Tozer on Tragedy in the Church

A.W. Tozer:

The Christian Church cannot rise to its true stature in accomplishing God’s purposes when its members neglect the true gifts and graces of God’s Spirit. Much of the religious activity we see in our churches is not the eternal working of the Eternal Spirit but the mortal working of man’s mortal mind.

That is raw tragedy!

From what I see and sense in evangelical circles, I would have to say that about 90 percent of the religious work carried on in the churches is being done by ungifted members. I am speaking of men and women who know how to do many things but who fail to display the spiritual gifts promised through the Holy Spirit.

This one of the ways in which we have slowed down the true working of God in His church and in the hearts of unbelieving people all around us. We have allowed members of the body who possess no genuine gifts of the Spirit to do religious work.*

 – Taken from “Tragedy in the Church: The Missing Gifts” by A.W. Tozer (emphasis mine)

* – I would take exception that the members have no genuine gifts. Every member of the body of Christ is gifted. The issue is that the gifts are not accessed and exercised. As he said earlier, they “fail to display the spiritual gifts” rather than not having them at all.