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  ADORING WORSHIP
  by A.W. Tozer
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Summary: The sermon emphasizes the importance of cultivating a deep and
personal love for Christ, rather than just a strong and intellectual
respect for Him.

Topics: "Adoration", "Love for God"
Scripture References: 2 Corinthians 5:13

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DESCRIPTION
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A.W. Tozer emphasizes the profound nature of adoration in worship,
noting that while the term may not appear in the King James Bible, the
essence of loving God is vividly present. He reflects on the passionate
love that biblical figures like David and Paul exhibited towards God,
suggesting that true love for Christ can lead to actions that may seem
irrational to outsiders. Tozer critiques modern Christianity for lacking
this deep, personal love for Christ, arguing that much of the worship in
conservative circles is often insincere and lacks genuine fervor. He
calls for a revival of heartfelt adoration that transcends mere
ritualistic praise.

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CONTENT
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Neither the word adoration nor any of its forms is found in our familiar
King James Bible, but the idea is there in full bloom. The great Bible
saints were, above all, enraptured lovers of God. The psalms celebrate
the love which David (and a few others) felt for the person of God. As
suggested above, Paul admitted that the love of God was in his breast a
kind of madness: ?For whether we be beside ourselves, it is of God: or
whether we be sober, it is for your cause. For the love of Christ
constraineth us? (2 Cor. 5:13-14).

In Weymouth?s translation the passage reads, ?For the love of Christ
overmasters us.?

The idea appears to be that Paul?s love for Christ carried him beyond
himself and made him do extravagant things which to a mind untouched
with the delights of such love might seem quite irrational. Perhaps the
most serious charge that can be brought against modern Christians is
that we are not sufficiently in love with Christ. The Christ of
Fundamentalism is strong but hardly beautiful. It is rarely that we find
anyone aglow with personal love for Christ. I trust it is not
uncharitable to say that in my opinion a great deal of praise in
conservative circles is perfunctory and forced, where it is not
downright insincere.

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/aw-tozer/adoring-worship/
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