ENCOURAGEMENT FOR PASTORS (BY SPURGEON)
Oh, the delight of preaching the gospel! I often say to young men who apply for admission to the College, “Don’t you become a minister if you can help it.” And I say to everybody,—Do not become a minister if you can help it; but if you cannot help it, if a divine destiny drives you on, thank God that it is so! You are a happier man, if you are able to preach the gospel, than if you had been elected to a throne. There is no business like it under heaven.
I have heard some say that our professional study of the Word of God may be a hindrance to our growth in the divine life. I know what they mean, and there is some truth in their words; but to me, the preaching of the gospel has been a continual means of grace, and I can say with the Apostle Paul, “This grace was given to me—the least of all the saints—to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8).
SERMON ILLUSTRATION (BY SPURGEON)
Spurgeon was a master illustrator. You can use this illustration in your own preaching to describe true faith (not self-confidence).
I am told that years ago a boat was upset above the falls of Niagara, and two men were being carried down the current, when persons on the shore managed to float a rope out to them, which rope was seized by them both. One of them held fast to it and was safely drawn to the bank; but the other, seeing a great log come floating by, unwisely let go the rope and clung to the log, for it was the bigger thing of the two, and apparently better to cling to. Alas! the log with the man on it went right over the vast abyss, because there was no union between the log and the shore.
The size of the log was no benefit to him who grasped it; it needed a connection with the shore to produce safety. So when a man trusts to his works, or to sacraments, or to anything of that sort, he will not be saved, because there is no junction between him and Christ; but faith, though it may seem to be like a slender cord, is in the hands of the great God on the shore side; infinite power pulls in the connecting line, and thus draws the man from destruction. Oh the blessedness of faith, because it unites us to God!
THANKS FOR READING
Brothers,
Ministry is hard, but, oh, what a privilege we have to study and teach the Bible! Keep your calling in mind as you persevere through the harder days: we get to teach the Bible!
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Blessings to your ministry,
Doug H.
Creator of SpurgeonBooks