Shepherding with Spurgeon

Weekly Newsletter for Pastors from SpurgeonBooks

ENCOURAGEMENT FOR PASTORS (BY SPURGEON)

We are made to see that the Lord is God, and that beside him there is none else. Very frequently God teaches this to the minister, by leading him to see his own sinful nature. He will have such an insight into his own wicked and abominable heart, that he will feel as he comes up the pulpit stairs, that he does not deserve so much as to sit in his pew, much less to preach to his fellows. Although we feel always joy in the declaration of God’s Word, yet we have known what it is to totter on the pulpit steps, under a sense that the chief of sinners should scarcely be allowed to preach to others.

Ah, beloved, I do not think he will be very successful as a minister, who is not taken into the depths and blackness of his own soul, and made to exclaim, “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.”

SERMON ILLUSTRATION FROM SPURGEON

Spurgeon was a master illustrator. You can use this illustration in your own preaching to describe the preeminence of Jesus.

In white, all the colors are blended. A perfectly white substance combines all the colors of the rainbow merged in true proportion, but green and indigo and red are only the reflections of a part of the solar rays. So John, Peter, Paul are parts of the light of heaven; they are differing colors, and there is a beauty in each one of them. But if you want to get the whole of the rays of light, you must get to Christ, for all light is in him. In him is not simply the red or the blue, but in him is light, the true light, the whole of light.

RESOURCE FOR PASTORS

Teach your kids to be lifelong followers of Jesus

“If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God’s church?” (1 Timothy 3:5)

As pastors, we have a responsibility to care for our families and point our kids to Christ. If we can’t do it at home, why should we think we can do it in the church?

As a dad, seeing my kids come to know Christ is one of the greatest desires of my life — but I don’t just want my kids to “get saved,” I want them to live as fully-devoted followers of Jesus.

If this is your desire, I’ve created a series of family devotionals to help you.

God Centered Family cultivates lifelong faith by laying three crucial foundations for a life of discipleship:

• Bible Habits — Cultivate a daily habit of Bible reading that will follow your kids for the rest of their lives.

• Bible Knowledge — By reading the ENTIRE Bible every three years, you’ll give your kids a thorough biblical literacy that will protect your kids from false teaching and sin.

• Bible Skills — Don’t make your kids sit through the Bible — train them to engage with the Bible, ask good questions, and dive deep.

In a world of distractions, kids need the Bible more than anything. Parents, you are better equipped than anyone to teach it to them. Get everything you need from God Centered Family.

ONE MORE REMINDER: PREACH JESUS THIS WEEKEND

“The Spirit of God bears no witness to Christless sermons. Leave Jesus out of your preaching, and the Holy Spirit will never come upon you.” — Charles Spurgeon