'25 SUMMER READING LIST, #18 - "THE PURSUIT OF GOD" BY A.W. TOZER

I commented several posts ago that I found it odd an organization associated with Christian mysticism and spiritual foundations would not include an author frequently referred to as an Evangelical mystic in their "25 Books Every Christian Should Read." That comment was made in recommending one book by that author, "The Knowledge of the Holy." Well, today I add a second A.W. Tozer book to that list.

The cover I'm using has the subtitle "The Human Thirst for the Divine." If you look up this book on Amazon, you'll see several other covers for this classic, and none of the others have the subtitle on the cover. 

Let me go back to another of my entries: C.J. Mahaney's "Living The Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing" is a book which, like Tozer's "The Pursuit of God," I read twice, and which, like Tozer's "The Pursuit of God," I plan on re-reading and regularly re-reading after that.

 

'25 SUMMER READING LIST, #11 - "THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY" BY A.W. TOZER

 I started this series off with a review "25 Books Every Christian Should Read" by Renovare, an organization that focuses on Christian mysticism and spiritual foundation. Considering that A.W. Tozer is considered a Christian mysticism, it should be a slam dunk that this (or another) book would be included. But it isn't.

I also have mentioned the differences between Biblical and Systematic theology. This book is an example of the latter. Tozer looks at nineteen  attributes of God. 

This is a challenging read. Me and some other men went through this book recently. But this book is rightly considered a classic.

BOOK REVIEW OF "25 BOOKS EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD READ" SELECTED BY RENOVARE AND MY SUMMER READING LIST OF 25 BOOKS I THINK SHOULD BE READ.

This book caught my attention, so I looked to see which 25 books they recommended. Before I opened to the contents, though, I noticed the four contributors they mentioned (there were a total of 12), and the only one I was familiar with was one I'm not a fan of. 

Renovare is the ministry that put this out, which is known for focusing on Spiritual foundations. The group is ecumenical, so there are approaches I agree with and those I don't. 

That being said, they had an interesting selection of books, from church fathers Athanasius and Augustine to Dietrich Bonhoeffer and C.S. Lewis. They describe each book and include an excerpt. 

For people who want a diverse list of Christian authorship from the past 1700 years, I would recommend it. While I'm surprised in some of the omissions, such as a lack of Tozer, I think this is a fair representation of Christian classics.

But if I made a list, what would be on it?

Well, I was curious so I created a list of books that I think would benefit all Christians. There are not as many classics on my list, and there are only two that are on both my list and Renovare's. There are books I haven't read which would edge some of these off if I did (e.g. Francis Schaeffer's "The God Who Is There" and Robby Gallaty's discipleship book "Growing Up"), but I didn't include them. Also, two of my books are by one author.

I'll include the list for summer reading here, and the next five weeks I'll go through my list with more detail on each book. I've listed them in alphabetic order by title.

Ready?

1. "Another Gospel?" by Alisa Childers.

2. "The Benedict Option" by Rod Dreher.

3. "Calling on the Name of the Lord" by J. Gary Millar.

4. "Evidence That Demands a Verdict" by Josh McDowell.

5. "50 People Every Christian Should Know" by Warren Wiersbe.

6. "Four Views on Eternal Security" edited by J. Matthew Pinson.

7. "Getting to Know the Church Fathers" by Bryan Litfin.

8. "The Gospel According to Jesus" by John MacArthur.

9. "In the Shadow of the Cross" by Glenn Penner. 

10. "Killing Calvinism" by Greg Dutcher. 

11. "The Knowledge of the Holy" by A.W. Tozer.

12. "Living the Cross Centered Life" by C.J. Mahaney.

13. "Love Your God With All Your Mind" by J.P. Moreland.

14. "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis. 

15. "The Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan.

16. "Pray & Go" by Thom Rainer.

17. "A Primer on Biblical Literacy" by Cory M. Marsh.

18. "The Pursuit of God" by A.W. Tozer.

19. "Sacred Pathways" by Gary Thomas. 

20. "Simplify Your Spiritual Life" by Don Whitney.

21. "Superheroes Can't Save You" by Todd Miles.

22. "Total Truth" by Nancy Pearcey.

23. "Turn Neither to the Right Nor to the Left" by D. Eric Shansberg.

24. "When Faith is Forbidden" by Todd Nettleton.

25. "You're Not Enough (and That's Okay) by Allie Beth Stuckey.

Well, Monday we'll start on the list.

 

BOOK REVIEW: "KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY" BY A.W. TOZER

 

I have finished my third reading of this classic. The first time, it was a text-book on the Doctrine of God at Bible college. This time, I'm leading a study on this book with four other friends at church, with three different covers on the books we're reading. Three of them are using the above edition; my nearly 40 year old printing is falling apart as we go through it.

For those unfamiliar with "Knowledge of the Holy" by A.W. Tozer, this book focuses on the attributes of God. Tozer points out that our finite, created, minds are not capable to understand a Sovereign, Omnipotent (all powerful), Omnipresent (present everywhere), Omniscient (all knowing), eternal (operating outside of time), self-sufficient (in other words, He doesn't need us) Creator. Yet that same Creator is calling us to turn to Him.

Almost every chapter starts off with a prayer, and each chapter closes with a poem. Some of the language is more traditional, King James style. But this book is a welcome challenge, and I believe every Christian should read it, and it might open the eyes of some who aren't Christians. 

I highly recommend this book.

GOD'S PEOPLE ARE A REMNANT, AND IT'S LARGER AND MORE DIVERSE THAN YOU SUPPOSE.

Castaways at Strand by Polish painter Franciszek Ksawery Lampi

 

 I usually agree with Dr. J. Vernon McGee and with A. W. Tozer. However, there is one point I strongly disagree with them.

In 1 Kings 19, Elijah is telling God, repeatedly, that Israel killed all God's prophets, and that he alone is left. (Never mind that a guy named Obadiah hid and fed 100 prophets.) God tells Elijah that there are 7,000 in Israel who have not bowed to Baal or kissed his image.

In listening to McGee, he comments that the 7,000 didn't do much for Elijah. (He admits in his printed notes he wasn't kind to the remnant.) Likewise, Tozer said that if the 7,000 were doing what they should be, Israel would not be in apostasy.

In the text, are these two gentlemen accurate? I don't think so. These men were faithful to God. There is no indication that they were called to anything more than that. They were presented as evidence to Elijah he wasn't alone.

Should the remnant have done more for Elijah? How could they? 1 Kings 17 states God had Elijah hide, first by a brook where he was fed by ravens, and then in Queen Jezebel's homeland eating cakes with a widow and her son. Could they have stood with Elijah at Mount Carmel? Did they need to? Nope.

Let's look at how the term "The Remnant" is used in Scripture. The KJV uses that term 89 times, 83 of those being in the Old Testament. It's used 25 times in the historical and poetic books, usually from the Hebrew word yathar, referring to a residue. In other words, we're talking about leftovers, about an excess.

If you're good at math, you'll guess that the remaining 57 times appear in the prophets, and you'll be right. Isaiah and Jeremiah use that term 16 times each. The prophets, though, are using the related words shear and sheriph. These reflect a residue, those who escaped, survivors.  Kind of like the castaways in the painting above.

So let me return to the title of today's blog. "God's people are a remnant, and it's larger and more diverse than you suppose." Who am I quoting? Myself. If someone wants to create a meme and quote me, go for it! But let's break down what I'm saying. 

First, I'm saying we're a remnant. Yes, the remnant is a numberless multitude (Rev. 7:9-17), but it's still a remnant. Leftovers. The survivors. A minority movement. 7,000 people weren't a lot. Not everyone who calls Jesus Lord will be in the kingdom (Mt. 7:21-23). 

I remember a Church of Christ radio preacher who said, "Do I believe the Church of Christ is the only ones who will be saved? No. I believe we're the only ones who have hope of being saved! One in a thousand will get in." He's echoing my point - it's not the professors but the possessors. The true church is a remnant.

My second point is that the remnant, though small, is not as small as we think it will be. If Elijah listened to Obadiah, he would have realized there was a remnant of 100, not 1 (that one being Elijah). But God revealed that remnant was 70 times larger than Obadiah's estimate. God is the one who reserves the remnant.

One controversial book I've read is The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church by Marv Rosenthal. There's a lot of what he said that can be questioned, but one thing he said rang true. When John saw the numberless multitude (again, Rev. 7:9-17), one of the elders asked who they were. Rosenthal pointed out that John did a lot of question asking in Revelation, but this is the only time John was asked a question. Rosenthal's interpretation is that this numberless multitude is the Church from Pentecost to the end, and showing John the end result of the small, persecuted band John lived with.

The remnant, I believe, will also include those that we're not expecting. Revelation says it will include all nations, and thus obviously all races. The Church of Christ radio preacher is probably astonished as he sees he's in heaven with a whole batch of people who aren't in the Church of Christ. Calvinists, there will be Arminians among the Remnant. God can save whoever He wants - He's not limited to your theology and biases.

So allow me to conclude that when you feel isolated, you're not alone in feeling isolated, and you're not alone as being a member of the remnant. God has reserved many you aren't aware of. Peter says the same thing in 1 Peter 5:9.

But now, I'll mark the calendar when Ignescent, a band I recently reviewed, hits Indianapolis in a couple of months on their Remnant Tour!

BOOK REVIEW - VOICE OF A PROPHET: WHO SPEAKS FOR GOD? BY A. W. TOZER

 

I found this book challenging in a good way. It does encourage one toward a closer walk with God. I placed it in my ten favorite non-fiction list I read in 2021. This is definitely going on my re-read list.

Prophecy (as in the existence of modern day prophets) is a debated issue. My upbringing is in groups that believe there are no prophets after the New Testament was completed, while others believe it is going on today. Tozer's focus doesn't quite fit either camp perfectly. The writing of this book seems to give the impression God still calls prophets, but it doesn't look like what I see in the modern movements that believe prophecy is still going on.

This book was published and edited post-humously by James L. Snyder from sermons and other writing of Tozer. This may not be as strong as Tozer's classics like The Pursuit of God and The Knowledge of the Holy, but I still recommend it. (I learned about it by seeing it listed in the bibliography of Another Gospel by Alisa Childers.)

Let me get back to the issue of prophecy. I am interested in studying the role of a prophet, and I would find myself somewhere between the cessationists who say the gift of prophecy vanished after the completion of the canon and those who are on the Charismatic side. I'll be dealing with that subject later in the year in my blog (I'll announce that later).

I will admit that I do find myself a little frustrated by the two post-humous Tozer books I've read. However, while I'm not sure I agree with everything in this book, I'm definitely planning on reading it again.

 

 

 I've recently started reading Tozer, and I noticed this title as I was in a Bible study going through First Peter.

This is not a commentary. My impression is that it was a collection of seventeen sermons, sixteen of which were from First Peter (the last touched on Jude). This still gives insights on certain issues through Peter's first Epistle.

This is not in the category of his classics "Pursuit of God" or "Knowledge of the Holy". However, this is a very useful and instructive book.

Have you read any Tozer books? Have you studied 1 Peter recently?

Friends Of The Prophets And What Is Our Focus?

  

Jon Wyclif giving the "poor priests" his translation of the Bible by William Fredericks Yearnes The "poor priests" (aka the Lollards) distributed Wyclif's translation of Scriptures in an age prior to printing presses.

 

Raise your hands if you noticed the blog's new name! Funny, I don't see any hands.

In a post about two weeks ago, I mentioned I debated changing the blog's names, and gave the two options :

1. Keeping the original name "Faith, Facts and Fiction."
2. Changing it to "Friend of the Prophets."

You would not believe the response I had (or maybe you would). After the days (or was it seconds) of counting the votes, my vote proved to be the tiebreaker. (Zero to zero is considered a tie, isn't it?) 

What is the idea behind that name? Because those that fill the role of a prophet are often friendless, but I have a desire to be a friend to those types of people. And you'll notice the new title is in the plural? My hope is that I not only encourage fellow believers on the front line of Spiritual Warfare, but I also encourage others to join me.

But what does it matter? Does it matter if I change the blog's name? Does it matter if I write this blog? Does it matter if anybody reads it?

Would you believe me it's discouraging for the blog to more often than not land in the lower single digits on people who see it? (That's when I post it on my Facebook page, otherwise it wouldn't have any.) I'm sure you have discouragements about your endeavors at times, asking yourselves "What's the use?"

The reality is WHY am I taking the time to do this? Is it to build my platform for writing? Even more so, is it so that my name means something?

I'm rereading The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer, and the chapter I read today deals with that issue. Is God the ultimate reason for what we're doing, or are we trying to build our own kingdom?

Hopefully, this blog not only has a new name, but a new direction on the part of the blogger.