Spurgeon on Faith.

I have just started to read C.H. Spurgeon's All-Round Ministry. In this book we have collected and preserved for us, some of Spurgeon's addresses to pastors at the annual conference held at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. Here is an excerpt from the first address: Faith. I trust you will find as inspiring and encouraging as I did. I suggest you read through it several times slowly so as to absorb all that is being said, then read like you are preaching it, with passion, boldness and zeal so as to capture the determination of the such a resolute faith!


"First, we have faith in God. We believe "that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." We do not believe in the powers of nature operating themselves apart from the constant emanations of power from the Great and Mighty One, who is the Sustainer as well as the Creator of all things. Far be it from us to banish God from His own universe. Neither do we believe in a merely nominal deity, as those do who make all things to be God...We know the Lord as a distinct personal existence, a real God, infinitely more real than the things which are seen and handled, more real even than ourselves, for we are but shadows, He alone is the I AM, abiding the same for ever and ever.

We believe in a God of purposes and plans, who has not left a blind fate to tyrannize over the world, much less an aimless chance to rock it to and fro. We are not fatalists, neither are we doubters of providence and predestination. We are believers in a God "who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will." We do not conceive of the Lord as having gone away from the world, and left it and the inhabitants thereof to themselves; we believe in Him as continually presiding in all the affairs of life.

We, by faith, perceive the hand of the Lord giving to every blade of grass its own drop of dew, and to every young raven its meat. We see the present power of God in the flight of every sparrow, and hear His goodness in the song of every lark.

We believe that "the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof;" and we go forth into it, not as into the domains of Satan where light comes not, nor into a chaos where rule is unknown, nor into a boiling sea where fate's resistless billows shipwreck mortals at their will; but we walk boldly on, having God within us and around us, living and moving and having our being in Him, and so, by faith, we dwell in a temple of providence and grace wherein everything doth speak of His glory.

We believe in a present God wherever we may be, and a working and operating God accomplishing His own purposes steadfastly and surely in all matters, places and times; working out His designs as much in what seemeth evil as in that which is manifestly good; in all things driving on in His eternal chariot towards the goal which infinite wisdom has chosen, never slackening His pace nor drawing the rein, but for ever, according to the eternal strength that is in Him, speeding forward without pause.

We believe in this God as being faithful to everything that He has spoken, a God who can neither lie nor change. The God of Abraham is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and He is our God this day. We do not believe in the ever-shifting views of the Divine Being which differing philosophies are adopting; the God of the Hebrews is our God, -- Jehovah...the Mighty One, the covenant keeping God, -- "this God is our God for ever and ever: He will be our Guide even unto death."

(An All-Round Ministry, C.H. Spurgeon, Pgs 4-6. Banner of Truth Trust.)

A Dying Breed.

Is Theological Excellence Dying a Premature Death?

This week the evangelical Christian world experienced a conflict of emotions, sadness and sorrow at the passing of John Stott, but also joy in knowing that he has now seen the God and Saviour he spent his life serving. Indeed the Church, owes much to John Stott, his contribution has been invaluable, and many of us have benefited from his work. Sure John Stott, like all of us, was not perfect, his theology had its faults; but he had a sharp mind, an ability to express himself with clarity and was able to communicate great and deep truths with simplicity.

We live in a time when the world is rich with great theological minds, Packer, Mohler, Carson, Grudem, Horton, Wells, to name a few. The problem is, if you look at this list, these men are not young, in fact most of them are approaching retirement age, that is if they retire! Which has made me think, were is the next wave of sharp, acute, clear minded, Biblically grounded theologians coming from, is there another wave, or are we about to enter into a time of drought?

Has the cry of our generation, “The Church must be relevant to the post-modern age”, led us into the trap of spending more time debating and studying culture, and people, to the point that we have neglected Theology? Have the subjects of relevance, pop-culture, psychology and management, become more important and of greater benefit to the church than studies in theology? Surely, we know that even if you understand the times, culture, post-modernism and people, but are lacking in theological knowledge that you will not be able to minister and teach the Gospel effectively? Would not the continued practise of this produce churches that are a mile wide, but an inch deep? Is this not already the case in so many churches, happy with superficial truths, that keep the numbers up, and steering clear of the deep, profound and the difficult truths of Bible, so as not to bore people, or risk being irrelevant? Is not the writing on the wall already, by virtue of the fact that “Church Growth”, “Effective Leadership, and “Purpose Driven….” books out sell, the latest theological works by some of the sharpest minds of our time?  Does that not then reveal that our desire for numerical growth, and personal success, is more important than the maturity, spiritual growth and nourishment of our congregations?

Are Packer, Mohler, Carson, Grudem, Horton and Wells part of a dying breed? Has the office of theologian ceased, come to a disturbing and premature end?

Troubling questions, mean troubling times!

Let Spurgeon’s word instruct us here, this quotation comes out of chapter 15, The Necessity of Ministerial Progress, of Lectures to My Students. Spurgeon states that the base, the starting point to growing and going forward in our progress as ministers is theology.

“Study the Bible, dear brethren, through and through, with all the helps that you can possibly obtain: remember that the appliances now within the reach of ordinary Christians are much more extensive than they were in our fathers’ days, and therefore you must be greater biblical scholars if you would keep in front of your hearers. Intermeddle with all knowledge, but above all things meditate day and night in the law of the Lord.

Be well instructed in theology, and do not regard the sneers of those who rail at it because they are ignorant of it. Many preachers are not theologians, and hence the mistakes which they make. 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. Nowadays we hear men tear a single sentence of Scripture from its connection, and cry ‘Eureka! Eureka!’ as if they had found a new truth; and yet they have not discovered a diamond, but a piece of broken glass. Had they been able to compare spiritual things with spiritual, had they understood the analogy of the faith, and had they been acquainted with the holy learning of the great Bible students of ages past, they would not have been quite so fast in vaunting their marvellous knowledge. Let us be thoroughly well acquainted with the great doctrines of the Word of God, and let us be mighty in expounding Scripture.

I am sure that no preaching will last so long, or build up a church so well, as the expository. To renounce altogether the hortatory discourse for the expository would be running to a preposterous extreme; but I cannot too earnestly assure you that if your ministries are to be lastingly useful you must be expositors. For this you must understand the Word yourselves, and be able so to comment upon it that the people may be built up by the Word. Be masters of your Bibles, brethren: whatever other works you have not searched, be at home with the writings of the prophets and apostles. ‘Let the Word of God dwell in you richly’”

“For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.” Ezra 7:10

Time, Do You Have Time, Time To Pray?

Time, I need more time, I never seem to have enough of it. Too many things to do, and too little time to do them. So what we do? Well we set up our schedule, we draw up how we will manage our time, we plan our day, each task having its appointed slot and time. When we do this we are typically asking ourselves what is the most important task I have to do today, is it my sermon prep, visiting the sick, Bible Study prep or having a elders meeting? That which is most important to us, to our job and our day gets the prime slot and the largest amount of time, the rest is placed here and there around that which we perceive to be the most important.

I believe, sadly because I know it is true of myself, that we often neglect the most important disciplines and tasks of our calling as pastors, and that is the reading of the Scriptures and prayer. It is this second discipline that I wish to discuss with you today.


When we plan our week and our day, are we planning and putting time aside for prayer? How do we regard that time, as a time and practice that can be moved around, possibly neglected for a day or two due to other pressing demands. Where does prayer rank on our list of pastoral priorities?

It appears that we don't hold prayer in very high regard, due to the fact that many of us are so ill-disciplined in regards to prayer. We seldom feel guilty for neglecting it, and few us regard it as a task of primary importance, occupying the best time of the day, and giving it more than just 5 to 10 minutes of our time.

The reality should be that we have such a high regard and desire for prayer that we count it not only as of primary importance, but should ensure that every day we engage in prayer, at an appointed time which is never moved, shortened, or neglected.

You reaction may be, your being legalistic, why must it be so strict, so black and white?
Surely prayer should be something prompted by the Holy Spirit, spontaneous, never fixed?

Yes prayer should be prompted by the Holy Spirit, but the truth of the matter is that the Holy Spirit is prompting us to pray throughout the day, every waking moment. But we have become experts at neglecting, turning a deaf ear and ignoring that prompting.

The reason why we need to be so strict on ourselves, why we should not allow ourselves any room for leniency in area is for the following reason. If up until now we have been simply saying to ourselves, I will pray later, I am busy now, or I will wake up early tomorrow and start then, I haven't time to pray, so I will pray double tomorrow. If all these false promises, and in some cases good intentions have failed to motivate us to pray, then we mustn't fool ourselves into thinking that in a sudden moment one day the discipline and desire for prayer will come and we shall struggle no more. No, prayer is a discipline that needs to practiced and nurtured until it becomes a natural part of our day, as natural and necessary to us as breathing.

The only way we shall become men that pray is if we start to discipline ourselves now, and so I challenge both you and myself to make every concerted effort to have a scheduled time for prayer every day, that is not moved or shortened under any circumstances. Surely if we plan our time well and wisely, we shall know when the best slot for that time in our day is. But let us no longer allow ourselves to make pithy and pathetic excuses.

Prayer is the lifeline and lifeblood of our calling, to neglect it will leave us in poor spiritual health and our hearers in worse health. Let us become men of prayer, men who love prayer, who live by prayer, and who are able to stand in the pulpit knowing we have spent much time on our knees before God, pleading with Him to grant us the salvation of souls and the sanctifying of believers.

May the Lord be gracious to us for have neglected prayer for so long, and may He, through the divine assistance of the Holy Spirit, grant us the resolve, determination, desire and strength to make prayer a priority and a passion for us all.


I have been reading through Charles Spurgeon's "Lectures to My Students", and in his chapter on prayer I was particularly convicted, below are some quotes from that chapter, and I would whole-heartedly recommend the book, a must read for every pastor in the ministry.


"Prayer will singularly assist you in the delivery of your sermon: in fact nothing can so gloriously fit you to preach as descending fresh from the mount of communion with God to speak with men. None are so able to plead with men as those who have been wrestling with God on their behalf." Pg 50

"But how dare we pray in the battle if we never cried to the Lord while buckling on the harness! The remembrance of his wrestlings at home comforts the fettered preacher when in the pulpit: God will not desert us unless we have deserted him. You, brethren, will find that prayer will ensure you strength equal to your day." Pg 51

"My brethren, let me beseech you to be men of prayer. Great talents you may never have, but you will do well enough without them if you abound in intercession. If you do not pray over what you have sown, God's sovereignty may possibly determine to give a blessing, but you have no right to expect it, and if it comes it will bring no comfort to your own heart." Pg 52

"The minister who does not earnestly pray over his work must surely be a vain and conceited man. He acts as if he thought himself sufficient of himself, and therefore needed not to appeal to God. Yet what baseless pride to conceive that our preaching can ever be in itself so powerful that it can turn men from their sins, and bring them to God without the working of the Holy Ghost. If we are truly humble-minded we shall not venture down to the fight until the Lord of hosts has clothed us with all power, and said to us, 'Go in this thy might.' The preacher who neglects to pray much must be very careless about his ministry. He cannot have comprehended his calling. He cannot have computed the value of a soul, or estimated the meaning of eternity. He must be a mere official, tempted into the pulpit because of the piece of bread which belongs to the priest's office is very necessary to him, or a detestable hypocrite who loves the praise of men, and cares not for the praise of God. He will surely become a mere superficial talker, best approved where grace is least valued and a vain show most admired. He cannot be one of those who plough deep and reap abundant harvets. He is a mere loiterer, not a labourer. As a preacher he has a name to live and is dead. He limps in his life like the lame man the Proverbs, whose legs were not, for his praying is shorter than his preaching." Pg 54

(All quotes taken from Lectures to My Students, by Charles Spurgeon. Pbulished by Christian Focus Publications. 2008)

Please feel free to share ways and means that you have of ensuring that you remain disciplined in your prayer life.