replicate His example on earth of complete and unselfish devotion to doing God's will for the specific purpose of furthering the advancement of His kingdom.

"Give God no rest until Christ has the place in your heart that He claims.  Let devoted loyalty to His kingdom be the fruit of intense attachment to His person." - Andrew Murray, Called By Christ, Chapter 3, pg 31

"Forgotten God"

Subtitle - Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit

 "Many of us don't need more knowledge about the Spirit from a cerebral vantage point; what we need is experiential knowledge of His presence."

- Francis Chan

In the book "Forgotten God" Francis Chan exhorts all us Christians to "reverse" our unbiblical neglect and in some cases our outright ignorance of the personhood of the Holy Spirit and the permanent and powerful place He is to take up in our day-to-day lives as children of God.  Francis worded it the following way, "The Holy Spirit is tragically neglected, and for all practical purposes, forgotten.  While no evangelical would deny His existence, I'm willing to bet there are millions of church-goers across America who cannot confidently say that they have experienced His presence or action in their lives over the past year.  And many of them do not think they can."  In this book, Francis deals with 7 different attitudes that we currently have towards the Holy Spirit and Chan then attempts to alter those unscriptural views to ones that are both honoring to the Holy Spirit and that would allow Him to have a much greater and deeper impact in our relationship with God.  Such chapter's include, "I've Got Jesus, Why Do I Need The Spirit?", "Theology of the Holy Spirit", "Why Do You Want Him?", and the "Supernatural Church."

For myself, one of the most eye-opening statements Francis makes in this book is the fact that Jesus suffered and died on the Cross not only to achieve forgiveness for us, not only to unite us with the Father, but just as equally to give us the Holy Spirit.  I personally have never really dwelt on that truth before, that the Holy Spirit's presence in us was only accomplished specifically by Christ's crucifixion.  Commenting on this truth in Galatians 3:13-14, Francis stated, "Christ redeemed us from the curse we were under so that we could receive the promise of the Holy Spirit.  The promised Spirit is not a small promise.  Jesus suffered a grueling death so that I could have the amazing gift of the Holy Spirit; how dare I take this for granted.  Because of Jesus I have received the promise, and this Spirit is not a remote force, He takes up residence in our lives, in our very body."

For those who have never read a book entirely devoted to the Holy Spirit, Francis Chan's "Forgotten God" could perhaps be the best book in which to begin your journey living as an actual temple of the Holy Spirit, which you've always been as a Christian, but may never have fully realized it or lived out that life-changing fact before.

"I am tired of living in a way that looks exactly like people who do not have the Holy Spirit of God living in them.  I want to consistently live with an awareness of His strength.  I want to be different today from what I was yesterday as the fruit of the Spirit becomes more manifest in me.  I want to live so that I am truly submitted to the Spirit's leading on a daily basis.  Christ said it is better for us that the Spirit came, and I want to live like I know that is true.  I don't want to keep crawling when I have the ability to fly."

- Francis Chan, Forgotten God, Chapter 1