Worshipful Thinking
True worship and faith require embracing the total personality, including the heart and intellect, to preserve the true faith of Christ.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes that true worship arises from the heart rather than mere intellectual engagement, warning against a superficial Christianity that relies on entertainment rather than deep spiritual understanding. He cites the Greek church father Nicephorus, who encourages believers to think with their hearts, suggesting that genuine worship leads to profound insights that cannot be gained through intellect alone. Tozer critiques a timid religious mentality that has diluted the faith, resulting in a lack of moral courage and a boring Christianity that fails to engage the totality of the believer's being. He calls for a Christianity that fully embraces both intellect and spirit, urging believers to offer their entire selves to God. Ultimately, Tozer challenges the church to move beyond gimmicks and entertainments to foster a vibrant and intellectually robust faith.
Text
Man is a worshiper and only in the spirit of worship does he find release for all the powers of his amazing intellect. A religious writer has warned us that it may be fatal to trust to the squirrel-work of the industrious brain rather than to the piercing vision of the desirous heart. The Greek church father, Nicephorus, taught that we should learn to think with our heart. Force your mind to descend into the heart, he says, and to remain there. . . . When you thus enter into the place of the heart give thanks to God and, praising His mercy, keep always to this doing, and it will teach you things which in no other way will you ever learn.
A religious mentality characterized by timidity and lack of moral courage has given us to a flabby Christianity, intellectually impoverished, dull, repetitious and to a great many persons just plain boring. This is peddled as the very faith of our fathers in direct lineal descent from Christ and the apostles. We spoon-feed this insipid pabulum to our inquiring youth and, to make it palatable, spice it up with carnal amusements filched from the unbelieving world. It is easier to entertain than to instruct, it is easier to follow degenerate public taste than to think for oneself, so too many of our evangelical leaders let their minds atrophy while they keep their fingers nimble operating religious gimmicks to bring in the curious crowds.
Christianity must embrace the total personality and command every atom of the redeemed being. We cannot withhold our intellects from the blazing altar and still hope to preserve the true faith of Christ.
Sermon Outline
- The Importance of Worship
- Man is a worshiper and finds release through worship
- The heart is a more powerful tool than the brain
Key Quotes
“Man is a worshiper and only in the spirit of worship does he find release for all the powers of his amazing intellect.” — A.W. Tozer
“Force your mind to descend into the heart, and to remain there.” — A.W. Tozer
“We cannot withhold our intellects from the blazing altar and still hope to preserve the true faith of Christ.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We must engage our hearts and intellects in worship to experience true release and faith.
- A Christianity that only engages the intellect is intellectually impoverished and flabby.
- We must command every atom of the redeemed being to preserve the true faith of Christ.