Fellowship of the Burning Heart: A Collection of Sermons

THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE BURNING HEART is a collection of sermons by AW Tozer about living a Christian life closer to God and knowing Him in a fuller, deeper way. Who better to write such a book than Tozer? He spent himself in the pursuit of God (also authored a book by that name- one of the top books of Christianity). A vocal critic of the modern church, Tozer's insights and criticisms are more relevant today than any time before. However, they are not the rantings of wounded pride or hurt feelings. His criticism arises from a heart broken for the bride of Christ. FELLOWSHIP challenges the reader to "operate in the knowledge and authority of the Holy Spirit". He dares the believer to live a life closer to God. Discontented with man-made traditions and dogmatism, Tozer has no time for such childish stuff. "Wound me, Lord" he cries, "with a desire for contriteness, for compassion, for knowing you more!" Tozer's writings are revealing of a heart hungry for more of God. This is the real deal. The Word itself cuts like a knife throughout his writings; teaching, convicting, inspiring. If you enjoyed PURSUIT OF GOD, PURSUIT OF MAN, or KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY, you will also enjoy this book.

This is all classic Tozer. I like Tozer's books better than his compilations of sermons or articles. This book is a compilation of sermons. Nonetheless, these are little gems that reflect the man who wasn't satisfied to know ABOUT God but rather to KNOW God personally. The message excerpts on the included CD are great though the packaging around the material (intros and outros) are not very helpful.

The Fellowship of the Burning Heart is another book from the theologically eclectic "Pure Gold" series from Bridge-Logos Publishers. A.W. Tozer is viewed as a modern day prophet. Many of the ideas he puts forward from these sermons from the mid-twentieth century are still the very issues Christians are wrestling with today. Tozer's blend of earnestness and humor makes for interesting reading. His heart of love for God shows through and will draw the willing reader to great thoughts of God and a more loving heart toward Him. The biographical essays on Tozer, though somewhat repetitive, provide good introductory material for the reader so that he or she knows something of the man before reading his sermons. Overall, this is a good book for one who wants a sampling of Tozer's writing as well as a brief introduction to his life. The audio CD included with this edition is a nice bonus. In my opinion, it is really hard to go wrong with any book from A.W. Tozer, so keen is his insight into the person of God and the heart of man.