Alive in the Spirit, A W Tozer, compiled by James Snyder

Tozer, who died in 1963, has a message for Christians today – and what a message it is! Even though he made these observations and suggestions over fifty years ago, I think he identified the current condition exactly.

Tozer takes us through his story of salvation and baptism in the Holy Spirit and then speaks to the importance of the Holy Spirit in our lives. “The next generation or two of Christians will face challenges that cannot be overcome in the natural,” he writes. (395/2242) We must be saturated with the Holy Spirit and have the gifts of the Spirit in operation in the church today.

This book is full of serious admonitions. “My challenge for this generation,” Tozer says, “is to stop playing religious games and take this matter of being the church of Jesus Christ as serious as our forefathers did.” (446/2242) Reading this book might be uncomfortable. But, Tozer says, “not everyone is going to be comfortable when the Holy Spirit is Lord of all.” (1245/2242) After all, we are dealing with God on His terms, not ours.

While the majority of the book is aimed at lay Christians, he has some suggestions for church leaders too. “What is needed today is for churches to call a moratorium on all activity for six months, get together on our knees, and wait upon the Holy Spirit to move in the direction He wants us to go.” (1105/2242)

Tozer was what might be called today an “uneducated” man. He never finished the eighth grade. He never attended Bible college nor seminary. His insight into the church today is amazing. And that includes insights into the people in the pews, the preachers in the pulpit, and those leading worship. His observations and insights are so timely it is hard to believe they are from fifty years ago.

I highly recommend this book to any Christian who is ready to be serious about their Christian walk. Tozer was serious about the necessity of the Holy Spirit to empower the believer. You will be challenged about your worship, your devotion, your ministry, and your daily life.

This book was compiled and edited by James L. Snyder. He gleaned the chapters in this book from the sermons Tozer preached in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Snyder suggests reading a chapter at a time as each chapter contains spiritual truth that needs to be absorbed. I agree.

My rating: 5/5 stars.

A. W. Tozer (1897-1963) began his lifelong pursuit of God at age seventeen. He was a pastor, writer, and editor, authoring more than forty books.

James L. Snyder is an award-winning author whose writings have appeared in more than eighty periodicals and twenty-four books. He writes a weekly column that appears in nearly 300 newspapers across the nation. He is recognized as an authority on the life and ministry of A. W. Tozer and was given the rights from the Tozer estate to produce new books derived from over four hundred never-before-published audiotapes. He and his wife live in Oca, Florida.

Bethany House, 192 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.