Shepherding with Spurgeon

Weekly Newsletter for Pastors from SpurgeonBooks

ENCOURAGEMENT FOR PASTORS (BY SPURGEON)

Brothers, if you are not theologians you are, in your pastorates, just nothing at all. You may be fine rhetoricians, and be rich in polished sentences; but without knowledge of the gospel and aptness to teach it, you are but a sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. Verbiage is too often the fig-leaf which does duty as a covering for theological ignorance. Sounding periods are offered instead of sound doctrine, and rhetorical flourishes in the place of robust thought. Such things ought not to be. The abounding of empty declamation, and the absence of food for the soul, will turn a pulpit into a box of bombast, and inspire contempt instead of reverence. Unless we are instructive preachers and really feed the people, we may be great quoters of elegant poetry and mighty retailers of second-hand windbags, but we shall be like Nero of old, fiddling while Rome was burning, and sending vessels to Alexandria to fetch sand for the arena while the populace starved for want of corn.

SERMON ILLUSTRATION FROM SPURGEON

Spurgeon was a master illustrator. You can use this illustration in your own preaching to describe God’s power to keep us.

There are some spots, I believe, on some of the more difficult Swiss mountains where no man ought to go at all, I think, and where, if any must go, they should be only such as have become most accomplished mountaineers through years of practice. For one has to cling to the rock side, to hold on, perhaps, by bushes or stones that may be there, with nothing for the feet to rest on except, perhaps, an inch of projecting crag. And so we go creeping on with our backs to the danger, for to look down upon it would be to make the brain reel and cause us to fall. And the result of falling, of course, would be the end of life—the body would be dashed into a thousand pieces.

Such is truly the way to heaven. You must all have passed some such difficult places, and, in looking back, I can only myself say, “Unto him that has kept me from falling, when my feet had nearly gone, and my steps had almost slipped, unto him be glory forever and ever.”

RESOURCE FOR PASTORS

Strengthen your marriage in 2025

If you lose your marriage, you’ll lose your ministry. I’m passionate about helping you become the husbands God has called you to be — to create a specific plan to “love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her” (Ephesians 5:25).

The God Centered Husband One-Year Journal is a practical resource to help men grow. It has 52 blank weekly templates to help you serve your wife (encouraging you to brainstorm ways you can pray for and care for your wife).

Also included:

• 52 deep conversation starters for Christian couples

• Weekly devotionals to remind you of Jesus’ love for imperfect husbands

• One-year Bible reading plan to help you keep track of your devotional life

• Promise Log to help you keep track of the things you’ve promised your wife that you will do, work on, or change. Have you kept your promises?

• Explainer for Men: What you need to know about your wife’s menstrual cycle — what happens in your wife’s body and how you can serve her each week

• Weekly to-do list and notes page

I’m really excited about this resource, so I hope you’ll grab a copy today for yourself and another one for a friend (a GREAT Christ-centered Christmas gift for dudes you’re discipling!)

I hope you’ll grab a copy for yourself and a few extras to pass out to men receiving marriage counseling. (Also available, The God Centered Wife One-Year Journal)

Buy The God Centered Husband One-Year Journal on Amazon

ONE MORE REMINDER: PREACH JESUS THIS WEEKEND

“If a man can preach one sermon without mentioning Christ's name, it ought to be his last.” — Charles Spurgeon