THE MOST CRITICAL NEED of the Church at this moment is men -
the right kind of men, bold men. The talk is that we need revival,
that we need a new baptism of the Holy Spirit - and God knows we
must have both - but God will not revive mice. He will not fill rabbits
with the Holy Spirit.
We languish for men who feel themselves expendable in the warfare
of the soul because they have already died to the allurements of this
world. Such men will be free from the compulsions that control weaker
men. They will not be forced to do things by the squeeze of
circumstances. Their only compulsion will come from within - or from above.
This kind of freedom is necessary if we are to have prophets in our
pulpits again instead of mascots. These free men will serve God and
mankind from motives too high to be understood by the rank and file
of religious retainers who today shuttle in and out of the sanctuary.
They will make no decisions out of fear, take no course out of a desire
to please, accept no service for financial considerations, perform no
religious acts out of mere custom, nor allow themselves to be influenced
by the love of publicity or the desire for reputation.
Much that the church - even the evangelical church - is doing today,
it is doing because it is afraid not to do it. Ministerial associations take
up projects for no higher reasons than that they are scared into it.
Whatever their ear-to-the-ground, fear-inspired reconnoitering leads
them to believe - or fear - the world expects them to do, they will be
doing come next Monday morning with all kinds of trumped-up zeal and
show of godliness. The pressure of public opinion calls these prophets,
not the voice of Jehovah.
The true church has never sounded out public expectations before
launching its crusades. Its leaders heard from God and went ahead
wholly independent of popular support or the lack of it. They knew
their Lord's will and did it, and their people followed them - sometimes
to triumph, but more often to insults and public persecution - and their
sufficient reward was the satisfaction of being right in a wrong world.
Another characteristic of the true prophet has been love. The free
man who has learned to hear God's voice and dared to obey it has felt
the moral burden that broke the hearts of the Old Testament prophets,
crushed the soul of our Lord Jesus Christ, and wrung streams of tears
from the eyes of the apostles.
The free man has never been a religious tyrant, nor has he sought to
lord it over God's heritage. It is fear and lack of self-assurance that has
led men to try to bring others under their feet. They have had some
interest to protect, some position to secure, so they have demanded
subjection from their followers as a guarantee of their own safety. But
the free man - never. He has nothing to protect, no ambition to pursue
and no enemy to fear. For that reason he is completely careless of his
standing among men. If they follow him - well and good. If not, he
loses nothing that he holds dear. But whether he is accepted or
rejected, he will go on loving his people with sincere devotion, and
only death can silence his tender intercession for them.
Yes, if evangelical Christianity is to stay alive, it must have men again -
the right kind of men. It must repudiate the weaklings who dare not
speak out, and it must seek in prayer and much humility the coming
again of men of the stuff of which prophets and martyrs are made.
God will hear the cries of His people as He heard the cries of Israel in
Egypt, and He will send deliverance by sending deliverers. It is His way.
And when the deliverers come - reformers, revivalists, prophets - they
will be men of God and men of courage. They will have God on their
side because they are careful to stay on God's side. They will be
co-workers with Christ and instruments in the hands of the Holy Spirit.
Such men will be baptized with the Spirit indeed and through their
labors He will baptize others and send the long-delayed revival.
(~SOURCE: "This World: Playground or Battleground?", Chapter 7).
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A.W. Tozer (1897 - 1963)
A "20th-century prophet" many called him during his lifetime. For 31 years A.W.Tozer was pastor of Southside Alliance Church in Chicago. He was involved in the missionary alliance movement for most of his pulpit life. A.W. Tozer lived in the presence of God he saw clearly and he spoke as a prophet to the church. He sought for God's honor with the zeal of Elijah and mourned with Jeremiah at the apostasy of God's people.Leonard Ravenhill was a close friend of pastor and writer A. W. Tozer and spoke of him as one of the most influential voices in the Church in America. A.W. Tozer's materials are a mainstay in Evangelical churches in our day and he is one of the most quoted authors. He was a prophet in his day and his writings are even more influential in our day. One of his books: The Pursuit of God, has had over 1 million copies sold world-wide.
Recommends these books by A.W. Tozer:
The Knowledge of the Holy: The Attributes of God by A.W. Tozer
Crucified Life: How To Live Out A Deeper Christian Experience by A.W. Tozer
The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
Aiden Wilson Tozer was born April 21, 1897 on a small farm in Western Pennsylvania, the third of six children. And although he would inspire millions with his preaching and writing, he was given very little education during his childhood.
A. W. Tozer was 66 when he died of a heart attack on May 12, 1963. Buried in a small cemetery in Akron, his tombstone simply and appropriately reads, "A Man of God." He left behind many books that continue to give Christians encouragement and guidance. His writings are as fresh today as when he was alive. His honest and colloquial humor has been known to sweep up congregations in gales of laughter. And his wisdom has left them silent and stunned. For almost 50 years Tozer walked with God, and even though he is gone, he continues to minister to those who are eager to experience God.
A 20th-century prophet" they called him even in his lifetime. For 31 years he was pastor of Southside Alliance Church in Chicago, where his reputation as a man of God was citywide. Concurrently he became editor of Alliance Life, a responsibility he fulfilled until his death in 1963.
His greatest legacy to the Christian world has been his 30 books. Because A.W. Tozer lived in the presence of God he saw clearly and he spoke as a prophet to the church. He sought for God's honor with the zeal of Elijah and mourned with Jeremiah at the apostasy of God's people.
But he was not a prophet of despair. His writings are messages of concern. They expose the weaknesses of the church and denounce compromise. They warn and exhort. But they are messages of hope as well, for God is always there, ever faithful to restore and to fulfill His Word to those who hear and obey.