ENCOURAGEMENT FOR PASTORS (BY SPURGEON)
It is a marvel to me how men continue at ease in preaching year after year without conversions. Have they no bowels of compassion for others? No sense of responsibility upon themselves? Dare they, by a vain misrepresentation of divine sovereignty, cast the blame on their Master? Or is it their belief that Paul plants and Apollos waters, and that God gives no increase? Vain are their talents, their philosophy, their rhetoric, and even their orthodoxy, without the signs following. How are they sent of God who bring no men to God?
As a man to be set apart to the ministry, his commission is without seals until souls are won by his instrumentality to the knowledge of Jesus. As a worker, he is to work on whether he succeeds or no, but as a minister he cannot be sure of his vocation till results are apparent.
SERMON ILLUSTRATION (BY SPURGEON)
Spurgeon was a master illustrator. You can use this quotation in your own preaching to describe the free offer of salvation.
The point in the invitation is—when is it? Somebody says, “Will you come to my house to dinner?” Well, if that is all he says, I do not come. But if he says, “I dine at half past five,” then he gives me the time of day and tells me when he wants to see me. You know if a person says, “Whenever you are going by this way I shall be glad to see you,” you never call in at all. But if a man says, “I will be glad to see you at such-and-such a time,” you understand his invitation.
And now the Holy Spirit puts a time to the invitation. I am not invited tomorrow, but the Holy Spirit says to me, “Come to Christ today.” And he says to you, “Today, even now, come seek and find every good in Jesus joined.” “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth.” The time is fixed, and the time is fixed for today.
THANKS FOR READING
Brothers,
This week, Spurgeon claimed that a man cannot be a minister without seeing the fruit of conversion. While I think he is probably overstating it a little bit (there are many other valuable fruits to search for from a man’s ministry, not only conversion), his words are a reminder that we must earnestly long for and work toward the conversion of sinners.
God has saved us by grace and we must long for his grace to extend to many more. Let us pray and work to this end in the new year.
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Blessings to your ministry,
Doug H.
Creator of SpurgeonBooks
Preaching Pastor of Pillar Church of Washington DC