A very lengthy and in depth treatise on the sermon on the mount. He argues that Jesus' "commands" in Matthew 5-7 are not laws to adhere to but rather...moreA very lengthy and in depth treatise on the sermon on the mount. He argues that Jesus' "commands" in Matthew 5-7 are not laws to adhere to but rather illustrative examples of what a person living in The Kingdom Among Us would do in appropriate situations. He emphasizes the transformation of the heart vs. altering outward behavior. Very good read.(less)
The question must always be ask: Is it worth doing? and does it get the job done?
We must know how a course of action fits into the ove...morePoignant Quotes:
The question must always be ask: Is it worth doing? and does it get the job done?
We must know how a course of action fits into the overall plan God has for our lives if it is to thrill our souls with a sense of destiny.
There was nothing haphazard about his life - no wasted energy, not an idle word. He was on business for God. He lived, he died, and he rose again according to schedule. Like a general plotting his course of battle, the Son of God calculated to win. He could not afford to take a chance. Weighing every alternative and variable factor in human experience, he conceived a plan that would not fail.
His concern was not with programs to reach the multitudes, but with men whom the multitudes would follow.
His men had to be teachable. What is perhaps most significant about them was their sincere yearning for God and the realities of his life.
Jesus can use anyone who wants to be used.
other things being equal, the more concentrated the size of the group being taught, the greater the opportunity for effective instruction.
A few people so dedicated in time will shake the world for God. Victory is never won by the multitudes.
Any of the world to be greatly used in the Kingdom of God. Anyone who is willing to follow Chris can become a mighty influence on the world providing, of course this person has the proper training.
Here is where we must begin like Jesus. It will be slow, tedious, painful, and probably unnoticed by people at first, but the end result will be glorious, even if we don't live to see it.
Having called his men, Jesus made a practice of being with them. This was the essence of his training program - just letting his disciple follow him.
Knowledge was gained by association before it was understood by explanation.
Jesus spent more time with His disciples as His life was coming to an end.
Preaching to the masses, although necessary, will never suffice in the work of preparing leaders for evangelism.
One living sermon is worth a hundred explanations
After all, if Jesus, the Son of God, found it necessary to stay almost constantly with his few disciples for three years, and even one of them was lost, how can a church expect to do this job on an assembly line basis a few days out of the year?
This means that some system must be found whereby every convert is given a Christian friend to follow until such time as he or she can lead another.
Jesus expected the men he was with to obey him. They were not required to be smart, but they had to be loyal.
...for in time obedient followers invariably take on the character of their leader.
He was training leaders for the Kingdom, and if they were going to be fit vessels of service, they were going to have to pay the price.
Jesus did not have the time nor the desire to scatter himself on those who wanted to make their own terms of discipleship.
Their capacity to receive revelation would grow provided the continued to practice what truth they did understand.
Absolute obedience to the will of God, of course, was the controlling principle of the Master's life.
Obedience to Christ thus was the very means by which those in his company learned more truth.
It is only the Spirit of God who enables one to carry on the redemptive mission of evangelism
Unless they grasped the meaning of prayer, and learned how to practice it with consistency, not much would ever come from their lives.
He did not have to work up teaching situations, but merely took advantage of those about him, and thus his teaching seemed perfectly realistic.
He did not ask anyone to do or be anything which first he had not demonstrated in his own life, thereby not only proving its workability, but also its relevance to his mission in life. And this he was able to do because he was constantly with his disciples.
The principle of establishing a beachhead in a new place of labor by connecting with a potentially key follow-up leader is not be minimized (Luke 9)
He never asked anyone to do something which he was unwilling to do.
Evangelism is not an optional accessory to our life. It is the heartbeat of all that we are called to be and do.
But it is not enough to make this an ideal. It must be given tangible expression by those who are following the Savior. The best way to be sure that this is done is to give practical work assignments and expect them to be carried out.
As he reviewed some experience which the disciples had he would bring out some practical application of it to their lives.
He would to let them rest in success or in failure. No matter what they did, there was always more to do and to learn. He rejoiced in their success, but nothing less than world conquest was his goal, and to that end he always superintended their efforts.
He did not expect more from his disciples than they could do, but he did expect their best, and this he expected always to be improved as they grew in knowledge and grace. His plan of teaching, by example, assignment, and constant checkup, was calculated to bring out the best that was in them.
We must always remember, too, that the goal is world conquest. We dare not let a lesser concern capture our strategy of the moment.
We have not been called to hold the fort, but to storm the heights.
A good start does not mean a good finish.
By this strategy the conquest of the world was only a matter of time and their faithfulness to his plan.
This was the way his church was to win - through the dedicated lives of those who knew the Savior so well that his Spirit and method constrained them to tell others. As simple as it may seem, this was the way the gospel would conquer. He had no other plan.
"to make disciples" - to build people like themselves who were so constrained by the commission of Christ that they not only followed, but also led others to follow his way.
The only hope for the world is for laborers to go to them with the gospel of salvation, and having won them to the Savior, not to leave them, but to work with them faithfully, patiently, painstakingly, until they become fruitful Christians savoring the world about them with the Redeemer's love.
What really counts in the ultimate perpetuation of our work is the faithfulness with which our converts go out and make leaders out of their converts, not just followers.
It is not better methods, but better men and women who know their redeemer from personal experience - men and women who see his vision and feel his passion for the world - men and women who are willing to be nothing so that he might be everything - men and women who want only for Christ to produce his life in and through them according to his won good pleasure.
A person unwilling to fail in the determination to find some way to get the job done will never get started, nor will the one afraid to try and try again make much progress.
Better to give a year or so to one or two people who learn what it means to conquer for Christ than to spend a lifetime with a congregation just keeping the program going.
The only realistic way to effect this is by being together. If our followers are to see through us what they are to become, we must be with them. This is the essence of the plan - to let them see us in action so as to feel our vision and to know how it relates to daily experience.
..with a little forethought we can plan to do many things together which we would have to do anyway, such as visitation, going to conferences, getting recreation, and even having devotions together. Thus the time it takes to be together need not be overwhelming.
They must be given some way to express the things which they have learned.
The times we come apart from the world are not a release from the conflict, but only a strategic maneuver to gain more strength for the attack.
It might be wise in respect to our human memory to set up for ourselves a schedule of things to cover in the course of their training, and then to keep a record somewhere of their progress to be sure nothing is left out.
As long as they are honestly seeking to know the truth, and are willing to follow it, they will someday grow to maturity in Christ.
As their guardian and adviser we are responsible for teaching our spiritual children how to live for the Master.
It does not matter how many people we enlist for the cause, but how many they conquer for Christ. That is why all along our emphasis must be on quality of life. If we get the right quality of leadership, the rest will follow; if we do not get it, the rest have nothing worth following.(less)
This is Tozer's most well known book and for good reason. I was stirred in my heart to pursue God all out, humbly rest in Him, and see all of my life...moreThis is Tozer's most well known book and for good reason. I was stirred in my heart to pursue God all out, humbly rest in Him, and see all of my life as a holy sacrament.
Poignant Quotes:
"The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in hte core and center of their hearts."
"[God] waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long, in vain."
"The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One."
"Abraham's testing was, at the time, not known to him as such, yet if he had taken some course other than the one he did, the whole history of the Old Testament would have been different."
"Let us beware of tinkering with our inner life, hoping ourselves to rend the veil. God must do everything for us. Our part is to yield and trust."
"...they (holy saints) had spiritual awareness and that they went on to cultivate it until it became the biggest thing in their lives. They differed from the average person in that when they felt the inward longing they did something about it."
"We will know Him in increasing degree as our receptivity becomes more perfect by faith and love and practice."
"...faith is the gaze of a soul upon a saving God."
"The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect One. While he looks at Christ, the very things he has so long been trying to do will be getting done within him. It will be God working in him to will and to do."
"The man of God set his heart to exalt God above all; God accepted his intention as fact and acted accordingly. Not perfection, but holy intention made the difference."
"In himself, nothing; in God, everything. That is his (holy saint) motto."
Very original idea. It is good to be reminded often of the war that we find ourselves within. I was reminded to abhor pride, live in the moment, and t...moreVery original idea. It is good to be reminded often of the war that we find ourselves within. I was reminded to abhor pride, live in the moment, and trust God.(less)
![The Pursuit of God with Study Guide [With Study Guide]](http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1172722398s/210658.jpg "The Pursuit of God with Study Guide [With Study Guide]")
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