Shepherding with Spurgeon

Weekly Newsletter for Pastors from SpurgeonBooks

ENCOURAGEMENT FOR PASTORS (BY SPURGEON)

I would add this more of personal testimony: so blessed is the service of God, that I would like to die in it! When I have been unable to preach through physical pain, I have taken my pen to write, and found much joy in making books for Jesus; and when my hand has been unable to wield the pen, I have wanted to talk about my Master to somebody or other, and I have tried to do so.

I remember that David Brainerd, when he was very ill and could not preach to the Natives, was found sitting up in bed, teaching a little Native American boy his letters so that he might read the Bible; and so he said, “If I cannot serve God one way, I will another. I will never leave off this blessed service.” This is my personal resolve, and verily, there is no merit in it, for my Lord’s service is a delight. It is a great pleasure to have anything to do for our great Father and Friend, and most affectionately, for your own good, I commend the service of God to you.

SERMON ILLUSTRATION FROM SPURGEON

Spurgeon was a master illustrator. You can use this illustration in your own preaching to describe how God uses our service.

It is well that it is in our heart today to do some little thing for the glory of God. As an old Puritan says, we give as tokens of love a cracked sixpence or a flower that soon fades. It is accepted as a token of love, not for its intrinsic value, but as an emblem of what our heart feels and would do if it could.

Even so it is with the Lord and the service his people seek to render to him. He takes our trifles and makes much of them.

SHEPHERD YOUR HOME

These three statistics should be a five-alarm WAKE UP CALL for every Christian parent:

• 70% of Christian youth will leave the church after high school.

• More than half of professing Christians in the U.S. believe that Jesus isn't God.

• More than half of Americans have never read the entire Bible.

Here’s the thing: I think these statistics are connected. If Christians don’t read the Bible, they aren’t going to know the truth. And if our kids don’t even know the truth, they’re not going to hold onto it when they leave our homes.

They aren’t going to stumble onto the truth or fall in love with Jesus because they spend 90 minutes at church every week. We need to expose our kids to the truth of God EVERY DAY.

Let me tell you about one more statistic:

Studies have shown that kids regularly reading or hearing the Bible is the best predictor of their spiritual health as a young adult. (In other words, the 30% of youth that AREN’T leaving Jesus behind after high school are the ones that were reading and hearing God’s Word regularly.)

If you want to make a real, long-term difference in your kids’ lives in 2025, read the Bible to them every day. I can’t think of many habits or resolutions that will impact your family more.

Family devotionals from God Centered Family seek to lay three foundations for lifelong faith in Jesus. And one of those foundations is Bible Knowledge.

We are seeking to instill a thorough biblical literacy that will protect your kids from false teaching and sin. We help you teach your kids to know the Bible deeply (not just the basic stories).

Here's how we do it:

• Reading and discussing the entire Bible — Our family devotionals cover EVERY book of the Bible (not just the popular stories). In three years, you and your kids will read and discuss EVERY chapter of Scripture, even the hard ones. Kids can't know the Bible if they haven't even heard it.

• Three Year Reading Plan — If you start on the day they are born, you can read the entire Bible to your kids FIVE TIMES before they turn 18. No matter when you get started, there is no replacement for that kind of regular exposure.

• Introductions for Parents — Each book of the Bible comes with a simple 1–2 page introduction for parents. This isn't just helping us grow our knowledge of God's Word, it's also equipping us with a firm foundation with which we can engage with each book and answer our kids’ questions.

• Remember the Context — The first thing you’ll do each day is remind your kids of what book of the Bible we’re reading, where it is in the Bible, and what it’s about. This simple repetition will give your kids the ability to navigate Scripture with excellence.

Don’t let your kids become a part of the statistics at the top of this email. Give them a strong foundation in God’s Word — subscribe now.

I was so thankful to hear from one mom, Angela C. who said, “God Centered Family is not sugar-coated. Using these devotionals is slowly planting the Word of God in my kids heart each day. I see them developing a biblical worldview because this is a part of our everyday lives.”

If you want your kids to grow to be mighty men and women of God’s Word, it’s going to start with little steps of faithfulness every day NOW. Subscribe to God Centered Family and get everything you need to teach the whole Bible to the whole family.

ONE MORE REMINDER: PREACH JESUS THIS WEEKEND

“I do believe we slander Christ when we think we are to draw the people by something else but the preaching of Christ crucified.” — Charles Spurgeon