Month: July 2007

  • Knowledge of The Holy [A.W. Tozer] - Preface

    Been a while since my last blog so I thought a nice small 24 part series on a book I am reading would be appropriate. I cannot promise how often I will read a chapter to blog, but it is my desire to post my thoughts and quotes from the book. The book was recommend by a new friend of mine (Dirtbike) it is A.W. Tozer's book Knowledge of The Holy. In a nut shell this book is about God and who He is via a look at His attributes. So without further ado here we go...

    "

    What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."


    "[The Church has lost it's] concept of majesty from the popular religious mind. The church has surrendered her once lofty concept of God and has substituted for it one so low, so ignoble, as to be utterly unworthy of thinking, worshipping men."

    "The decline of the knowledge of the holy has brought on our troubles. A rediscovery of the majesty of God will go a long way toward curing them. It is impossible to keep our moral practices sound and our inward attitudes right while our idea of God is erroneous or inadequate."

    "Were Christians today reading such works as those of Augustine or Anselm a book like this would have no reason for being... [T]his book is neither esoteric nor technical... [I]t is written in the language of worship with no pretension to elegant literary style... I write not for professional theologians but for plain persons whose hearts stir them up to seek after God Himself."


    Tozer seems to have a way with words that I have not read from modern writers in some time if ever. The preface alone begs me to wonder if the church has yet grasped what Tozer was preaching about some 30+ years ago. Does the church have a proper or adequate understanding of who God is? I know I do not. I desire to know more of Him. I want to grasp his majesty in my mind if even only in part so as to live differently. To live better than my flesh would choose. I want to rediscover the majesty of God from His Word so that I will become  better husband, father, friend, and worker.

    What do you think? Does the Body of Christ lack in it's understanding or respect of the majesty of God? Are we willing to spend the time needed to better grasp His majesty? Do we disdain the "simple" Bible lessons that focus our thoughts in on God's names and attributes? If we had a better grasp what would we look like?

    Recently a good friend of mine challenged our ABF (Adult Bible Fellowship or Adult Sunday School Class) to look at our upcoming study on the Names of God with anticipation and hunger. An anticipation that will cause us to be hunger to learn more about the powerful name of YWHW. His name that even the demons fear. His name that communicates relationship, intimacy, attention, and more. His name that brings us to focus as we read His word and pray allowed to Him above. Not only do we find strength in His name, but in no other name is salvation found. The name of God, the character of God speaks volumes to us and ought to create in us an awe for who He is and how Majesty is His Name. May we hunger for Him as the starving hunger for a small morsel of bread.

    God grant me your grace to better understand you in all of your glory.