There are times when I wish Tozer would just "tend to his own knittin'" as my mother used to say. Today's words are very convicting to me.
Preaching: Starving at the Father's Table
So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs." --John 21:15
There is today no lack of Bible teachers to set forth correctly the principles of the doctrines of Christ, but too many of these seem satisfied to teach the fundamentals of the faith year after year, strangely unaware that there is in their ministry no manifest Presence, nor anything unusual in their personal lives. They minister constantly to believers who feel within their breasts a longing which their teaching simply does not satisfy.
I trust I speak in charity, but the lack in our pulpits is real. Milton's terrible sentence applies to our day as accurately as it did to his: "The hungry sheep look up, and are not fed." It is a solemn thing, and no small scandal in the Kingdom, to see God's children starving while actually seated at the Father's table. The Pursuit of God, 8.
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Oh, may I NEVER be guilty of such preaching.
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2 comments:
I feel blessed that the preacher at our church challenges us all the time, challenges us to take the Word, take the fundamentals and to DO SOMETHING with it, to open our eyes and our hearts to what God would give us, to see those who are hurting, to be honest with ourselves and others, to live as Christ lived. Sometimes I wish our preacher would just "mind his own knitting" but he keeps throwing out the challenge that makes me constantly examine my life and compare it the example God gave me. I fall miserably short but I'm thankful I have someone who helps me, who challenges me to keep my eyes on Christ.
But Rick, if we get into those areas beyond the fundamentals, we'll venture into those arenas where we don't all exactly agree on the details. And then we'd faced with loving our brothers despite our diversity. Seems like I heard something about that Sunday before last. I personally have vast areas that need personal improvement before I get too far from what I believe to be the fundamentals.
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