The Pursuit of God – Chapter 1

Following Hard After God

 

AIM:

We are called to seek a deeper and wider relationship with God alone for God to fill every part of our heart and soul with His glory.

 

Summary:

Current teaching in churches is centered on “accepting Christ”, a term not found in the bible.  But this is just the beginning of a treasured relationship between God and my soul that is personal and essential and fulfilling.

 

Part I:

We may pursue God only because He first sought us

• Prevenient grace: God seeks me/you first
• Without grace, sinful man unable to think any right thought about God
• We have no credit in finding God
• Impulse to pursue God starts with God
• While we pursue God, already in His hand
• Yet, reciprocation to God is mandatory

 

Part II:

Relationship between God and my soul is personal, conscious and aware/factual

• Justification by faith =/= (not equal) being banned from knowledge of God
• Modern science loses God in His world
• Modern Christianity loses God in His word
• God is a person
• We cultivate any personal relationship through numerous encounters
• Relationship of God with my soul: Conscious Personal Awareness
• Conscious: Not subconscious working (infant baptism is not sufficiently fulfilling alone)
• Personal: Not God with body of believers, God with me
• Awareness: Can be known in same way as any other fact

 

Part III:

Accepting Christ is not the goal, it is only the starting point

• Spirit entry = finding God : Not end of journey, beginning of journey
• Paradox of soul: To have found God and still pursue Him
• Historically holy men have lived this paradox: Moses, David, hymnists, theologians
• Today taught that “accepting Christ” is center of being Christian
• “accepting Christ” not a biblical term
• Some, though, see this is not the center, but a starting point to a craving for further revelation of God
• “Oh God, show me thy glory” – Moses
• Lack of Holy desire leads to stiff and wooden religiosity
• Christ waits to be wanted, not just found

 

Part IV:

Seek Christ through simplicity and a focus on essentials, seeking God, not “God-and”

• Right now in an age of “religious complexity”
• Christ’s simplicity is lost in complexity
• Instead of simplicity: programs, methods, organizations and activities
• All this leads to hollowness and shallowness
• God reveals Himself to “babes”, but hides Himself from “wise and prudent”
• To seek God, simplify / essentials
• Don’t approach trying to impress God
• Seek Him with candor and humility
• Don’t seek “God-and”, just seek God
• Seeking God alone doesn’t restrict our hearts
• Seeking God alone allows God to fill every part of our hearts
• In prayer, practice simplicity and essentials

 

Part V:

The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One

• God divided Canaan, no land for Levites
• God to Levites, “I am your inheritance.”
• Christians are priests
• Spiritual Principle: The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One.
• The things denied, released or let go, to have God alone, are not felt as loss, because he who pursues this path has it all in One: satisfaction, pleasure, delight, purely, legitimately, forever

 

During the break of our study of Moses I am reading The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer.  This book was one that was recently referenced in the BSF notes.  It is a relatively short book, 75 pages, written in 10 chapters plus and introduction.  I would encourage you to read along and add your comments and thoughts. $6.49 on Amazon.

My structure in writing about the book for each of the chapters will be a very loose homiletics approach.  For those of you who are homiletic purists, I apologize.  For the rest, I hope you find some things that further your personal relationship with God. 

As Moses said, “Show my your glory.”