ENCOURAGEMENT FOR PASTORS (BY SPURGEON)
It will be well for us never to forget our personal commission to preach the gospel, for I hope you have each of you received such a personal commission, and know it; or else why are you here? Leave the ministry, brethren, if you have not received it of the Lord. I preach—I dare to say it—because I can do no otherwise; I cannot refrain myself; a fire burns within my bones which will consume me if I hold my peace.
Every God-sent Christian minister is as much called to preach the gospel as was that apostle to whom Ananias spoke concerning “the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto you in the way.” This makes our preaching a solemn business.
SERMON ILLUSTRATION (BY SPURGEON)
Spurgeon was a master illustrator. You can use this illustration in your own preaching to describe the foolishness of testing God.
There are some people, who seem as if they would not be converted unless they can see some eminent minister. Even that will not suit some of them; they want a special revelation from heaven. They will not take a text from the Bible,—though I cannot conceive of anything better than that;—but they think that, if they could dream something, or if they could hear words spoken, in the cool of the evening, by some strange voice in the sky, then they might be converted.
Well, brothers and sisters, if you will not eat the apples that grow on trees, you must not expect angels to come and bring them to you. We have a more sure word of testimony in the Bible than we can have anywhere else. If you will not be converted by that Word, it is a great pity; and it is much more than a pity, it is a great sin. If your Lord and Master condescended to receive consolation from an angel whom he had himself created, you ought to be willing to gather comfort from the feeblest speech of the poorest person, from the least of the people of God when they try to cheer you.
THANKS FOR READING
Brothers,
Pastoral ministry comes with unique challenges, but it also comes with unique blessings. We don’t just preach because it’s a good-enough job. We preach because we have been called. And this call is God’s mercy (2 Corinthians 4:1).
Remembering our call to preach the Word — in season and out of season — will sustain us on the hardest days.
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Blessings to your ministry,
Doug H.
Creator of SpurgeonBooks
Preaching Pastor of Pillar Church of Washington DC