DISCIPLE

This chapter first appeared in The Alliance Witness in 1937. Twenty-three years later (1960) it was reprinted because, said Dr. Tozer, "apparently it had little or no effect, for the conditions it describes have grown increasingly worse year by year. And to make matters still more serious, crippled churches have now been accepted as normal. . . . When will this abuse end?" The article has been widely circulated since then and still bears repeating. [Note: it is more needful than ever in 2018 when practically all semblance of Christian faithfulness has disappeared and churches have become entertainment and cultural centers. It is doubtful that many give more in offerings to the Lord than what they spend on annual vacations, or show as keen an interest in Christian growth and sacrifice as they do in "fun" and "relaxation." In 1937 When Tozer wrote his article, some churches suspended the evening service in the summer months, and in 1960  when he reprint...

by A. W. Tozer AMONG REVIVAL MINDED Christians I have heard the saying, "Revivals are born after midnight."       This is one of those proverbs which, while not quite literally true, yet points to something very true. If we understand the saying to mean that God does not hear our prayer for revival made in the daytime, it is of course not true. If we take it to mean that prayer offered when we are tired and worn-out has greater power than prayer made when we are rested and fresh, again it is not true. God would need to be very austere indeed to require us to turn our prayer into penance, or to enjoy seeing us punish ourselves by intercession. Traces of such ascetical (self-denying) notions are still found among some gospel Christians, and while these brethren are to be commended for their zeal, they are not to be excused for unconsciously attributing to God a streak of sadism unworthy of fallen men. Yet there is considerable truth in the ...

by William MacDonald                             Spiritually we are in a shocking condition. The status of many local fellowships is bad news, and deteriorating by the minute.     It is fairly well known that there have been scandalous cases of immorality involving even elders and full-time workers. Of course this type of news never gets into the magazines; there everything is sweetness and light. But the awful truth is that some respected spiritual leaders have fallen into gross sin in recent months and the only reaction seems to have been to hush up the whole thing, lest the word get out and our reputation be impaired.     We have been arrogant, and have not rather mourned (1 Cor. 5:2).     And that isn't all. We have become materialists to the core. Supposing that gain is godliness, we have degraded ourselves to the worship of money. ...

example of the worldliness of evangelical music A. W. Tozer "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost " (Titus 3:5). A whole new generation of Christians has come up believing that it is possible to "accept" Christ without forsaking the world.      But what saith the Holy Ghost?  "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God" (James 4:4). And "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15).      This requires no comment, only obedience.       It is an error to assume that we can experience justification without transformation. Justification and regeneration are not the same; they may be thought apart in theology, but they can never be experienced apart...