(Wk2) THE BATTLE FOR HOLINESS!
A.W. Tozer writes...
"The difference between EXPERIENCE and NO EXPERIENCE would be that acute sense of SOMEONE THERE. It is not true that for most of us who call ourselves Christians - there is NO REAL EXPERIENCE? We have substituted theological ideas for an arresting encounter; we are full of religious notions, but our great weakness is that for our heart there is no one there.
Whatever else it embraces, true Christian EXPERIENCE must always include a genuine ENCOUNTER WITH GOD. Without this, religion is but a shadow, a reflection of reality, a cheap copy of an original once enjoyed by someone else of whom we have heard. It cannot but be a major tragedy in the life of any man to live in a church from childhood to old age and know nothing more real than some synthetic god compounded of theology and logic, but having no eyes to see, no ears to hear, and no heart to love.
The spiritual giants of old were men who at some time became acutely conscious of the real PRESENCE OF GOD and maintained that consciousness for the rest of their lives. The first encounter may have been one of terror, as when a 'horror of great darkness' fell up on Abraham, or as when Moses at the bush hid his face because he was afraid to look upon God. Usually this fear soon lost its content of terror and changed after a while to DELIGHTSOME AWE, to level off finally into a reverent sense of complete nearness to God. The essential point is... THEY EXPERIENCED GOD!"
There is a BATTLE FOR YOUR HOLINESS going on everyday in your HEART & MIND!
Being PREPARED for this BATTLE is ESSENTIAL!
At some point in time in our Christian Lives we must learn what the word CONVICTION means and become CONVINCED in the truth of this passage... (Heb 12:14) 'Without HOLINESS - NO ONE WILL SEE THE LORD!"
Don't miss this Sunday at COC as we investigate even deeper into the understanding of the BATTLE FOR HOLINESS!!
(Maricopa Wells Middle School / 9a & 10:45a)
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