Wanted: Worshipers
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the need for a deeper life and true worship in modern Christianity, highlighting the role of the Holy Spirit in restoring the art of worship.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the urgent need for genuine worship among modern Christians, lamenting that while the gospel may save souls, it often fails to cultivate true worshipers. He observes that contemporary gatherings are filled with enthusiasm and correct doctrine but lack the profound presence of God. Tozer calls for a revival of the spirit of worship, urging believers to seek a fresh revelation of God's greatness and the beauty of Jesus. He warns that without this return to authentic worship, Christianity risks losing its essence in a world filled with distractions. Ultimately, he asserts that only the Holy Spirit can rekindle our hearts and restore the art of true worship.
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It remains only to be said that worship as we have described it here is almost (though, thank God, not quite) a forgotten art in our day. For whatever we can say of modern Bible-believing Christians, it can hardly be denied that we are not remarkable for our spirit of worship. The gospel as preached by good men in our times may save souls, but it does not create worshipers. Our meetings are characterized by cordiality, humor, affability, zeal and high animal spirits; but hardly anywhere do we find gatherings marked by the overshadowing presence of God.
We manage to get along on correct doctrine, fast tunes, pleasing personalities and religious amusements. How few, how pitifully few are the enraptured souls who languish for love of Christ. The sweet ?madness? that visited such men as Bernard and St. Francis and Richard Rolle and Jonathan Edwards and Samuel Rutherford is scarcely known today. The passionate adorations of Teresa and Madame Guyon are a thing of the past. Christianity has fallen into the hands of leaders who knew not Joseph.
The very memory of better days is slowly passing from us and a new type of religious person is emerging. How is the gold tarnished and the silver become lead! If Bible Christianity is to survive the present world upheaval, we shall need to recapture the spirit of worship. We shall need to have a fresh revelation of the greatness of God and the beauty of Jesus. We shall need to put away our phobias and our prejudices against the deeper life and seek again to be filled with the Holy Spirit. He alone can raise our cold hearts to rapture and restore again the art of true worship.
Sermon Outline
- The Forgotten Art of Worship
- The Gospel as Preached Today
- The Need for a Deeper Life
- Recapturing the spirit of worship
- A fresh revelation of God's greatness and Jesus' beauty
- Seeking the Holy Spirit's filling
Key Quotes
“The sweet madness that visited such men as Bernard and St. Francis and Richard Rolle and Jonathan Edwards and Samuel Rutherford is scarcely known today.” — A.W. Tozer
“How is the gold tarnished and the silver become lead!” — A.W. Tozer
“He alone can raise our cold hearts to rapture and restore again the art of true worship.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We need to seek a fresh revelation of God's greatness and Jesus' beauty in our lives.
- The Holy Spirit is essential for raising our cold hearts to rapture and restoring true worship.
- We must put away our phobias and prejudices against the deeper life and seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit.