ENCOURAGEMENT FOR PASTORS (BY SPURGEON)
There is a way of taking a line of prayer, if the Holy Spirit shall guide you therein, which will make the service all of a piece, and harmonize with the hymns and sermon. It is very useful to maintain unity in the service where you can; not slavishly, but wisely, so that the effect is one.
Certain brethren do not even manage to keep unity in the sermon, but wander from Britain to Japan, and bring in all imaginable subjects; but you who have attained to the preservation of unity in the sermon might go a little farther, and exhibit a degree of unity in the service, being careful in both the hymn, and the prayer, and the chapter, to keep the same subject prominent.
Hardly commendable is the practice, common with some preachers, of rehearsing the sermon in the last prayer. It may be instructive to the audience, but that is an object altogether foreign to prayer. It is stilted, scholastic, and unsuitable; do not imitate the practice.
FREE FOR PASTORS
Spurgeon’s Gospel-Centered Mother’s Day Gift For Your Church
Mother’s Day is this weekend. Like most holidays, Mother’s Day usually gets a unique reaction from pastors.
- In some of your churches, this is a sacred cow, packed with unbiblical traditions.
- In some of your churches, this is one of your highest-attendance Sundays of the year, as mothers bring their children and grandchildren to the service.
- In some of your churches, this goes completely unnoticed.
But in all of our churches, Mother’s Day can be an opportunity to equip moms in our congregation to set their hope on the gospel as they teach their children the truth of God’s Word.
To help the moms in your church, I’ve put together a simple 14-day devotional for moms, written by Spurgeon. Each day features a short passage of Scripture with a reflection from Spurgeon on how this passage applies to mothers. This is a biblical, grace-saturated resource that I know will encourage the moms in your church.
You can download it here (and you can also use this link to pass it on to moms in your church.)
SERMON ILLUSTRATION (BY SPURGEON)
Spurgeon was a master illustrator. You can use this illustration in your own preaching to describe the greatness of forgiveness.
Did you ever take up from your table a bill for a large sum? You felt a kind of flush coming over your face. You looked down the list. It was a rather long list of items, perhaps, from a lawyer or a builder. But when you looked at it, you saw that there was a penny stamp at the bottom, and that the account was receipted. “Oh!” you said, “I do not care how long it is, for it is all paid.”
So, though your sins are very many, if you have a receipt at the bottom—if you have trusted Jesus—your sins are all gone, drowned in the Red Sea of your Savior’s blood, and Christ is glorified in your salvation.
THANKS FOR READING
Brothers,
Thanks for reading the newsletter this week.
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Blessings to your ministry,
Doug H.
Creator of SpurgeonBooks
Preaching Pastor of Pillar Church of Washington DC