Shepherding with Spurgeon

Weekly Newsletter for Pastors from SpurgeonBooks

ENCOURAGEMENT FOR PASTORS (BY SPURGEON)

It has sometimes been the boast of Episcopalians that churchmen go to their churches to pray and worship God, but that Dissenters (those not affiliated with the state Church of England) merely assemble to hear sermons. Our reply to this is, that albeit there may be some professors who are guilty of this evil, it is not true of the people of God among us, and these are the only persons who ever will in any church really enjoy devotion. Our congregations gather together to worship God, and we assert, and feel no hesitation in so asserting, that there is as much true and acceptable prayer offered in our ordinary Nonconformist services as in the best and most pompous performances of the Church of England.

SERMON ILLUSTRATION FROM SPURGEON

Spurgeon was a master illustrator. You can use this illustration in your own preaching to describe the unconditional love of God.

Suppose someone were to tell my children that the continuance of my love to them will depend entirely on their good behavior. My children would repel the suggestion with indignation. They would answer, “We know better; you speak falsely. Our father will always love us.”

Even so the Lord’s children know that their Father’s love is immutable. For our transgressions, our heavenly Father will visit us with the rod, but never with the sword.

ONE MORE REMINDER: PREACH JESUS THIS WEEKEND

“There ought to be enough of the gospel in every sermon to save a soul.” — Charles Spurgeon