Shepherding with Spurgeon
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Pastor, if you do not pray in private, be afraid.

Pastor, if you do not pray in private, be afraid.

"The preacher who neglects to pray much must be very careless about his ministry."

SpurgeonBooks
June 13, 2024

Shepherding with Spurgeon

Weekly Newsletter for Pastors from SpurgeonBooks

ENCOURAGEMENT FOR PASTORS (BY SPURGEON)

The preacher who neglects to pray much must be very careless about his ministry. He cannot have comprehended his calling. He cannot have computed the value of a soul, or estimated the meaning of eternity. He must be a mere official, tempted into a pulpit because the piece of bread which belongs to the priest’s office is very necessary to him, or a detestable hypocrite who loves the praise of men and cares not for the praise of God. He will surely become a mere superficial talker, best approved where grace is least-valued and a vain show most admired. He cannot be one of those who plough deep and reap abundant harvests. He is a mere loiterer, not a laborer. As a preacher he has a name to live and is dead. He limps in his life like the lame man in the Proverbs, whose legs were not equal, for his praying is shorter than his preaching.

SERMON ILLUSTRATION FROM SPURGEON

Spurgeon was a master illustrator. You can use this illustration in your own preaching to describe trusting Christ and the foolishness of rejecting him.

Suppose I was in a burning building, and a man brought to the house a fire escape of a very unusual shape, but one that he assured me had been the means of saving thousands of lives. Do you think that I should object to trust myself to it because it was such a peculiar shape? Of course, I should not be so foolish.

Then why are sinners so foolish as to object to the shape of the fire escape that God has designed to rescue them from everlasting burnings? What could be better than the divine plan of substitution?

RESOURCE FOR PASTORS

A Stunning Book to Help Reinvigorate My Love for Christ

This year, I’m preaching through Ephesians. To prepare for this series, I read One with Christ: An Evangelical Theology of Salvation, a book that has been on my shelf for a while but I haven’t read yet.

Guys.

This book is incredible.

Johnson (professor at Moody Bible College) unpacks the doctrine of union with Christ, showing how this union is the grounds for every aspect of our salvation (from justification to glorification, with every step in between).

This book moved me to tears several times as it helped me see how gloriously gracious our God really is.

I know it will bless your ministry, so I hope you’ll grab a copy today.

Buy One with Christ: