ENCOURAGEMENT FOR PASTORS (BY SPURGEON)
Faith in God enables many of you, I know right well, to bear much hardship, and exercise much self-denial, and yet to persevere in your ministry. My heart rejoices over the many brethren here whom God has made to be winners of souls; and I may add that I am firmly persuaded, concerning many here present, that the privations they have undergone, and the zeal they have shown in the service of their Lord, though unrewarded by any outward success, are a sweet savor unto God.
True faith makes a man feel that it is sweet to be a living sacrifice unto God. Only faith could keep us in the ministry, for ours is not a vocation which brings with it golden pay; it is not a calling which men would follow who desire honor and rank. We have all kinds of evils to endure, evils as numerous as those which Paul included in his famous catalogue of trials; and, I may add, we have one peril which he does not mention, namely, the perils of church-meetings, which are probably worse than perils of robbers. Underpaid and undervalued, without books and without congenial associates, many a rural preacher of the gospel would die of a broken heart, did not his faith gird him with strength from on high.
SERMON ILLUSTRATION (BY SPURGEON)
Spurgeon was a master illustrator. You can use this illustration in your own preaching to describe saving faith.
Faith occupies the position of a channel or conduit pipe. Grace is the fountain and the stream; faith is the aqueduct along which the flood of mercy flows down to refresh the thirsty sons of men. It is a great pity when the aqueduct is broken. It is a sad sight to see around Rome the many noble aqueducts which no longer convey water into the city, because the arches are broken and the marvelous structures are in ruins.
The aqueduct must be kept entire to convey the current; and, even so, faith must be true and sound, leading right up to God and coming right down to ourselves, that it may become a serviceable channel of mercy to our souls.
THANKS FOR READING
Brothers,
In the last few weeks, I’ve felt the pressing demands of planning Sunday-after-Sunday weigh heavy on me. In the daily grind of ministry, it can be easy to lose focus on the supernatural power of God that equips us for ministry.
Don’t allow yourself to be distracted from God’s power — he is at work in you and through you. He will preserve you to the end. Trust him, and walk by faith through whatever trials of life and ministry he sends.
May Romans 12:12 describe our lives as sinful, suffering pastors: “Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.”
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Blessings to your ministry,
Doug H.
Creator of SpurgeonBooks