Dear saints:
I just read the following message from Tozer for the first time and it is "terrible" and sobering. Maybe some of you have read it before and maybe it might be good to read it again, Lord willing. But for those who have not, I thought it might be of interest:
https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/articles/index.php?view=article&aid=37999
Tozer was undoubtedly a prophet.........bro Frank
Very good article. Sobering to say the least.
This is also sobering what Tozer shares also, the remnant was usually together as a segment of people and not believers alone.
I have known preachers that preached a lifetime and ended up telling dirty stories-ended up being dirty, filthy old men. It is entirely possible for us to teach Bible school and be board members and sing in choirs and take part in church services and then finally find out that we are castaways and have never been of the Remnant at all. That is an alarming thing, but I do not apologize for alarming you. I am afraid that we are not alarmed enough. We ought to be disturbed about this, for it is summed up in the text ” Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sands of the sea, a remnant shall be saved” ( Rom 9:27)
Tozer quote from Greg......
"I have known preachers that preached a lifetime and ended up telling dirty stories-ended up being dirty, filthy old men."
Yes indeed, the inevitable consequences of those who only every had the externals and had never been internally renewed. Nothing more dangerous and damaging than the merely religious...........bro Frank
"Yes indeed, the inevitable consequences of those who only every had the externals and had never been internally renewed. Nothing more dangerous and damaging than the merely religious>"
This is why Jesus was so hard on the religious people of His day. He called them snakes, hypocrites, white washed sepulchers. He loved them, but the only way to reach them was with the hammer and chisel of the Word. Ouch!!
Pride is deadly, and there is nothing so blinding as religious pride. Pride in knowing the scriptures, but never having experienced a change of heart.
At least most of the prostitutes and drug dealers know that they are sinners and are on their way to hell, so there is hope that they will come to repentance and the knowledge of the truth that will result in a true born again experience.
Hebrews 6:9-20King James Version (KJV)
9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Mike writes.....
"This is why Jesus was so hard on the religious people of His day. He called them snakes, hypocrites, white washed sepulchers. He loved them, but the only way to reach them was with the hammer and chisel of the Word. Ouch!!
Pride is deadly, and there is nothing so blinding as religious pride. Pride in knowing the scriptures, but never having experienced a change of heart.
At least most of the prostitutes and drug dealers know that they are sinners and are on their way to hell, so there is hope that they will come to repentance and the knowledge of the truth that will result in a true born again experience."
Amen brother, pride is deadly and blinding. Hopefully the hammer and the chisel will reach them but in the end they cried out for Barabbas. They do pride themselves in the externals and even knowing and quoting the Scriptures but having never experienced the new birth, the change of heart, they will always prove themselves the deadliest enemies of the true saint. Satan detests the fact that men have a relationship with God, he is jealous of that and the jealousy leads to blind hatred and so it is with the religious men of this world who serve their god and not the true God.........bro Frank
I think we also have to balance what Tozer wrote with verses like this: "After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and peoples, and kindreds, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb..." Revelation 7:9
I am sure Tozer would agree with that Nigel. Tozer was never speaking about some tiny amount of people like some of the cults like the church of Wells would portray. Ravenhill once stated that he though about 7% of professing Christians in the States were actually true Christians. The population of America is about 330 million. Around 80% of that number claim to be Christians. That would mean that 264,000,000 claim to be Christians. 7% of that is 18 million. I personally think the percentage is probably more like 20% which would make the number of genuine saints at around 53 million. That is a lot of saints and I praise God that even if you went with Ravenhill's number, you are still looking at around 20 million born again saints. God has a remnant and the great falling away and persecution will bring them together and that togetherness, that unity will be a witness to a very hostile world........bro Frank
What I find absolutely phenomenal about the the internal workings of the Spirit and our transformed hearts come together is this:
Whenever I meet other believers--face to face, not necessarily over the internet--there is this instant connection. All the walls comes down and it's like we've been friends or family for ever. We get to just talk and fellowship and occasionally, gently discuss our differences and give one another food for thought about what we hold to be true, questions we have about the way things work, etc. But better than all of that, we get to share with one another the wonderful work of Christ in our lives. It's really awesome. I love it. For me, that is huge, because I do not trust people. I absolutely do not like to engage with people with whom I am not familiar on any kind of deep level. I will talk to anyone, but I don't let them "in" so to speak.
But there are people--and I don't use this as a litmus test--who claim to be believers with whom I simply cannot engage with on that level. Occasionally, I have seen that those people do fall away and eventually no longer follow Jesus. Then it's heart-breaking.
On a side note, it is very, very difficult over the internet. I never can discern anything about anyone over forums. There might be people with whom I disagree very much that I would love a lot better if I met them face to face. And there are probably loads of people who can agree with me doctrinally, that I would be leery of in person.
I think we also have to balance what Tozer wrote with verses like this: "After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and peoples, and kindreds, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb..." Revelation 7:9
I appreciate the article by Tozer, because there are many people that have prayed a prayer of salvation with someone that are not truly born again. We take the matter of being saved way to lightly, like all it takes is a simple prayer with no repentance, and the job is done. The true fear of God needs to return to the Church.
On the other hand, we know that the will of God is for all men to be saved. Salvation is by grace alone, so anyone that calls upon the name of the Lord, believing from the heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, and confessing Him with their mouth receives eternal life.
God's plan for the Christian is not just so one day he can make it to heaven and escape hell. If that was the case, there would be more people being taken home immediately after they got saved.
I believe that most Christians are confused about the salvation of the soul, which includes a believer having a renewed mind, and growing spiritually, becoming more Christlike and bearing fruit.
I also believe that the remnant is not those receiving eternal life, but those that are what the Book of Revelation refers to as Overcomers. These are they that have died to the self life, and are fully submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
The Word of God talks about Christians that are saved as by fire with all of their works being burned up. These are Christians that received Jesus as their savior, but never were true disciples of Christ, and basically lived for themselves. It would also include those in the ministry that were building their own little spiritual kingdoms, big name preachers, and they will have a rude awakening when it will all go up in smoke one day.
"The first will be last, and the last first." There are many unknown Christians that love the Lord, serve Him faithfully that are not known by their titles or popular names that one day will receive great rewards in heaven.
Mike writes.....
"I also believe that the remnant is not those receiving eternal life, but those that are what the Book of Revelation refers to as Overcomers. These are they that have died to the self life, and are fully submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ."
Yes indeed, the promises are made to those who overcome, those who endure till the end. This is why an apostle of the Lord is marked by suffering and rejection. He can say with Paul that he has learned to be content, he can say with Paul that he has counted all of his loss as rubbish rather that he be found in Him. He encourages others in his or her chains. No dungeon can keep him down, no threats can dissuade him, he has trouble on every side but is not given to distress, he is perplexed but not given over to despair, persecuted but he knows he is not forsaken, others cast him down but he is not abandoned by His Lord. He willingly dies so that others can see the light of Christ in Him..............bro Frank
"Yes indeed, the promises are made to those who overcome, those who endure till the end. This is why an apostle of the Lord is marked by suffering and rejection."
Amen Brother Frank!
If we try to preserve our life here on earth by forsaking the path of the cross, we will loose out in the end, but those that loose their life (soul or self life) now will be rewarded and find life.
I am thankful for much of the teachings on faith that I received in the 70's and 80's, but there was also much that I had to reject because it did not line up with the Word of God. One teaching that I saw to be erroneous was the teaching that it wasn't the will of God for Christians to suffer. If that was the case then the Apostle Paul was out of the will of God, for that man suffered to the point where he despaired of life itself. For Paul, God's grace was sufficient.
QUOTE: I personally think the percentage is probably more like 20% which would make the number of genuine saints at around 53 million.
WOW!! that is some remnant!! 1 out of every 5 Americans are in the remnant being I assume born again Christians. Now Tozer was talking about 1 of a thousand. Again I say WOW!!
Ravenhill thought about 7% of professing Christians which would be around 23 million Americans, were actually saved. Tozer thought much less, I think more, but perhaps that is wishful thinking on my part and the truth is no one knows apart from what the Lord, who said "Mat 7:14Â Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
Now "few," in the context of 7 billion is still a large number, just few in the overall context.............bro Frank
My point is 1 in 5 is far from few in light of what Tozer wrote and in light of Mt 7:13-14 as you write and Lk 13:23-24 for that matter or Mt 22:14 and so on. And in light of my observations of Christendom over the 74 years of my life. But actually Tozer says it well. Whereas I am not so sure about what has been said here. I think what bothers me most about justifying so many nominal believers as saints is that it belittles the rebirth which Jesus so painfully paid for and brought its commencement to pass on the cross! Does the Holy Spirit really indwell 1 in 5 Americans? Only God really knows but as an American I really doubt it. Note for the sensitive ones out there I say this only in case someone questions my observations in this matter since we are talking about Christians in America.
As Moses said "would God that all the LORD'S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!" but then it turned out that only Joshua and Caleb made the cut! Out of 600,000! Yes God would have all to be saved, but according to His Word and Doctrines and not by the traditions and doctrines of man.
Terry
" I think what bothers me most about justifying so many nominal believers as saints is that it belittles the rebirth which Jesus so painfully paid for and brought its commencement to pass on the cross! Does the Holy Spirit really indwell 1 in 5 Americans? Only God really knows but as an American I really doubt it."
I dont blame you for doubting it brother. No one, including Tozer or Ravenhill were suggesting actual numbers, it was simply a way of bringing home the notion of the fact that most professing Christians are simply just that. Think about my own suggestion of 20%. Not sure what size of church you belong to but lets say its a hundred. Then by my own thoughts 80 of those folks are merely professing and not actually believers. If it were 2000, then 1600 of those folks would not actually be saved. Anyway, all of these suggested numbers was based on professing Christians as opposed to merely being an American. Hope that helps......bro Frank
I honestly think probably less than 100 million worldwide are truly born again and walking with Jesus. Just my opinion though. I've been in churches where there wasn't 1 born again believer
You might be right Nigel, that would certainly cover "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;".....bro Frank
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