Recently I had the opportunity of sitting down with Jez Field to discuss and enjoy some examples of remarkable gifts of the Holy Spirit from various periods of church history. It was such an enjoyable conversation and, as you’ll hear, we only got to a few stories, but they are so inspiring. To hear Spurgeon recount how he had a miraculously specific word of knowledge, and then to find the actual verbatim transcript of it happening, was just thrilling.
And it all reminds us that as preachers and as those quietly sharing our faith with others, that God is active, and an ear to Him as we speak could yield wonderful results.
I hope you enjoy this interview. On Apple podcasts:
The Unlikely Conversion of Sheilagh Kaiser I haven’t included any contemporary accounts on the Church History Review, but I am going to make an exception. I met Sheilagh at her Aunt Cassy’s funeral – or more precisely at the wake at a very smart house in the southern suburbs of Cape Town. Sheilagh gave what I expected would be a normal eulogy. But as she spoke of how she encountered God’s love I was thunderstruck that her Aunt Cassy, a quiet, humble ‘little old lady’, had broken through so many points of resistance to share the gospel with her. This post may seem a little long – believe me, you will not regret setting some time aside to read the story. I’ve put this online not because the recipient of God’s grace was a very wealthy person, but because of the obedience of a humble Christian to speak about Jesus to others. I’ll let Sheilagh take it from here:
A Privileged Home I grew up in a privileged home, the daughter of hoteliers Ray and Doreen Roberts. And Cassy Cunningham was Doreen’s oldest sister, so Cassy was my aunt. My father owned popular hotels and many people came for holidays. Cassy and her son Michael were often with us over the holidays from Joburg. Cassy was strange; she would talk about Jesus every chance she got. And this irritated my very worldly father. He called her a fruitcake but was tolerant of her so long as she didn’t preach to him. As children we picked up on this attitude and shared in the disrespect. As a family, we grew up with plenty. Plenty of everything: the best schools, hotel food, servants, cars, and whatever we wanted. I was a complete stranger to lack and didn’t notice others who had lack and needs.
Financial Success I moved from Durban to Joburg after College and began selling real estate. I became successful at a young age, selling blocks of flats and then sectionalising them for individual sectional title sale. At 23 I was fortunate enough to land a very exciting and prosperous job which required I move back to Durban where I settled in Umhlanga Rocks. I quickly rose through the ranks and became the Sales Manager of the operation. We sold Umhlanga Sands, and then I moved to Plettenberg Bag to sell at the Beacon Island Hotel. I enjoyed the best of everything. I rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous, sailed on yachts – had a beautiful place overlooking the sea, drove an expensive sports car, flew in the company Lear Jet. I was 24 and had everything a young person could wish for. Many asked for an opportunity to work for me. I was responsible for hiring and firing.
Something Important Missing When I wasn’t working I would jog along the beach on the Roberg side of the mountain, which was flat with a long stretch to jog comfortably for quite a distance. One evening I was jogging. It was beautiful weather – the moon was rising over the ocean, casting a moon beam on the water-logged sand. Dolphins were surfing the waves on my left. I was conscious of being in a beautiful place, but there was an emptiness in my heart which I could not explain. Something was missing, but I had no idea what it was. I tried to run towards the moonbeam. I was running faster and faster, jumping, running backwards, but always the moonbeam was just out of reach – always ahead of me. I couldn’t catch up to it. I stood on the beach that evening and was confounded as to what was missing. What did I need? What did I want? What was the problem? I looked up at the stars which were starting to come out and I prayed a silent prayer. I said, ‘God if you are real I want to know you.’ I didn’t want religion – I wanted to know God if that was possible. I had no idea that I had just prayed the most important prayer of my life.
That was in November 1983. In December I went to Cape Town to a New Year’s Eve party. It was a who’s who of Cape Town people. I remember that beach party so clearly. I had the sense that there was a change coming – I thought maybe it would come with the New Year. When midnight came everyone whooped and hollered and I realised even more that I was missing something: this feeling of joy. Again I looked up at the stars and prayed a silent prayer that change would come.
The Embarrassment of Auntie Cassy I returned to Plett around the 2nd January. On 4th January 1984 I was sitting in my office at the Beacon Island Hotel, overlooking the green lawns and beautiful blue ocean when a young boy came up to my desk and tapped my arm saying, ‘Hello Aunty Sheilagh!’ I recognised him as Michael and wondered where his mom Cassy was. Inwardly I groaned as I didn’t want to be preached to. She had arrived on the island with two friends. They were staying in Knysna on holiday. Cassy later told me that God had told her to come and see me in Plett and talk to me about my soul. She had argued with God saying that I was not very receptive but she finally obeyed and came to see me.
I was very conscious of my appearance and keeping up with the Jones’s. Cassy and her friends looked like Methodist missionaries! I was not very proud of my visitors. I figured I’d give them refreshments and set them on their way as quickly as possible. We sat at a table on the lawn with this incredibly beautiful view. My very important, wealthy friends and clients were coming and going among the tables. Cassy narrowed her eyes and gave her disarming smile and asked, ‘Sheilagh, how is your relationship with God?’ I was expecting something like this. I quickly replied, ‘Oh Cass, I’m a good person, I give to the poor and don’t harm people.’
I didn’t want this line of questioning – I wanted this over! She said that it wasn’t about do’s and don’ts – it was about a relationship with Jesus – did I have a relationship with Jesus? Well of course I didn’t, but this wasn’t the time or place to discuss this! Then her friend also started to talk to me about Jesus. Something held me in my place while they started talking about Jesus. They told me that I should ask Him into my heart. Finally I said I would do it at home later that night, but they said, ‘Today is the day of salvation.’
Pierced to the Heart The words pierced my heart. They asked me to pray after them, and I did. I invited Jesus into my heart and life. Suddenly I felt Jesus standing behind me. It felt as though a can opener went around my head and the lid was lifted off backwards. I felt myself fill up with a glorious something – it started at my feet and went right through my body until it passed through my heart region. I felt my spirit and my smile connect for the first time in my life. Then the lid was put back and I knew I had everything I had wished for. I was full. I had found what I was looking for. I walked back into my office and my staff asked me what had happened to me as I was shining. I dismissed it as sunshine.
Following the voice! That evening I left work early. Usually I was at the hotel until all hours of the night. I loved my job and it never felt like work to me. This night I was home before 6pm. I knew something had happened to me but didn’t know what it was. I sat on my bed and prayed out loud. I said, ‘God what must I do?’ I heard an audible voice coming from the righthand side saying, ‘Sheilagh go and get your Bible.’ My Bible? I didn’t have a Bible! I remembered someone had left a small New Testament among my books from years before and I had boxes of books downstairs unopened. I ran to open the boxes – there was no Bible. I ran back upstairs and sat down. I prayed again, ‘I don’t have a Bible, what must I do?’ I heard the audible voice again saying, ‘Go and buy your Bible.’ I looked at my watch. It was 6.10pm. Where was I to buy a Bible in Plett, at 6.10pm (this was January 1984 remember)? I felt that I must get in my car. This voice was guiding me, telling me to turn right, turn left, stop etc. Finally I came to a shop that I thought was an Estate Agency – until I saw letters in the window saying , ‘Jesus loves you.’ I argued with this voice saying that they would not be open this time of night. Then I saw movement in the shop, so I parked and walked in.
A Vow Broken At the age of 15 I had made an internal vow to never cry again. Ever. I was now 24 and had been faithful to that vow. However, when I walked into the store I felt tears welling up in me, and instantly felt ashamed of the tears and wanted to run out the shop. Why was I crying? I walked in saying, ‘I have come for….’ The shop assistant interrupted, saying, ‘…your Bible!’ She handed me a Bible. I was speechless. How did she know? She told me that her shop was never open past 4pm every day, but this day God had spoken to her and told her that He was sending someone in the shop to buy a Bible and told her which to give me. I was so thrilled I wrote her a huge cheque!
Off I went with my Bible in my sports car. Before this experience, I used to go to the top of Roberg mountain to meditate. Now I went there with my Bible. I didn’t know how to read it or where to start, so I asked the voice. I said, ‘Where must I start reading?’ I heard Him say, ‘Start in the Book of James.’ I didn’t know there was a book of James, but I looked it up and lo and behold there it was! I wondered why I should start reading from the back of the book, but made a calculation that God was a Hebrew, and Hebrews read from back to front…!
Finally, I Found what I was Looking For I was 24 years of age and I had started on a marvellous adventure with God. I would fly to Cape Town every weekend to go to church. God sent friends to me to help me, teach me, encourage me. My life changed dramatically and instantly. I had a thirst for the word of God. I was truly Born Again. All the material gain I had was nothing compared with the gain of Christ. I was transformed by the love of Christ. I was 24 years old, and had clamoured for success and wealth, and things had come easily to me. But I was never satisfied – there was always something missing. Finally I had found what it was I was looking for. I am 60 yrs of age today and I’m still serving Christ, grateful for his love and what he has done in my life.
I’m so thankful that Cassy took time that day to overcome her resistance and to reach out to me, despite the fact she knew I was not interested. I was the least likely person to hear and receive, but it was my time, and God prevailed over my stubborn pride.
Below are some of the books I read this year, with my honest opinions, and it may give you some ideas of what you might like to read in the coming year. By the way, if like me you’re a legalist who has to finish every book they begin, then I may have discovered a cure! I created an ‘Abandoned’ list for awful books. This enabled me to relegate an unfinished book without feeling I’d wasted time. So I recommend you develop your own ‘A list’ for 2024. I’ve not given you my complete 2023 reading list because, even with my A List, I still finished some books that were just not that good. I properly abandoned only three – but I’m working on it!
Christian Teaching
Holy Bible NLT – Chronological Bible (Audible) This is my second time through the NLT and, although I rarely preach from it nor use it for study, I must say that it remains one of the most enjoyable translations to simply read through. As with all English translations there are verses here and there that you feel don’t carry the weight of other translations (and therefore presumably the original), but I am happy to recommend it.
John Bunyan – All Loves Excelling A devotional symphony based on Eph 3.18-19, with these chapter titles: 1. Describing the Inexpressible. 2. Desiring the Incomparable. 3. Obtaining the Unsurpassable. Just go and buy a copy!
John Wimber and Kevin Springer – Riding the Third Wave Dennis Bennett – Nine O’Clock in the Morning It was in 1984 that I first experienced an infilling of the Holy Spirit that floored me and utterly changed my life. This experience of being ‘clothed with power’ was not, of course, competing with conversion, but it enhanced and enlivened every aspect of my Christian life from that point. The ecclesiastical context of that and subsequent experiences of the Spirit was the Newfrontiers family of churches – a movement committed to planting and building churches as far as possible along strictly New Testament lines rather than traditional historic denominational lines. It was to my loss, then, that I hadn’t read anything by Dennis Bennett, nor the experiences of individuals in Wimber’s book Riding the Third Wave, most of whom were pastors in traditional denominations. I strongly recommend Bennett’s Nine O’Clock in the Morning. It’ll give you a lift, and draw you towards the great Baptiser in the Spirit.
Randy Clark and Bill Johnson – The Essential Guide to Healing Forgive me, if you like these guys, but I must say I was expecting something barmy bonkers wacko or harmy. In fact, this was generally good, with plenty of caveats on not over-promising etc. And more often than not I was saying to myself, ‘I need to pray for more people who are struggling or suffering,’ which is not a bad thing. Probably worth noting that Clark and Johnson don’t hold to the classic ‘faith’ type teaching exemplified here.
Andrew Wilson – Spirit and Sacrament Andrew Wilson – God of All Things See here for my short review of Spirit and Sacrament. God of All Things was a pure joy. The short chapters are actually like short columns in a paper or magazine, and most contain some fresh fact or insight that makes the heart sing. Taken as a whole this would be a perfect gift for a pastor, or friend who needs a refreshing reminder of God’s goodness reflected in numerous simple materials, things, objects. Excellent.
Openness Unhindered – Rosaria Champagne Butterfield I find Rosaria Butterfield’s testimony and exhortation to hospitality absolutely refreshing. She can occasionally phrase something a little strongly and with both books I’ve read I haven’t always agreed with everything. But isn’t that the case with many books? But her work is definitely worth your time. I didn’t agree with everything here, specifically her taking up Romans 7.14f to be a description of the normal Christian life, and her description of the Adamic pre-converted you not as dead (unlike Rom 6.6) but like a tree stump that keeps sprouting after it’s been cut.
Leadership/Character
Chuck DeGroat – When Narcissism Comes to Church Kyle Johnston, who is Chairman of BiblicalCounselling Africa, first mentioned the name Chuck DeGroat to me and stressed how vital his work is to the health of Christian organisations and churches. But it’s only very recently that I got round to reading this important book. DeGroat implores counsellors and leaders to listen up and be aware. Because narcissism is so devastating to those caught in its damaging force field, and is usually at the heart of most, if not all, of the ‘falls’ of celebrity pastors around the world, it’s not surprising that this book is being recommended to church teams. Too much is at stake to not assess the character, broken histories, or historic relational problems of those who volunteer to govern the church of Jesus. Like others, DeGroat strongly warns against us being wowed by platform performances, theological education, or the sheer drive of personality, and offers hope to those who have suffered, and for narcissists who acknowledge their ‘shadow side’.
Other recommended books on leadership and character development C Peter Wagner – Humility Not a bad accompaniment to DeGroat as we seek to assess our own weaknesses and become more Christlike. A superb self-evaluation type book that could be of great help.
Rick Warren – God’s Power to Change Your Life Hope for those who need to change but feel stuck.
Sophie Hannah – How to hold a grudge A surprisingly helpful approach to protecting yourself by noting that sometimes the other person will never change, and she suggests a means of categorising the hurt or the person in such a way that enables you to move on. So ‘holding’ a grudge, as it were, is a play on words.
Liza Huie and Kyle Johnston – How to get the most out of your Counseling Simon Lancaster – Winning Minds Both helpful. Lancaster looks at the relationship between language and leadership.
Literary fiction
Charles Dickens – Oliver Twist (Audible) Surprisingly not so good. Alain de Botton – Essays on Love A cracking beginning but tapers off. Francis Spufford – Light Perpetual Love Spufford and enjoyed this. HG Wells – The Invisible Man Apart from the brilliant idea of an invisible man, the story doesn’t really go anywhere and he’s just a nasty character. How different from Wells’s excellent The Time Machine which so creatively tantalises the imagination.
Biography
Daniel Nayeri – Everything Sad is Untrue One of the very best books I read this year. Utterly fascinating, moving. Couldn’t put it down and I don’t want to tell you any of the story. I read it without knowing anything about Daniel and was thrilled and thrilled again as the story unfolded. It sounds too boring to describe it as the story of a refugee finding his way to the USA. It’s very much more than that. Go and get yourself a copy.
Luis Bunuel – My Last Breath Actually quite funny and sad. The avant-garde film director Lius Bunuel, writing in his later years, also describes the loneliness of an older person who doesn’t have family close by. ‘Sometimes an entire week goes by without a visitor, and I feel abandoned.’ and ‘I don’t want to die in a hotel room with my bags open and papers lying al over the place. On the other hand, an even more horrible death is one that’s kept at bay by the miracles of modern medicine, a death that never ends. In the name of Hippocrates, doctors have invented the most exquisite form of torture ever known to man: survival.’ Also, ‘my own sexual desire has waned and finally disappeared, even in dreams. And I’m delighted; it’s as if I’ve finally been relieved of a tyrannical burden.’
Olaudah Equiano – The Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavas Vassa Devastating. And devastating again. Equiano was an enslaved African (18th century) who accomplished his own freedom and then became an active abolitionist.
Stewart Copeland – Strange things happen Copeland was the drummer for The Police, and his father was a US intelligence agent who was a friend of Kim Philby in Beirut. I enjoyed his podcast about his father, but found this boring.
Rosaria Butterfield – The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert Butterfield’s conversion story. Well worth reading.
William Hague – William Wilberforce Detailed. Careful. Surely the standard biography of Wilberforce.
Thomas C Oden – A Change of Heart Good if you’re already a ‘fan’ of Oden, which I am. This autobiography tracks Oden’s theological development from liberal Marxist to consensual classical and evangelical theology. Good stuff, but for an intro to Oden read, How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind.
History
James Sutherland (Ed) – The Oxford Book of Literary Anecdotes Absolutely brilliant. An excellent bedside book. I’ve just bought the updated new edition. Dean Merrill – 50 Pentecostal and Charismatic Leaders you should know Ferguson/Beeke – Church History 101 Both OK, but not anything to get excited about. Especially as church history is something we should get very excited about.
How did this Christmas gem get forgotten? Philip Doddridge, the dissenting[1] pastor wrote 370 hymns. Most of them, amazingly, were written to accompany a sermon. So his sermon prep also included writing an original hymn based on the text he was preaching from! Isaac Watts was not only impressed with his songwriting skill, but his leadership too, and encouraged him to open a seminary to train other non-conformist pastors. He trained 120 new pastors.[2] This ‘Christmas Carol’ is Christmassy in that somewhat over-used sense only because of the opening line – everything else about it is pure gospel, and is a delight.
Hark, the glad sound
Hark, the glad sound! the Saviour comes, The Saviour promised long! Let every heart prepare a throne, and every voice a song.
On Him the Spirit largely poured Exerts its sacred fire; wisdom and might, and zeal and love His holy breast inspire.
He comes the prisoners to release In Satan’s bondage held; The gates of brass before Him burst, The iron fetters yield.
He comes the broken heart to bind, The bleeding soul to cure, And with the treasure of His grace Enrich the humble poor.
The silver trumpets publish loud The Jubilee of the Lord; Our debts are all remitted now, Our heritage restored.
Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace, Thy welcome shall proclaim, And heaven’s eternal arches ring With Thy beloved Name.
Maybe we can add this in to our regular Christmas sets?
[1] ie, not conforming to the Church of England, and starting or leading new congregations – these guys were often Baptists. Doddridge was Congregational. [2] See Ian Bradley, Book of Hymns, 2005, London, Continuum Books
Andrew Wilson: Spirit and Sacrament / Thomas C Oden: A Change of Heart
Two rather different books. Although I like Andrew very much, I didn’t expect to like Andrew’s book, having something of an inbuilt resistance to church traditions and, I hope, a rejection of the form of religion without the power. And I suspect the readers most influenced by Spirit and Sacrament have been non-charismatics and not the other way around. Nevertheless, the insights, the impulse towards restoring memory, and of course, acknowledging that even newly planted charismatic congregations do in fact begin to build a ‘liturgy’ – a regular form of worship in our church services – were interesting (no, not in that dismissive, ‘How interesting…’ way). I reckon this crisp, highly readable, sometimes funny, short book may be the perfect gift for your non-charismatic friend. His chapter arguing for the continuance of the biblical gifts of the Spirit is superb.
Thomas Oden is now something of a legend. My first encounter with him was in his astonishing book ‘How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind: Rediscovering the African Seedbed of Western Christianity’. It is a true stunner. I couldn’t put it down and have recommended it continuously since. Many of the earliest patristic theologians and church teachers were African, and their intellectual rigour shaped European Christianity. Intellectual and theological rigour, with permanent global influence on the Christian church, moved from Africa to Europe. In the earliest centuries it wasn’t just from the Middle East to the South, or Europe to the South, but from Africa into the North. We’ve forgotten this, or not been told it clearly. We still have the idea that Christianity arrived in Africa in the 19th Century. Read the book.
This volume – A Change of Heart – is Oden’s autobiography and traces his growth out of nominal, liberal, political thinking, as a professional theologian, to his thorough conversion largely through rediscovering the early church fathers – many of whom were African. He discovered that, rather than evangelicalism being an aberration, that in fact the theologically aware evangelicals were actually harmonising with the consensual classical Christianity of the first few centuries. How had the church somehow lost this memory? His story culminates in his acceptance by the evangelical community and his attempts to unite widely differing church traditions and denominations through a rediscovery of patristic orthodoxy. Again, fascinating stuff, and I am longing to somehow get hold of the Ancient Christian Commentary on the Bible (some 30 volumes – I’ve been longing for several years now), and have ordered several more theological and historical books by Oden. Please start with ‘How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind’. It is utterly gripping.
This biography will serve you if you’re keen to see how the seminaries buttressed an anti-biblical mindset through the 60s and 70s, and how God can break through to the mind and heart of one of its champions. This review is too long already, but I must add some quotes. The point of both books is: the church needs her memory whether charismatic or scripturally orthodox, and preferably both.
Wisdom from Thomas Oden (US spelling retained)
As a professional theologian in the 1960s
‘I was finding that the confessional glue that had held the modem ecumenical movement together was becoming leftist politics just at the time I was in the slow process of recognizing their disastrous consequences. All of this poured out of my heart in an instant during that protest march when I finally grasped that I was in the wrong place.’
‘I was finally coming to understand that my generation of ecumenists had deeply disrupted the fragile unity of the body of Christ in an attempt to heal it. I felt to some extent personally responsible. I had been party to tearing down church institutions that could not easily be replaced and moral traditions that would take decades to rebuild. ‘
‘My generation of idealists had been uncritically convinced we could build something better, more faithful, more humane than all that we had received from all of the previous generations. I could see that what was emerging was nothing like what we had anticipated.’
The return to genuine Christianity
‘I had been enamored with novelty. Candidly, I had been in love with heresy. Now I was waking up from this enthrallment to meet a two thousand year stable memory.’
‘THE DREAM OF UNORIGINALITY The tombstone said “He made no new contribution to theology.” In the season of Epiphany 1971 I had a curious dream in which I was in the New Haven cemetery and accidentally stumbled upon my own tombstone with this puzzling epitaph: “He made no new contribution to theology?.” I woke up refreshed and relieved.’
‘I had worked hard to get an education, but now I had to work even harder to overcome the education I got.’
‘I was going through a cycle of learning, unlearning and relearning. That is best seen in my joyful reception, then in my sophisticated rejection, then later in my embracing the hymns of my childhood. When I first sang them, I knew naively that God had come in the flesh. Then I learned that God had not really come in the flesh but rather in some symbolic sense acceptable to modern assumptions. At last I learned to recover the uncomplicated truth that God precisely becomes human in the flesh, dies for me, rises again and saves me from my sins. All these are viewed by consensual Christianity as historical events.’
‘After rediscovering the ancient Christian writers, my mind has steadily focused on making no new contribution to theology, but to adhere closely to the unchangeable, irreversible and unalterable apostolic tradition.’
‘Evangelicals have continued to flourish, living out of a history of revivalism that has often been thought to be philosophically immature or historically naive. But now evangelical, charismatic, Baptist and Pentecostal traditions are rediscovering the actual twenty centuries of the history of the Holy Spirit. Among the children of the Great Evangelical Awakening, a reawakening in orthodoxy teaching is emerging, in part grounded on consensual exegesis.’
Finally, some comments on the African contribution to global Christianity
‘The further I pursued the Africa thesis, the more I confirmed that out of early Africa came Christianity’s most brilliant early intellects (Tertullian, Cyprian, Clement and Origen) and texts (philosophical, religious and moral) that would put a permanent stamp on Western European culture, and would come to dominate much of Western thought. This African priority was recognized and acknowledged in the fourth century by Cappadocians (Basil, Gregory of Nazianzus), Syrians (Ephrem), Greek writers (Evagrius Ponticus), and Romans (Rufinus), but the African roots of these consensual teachings were later disregarded, not remembered by Europeans.’
The last word: Read Thomas Oden!
[All Oden quotes from Thomas C Oden (2014), A Change of Heart. Downers Grove, IL, IVP]
‘Optics’ What a strange word to have entered the evangelical lexicon! How things look. How things appear. Optics. Stage lighting is fine, but the word is mainly used for presenting the best version of things. I just wonder if we’re too concerned about communicating what’s going well, and perhaps not communicating enough our desperate need for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Not that we should rubbish what’s currently happening, or become cynical. Not at all. There truly are wonderful things happening in local churches, away from the headline-grabbing failures of church leaders. But we should not to give up on the idea of revival – a sudden and glorious manifestation of God’s presence, with conviction and power – NOT because it’s a pipe-dream, but because it has been a historical reality. Again and again. God does this. It’s just a fact.
Wales, 1857 In a West Glamorgan gathering of Baptists, in 1857, ‘Phillips of Loughor preached on “The Danger of Religious Lukewarmness”. These statements reflect a condition of uncertainty and frustration in the churches. On the one hand, the preaching of the Word was not without its effect, but on the other hand, the churches were prone to be too readily satisfied with a limited success. They failed to realise the inadequacy of ordinary means to meet effectively the grave situation which faced them.'[1]
Preach and Pray Unashamedly for the Need for the Holy Spirit This was a time when Charles Hodge was happy to preach on ‘Not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit saith the Lord.’ (Zech 4.6) and respectable Christian leaders published on ‘The Promise of the Holy Spirit’. [2] By the middle of 1858 it was becoming evident that more folk were attending church, getting converted, and becoming members. And still, no resistance to an actual outpouring of the Spirit. No hint of ‘We’ve already got the Bible, we don’t need these experiences of the Holy Spirit.’ Rather, there was an increasing call among the Welsh churches for ‘the necessity for the work of the Spirit to secure a religious awakening.’ [3]
‘The Descent of the Holy Spirit’ And in May 1858 at the Assembly of the Baptists we read: ‘Proposed by Dr. Davies, and seconded by the Rev Owen Williams – “that the first Sunday in August should be spent by the churches in prayer for a more extensive outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon them.”‘[4] A similar resolution was made by the Congregationalists and William Griffiths of Llanharan wrote, ‘When the stated Sabbath arrived, we were blessed with remarkable earnestness at the throne of grace for the descent of the Holy Spirit to revive the Church and convert the world. Ever since that memorable Sabbath, the prayer meetings presented a new aspect – they gradually increased in warmth and number during the following months. This continued to February [1859] … when it pleased Jehovah to pour down His Spirit from on high, as on the day of Pentecost.'[5]
Honest Desperation! Again, there’s absolutely no hint of defensiveness, of ‘we’ve already got the Holy Spirit, and we’ve already got the Word, so all is well.’ There’s nothing of that with these evangelical leaders who know they need an intervention of God, and had heard that He was doing remarkable things in America at that time. ‘Where is the Lord God of Elijah?’ is still a valid and acceptable prayer. The age of wonders is not past, and God can break in even today.
We need the Holy Spirit today. The churches need Him. Individual Christians need Him. The world needs Him, both to be convinced of the truth of Christ, and to have Christ’s work powerfully applied to their lives. Our kids need Him. They need a first-hand encounter with the true and living God. So do we. Surely we can pray unashamedly for a fresh outpouring of His power and mercy!
For the beginning of this series on the 1859 Welsh revival click here
[1] Eifon Evans, Revival Comes to Wales, p.28 (1959, 1967 Evangelical Press of Wales) [2] ibid p30, 32 [3] ibid p35 [4] ibid p36 [5] ibid p37
Surprising Additions to the Churches A characteristic of the revivals in Wales, Ireland, and England in the 19th Century was church growth. The term ‘revival’ wasn’t often used merely to describe meetings where Christians were refreshed and revived, but included definite additions to church membership, and often in the thousands across many churches.
The Rev T Edwards, one of Penllwyn’s pastors, writing in the first few days of the sudden outpouring of the Spirit in Wales in 1859, says, ‘The additions to the churches in a very short period have been incredibly numerous. Now, at the end of February (1859) we could name more than twenty churches, each of which has received an addition of one hundred members, and several have received more than two hundred each. In many neighbourhoods, very few persons remain who have not made a profession of religion.’
Three thousand added ‘There are considerable additions to the parish churches, (where the ministers have church meetings or societies), and to the Independents, Baptists, and Wesleyans. About three thousand have been added to the Calvinistic Methodists alone. The fire is spreading still.’ [1]
Fears that ‘revivals’ are superficial The fear is understandable, that when people seem caught up in something highly emotional, especially religious emotion, it may be superficial. Where’s the long term fruit? Almost every responsible reporter of local revivals, especially pastors, are the first to ask those questions. See the posts on Jonathan Edwards a century earlier. He had to defend the outpouring of the Spirit in his day. The pastors in Wales during the 1859 revival were no different, but felt compelled to move from nervousness to full-blown support of revival by so many proofs of God’s power at work not only among believers, but remarkably among non-believers too – bringing them to Christ. Welsh Pastor T Edwards again:
‘God is at work!’ ‘Most of us, however, have lost these fears, and we cannot avoid coming to the conclusion that God is at work, saving the souls of men. We see that something awfully strong takes hold of the minds of the people. Some, after they are deeply wounded under the ministry, attempt to go away. We have seen numbers with weeping eyes leaving the house of God, but unable to go further than the door they feel compelled to return again, and offer themselves as candidates for admission into the Church. In some cases entire families have done this.’
‘The worst characters…appear to have been ‘shot’ by the truth.’ ‘You might see, at the close of the public service, twenty or thirty of the worst characters remaining behind, to be spoken to and prayed for. They appear as if they had been shot by the truth. They are as easily managed as lambs. Some who had persecuted the revival have been led to cry, “What must we do to be saved?”‘ [2]
Oh for similar moves of God in our day!
More next time… For the beginning of this series on the 1859 Welsh revival click here
[1] Quoted by Thomas Phillips, The Welsh Revival, p.21 (1989, reprint from 1860, Banner of Truth) [2] ibid. p.20
One of the delights of reading about revivals of the past is the fact that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Heb 13.8) And that we cry, ‘Oh that You would rend the heavens, and come down!’ (Isa 64.1) One of the key questions we’re left with is, ‘Can we make this happen? Can we get ready, or prepare?’
The pre-revival condition of the Welsh Bible-believing churches Eifion Evans writes that by 1858 ‘the churches had declined to an alarming state of deadness and barrenness. The means of grace had become more or less a formality, made unattractive to the world by the coldness even of its orthodoxy; sinful practices were rampant and carried on openly without any sense of shame; the Church was spiritually “asleep”, oblivious of its mission to the world, and satisfied with its lukewarmness.’
‘Popular’ preaching, lack of willingness to do the work ‘The prayer meetings were not burdened for the souls of the unconverted, and preaching was theoretical, oratorical and “popular” in the worst sense. Thus, E. Richardson writes in the Drysorfa for June, 1854: “We must confess that we have become too formal, lukewarm and unwilling in the work of the Lord generally in these days, but especially so in our prayer meetings”… …By and large the churches were orthodox in their beliefs. but ineffective in their witness.’ [1]
Evans also refers to the fact that many of the churches were faithful doctrinally, just lukewarm: ‘There was much compromise with the world: there were petty grievances and jealousies within the churches; and the blight of traditionalism crippled much of the Church’s young life and zeal [and] men would speak of “the good old days” of bygone revivals…’ [2]
Too satisfied with limited success ‘On the one hand,’ Evans continues, ‘the preaching of the Word was not without its effect, but on the other hand, the churches were prone to be too readily satisfied with a limited success. They failed to realise the inadequacy of ordinary means to meet effectively the grave situation which faced them.’ [3]
But can we do anything? David Morgan of Ysbyty Ystwyth (true story, a lovely village in Ceredigion), writing in his diary in 1855 declared, ‘It is a big thing to have a feeling that God would revive His work. Whoever possesses such a feeling will be compelled to do all he can to revive the Lord’s work. By reading the history of the Church we find that the great cause fluctuates up and down through the ages, but that, whenever the Lord drew near to save there was some considerable expectancy amongst the godly for His coming. As well as praying, we should be doing our utmost to revive the work. So did the godly of old: they prayed and they worked.’ [4]
And the power and the presence of the Lord broke through! Thomas Phillips, in a classic example of wonder and excitement, describes what it’s like to be in genuine revival: ‘The character of this revival is deeply interesting, and its results have already been most marvellous. It may well be doubted whether anything has taken place in Ireland, or in America, or in any part of the world, since the Day of Pentecost, more truly wonderful than the revival at Festiniog…’ [5]
That sounds absurd. Ah, but reader read on! Indeed, we are used to hearing claims of ‘revival’ from time to time, and often they are seasons of refreshing upon believers. But, unless it comes from a shameless charlatan, if we should ever hear a pastor or reporter seriously claim that nothing like what they are seeing has been seen since the Day of Pentecost, it is quite possible a real breakthrough is happening. Even Jonathan Edwards had to defend himself against claims of exaggeration and wild enthusiasm. More of that later, and more of the Welsh breakthrough coming up… Let’s pray (oh…and work)!
For the beginning of this series on the 1859 Welsh revival click here
[1] Eifon Evans, Revival Comes to Wales, p.23 (1959, 1967 Evangelical Press of Wales) [2] ibid. p.26 [3] ibid. p.28 [4] ibid. p.25 [5] Thomas Phillips, The Welsh Revival, p.x (1989, reprint from 1860, Banner of Truth)
Wales, land of revival By 1859, Welsh pastors and churches were not strangers to sudden and overwhelming outpourings of the Holy Spirit. The nation had been powerfully impacted by the ministry of Howell Harris and Daniel Rowland a century before. Harris’s passion and service was legendary, and the sheer number of conversions was staggering.
But there were numerous smaller revivals before 1859. It may be helpful to note that by using the word ‘revival’ I’m referring to an outpouring of the Holy Spirit which impacts both the church – existing born again Christians – but reaches beyond the churches’ meetings, drawing non-believers to Christ, and usually accompanied by a life-changing awareness of the presence of God. Those who are not followers of Christ are powerfully convinced of their sin, and their need to repent and come to Christ. A sense of God’s power is felt. An unusually high number of genuine conversions take place, and that unusually high number of people are added to the churches. It’s not always about thousands, but often is. And very often moderate and mature ministers and pastors will say that nothing compares to what they are experiencing except Acts chapter 2. That’s a feature of genuine revival: the comparison to Acts 2. But more of that later.
Snapshots of two revivals before 1859 – Bala, 1791/2 ‘At Bala, Thomas Charles could also speak of a revival, and in a letter dated January 26th, 1792, he writes of the work, that it was, ‘very gracious…very powerful…growing…general… lasting.’ It had commenced in October 1791, when Thomas Charles was preaching at the chapel in Bala on a Sunday. The Spirit’s powerful workings were felt particularly in the evening service: ‘about nine or ten o’clock at night’, he says, ‘there was nothing to be heard from one end of the town to the other, but the cries and groans of people in distress of soul.'[1]
– Beddgelert, 1817 ‘After years of spiritual dearth and moral darkness, the faithful of Zion were witnessing the desire of two or three to join with them in fellowship. This stirred them to seek God with renewed zeal, but the outcome of their prayers far surpassed their imaginations or desires. The next notable incident occurred in the Sunday School at Beddgelert. The young women of one of the Sunday School classes were moved to tears while reading a portion of St. John’s Gospel. Further demonstrations of the Spirit’s power were evident in the means of grace during the succeeding weeks, until the most powerful influences were felt, and the work spread abroad rapidly. The revival was experienced throughout North Wales, and certain parts of the South were also blessed. Some thousands were added to the church.'[2]
Angelic singing? ‘An unusual phenomenon in this revival was the “singing in the air” which many reliable witnesses had heard. The sound of heavenly, angelic voices, sweetly and softly joined in harmony, without any apparent melody, was overpowering. The effect on the hearer was to render him incapable of movement as though nailed to the spot.’ [3]
Additions to the churches ‘During the years 1817-22 many parts of Wales were awakened, the work being by no means confined to the Calvinistic Methodists. The Baptists received more than 8,000 into membership between 1816 and 1822, and many Congregational churches in the counties of South Wales were blessed with revival.’ [4]
We have perhaps got better at strategy, at organising and managing churches, at planting churches, and helping them grow and train leaders. All good. But at the same time I wonder if we have allowed ourselves to consider prayer for revival, or even reading histories of revivals, as a kind of nostalgic hope; a kind of unreality. But the Bible says, that our God is the God who is, and was, and is to come. ‘I am the same, yesterday, today, and forever,’ says the Lord. Maybe by reading and praying, and seeking His face, God would be gracious to us, and do what we cannot do.
More to follow… For the beginning of this series on the 1859 Welsh revival click here
[1] Eifon Evans, Revival Comes to Wales, p.12 (1959, 1967 Evangelical Press of Wales) [2] ibid p.15 [3] ibid p.15 [4] ibid p.16
‘Thank God, the days in which we now live are days of blessedness and glory! The Kingdom of Christ is now everywhere making unexampled progress. Sinners are being brought to repentance, not in small numbers – ‘one of a city, and two of a family (or tribe)’ – but in multitudes!’ Thomas Phillips [1]
Beginning with this post I am going to tell the story of the 1859 revival in Wales. I’ll confine myself mainly to two sources (although feel free to send me more in the comments section): Thomas Phillips’ The Welsh Revival: its origin and development (Banner of Truth), and Eifion Evans’ excellent Revival Comes to Wales (Evangelical Press of Wales).
We’ve been stirred once again by news of ‘outpourings‘ upon believers, and of a deeper commitment to Christ among them. May that news from around the globe, and even these posts about God’s amazing work in Wales in the 19th Century, stir you to prayer for an outpouring of the Spirit that propels the church into the world, and draws unbelievers to Christ and to His purposes.
Eifion Evans: ‘To the vast majority of Welsh churches in 1859, revival was neither a new nor a strange phenomenon. Many of their members had witnessed previous manifestations of God’s presence and power, even if they had not experienced them themselves. Consequently, when news reached Wales that a remarkable revival had broken out in America, most of the leaders in the churches were fully aware of the implications and effects of such a gracious, divine visitation. They were constrained to survey their own spiritual condition, and became gravely concerned at finding a serious deficiency in true godliness amongst the members, and an alarming ineffectiveness in the witness of the churches. As they applied themselves to prayer, they requested that God should do in their land what He had been pleased to do so many times before within living memory, and what He was doing at that time in America.’ [2]
In the posts that will follow, we’ll be astonished at the sheer power of the Spirit of God as He works among communities, and in the transformation of individual lives of non-Christians, bringing them to genuine repentance and faith in Christ. We’ll see that churches, which had begun to accept the decline of Christianity in their towns, were revolutionised by an influx of newly converted men and women. Oh, let’s pray for such an outpouring again. For the early and latter rain of God’s Spirit upon us and in our cities.
Click here to read about some powerful Holy Spirit revivals in Wales
[1] Phillips, The Welsh Revival, p.viii (1989, reprint from 1860, Banner of Truth) [2] Evans, Revival Comes to Wales, p.9 (1959, 1967 Evangelical Press of Wales)
In the early 1960s a conservative Episcopalian journalist, John Sherrill, was commissioned to write an investigative book on Pentecostalism. He began consulting with academics and church historians to see if this was a worthwhile pursuit. He was surprised to discover that they spoke of Pentecostalism not in terms of small churches, or a single denomination, but of an apparently unstoppable global movement growing by millions every year. The academics claimed that, in terms of its breadth of influence, and size, that this was the most significant religious shift since the Reformation.
So Sherrill got to work, and part of his investigation was examining its distinctive features. He soon found that the experience of the baptism, or infilling, of the Spirit followed by the gift of tongues was a key distinctive.
The definition of ‘tongues’: Tongues is a prayer language not learned but which is spoken out by the believer usually after being filled with the Holy Spirit, and which then becomes a regular part of their spiritual life.
Testing the claims He interviewed people of all denominations who had experienced being filled with the Spirit and who spoke in tongues. They claimed to have received these various languages as a gift. They weren’t making up the sounds. Could he test whether that claim was true?
‘I’d decided to get some tape recordings of people speaking in tongues, with the idea of playing them back for some language experts and seeing what they made of it all.’
He invited people to come and make the recordings at his publisher’s offices in New York. He tried unsuccessfully to sound-proof the room, with hilarious results as his fellow-workers eagerly listened to whatever it was that was happening inside.
Speaking in tongues – What does the Bible say? At the same time he needed to find out whether this was a legitimate part of Christian worship. Here’s some of his results:
He discovered the New Testament contains some 30 references to tongues, and that they were used in different ways:
to exalt the greatness of God, not only as a one-time event but as a regular spiritual exercise to build up the believer in prayer; – that they helped the believer pray when he wasn’t sure what to pray for, or in worship; – that they were spoken out in public meetings, followed by an interpretation by someone else, and that this combination invigorated the church gatherings.
In terms of Paul’s response to tongues he found: ‘there was no sense of surprise about tongues…He accepts them without discussion as a genuine part of the Christian experience.’ that Paul considered the Holy Spirit to be the source of tongues, and that their use is appointed by God that they are given for ‘useful purpose..the strengthening of the one who uses them.’ that he is not teaching about them theoretically, ‘but from personal experience. He himself uses tongues extensively.’ ‘I thank God I speak in tongues more than you all…’ 14.18 that he not only prays in tongues but sings in tongues too 1 Cor 14.15 that he does not expect the tongue to be understood by the hearers that not everyone in the church speaks in tongues that he encourages them, ‘Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues.’ 14.5 and that one of the cautions them, ‘do not forbid speaking in tongues’. 14.39
But, he asked, why is there a gift of tongues? He asked one of those tongues speakers: ‘What’s the use of speaking in tongues?’ She replied, ‘The only way I can answer that is to say… ‘What is the use of a sunset? Just sheer, unmitigated uplift, just joy unspeakable and with it health and peace and rest and release from burdens and tensions.’
In the end, rather than focus on Pentecostalism as such, Sherrill called his book, ‘They Speak with Other Tongues’. He recounts instances where someone praying in tongues in church is discovered to be praying in a known language with highly specific knowledge of a visitor. These are amazing accounts, but relatively rare. Tongues usually are unknown languages.
Language experts examine the taped recordings of people speaking in tongues After making recordings he gathered six language experts to examine a selection of the tapes: Two specialists in modern languages, three in ancient languages, and an expert in language structure. They convened at Columbia University:
‘I was interested in their reactions to our experiment. They were extremely attentive, dubious without being hostile. As I put on the first tape each one leaned forward, straining to catch every syllable. Several took notes…For the better part of an hour we listened to one prayer after another, spoken ‘in the Spirit’.’
‘There were some interesting observations… One of the linguists reported that although he did not identify words he felt that one tape had been structured in much the same way as a modern poem is structured. ‘Modern poetry depends upon sound as much as upon verbal meaning to get across its message,’ he said. ‘In this one prayer, I felt that although I didn’t understand the literal sense of her words, I did catch the emotional content of what she was saying. It was a hymn of love. Beautiful.’… ‘Although no language known to these men was recorded, they frequently identified language patterns on the tapes. The shape of real language, the variety of sound combinations, infrequency of repetition and so forth, is virtually impossible, they said, to reproduce by deliberate effort…
Fake tongues exposed! ‘I had slipped onto the tapes two instances of pure made-up gibberish, one by our son, Scott, and one by Tib [his wife]. They had tried to sound as much as possible like the tongues on the rest of the tapes, but the linguists spotted the deception immediately.
“That’s not language,’ one man said. ‘That’s just noise.”‘
The academics were impressed. And Sherrill was impressed that these unknown tongues had definite structural similarities to known languages. He continues,
‘I had always read the opening words of St Paul’s great thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians, ‘Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,’ in a poetic sense…But there is no doubt in my mind now that Paul was speaking of tongues in the specific Pentecostal sense, and of angel tongues as one variety of these.’
Read the book for the rest of John Sherrill’s story! It’s an intriguing read!
Other books by John Sherrill include: The Cross and the Switchblade (about David Wilkerson) – John and Elizabeth Sherrill God’s Smuggler (about Brother Andrew) – John and Elizabeth Sherrill The Hiding Place (about Corrie Ten Boom) – John and Elizabeth Sherrill The Happiest People on Earth (about the ‘Full Gospel’s business fellowship) – John and Elizabeth Sherrill My Friend the Bible – – John Sherrill
As you can probably guess, this isn’t my normal type of read. But I was intrigued that Alan Paton, anti-apartheid agitator, and author of Cry, the Beloved Country, had written a devotional.
Published in the UK at the height of the apartheid years in the old South Africa, there is a kind of serenity in the midst of ever-tightening injustice, which comes through in his meditations.
The book is based on a famous soul-guiding prayer of Francis of Assisi. The prayer is better than the book, and is worth praying through, clause by clause.
The Prayer ‘Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is sadness, joy; where there is darkness, light. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; not so much to be understood, as to understand; not so much to be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in dying the we are born again to eternal life.’
Whatever your Christian background or tradition, and whatever else we may think of Francis and the traditions surrounding him, this is good prayer to pray; a good prayer to re-focus us on our character, and on our desire to serve those around us.
One of the many remarkable things about CH Spurgeon was his quick wit. His lectures and sermons to preachers and leaders are full of ‘street smart’ wisdom. And his much loved alter-ego John Ploughman was created largely as a result of his early years spent learning from rural working people rather than in the cloister of a formal education (although as a self-taught man he made every effort to be very well-read). I hope you’ll enjoy some of these sanctified zingers!
Don’t criticise the Preacher! ‘If some men were sentenced to hear their own sermons, it would be a righteous judgement upon them; but they would soon cry out with Cain, “My punishment is greater than I can bear!”’1
‘I heard one say, the other day, that a certain preacher had no more gifts for the ministry than an oyster, and in my own judgement this was a slander on the oyster, for that worthy bivalve shows great discretion in his openings, and he also knows when to close.’2
‘Rest assured that there is nothing new in theology except that which is false.’3
Don’t criticise the Church! ‘Our daydreams are over: we shall neither convert the world to righteousness, not the church to orthodoxy. We refuse to bear responsibilities which do not belong to us, for our real responsibilities are more than enough. Certain wise brethren are out to reform their denomination. They ride out gallantly. Success be to the champions! They are generally wiser when they ride home again.’4
‘When we see the wonderful activity of the servants of Satan, and how much they accomplish, we may well be ashamed of ourselves that we do so little for our Redeemer, and that the little is often done so badly that it takes as long to set it right as we spent in the doing of it.’5
‘A religion that cannot stand a little laughter must be a very rotten one.’6
Don’t intrude on my Self-fulfilment! ‘A brain is a very hungry thing indeed, and he who possesses it must constantly feed it by reading, and thinking, or it will shrivel up or fall asleep.’7
‘I would not wish for any man a long time of sickness and pain; but a twist now and then one might almost ask for him…Trials drive us to the realities of religion.’8
‘Idle men tempt the devil to tempt them.’9
‘There’s Mrs Scamp as fine as a peacock, all the girls out at boarding-school, learning French and the piano, the boys swelling about in gloves, and GB Scamp Esq., driving a fast-trotting mare, and taking the chair at public meetings, while his poor creditors cannot get more than enough to live from hand to mouth. It is shameful beyond endurance to see how genteel swindling is winked at by many. If I had my way, I’d give them the county crop, and the prison garb for six months; gentlemen or not, I let them see that big rogues could dance on the treadmill to the same tune as little ones. I’d make the land too hot to hold such scamping gentry if I were a member of Parliament, or a prime minister.’10
‘The dog in the kennel barks at fleas; the hunting dog does not even know they are there.’11
‘Self-praise is no recommendation. A man’s praise smells sweet when it comes out of other men’s mouths…Good men know themselves too well to chant their own praises…Good cheese sells itself without puffery. when men are really excellent, people find it out.’12
In praise of good thinking and good theology It cannot do any hurt to the most lively evangelist to be also a sound theologian, and it may often be the means of saving him from gross blunders.’13
‘I am sure that no preaching will last so long, or build up a church so well, as the expository.’14
‘Christian labours, disconnected from the church, are like sowing and reaping without having any barn in which to store the fruits of the harvest; they are useful, but incomplete.’15
‘To know Christ, is to understand the most excellent of all sciences.’16
‘There is power in a happy ministry.’17
‘Rash vows are much better broken than kept.’18
‘It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.’19
‘I would advise no one to attempt a thing which will cost more than it is worth.’20
‘Hard work is the grand secret of success.’21
‘He who respects his wife will find that she respects him. With what measure he metes it shall be measured to him again, good measure, pressed down, and running over. He who consults his wife will have a good counsellor.’22
One of the few photos of Spurgeon looking genuinely relaxed and happy. Here he is with his team.
Here – for the time being – endeth my underlined quotes from various CH Spurgeon books. I don’t think there’s been one of his books I haven’t gleaned some excellent insight from. And I would encourage you, if you have not yet discovered his rich expression of devotion and evangelistic passion, then go on the hunt until you have something by him. In the mean time, if you’re in a situation where buying his books is not possible, feel free to scroll down or search for Spurgeon on this site, as well as numerous others, and enjoy the feast.
For the first post in this extended series on Spurgeon click here
1 CHS, sermon, Forward 2 CHS, sermon, Forward 3 CHS, sermon, Faith 4 CHS, sermon, What we would be 5 CHS, sermon, Light. Fire. Faith. Life. Love 6 CHS, sermon, John Mark; or Haste in Religion 7 CHS, sermon, Light. Fire. Faith. Life. Love 8 CHS, sermon, The Minister in these Times 9 CHS, John Ploughman’s Talk 10 CHS, John Ploughman’s Talk 11 CHS, John Ploughman’s Talk 12 CHS, John Ploughman’s Talk 13 CHS, sermon, Forward 14 CHS, sermon, Forward 15 CHS, sermon, How to Meet the Evils of the Age 16 CHS, sermon, Forward 17 CHS, sermon, Light. Fire. Faith. Life. Love 18 CHS, John Ploughman’s Talk 19 CHS, John Ploughman’s Talk 20 CHS, John Ploughman’s Talk 21 CHS, John Ploughman’s Talk 22 CHS, John Ploughman’s Talk
What I read in 2021 All the way back in 2020 I thought it would be fun to make a record of what I was reading. I’d never done it before and was surprised by how much I read (although 2020 was lockdown year). When I came to putting the list here I merely added ‘Excellent’ by way of recommendation. Although I read less in 2021 (it was an even more crazy year), I thought this time I’d add a comment about some of the books. This could spark some interest in an author or topic that may be new to you. My hope is that perhaps one or two of these books will open up a new area of delight and discovery for you. I’ve tried to organise the books in each category chronologically, rather than in terms of recommendation.
Old Books (or books about old books) New King James Version (Re-read) – I generally move from translation to translation reading the whole Bible through. This is the second time I’ve read the NKJV and enjoyed it very much. What could be better than to be grounded in the Book of Books?
Plato – Gorgias (c.380 BC) in which Socrates debates with a couple of friends, and reaches as close to the gospel (from a moral point of view) as you could possibly get without actually knowing it. Two quotes: ‘I make it my aim to present my soul to its judge in the soundest possible state.’ ‘All the other theories put forward in our long conversation have been refuted and this conclusion alone stands firm, that one should avoid doing wrong with more care than being wronged, and that the supreme object of a man’s efforts, in public and in private life, must be the reality, rather than the appearance, of goodness.’ Ovid – Amores (16 BC) translated by Guy Lee. This should probably be in the Poetry section. And it was thoroughly enjoyable, and quite often funny. Over the years I’ve found myself wading dutifully through whole volumes of modern poetry only finding refreshment in one or two poems: Ovid was much more fun. Procopius – The Anecdota, or Secret History (AD 550) Was this a behind-the-scenes exposé? a craftily written guarantee of allegiance to the next emperor? or a pack of lies written by a bitter servant? We don’t know, but fascinating 6th C memoir nonetheless. Abelard and Heloise – Forbidden Fruit (Letters) (c.AD 1120) A tragic story of love, scandal, castration, and monasteries. Yes. You read that correctly.
History Simon Sebag Montefiore – Titans of History comprising of brief biographical sketches of hundreds of key historical figures. Therefore, some of it engaging. But great if you just wanted to fill in the gaps.
Tom Holland – Dominion Not a church history, but a fascinating look at the parallel history of (mainly) the West and how the story of the church changed and then influenced so much of what we now assume is normal, decent, humane morality. Well worth reading although, if you’re a believer and haven’t read a decent overview of church history I’d begin elsewhere, and then come back to Dominion. A few years ago Sociologist Alvin Schmidt offered a direct ‘Christian’ exposition of the same type of material in his How Has Christianity Changed the World (Zondervan). Also worth reading. Bruce Shelley – Church History On Audible, this is just under 22 hours of our story including those non-Protestant bits that are not always as interesting to read. I was slightly disappointed at the US focus towards the end, redeemed somewhat by the addition of material from Philip Jenkins and the mighty growth of Christianity through the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement in the global South in the second half of the 20th C.
Cecil M Robeck – The Azusa St Mission and RevivalFascinating and very helpful. I was unaware that ‘singing in the Spirit’ in church meetings was a feature of the Azusa St meetings.
Biography/Autobiography/Memoir The World of Samuel Pepys Being fascinating selections from his Diary. He was an unrepentant scallywag of epic proportions, and someone we would not allow into church membership without a thorough renunciation of the behaviour he describes. He was a lecherous, entitled opportunist in a puritan world. Having said that, his very detailed descriptions of life in London, the great fire, and many other aspects of 17th C life make addictive reading.
John Suchet – Beethoven Not brilliantly written, but not a bad introduction to the life of arguably the greatest music maker in history. The anger, the fire, the passion, the pathos. It all springs out of Beethoven’s inner turmoil. Laura Tunbridge – Beethoven, a Life in Nine PiecesA better edited book, but start with the Suchet if you can get hold of it. Robert Greenberg – The Life and Times of Beethoven I listened to this Great Courses series on Audible and was gripped. Greenberg is a fabulous communicator. Again, the anguish of Beethoven’s life gives additional depth (is that even possible?) to his incredible music. Beethoven represents the pinnacle of musical achievement (with the Beatles coming in a distant second – I’ve just noticed wordpress won’t let me put a laughing emoji here).
Theodore Vrettos – The Elgin Affair More of a biography of Elgin than a discussion on the Marbles. And there’s more than one affair, as the cover implies. Elgin’s life is tragic too. Like many of the statues of antiquity, he lost his nose (was it syphilis or something else?) and lived in physical and emotional pain for a significant part of his life. Regarding the Greek marbles, of course, the fact that it was the occupying Turks who gave Elgin permission to remove them from the Parthenon in Athens reinforces the ethical weight of Greece’s claim for their return. I can fully believe that Elgin did in fact save many of the works from being chopped up and sold off to wealthy tourists (many of the artefacts on the Acropolis already had been lost in that way), but – especially now with the state-of-the-art Acropolis Museum completed – what serious argument remains to keep the Parthenon marbles separate from the rest of the structure from which they have been separated? HG Wells – HG Wells in LoveYou may have suspected he was a scallywag. You were right. Anthony Burgess – Flame into Being For those interested in DH Lawrence. Dylan Thomas – Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog Dylan Thomas – Adventures in the Skin TradeThomas’s prose is outstanding, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading beyond his poetry. His sense of humour is irrepressible. These two books are autobiographical. Come and enjoy the English language, said a Welshman who outdid most of his English friends.
One of my most highly prized books
Eva Schloss – Eva’s Story Like all Holocaust survivor stories this is both haunting and inspiring. What makes the copy I have so special to me is that it is signed by the author. I was unaware of that when I bought it from a local charity shop. And that simple fact hit me very powerfully as I read it: that I have a first-hand testimony of one of the world’s worst atrocities actually signed by a survivor. That’s how close it all is to our own time. Eva Mozes Kor – The Twins of Auschwitz A similarly powerful autobiography. Spike Milligan – Where Have all the Bullets Gone?I thoroughly enjoyed re-reading the earlier volumes of his autobiography, but Milligan is going deeper with each volume. I am currently reading the final one, but can’t get hold of the Mussolini. If you’re in Seffrica and you have it, drop me a line. The world needs Milligan. Abigail Santamaria – JoyA lengthy biography of Joy Davidman, the love of CS Lewis’s life (Well, apart from Mrs Moore, if you believe that line of thought). Davidman was further to the Left than Lewis, having been a committed Communist in her earlier years. And part of her need to stay in England was to avoid the McCarthy trials in the US where she may well have fallen foul of the rampant anti-Communist fervour at the time. Lewis, himself very definitely on the Left, and having rejected a CBE because it was offered to him by a Conservative government, had political as well as aesthetic sympathies with her. I’ll post an article about this some time, but Lewis’s refusal of the CBE (Commander of the British Empire) was because he did not want to give the impression that Christianity was in favour of right wing politics. And he was nervous of misrepresenting the gospel.
Jeremy Lewis – The Life and Times of Allen Lane I loved this. My copy is a big beautiful hardback and I loved every page. It’s the story of Penguin Books and the drive to put good literature into the hands of ‘the man in the street’. What Pygmalion toys with, and Howard’s End promotes, Allen Lane actually helped accomplish. What a character! And what a debt we owe this man. Anthony Burgess – Little Wilson and Big God Roger Stott, a friend of mine from pre-Christian days used to speak highly of Burgess and, having read A Clockwork Orange in 2020, I thought I’d get to know this writer a bit better. Little Wilson is the first volume of his two-volume autobiography. Larry King – My Remarkable JourneyI enjoy interviewing folk during our Sunday services and thought I’d pick up some tips from the most famous of all, but this is more of a life story.
Carol Wimber – John Wimber: The way it was For some reason I’d missed that Wimber had been a Quaker. At first he was very much a non-quaking Quaker, but, following his mighty baptism in the Spirit and the resultant controversy in his local Quaker church, he quickly became a quaking non-Quaker. Such is denominationalism. It’s not brilliantly written but gives some great insights into John and Carol’s early journey towards the Vineyard, and does reflect the breadth of Wimber’s generosity of spirit. Khaya Dlanga – To Quote Myself Superb South African story of resilience and success. Full of good humour and hope. Dom Joly – Here Comes the ClownRefreshing. Funny. Self-effacing. Better than any of the clips of Trigger Happy TV that I subsequently watched on youtube. Eben Alexander – Proof of Heaven Well, yes, but…It started out OK and gradually pulled further and further away from anything biblical, like a resolutely squiffy supermarket trolley.
Trevor Noah – Born a Crime As with Khaya Dlanga, Trevor Noah’s story is a micro-history of South Africa as well as being a tough, passionate, joyous ride towards professional success. Mortimer & Whitehouse – Gone Fishing Hilarious. I haven’t seen the print version of this but the Audible is heartwarming and full of what seem to be spontaneous moments of hilarity and silliness. Bob Mortimer is a humble wonder.
Hitchens and Amis look like total nerds, but Amis’s writing is utterly masterful.
Martin Amis – Inside Story Amis calls this a novel – perhaps the safest way to blend a brilliant novelist’s gift with memoir. Cover-to-cover enjoyable if you are interested in the literary world of the 20th C. As with his other autobiographical work, Experience, the presence of Kingsley pervades all.
Bob Mortimer – And Away Genuinely funny, sad, touching, inspiring – all in one. Back to back interesting stories. Had me laughing out loud on several occasions. The humility is refreshing.
Literature/Studies/Words etc. CS Lewis – An Experiment in Criticism Excellent, as you would expect. Harold Bloom – Hamlet: Poem Unlimited Clive James – Latest Readings Stephen King – On WritingI haven’t read anything by Stephen King except this. It was superb, and got me writing.
Christian Teaching John Piper – Filling up the Afflictions of Christ (Tyndale/Paton/Judson) John Piper – The Legacy of Sovereign Joy (Augustine/Luther/Calvin) Rebecca McLaughlin– Confronting Christianity I somehow missed that I’d read this in 2021, but it was tremendous and I tweeted about it several times. I need to do a proper book review, but let me say I think it’s the best ‘apologetics’ style book I’ve read in years (and I’ve read quite a few). Absolutely stunning. Rebecca McLaughlin – Is Christmas Unbelievable? She’s done it again! A brilliant, snappy, winsome explanation of the gospel and why we should give serious thought to its claims.
2.5 million sold, and counting!
John Sherrill – They Speak with Other Tongues (re-read) An absolute pleasure to revisit this brilliant little book. If you have questions about the New Testament gift of tongues – such a normal feature of New Testament Christianity and yet still so controversial in today’s conversation – get hold of this book. It’s the story of a sceptical journalist investigating this apparently ‘new’ feature of modern Christianity. Billy Graham – Nearing HomeReflections on old age, retirement, weakness, and the inevitable approach of death. An encouraging volume to give to those in our congregations who are older. Dane Ortlund – Gentle and Lowly Beautifully written, devotionally rich. The closest modern book to the great English Puritan writers. Definitely worth buying. David Cross – Soul Ties Although I disagree with the essential premise, the prayers of renunciation at the end of the book are very good, and may prove very helpful to someone who feels stuck in the past.
Brandon J O’Brien/E Randolph Richards – Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes Written by modern American missionaries, but these guys are not like the caricature of American missionaries you’ve read about. A sensitive and helpful discussion, with many examples, making us aware of our blindspots and assumptions as we approach the text of Scripture itself. John Lennox – Have No Fear A short and welcome exhortation to evangelism. David Devenish – Succession or Multiplication?The story and thinking behind the expansion of Newfrontiers into different apostolic ‘spheres’ based on existing apostles working into the churches they’ve planted and overseen. Francis Spufford – UnapologeticHmmm. Beautifully written. Perhaps a little flamboyant in places, but why not? This would do if you wanted to know what a church-going Anglican believes, although I suspect most Anglicans don’t enjoy as much effing and blinding as Spufford does. Several points of difference but, as you’ve probably picked up, I think it’s good to read beyond one’s own preferences. If you’re a beginner don’t start here. Start with Keller’s Reason for God, or CS Lewis, or try John Piper. Timothy Keller – The Prodigal GodStarts slowly but every pastor should read, with trembling, the chapter on the Elder Brother. Chapter 4. Go and get your copy and read it! Jonathan Leeman – Church DisciplineAgain, we’re not on the same page on some things but worth reading nevertheless.
Novels Voltaire – Candide I expected fisticuffs, or something of a tussle at least, but I was genuinely delighted with how funny this short book is. In fact, I started noting down each time I either laughed or chuckled to myself. 32. It reminded me of Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels because of the biting satire, as well as how modern the whole thing feels (it was published in 1759). Humour does carry us over the centuries. James Weldon Johnson – The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man Gut wrenching and powerful. I assumed it was autobiography until I looked online, but the author is clearly drawing on his own and others’ experiences. Oscar Wilde – The Picture of Dorian Grey I assumed I’d read this before, as it’s such an iconic story. It’s good but, eish, the language is too flowery, and there’s was a whole unnecessary chapter. But, as with Jekyll and Hyde, A Christmas Carol, and others, it’s a powerful moral fable. Franz Kafka – Metamorphosis Reminiscent of the Theatre of the Absurd, or a Monty Python, or Reeves and Mortimer, sketch. There is little doubt in my mind that Kafka intended this as a satirical poke at the expectations of family and society. You know the kind of thing: man wakes up to find he is now a loathsome bug, and is primarily concerned not with his bugginess but with what excuse he will make for being late for work, and how embarrassed his parents will be etc… Also, I thought I should read at least one Kafka before I die, and this was the one my daughter was studying at university. Her lecturers don’t seem to agree with my ‘hilarious absurd satire’ interpretation by the way, but load it with serious meaning about the modern condition. George Orwell- A Clergyman’s Daughter Surprisingly bad (I mean properly bad and breaking half of Orwell’s Why I Write rules). It’s also weighed down with Orwell’s characteristic pessimism. Probably not worth reading unless, like me, you’ve decided to read everything by him. George Orwell – 1984 (Re-read) A haunting triumph. As with Animal Farm, this is one of the all-time must-reads.
I have no idea who Natalie is…
Martin Amis – Time’s Arrow The idea of telling a story in reverse order is not new. But oh how brilliantly written, with the strangest haunting image of the air growing blacker, forming into clouds, funnelling down from the heavens into high chimneys and producing a persecuted, and then ultimately triumphant and gifted Jewish people. Francis Spufford – Golden Hill Well written. A bit naughty. George Bernard Shaw – Pygmalion (re-read) What’s not to love?
Poetry The Love Songs of Sappho (b.630 BC) translated by Paul Roche – Sappho was apparently considered the world’s greatest poet for about a thousand years. Only fragments remain, and these just don’t give us enough. The mystery around her is largely due to the fact that so little of her work has been preserved. So I found this particular version frustrating. William Shakespeare – A Midsummer Night’s Dream William Shakespeare – All’s Well that Ends Well I read at least one Shakespeare play each year and have always found it invigorating. This is a play with a very modern feel, with some powerful themes touching on ‘Me too’, and on the stupidity of classism. George Herbert – Selected PoemsAs with the Ovid, I enjoyed most of these poems. I have to be honest and acknowledge that so much modern poetry is practically indecipherable, or boring. Herbert had the sherbet. Try him. John Donne – Love Poems Libertine Lyrics (Pauper Press, 1940) I emphasise the date there as the title (as with many of the more recent anthologies of love poetry) sounds more racy than it is. George Orwell – The Complete PoetryAwful. Avoid. Penguin Modern Poets 6 (Clemo/Lucie-Smith/Macbeth) Penguin Modern Poets 7 (Murphy/Silkin/Tarn) Penguin Modern Poets 8 (Brock/Hill/Smith) Carol Ann Duffy (ed.) – Hand in Hand Wendy Cope (ed.) – The Funny Side (101 poems) Kate Tempest – Hold Your OwnI genuinely enjoyed this. Pace, insight, cheek. I liked it. Seamus Heaney – BeowulfProbably 8th Century, so this is an ‘older’ work. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed some of Heaney’s poetry. But no. I just couldn’t get into it.
Culture etc.
George Orwell – Essays (Penguin:Great Orwell), incorporating: Inside the Whale/Decline of the English Murder/The Lion and the Unicorn Like CS Lewis, some of Orwell’s best writing is in his essays. It’s so rare to read a single volume of essays and enjoy every one, but Orwell always rewards your attention. As with the end of Down and Out where he sharply, and I think unfairly, criticises the Salvation Army for its work among the homeless (he experienced them as being emotionally cold and sterile), he takes a few pot shots at Christianity, but that’s OK. He’s also great in terms of literary comment. His insights are still relevant. David Baddiel – Jews Don’t CountBaddiel convincingly exposes the strange acceptability of, or acquiescence in, anti-semitism. And the callousness of the caricature, ‘it doesn’t matter because they’re rich’. Yes, Fagin in Oliver Twist; a nasty, insulting, Jew caricature right in front of our eyes. This is a necessary reminder. Anthony Storr – FreudHelpful overview which will add to the impression you already have that Freud was a bit pervy, but that it’s good to listen to people and let them talk. Nigel Warburton – Free Speech A concise and helpful introduction. It’s very useful for all communicators to read up on the thinking around free speech, wherever the legislation currently stands. We always want to be helpful in our communication (‘the goal of our instruction is love’, says Paul). There are inevitably moments of frustration in this book, of course. But good to read. Margaret Walters – Feminism Again, very helpful. She honestly and fairly gives the Christian roots of feminism and traces its development through the first two ‘waves’. She doesn’t seem to acknowledge a third wave which Naomi Wolf and others certainly do (cf. The Beauty Myth). The Christian will likely be in agreement all the way up until abortion on demand.
Teaching/How to…etc Odds and ends here, really… David Quantick – How to Write Everything Nah. But I was looking for a jolt to get into the discipline of writing (I’m working on a memoir). Brown & McNeil (ed.) – DADS Mostly humorous comments from celebs on fatherhood. I was able to use some of this for a sermon. Jonathan Perks – Inspiring LeadershipSome good reminders here, particularly about motivating and serving our teams and staff. John Maxwell – The Right to LeadI found it helpful to read a paragraph or two before leading meetings of various kinds. Michael Pollan – CaffeineI can’t remember why I read this. After a coffee it’ll come back to me. Faith G Harper – Un**** Your BrainNot recommended, but I wanted to hear how ‘hard-ball’, tell it like it is secular psychologists help people. As the title implies, this is not an academic treatment of the subject. Roy Lilly – Dealing with Difficult PeopleWait? What? I can be difficult too? Good to read. Henry Cloud – Necessary EndingsSome very helpful stuff here also. Cloud is the Boundaries guy. Laura Mucha – We Need to Talk About LoveConversation-based reports of a wide variety of peoples’ views about relationships, from friendship to marriage. Again, not recommended necessarily, but a kind of check-in to see where the thinking is.
Wow! You made it to here. Well done. My advice to you for 2022 is this: spend a bit more time reading. And, with all the books out there, don’t forget the Book of Books.
Evangelistically Relevant Church Meetings CH Spurgeon was one of the most evangelistically effective local church leaders. When he began preaching at New Park Street (later The Metropolitan Tabernacle) in Southwark, London, crowds gathered and many Londoners were converted. The congregation grew and an auditorium seating 5000 was built to accommodate those gathering. Some biographers credit the astonishing growth to Spurgeon’s oratorical skill, some to his ability to connect with the working classes, some to his faithfulness to ‘the old gospel’ and his love for George Whitefield, and a few mention that God was doing an amazing thing in the latter part of the 19th Century in England – something close to revival. But it is extremely rare to hear biographers and commentators highlight the biographical reason for Spurgeon’s evangelistic clarity. When he had come under conviction of sin and was desperately seeking forgiveness; desperate to get right with God, he visited church after church hoping for answers but didn’t find them! It wasn’t that the churches he visited were liberal. Not at all. He deliberately visited Bible-believing, Bible-preaching evangelical churches. But they were missing the mark without realising it. None of them were directly addressing the needs of the non-believer. None of them were evangelistically relevant. In the first volume of his autobiography he writes of his experience before finally hearing the gospel from ‘an uneducated’ man in a Primitive Methodist chapel:
‘While under concern of soul, I resolved that I would attend all the places of worship in the town where I lived, in order that I might find out the way of salvation. I was willing to do anything, and be anything, if God would only forgive my sin. I set off, determined to go round to all the chapels, and I did go to every place of worship, but for a long time I went in vain. I do not, however, blame the ministers. One man preached Divine Sovereignty. I could hear him with pleasure, but what was that sublime truth to a poor sinner who wished to know what he must do to be saved ? There was another admirable man who always preached about the law, but what was the use of ploughing up ground that needed to be sown? Another was a practical preacher. I heard him, but it was very much like a commanding officer teaching the manoeuvres of war to a set of men without feet … I went again, another day, and the text was something about the glories of the righteous: nothing for poor me! I was like a dog under the table, not allowed to eat of the children’s food. I went time after time, and I can honestly say that I do not know that I ever went without prayer to God, and I am sure there was not a more attentive hearer than myself in all the place, for I panted and longed to understand how I might be saved.’ (See his The Autobiography of Charles H Spurgeon, Vol 1. (1897 London: Passmore and Alabaster) p.104-105) It was this experience – visiting Bible-believing churches that only preached ‘the gospel’ to the already convinced – that put a resolve in Spurgeon’s heart to never forget the non-believer. It gave him the necessary perspective – the experience of the outsider – which was so helpful to him, and which was a key to the growth of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in Victorian London.
Our Main Business OK, to some riveting quotes that gives us a clue as to how, throughout his preaching ministry, Spurgeon kept the evangelistic flame alive. I hope you enjoy them.
‘Our main business, brethren, is to win souls.’1
‘I love a religion which consists, in a great measure, of emotion.’2
To see Spurgeon lead sinners in a ‘sinners prayer’ (which is very definitely what he is doing), and then give assurance that ‘if that came from your heart you are as safe as the angels of heaven’, see his sermon ‘What Have I Done?’ (on Jer 8.6) vol4.271
‘Oh! Come, let us one and all approach the mercy-seat, and plead the blood. Let us each go and say, “Father, I have sinned; but have mercy upon me, through thy Son.” Come, drunkard, give me thy hand; we will go together. Harlot, give me thy hand too; and let us likewise approach the throne And you, professing Christians, come ye also, be not ashamed of your company. Let us come before his presence with many tears, none of us accusing our fellows, but each one accusing himself; and let us plead the blood of Jesus Christ, which speaketh peace and pardon to every troubled conscience.’3
‘Sinners are converted under the man whose eloquence is rough and homely.’4
‘You cannot preach Christ and not get a congregation.’5
Conversion on the Spot ‘The truest reward of our life-work is to bring dead souls to life. I long to see souls brought to Jesus every time I preach.’6
‘Men are passing into eternity so rapidly that we must have them saved at once…From all our congregations a bitter cry should go up unto God, unless conversions are continually seen.’7
‘Let us have a genuine faith in everything that God has revealed. Have faith, not only in its truth but in its power; faith in the absolute certainty that, if it be preached, it will produce glorious results.’8
‘The production of faith is the very centre of the target at which you aim.’9
‘I know some brethren who preach as if they were prize-fighters…All the way through the sermon they appear to be calling upon someone to come up and fight them.’10 (He’s not recommending this!)
‘Just when they reckon that you are sure to say something very precise and straight, say something awkward and crooked, because they will remember that, and you will have tied a gospel knot where it is likely to remain.’11
The Importance of the Gospel ‘Do try, dear brethren, to give your hearers something beside a string of pathetic anecdotes that will set them crying. Tell the people something: you are to teach them; to preach the gospel to your hearers.’12
‘Preach as you would plead if you were standing before a judge, and begging for the life of a friend…Use such a tone in pleading with sinners as you would use if a gibbet were erected in this room, and you were to be hanged on it unless you could persuade the person in authority to release you.’13
‘I have often felt just like this when I have been preaching: I have known what it is to use up all my ammunition, and then I have, as it were, rammed myself into the great gospel gun, and I have fired myself at my hearers.’14
‘Preach Jesus Christ, brethren, always and everywhere; and every time you preach be sure to have much of Jesus Christ in the sermon.’15
‘There ought to be enough of the gospel in every sermon to save a soul…Always take care that there is the real gospel in every sermon.’16
‘I command men in the name of Jesus to repent and believe the gospel, though I know they can do nothing of the kind apart from the grace of God.’17
‘Something of the shadow of the last tremendous day must fall upon our spirit to give the accent of conviction to our message of mercy…’18
‘Do not close a single sermon without addressing the ungodly.’19
‘Aim distinctly at immediate conversions’20
‘Great hearts are the main qualifications for great preachers.’21
‘Sinners are quick-witted people, and soon detect even the smallest effort to glorify self.’22
In conclusion then, if you are a pastor or preacher, and if you want to see the influence of the gospel increase in your town, don’t forget the example of Spurgeon. Being ‘faithful’ to the Bible is good – he doesn’t blame the ministers for that – but don’t forget the non-believer, the outsider. Make that person – the not-yet-converted – a key member of your expected audience as you prepare to preach, and in your delivery, and then trust God for conversions, for new birth to follow.
For the first in this series on CH Spurgeon click here
1 CHS, lecture, Qualifications for Soul-Winning – Godward 2 CHS, sermon, The Tomb of Jesus 3 CHS, sermon, Confession and Absolution 4 CHS, sermon, The Necessity of the Spirit’s Work 5 CHS, sermon, An Excellent Enquiry 6 CHS, sermon, What we would be 7 CHS, sermon, What we would be 8 CHS, sermon, Power in Delivering Our Message 9 CHS, lecture, What is it to win a soul? 10 CHS, lecture, Qualifications for Soul-Winning – Manward 11 CHS, lecture, Sermons Likely to Win Souls 12 CHS, lecture, Sermons Likely to Win Souls 13 CHS, lecture, Sermons Likely to Win Souls 14 CHS, lecture, Sermons Likely to Win Souls 15 CHS, lecture, Sermons Likely to Win Souls 16 CHS, lecture, Sermons Likely to Win Souls 17 CHS, sermon, How to Win Souls for Christ 18 CHS, sermon, How to Win Souls for Christ 19 CHS, Lectures to My Students 20 CHS, Lectures to My Students 21 CHS, Lectures to My Students 22 CHS, Lectures to My Students
The Quotable CH Spurgeon If you check in regularly at the Church History Review you’ll have seen that I’ve been trying to end a series of articles about the great Baptist leader CH Spurgeon. But I keep failing. Flailing and failing. I made the mistake of going through several volumes of his sermons and looking at what I’d underlined to see if there were any further additions I could make before moving on. Big mistake. Spurgeon is so distractingly quotable that I was absorbed for several hours, transported back to his study, and found myself reclining on a Victorian chaise-longe having my my mind enlivened, my soul enriched, and my zeal restored. What a delight it is to hear both his insights and his quips.
As I’ve mentioned before Spurgeon cannot be categorised as a ‘Pentecostal/charismatic’ in the modern sense. He was a man of his time, and while he respected the ministry of Edward Irving in London he would have had serious doubts about so-called predictive prophetic utterances (of which there were many during the 19th century).
But there’s absolutely no doubt that he was a man who, like his puritan heroes, knew what it was to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And from time to time he exercised gifts of the Spirit during his preaching, and was not at all nervous of what Paul calls ‘the variety of effects’ of the Spirit (1 Cor 12.6).
Here are a few characteristic Spurgeonic insights on the Holy Spirit from various sermons and lectures. ‘And I could tell you some singular instances of persons going to the house of God and having their characters described, limned out to perfection, so that they have said, “He is painting me, he is painting me.” Just as I might say to that young man here, who stole his master’s gloves yesterday, that Jesus calls him to repentance. It may be that there is such a person here; and when the call comes to a peculiar character, it generally comes with power.’1 [This word of knowledge proved true. Indeed the young man he had pointed to at that very moment, did have a stolen pair of gloves in his pocket. You can read the story here.]
‘Do not say, “So many preachers; so many sermons; so many souls saved.” Do not say, “So many Bibles; so many tracts; so much good done.” No so. Use these, but remember…it is so much Holy Spirit, so many souls ingathered.’2
‘Value above all things the Holy Spirit. Realise your entire dependence on him. Pray for fresh grace. Venture not into the world without a fresh store of his hallowed influence. Live in the Divine love. Seek to be filled with that blessed Spirit.’3
‘There is not, in the Church, such a belief in the Holy Ghost as there ought to be.’4
‘May the Lord answer us by fire, and may that fire fall first on the ministers, and then upon the people! We ask for the true Pentecostal flame, and not for sparks kindled by human passion.’5
‘In order to have great power in public, we must receive power in private.’6
Miracle Workers! ‘Do not speak as if the gospel might have some power, or might have none. God sends you to be a miracle-worker; therefore, say to the spiritually lame, “In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk,” and men will rise up and walk.’7
‘The whole business [of evangelism] on our part is the height of absurdity unless we regard ourselves as used by the Holy Ghost, and filled with His power. On the other hand, the marvels of regeneration which attend our ministry are the best seals and witnesses of our commission.’8
‘It is a grand thing to preach in an atmosphere full of the dew of the Spirit. I know what it is to preach with it; and, alas! I know what it is to preach without it.’9
‘Our object is to turn the world upside down; or in other words, that where sin abounded grace may much more abound. We are aiming at a miracle.’10
‘Ours is the miraculous method which comes of the endowment of the Spirit of God, who bids His ministers perform wonders in the name of the holy child Jesus. We are sent to say to blind eyes, “See,” to deaf ears, “Hear,” to dead hearts, “live,” and even to Lazarus rotting in that grave, wherein by this time, he stinketh, “Lazarus, come forth.”11
‘You are to be instruments in the hands of God; yourselves, of course, actively putting forth all your faculties and forces which the Lord has lent to you; but still never depending upon your personal power, but resting alone upon that sacred, mysterious, divine energy which worketh in us.’12
‘Try nothing new, but go on with preaching, and if we all preach with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, the results of preaching will astound us.’13
‘There is no end to the possibilities of divine truth spoken with the enthusiasm which is born of the Spirit of God.’14
We have known and perceived the power! ‘We have felt the Spirit of God operating upon our hearts, we have known and perceived the power which He wields over human spirits, and we know Him by frequent, conscious, personal contact.’15
‘If we have not the Spirit which Jesus promised, we cannot perform the commission which Jesus gave.’16
‘The lack of distinctly recognising the power of the Holy Ghost lies at the root of many useless ministries.’17 [Ouch!]
For the first post in this series on Spurgeon click here
1CHS, sermon, Christ Crucified 2CHS, sermon, The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit 3CHS, sermon, John Mark; or, Haste in Religion 4CHS, sermon, Faith 5CHS, sermon, Light. Fire. Faith. Life. Love 6 CHS, sermon, The Conditions of Obtaining the Power 7 CHS, sermon, Power in Delivering Our Message 8 CHS, lecture, What is it to win a soul? 9 CHS, lecture, How to Induce our People to Win Souls 10 CHS, sermon, How to Win Souls for Christ 11 CHS, sermon, How to Win Souls for Christ 12 CHS, sermon, How to Win Souls for Christ 13 CHS, sermon, How to Win Souls for Christ 14 CHS, sermon, How to Win Souls for Christ 15 CHS, Lectures to My Students 16 CHS, Lectures to My Students 17 CHS, Lectures to My Students
A growing number of Tabernacle converts were keen to enter full-time ministry, indeed, felt called to the work. Spurgeon had not gone to college, and felt the advantage of being self-taught ‘on the job’, as it were, rather than in a classroom. And so, rather than recommend these young men to an existing school, he began an in-house ‘Pastor’s College’ in Southwark, just south of the River Thames. Spurgeon had diligently made up for his own lack of formal theological education by voraciously reading warm-hearted, passionate and fruitful writers of previous generations. In fact it is evident that his originality wasn’t suppressed or moulded into a traditional way of doing things. For example, if you applied to become a student of the Pastor’s College, one of the qualifications for entry was that people had actually been converted by your preaching. It was one thing to feel you had a call to ministry, but was there any actual evidence? Another excellent feature was his emphasis on who you are as a person, and as a leader, as well as your theological knowledge.
Around 900 pastors and evangelists were trained during Spurgeon’s lifetime, many of whom went on to plant 200 new churches in the UK[1], as well as others overseas, even as far away as Cape Town. Much of the evangelistic and church planting activity was recorded with characteristic Victorian precision in Spurgeon’s magazine, The Sword and the Trowel.
I have tried to organise these inspiring and dynamic quotes under relevant headings, and my hope is that readers will find both canny Proverbs-style advice, and that their own spiritual health will receive a mighty vitamin boost. Enjoy!
Authority ‘If there were only one prayer which I might pray before I died, it should be this: ‘Lord, send thy church men filled with the Holy Ghost and with fire.’[2]
‘When God means a creature to fly, He gives it wings. When He intends men to preach He gives them abilities.’[3]
‘If you see a stick that is crooked, and you want people to see how crooked it is, lay a straight rod down beside it; that will be quite enough. But if you are drawn into controversy, use very hard arguments and very soft words.’[4]
‘What position is nobler than that of a spiritual father who claims no authority and yet is universally esteemed, whose word is given only as tender advice, but is allowed to operate with the force of law?…Lovingly firm and graciously gentle, he is the chief of all because he is the servant of all.’[5]
‘Play the man, and do not demean yourself by seeking compliments like little children when dressed in new clothes.’[6]
Grace ‘When grace abounds, learning will not puff you up, or injure your simplicity in the gospel.’[7]
‘When you preach, speak out straight, but be very tender about it; and if there is an unpleasant thing to be said, take care that you put it in the kindest possible form.’[8]
‘The sensible minister will be particularly gentle in argument.’[9]
Hard Work ‘We must have done with daydreams and get to work. I believe in eggs, but we must get chickens out of them…We want facts. Deeds done, souls saved.’[10]
After all, we shall be known by what we have done, more than by what we have said. Like the apostles, I hope our memorial will be our acts.’[11]
‘I pray you, be men of action all of you. Get to work, and quit yourselves like men…Our one aim is to save sinners, and this we are not merely to talk about, but to effect in the power of God.’[12]
Authenticity ‘Be yourself, dear brother, for, if you are not yourself, you cannot be anybody else.’[13]
‘Some ministers have not opinion till they have been to “the fraternal meeting”. They must hear the bell of the leading sheep before they know which way to go.’[14]
‘You must have a real desire for the good of the people if you are to have much influence over them.’[15]
Spiritual Depth ‘You will find men turn away from the husks when you set before them solid food.’[16]
‘I know some such ministers; you cannot come into contact with them without feeling the power of the spiritual life which is in them.’[17]
Making Disciples ‘O brethren, may you have spiritual children who shall win battles for the Lord, and may you live to see them doing it.’[18]
‘It may be otherwise, but you will be wise if you go into the ministry expecting not to find any very great assistance from the people in the work of soul-winning.’[19]
Integrity ‘God help us so to live that we may be safe examples to our flocks!’[20]
‘If any man’s life at home is unworthy, he should go several miles away before he stands up to preach, and then, when he stands up, he should say nothing. They know us, brethren, they know far more about us than we imagine, and what they do not know they make up…Our walk and conversation should be the most powerful part of our ministry. This is being consistent, when lips and life agree.’[21]
‘It will be in vain for me to stock my library, or organise societies, or project schemes, if I neglect the culture of myself.’[22]
‘Of all the causes which create infidelity, ungodly ministers must be ranked among the first.’[23]
‘As actions, according to the proverb, speak louder than words, so an ill life will effectually drown the voice of the most eloquent ministry…our characters must be more persuasive than out speech.’[24]
‘If we are not masters of ourselves we are not fit to be leaders in the church. We must put aside all notion of self-importance.’[25]
‘He will never do much for God who has not integrity of spirit.’[26]
Weakness ‘An overwhelming sense of weakness should not be regarded as an evil, but should be accepted as helpful to the true minister of Christ.’[27]
‘I hope you will always feel your responsibility before God; but do not carry the feeling too far. We may feel our responsibility so deeply that we may become unable to sustain it; it may cripple our joy, and make slaves of us. Do not take an exaggerated view of what the Lord expects of you.’[28]
‘Prepare yourselves, my younger brethren, to become weaker and weaker; prepare yourselves for sinking lower and lower in self-esteem; prepare yourselves for self-annihilation, and pray God to expedite the process.’[29]
‘The best man here, if he knows what he is, knows that he is out of his depth in his sacred calling.’[30]
Largess/Largeness of Heart ‘The man who grinds out theology at so much a yard has no power over men; the people need men who can feel – men of heart…’[31]
‘You ought to have a great big heart…Do you not notice that men succeed in ministry, and win souls for Christ, just in proportion as they are men with large hearts?…You must have large big hearts if you are to win men to Jesus.’[32]
‘You must love the people and mix with them if you are to be of service to them. There are some ministers who really are much better men than others, yet they do not accomplish so much good as those who are more human, those who go and sit down with the people…’[33]
‘A man who is to do much with men must love them, and feel at home with them…A man must have a great heart who would have a great congregation…When a man has a large, loving heart, men go to him as ships to a haven, and feel at peace.’[34]
Teachability/Flexibility ‘Gather up the arrows which aforetime fell wide of the mark, not to break them…but to send them to the target with direct aim…Learn success from failure, wisdom from blundering.’[35]
‘He who has ceased to learn has ceased to teach. He who no longer sows in the study will no more reap in the pulpit. My earnest desire is that all of us may really be Soul Winners.’[36]
‘I should recommend you not to go to work according to any set rule, for what would work at one time might not be wise at another, and that which would be best for one place would not be so good elsewhere.’[37]
Faith ‘We must work miracles by Divine Power, or else be total failures.’[38]
‘I like to burn churches rather than houses, because they do not burn down, they burn up, and keep on burning when the fire is of the right sort.’[39]
‘Keep up the prayer meeting, whatever else flags; it is the great business [meeting] of the week, the best service between the Sabbaths.’[40]
Humility ‘Self-display is death to power.’[41]
‘There must never be an eye to the glory of God and the fat sheep; it must never be God’s glory and your own honour and esteem among men.’[42]
‘The less you think of yourself, the more people will think of you; and the more you think of yourself, the less people will think of you. If you have any trace of selfishness about you, pray get rid of it at once…’[43]
Still to come: Spurgeon quotes on Evangelistically Relevant Church Meetings, The Supernatural work of the Holy Spirit, and more!
1 https://www.spurgeons.ac.uk/our-history/ 2 Lewis Drummond, Spurgeon, Prince of Preachers, 1992: Kregel, 26 3 CHS, John Ploughman’s Talk 4 CHS, Lectures to My Students 5 CHS, Lectures to My Students 6 CHS, Lectures to My Students 7 CHS, sermon, Forward 8 CHS, lecture, Qualifications for Soul-Winning – Manward 9 CHS, Lectures to My Students 10 CHS, sermon, Forward 11 CHS, sermon, Forward 12 CHS, sermon, Forward 13 CHS, sermon, Individuality, and its Opposite 14 CHS, sermon, The Minister in these Times 15 CHS, lecture, Qualifications for Soul-Winning – Manward 16 CHS, sermon, How to Meet the Evils of the Age 17 CHS, lecture, Qualifications for Soul-Winning – Godward 18 CHS, sermon, A New Departure 19 CHS, lecture, How to Induce our People to Win Souls 20 CHS, sermon, Light. Fire. Faith. Life. Love 21 CHS, sermon, How to Win Souls for Christ 22 CHS, Lectures to My Students 23 CHS, Lectures to My Students 24 CHS, Lectures to My Students 25 CHS, Lectures to My Students 26 CHS, Lectures to My Students 27 CHS, sermon, Strength in Weakness 28 CHS, sermon, Strength in Weakness 29 CHS, sermon, Strength in Weakness 30 CHS, sermon, The Conditions of Obtaining the Power 31 CHS, sermon, Strength in Weakness 32 CHS, lecture, Qualifications for Soul-Winning – Manward 33 CHS, lecture, Qualifications for Soul-Winning – Manward 34 CHS, Lectures to My Students 35 CHS, sermon, What we would be 36 CHS, sermon, What we would be 37 CHS, lecture, How to Induce our People to Win Souls 38 CHS, sermon, The Conditions of Obtaining the Power 39 CHS, lecture, How to Induce our People to Win Souls 40 CHS, lecture, How to Induce our People to Win Souls 41 CHS, sermon, The Conditions of Obtaining the Power 42 CHS, lecture, Qualifications for Soul-Winning – Godward 43 CHS, lecture, Qualifications for Soul-Winning – Manward
CH Spurgeon: large-hearted, mature, and in love with Jesus
Spurgeon’s life and ministry was not a story of uninterrupted success. From his arrival in London when some older minsters mocked him on account of his youth, to a devastating moment when some worshippers were crushed, to his own struggles with depression, and his wife’s lifelong illness, Spurgeon’s story is one of weakness and dependance on God. He was a remarkable self-taught preacher, a passionately evangelistic pastor, and a major influence on the growth and popularity of the Baptist church movement in the 19th Century. Many pictures of him in the pulpit emphasise the very large audiences who gathered to hear him preach, but there was a secret life of devotion to Jesus behind the public image. Like so many of the puritan authors he loved, Spurgeon was an unashamed adorer of the saviour who first loved him. Spurgeon was a man in love with Jesus Christ, and unashamed to shout it from the rooftops. As a result of this private life with Christ he often exhorted others to personal, private prayer. Jesus Himself said, ‘As for you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.’ Matt 6.6
A few gems from Spurgeon that are worth absorbing in our mad-dash days:
‘A few minutes silent openness of soul before the Lord, has brought us more treasures of truth than hours of learned research.’ 1
‘One word of God is like a piece of gold, and the Christian is the gold-beater, and he can hammer that promise out for weeks.’ 2
‘Be with God and God will be with you.’ 3
‘You cannot pray too long in private.’ 4
‘Let me speak of the deliciousness of prayer – the wondrous sweetness and divine felicity which come to the soul that lives in the atmosphere of prayer.’ 5
‘Nothing can maintain us in the freshness of our beginnings but the daily anointing of the Spirit.’ 6
‘Do not be afraid of being too full of the Holy Spirit.’ 7
For the first post in this series on Spurgeon click here
1 Lewis Drummond, Spurgeon, Prince of Preachers, 1992: Kregel, p572 2 CHS, sermon, Songs in the Night 3 CHS, sermon, The Conditions of Obtaining the Power 4 CHS, Lectures to My Students 5 CHS, Lectures to My Students 6 CHS, sermon, A New Departure 7 CHS, Lectures to My Students
Great quotes by Spurgeon, part 5 Throughout his preaching ministry CH Spurgeon never allowed the hill of Calvary, where Christ was crucified, to be too far off in the distance. He insisted on preaching Christ to both believer and unbeliever in the same message. In fact, he advised his students that, where they couldn’t see a direct connection between the verse they were preaching on and Christ, that they should ‘jump over the hedge’ and preach Christ anyway. His sermons were full of hope. But the hope wasn’t in the human will, or in the best intentions of his hearers but in the cross of Christ. Spurgeon preached that we have an answer for sin, and a full and sufficient forgiveness for all our sins in the cross. Without minimising the seriousness of sin he declared freedom for all who believe. Here are a few insights from his sermons:
Little Sins ‘Little sins often act as burglars do. Burglars sometimes take with them a little child; they put the little child into a window that is too small for them to enter, and then he goes and opens the door to let in the thieves. So do little sins act. They are but little ones, but they creep in and they open the door for great ones.’[1] ‘Is it a little [sin]? A little stone in the shoe will make a traveller limp.’[2]
On the Centrality of the Cross ‘The curse of God is not easily taken away; in fact, there was but one method whereby it could be removed. The lightnings were in God’s hand; they must be launched; he said they must. the sword was unsheathed; it must be satisfied; God vowed it must…The Son of God appears; and he says, “Father! launch thy thunderbolts at me; here is my breast – plunge that sword in here; here are my shoulders – let the lash of vengeance fall on them.” And Christ, the Substitute, came forth and stood for us, “the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.”’[3] ‘In no other place wilt thou ever know how desperately vile sin is. This is the spot where sin committed its direst crimes.’[4] ‘Thou art full of sin; the Saviour bids thee lift thine eyes to him. See there, his blood is flowing…And each drop seems to say as it falls, “It is finished!”[5]
For the first post in this series on Spurgeon click here
1 CHS, sermon, Little Sins 2 CHS, sermon, Little Sins 3 CHS, sermon, The Curse Removed 4 CHS, sermon, A Visit to Calvary 5 CHS, sermon, The Voice of the Blood of Christ
Spurgeon on Faith and Prayer (Great quotes by Spurgeon, part 5)
A lot of attention is given to Spurgeon’s preaching skill, and to the vast crowds who came to hear him. And justly. But he was so much more than a preacher. He was a passionate, self-taught scholar, a trainer of leaders, a catalyst for church-planting and for a variety of social ministries. And like so many Christian leaders of former generations that we look to, he seems to have had a prayer life, and a discipline and a confidence in prayer that makes our mouths water. Pastors who pray seem to be a rarity if their books on prayer are anything to go by. What I mean is that we all seem to be in agreement: we don’t pray anywhere near as much as we feel we ought to. With the fine exception of Terry Virgo I’m not sure I personally know another pastor who has such a disciplined prayer life. [1]
So here are a few – very few – inspiring quotes by CH Spurgeon on prayer and faith. May they spur us into action!
‘The best way to repay God, and the way he loves best, is to take and ask him ten times as much each time. Nothing pleases God so much as when a sinner comes again very soon with twice as large a petition – “Lord, thou didst hear me last time, and now I am come again.”[2]
‘Success in the Lord’s service is very generally in proportion to faith.’[3]
‘Without faith it is impossible to please God, and if we are pleasing God, it is not by our talent, but by our faith.’[4]
‘I make bold to assert that, in the service of God, nothing is impossible, and nothing is improbable. Go in for great things, brethren, in the name of God; risk everything on His promise, and according to your faith shall it be done unto you.’[5]
‘Let each man find out what God wants him to do, and then let him do it, or die in the attempt.’[6]
‘I trust we are all of us already aware that the man who lives in the region of faith dwells in the realm of miracles.’[7]
‘Faith trades in marvels, and her merchandise is with wonders.’[8]
‘I believe that when Paul plants and Apollos waters, God gives the increase.’[9]
For the first post in this series on CH Spurgeon click here
1. Some may, of course, have committed to NOT talking about their regular prayer ministry. 2. CHS, sermon, A View of God’s Glory 3. CHS, sermon, Faith 4. CHS, sermon, Light. Fire. Faith. Life. Love 5. CHS, sermon, Light. Fire. Faith. Life. Love 6. CHS, sermon, What we would be 7. CHS, sermon, How to Raise the Dead 8. CHS, sermon, How to Raise the Dead 9. CHS, John Ploughman’s Talk
Great Quotes by Spurgeon (part 4) The English Baptist preacher CH Spurgeon was a man who suffered. John Piper, in his article, Preaching Through Adversity, writes, ‘He knew the whole range of adversity that most preachers suffer—and a lot more.’ Suffering can make a person bitter, or it can soften the heart and enable us to empathise with others. We can comfort others with the comfort we received from God (2 Cor 1.4). This short collection of quotes highlights, through Spurgeon’s own experience, the importance of caring for others. No one is perfect, and Spurgeon, who was often celebrated for his biting wit, had his fair share of critics both from outsiders and from believers. His own battle with depression, with handling his precious wife’s lifelong disability, and with his own physical frailty, meant he had to find encouragement from the Scriptures, and from the presence of God, in order to continue caring for others in the life of the Metropolitan Tabernacle church.
‘You may be strong and vigorous in your physical constitution, strangers to nervousness and depression of spirits. Be thankful, then, but do not be presumptuous. Despise not those who suffer from infirmities that have never come upon you.’ 1
‘Jehovah is our Shepherd, and he is very tender of his little lambs and his weak sheep: and if we are not tender of them too we shall soon be made to smart for our hard-heartedness.’ 2
‘Be kind. Let every tone of your voice, every gesture of your limbs, every look of your face show the kindness of your heart.’ 3
‘In the divine economy the more care you require the more care you shall have.’ 4
‘It is a sign of great weakness when persons are full of contempt for others.’ 5
‘I am sorry to say that I am made of such ill stuff that my Lord has to chasten me often and sorely. I am like a quill pen that will not write unless it be often nibbed, and therefore I have felt the sharp knife many times.’ 6
‘Some persons cannot learn the balance of virtues; they cannot kill a mouse except by burning down the barn.’ 7
‘Earn all you can, save all you can, and then give all you can.’ 8
To read the first post in this series on the preacher CH Spurgeon click here
1-4 CHS, sermon, Lame Sheep 5 CHS, sermon, Light. Fire. Faith. Life. Love 6 CHS, sermon, A New Departure 7 CHS, sermon, Stewards 8 CHS, John Ploughman’s Talk
Great Quotes by Spurgeon (part 3) We’ve been enjoying some wonderful quotes by the 19th Century Baptist preacher CH Spurgeon. This third selection demonstrates how his love for Reformed theology in no way hindered his passion to preach the gospel to those outside the Christian faith. As many missionaries had discovered before him, and many since, the great doctrines of grace are a spur towards evangelistic activity, as well as to persevering under seasons of apparent unfruitfulness. Enjoy!
Unashamed Practical Calvinism ‘I have been charged with being a mere echo of the Puritans, but I had rather be the echo of truth, than the voice of falsehood.’ 1
‘He thought of [you] before [you had] a being. When as yet the sun and the moon were not – when the sun, the moon, and the stars slept in the mind of God like unborn forests in an acorn cup.’ 2
‘Do you think that Christ will let the devil beat him? that he will let the devil have more in hell than there will be in heaven? No: it is impossible. For then Satan would laugh at Christ. There will be more in heaven than there are among the lost. God says that there will be a number that no man can number who will be saved.’ 3
‘It has been recently declared by some ministers that certain ages are more likely to be converted than other ages. We have heard persons state that should a man outlive thirty years of life, if he has heard the gospel, he is not at all likely to be saved; but we believe a more palpable, bare-faced lie was never uttered in the pulpit; for we have ourselves known multitudes who have been saved at forty, fifty, sixty, and even bordering on the grave at eighty. We find some promises in the Bible made to some particular conditions; but the main, the great, and the grand promises, are made to sinners as sinners; they are made to the elect, to the chosen ones, irrespective of their age or condition. We behold, that the man who is old can be justified in the same way as the man who is young; that the robe of Christ is broad enough to cover the strong, full-grown man, as well as the little child. We believe the blood of Christ avails to wash out seventy years as well as seventy days of sin; that “with God there is no respect of persons. “ that all ages are alike to him, and that “whosoever cometh unto Christ, he will in nowise cast out”…’ 4
‘We can say concerning his love that it has never been diminished by all the sins we have ever committed since we believed. We have been verily guilty, and we blush to say it. We have often revolted, but we have never found him unwilling to forgive. We have gone to him laden with guilt, but we have come away with our burden removed. Oh! if God could ever cast away his people, he would have cast away me. I am sure God never turns his children out of doors, or this had been my lot long ago.’ 5
‘Unfaithful I have been; he has forgiven that, and will forgive; but unfaithful to me he never has been.’ 6
More next time…
1 CHS, sermon, Faith 2 CHS, sermon, Love 3 CHS, sermon, Heaven and Hell 4 CHS, sermon, The God of the Aged 5 CHS, sermon, A Psalm of Remembrance 6 CHS, sermon, A Psalm of Remembrance
In 1886, in his later years, CH Spurgeon, writing in 1886 to a younger leader, said, ‘Go on to win souls. It is the only thing worth living for. God is much glorified in by conversions, and therefore this should be the great object of life.’ 1
Ans way back, when he was just aged fifteen, he wrote to his mother, ‘I have 70 people whom I regularly visit on Saturday. I do not give a tract, and go away; but I sit down, and endeavour to draw their attention to spiritual realities.’ 2
On the attractiveness of the gospel: ‘I challenge any man to hold his heart back when Jesus comes for it: when he displays himself, when he takes the veil off our eyes and lets us look at his lovely face, shows us his wounded hands and his bleeding side, methinks there is no heart but must be drawn forth to him.’ 3
‘The gospel invitation is not for tomorrow, but for today.’ 4
‘Behave yourselves, Christian brethren, for you bear a great Name.’ 5
‘Our mission is to perpetuate on earth the love of the Saviour’ 6
‘I do not trust in the dead sinner’s power to live, but in the power of the gospel to make him live.’ 7
‘Soul-winning is the chief business of the Christian minister; indeed, it should be the main pursuit of every true believer.’ 8
‘When preaching and private talk are not available, you have a tract ready, and this is often an effectual method. Some tracts would not convert a beetle: there is not enough in them to interest a fly. Get good striking tracts, or none at all. But a telling, touching gospel tract may often be the seed of eternal life; therefore, do not go out without your tracts.’ 9
‘It is far more pleasant to remember that there is a reward for bringing men to mercy, and that it is of a higher order than the premium for bringing men to justice.’ 10
‘Even if I were utterly selfish, and had no care for anything but my own happiness, I would choose, if I might, under God, to be a soul-winner, for never did I know perfect, overflowing, unutterable happiness of the purest and most ennobling order, till I first heard of one who had sought and found a Saviour through my means. I recollect the thrill of joy which went through me!’ 11
‘Don’t be all sugar, or the world will draw you down; but do not be all vinegar, or the world will spit you out.’ 12
More next time…
For the first part of this series on the life of CH Spurgeon click here
1 Letters of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Banner of Truth:1992, p136 2 Letters of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Banner of Truth:1992, p27 3 CHS, sermon, The Gracious Lips of Jesus 4 CHS, sermon, John Mark; or, Haste in Religion 5 CHS, sermon, The Minister in these Times 6 CHS, sermon, The Minister in these Times 7 CHS, sermon, The Minister in these Times 8 CHS, lecture, What is it to win a soul? 9 CHS, sermon, How to Win Souls for Christ 10 CHS, sermon, The Soul-Winner’s Reward 11 CHS, sermon, Soul-Winning Explained 12 CHS, John Ploughman’s Talk
With a stunning gift for short, punchy illustrations, there are few preachers as quotable as Spurgeon. And, although I’ve tried to tear myself away from him and move on to other leaders and church movements in the 19th Century, I just can’t leave without a post of quotes. In fact, as I paged through the sermons I’ve read, as well as several of his books, I realised this cannot be a single post, but several, and broken into different themes.
So I hope this won’t feel like I’m throwing a whole box of chocolates at you at once, and I hope you will be able to savour each quote and let it’s particular sweetness give you pleasure. The next few posts will be my own selection box of delicacies from the Prince of Preachers. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
Thoroughness of Conversion
Spurgeon, like the vast majority of Victorian leaders, definitely had an eye on numbers (the Sword and the Trowel is full of numbers and the results of evangelistic missions), but he disliked the ease with which some counted converts without checking for genuine repentance. In planting and leading a local church he was to a great degree spared the temptation of the itinerant preacher, and also shared the joy of seeing those converted (at one time he mentions over one thousand in a year) growing in their faith. Below are some gems reflecting his desire for thoroughness when it comes to the nature and power of conversion.
‘God the Holy Spirit, in a supernatural manner – mark, by the word supernatural I mean just what it strictly means; supernatural, more than natural – works upon the hearts of men, and they by the operations of the divine Spirit become regenerate men; but without the Spirit they never can be regenerated … “What!” says one, “do you mean to say that God absolutely interposes in the salvation of every man to make him regenerate?” I do indeed. In the salvation of every person there is an actual putting forth of the divine power.’ [1]
‘I want to make a man feel his sins before I dare tell him anything about Christ. I want to probe into his soul and make him feel that he is lost before I tell him anything about the purchased blessing. It is the ruin of many to tell them, “Now just believe on Christ, and that is all you have to do.”’[2]
‘Repentance, to be true, to be evangelical, must be a repentance which really affects our outward conduct.’[3]
‘The way Christians get their peace is not by seeing their sins shrivelled and shrinking until they seem small to them. But on the contrary, they first of all see their sins expanding, and then after that, they obtain their peace by seeing those sins entirely swept away – as far as the east is from the west.’[4]
‘Christ requires of every man who would be saved, that he shall yield to his government and his rule…If your sins are pardoned they must be abhorred.’[5]
‘We do continually affirm that an error, with regard to the divinity of Christ, is absolutely fatal, and that a man cannot be right in his judgement upon any part of the gospel unless he think rightly of him who is personally the very centre of all the purposes of heaven, and the foundation of all the hopes of earth.’[6]
‘But let me now describe a Christian as he is after his conversion. Trouble comes, storms of trouble, and he looks the tempest in the face and says, “I know that all things work together for my good…It is good for me that I have been afflicted, for before I was afflicted I went astray, but now have I kept thy Word.”’[7]
‘It is a shameful thing for a man to profess discipleship and yet refuse to learn his Lord’s will upon certain points, or even dare to decline obedience when that will is known. How can a man be a disciple of Christ when he openly lives in disobedience to Him?’[8]
For the first post in this exciting series on Spurgeon click here
Church History Review 