from 2020
Five Exhortations for the New Year from Spurgeon
December 30, 2020
Charles Spurgeon preached a plethora of New Year’s sermons during his pastorate at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. For Spurgeon, the arrival of a new year was a time that brought forth thinking on the Lord’s faithfulness and the Christian’s right response to the Lord in the new year. Five sermons preached at the Metropolitan Tabernacle highlight Spurgeon’s …
Why Spurgeon Loved the Incarnation
December 22, 2020
Charles Spurgeon used to tell a tale about an old church buried deep in the ground. He wrote: “at Raleigh, they say, the old church bells still ring at Christmas time, deep, deep, in the earth; and that it was a Christmas morning custom for the people to go out into the valley, and put …
Spurgeon’s Quest for Clarity: Five Ways to Grow In Your Preaching
December 16, 2020
Of the many gifts God gave Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892), one was a conviction as to the authority and sufficiency of the Word of God. As such, his forty years of pastoral ministry was marked by a quest for clarity in proclaiming that authority and sufficiency. Thou book of vast authority! thou art a proclamation from …
Counseling from the Pulpit: Spurgeon on Anxiety
December 8, 2020
Between COVID-19 and the presidential election, this year’s events have contributed to and exposed the always present sin of anxiety. Recently, the New York Times published an article highlighting a remedy—edible marijuana—which grows in usage and acceptability in our society. To combat the stress caused by the November 3rd election, some people turned to a …
Bible Reading and Prayer in the Marriage of Charles and Susie Spurgeon
December 1, 2020
Charles and Susie Spurgeon’s engagement in August of 1854 got off to a great start. There was no elaborate setting with balloons and fireworks—just a simple garden. It seems that Charles never said, “I love you,” to Susie until he was ready to say, “will you marry me?” Susie said “yes,” and such marked the …
Celebrating Thanksgiving by Thanks-Living
November 24, 2020
It is Thanksgiving season once again in America. This is the time of the year when we gather with family and friends to feast together, giving thanks for God’s goodness in the previous year. Here in 2020, however, Thanksgiving comes at a difficult time. For so many, this has been a year of isolation, uncertainty, …
The Pearl of the Psalms: Spurgeon on Psalm 23
November 17, 2020
Psalm 23 is undoubtedly one of the most well-known passages in Scripture. It adorns walls in faithful churches and fills frames in Christian homes. David’s song is portrayed in non-religious circles too, making appearances in many secular movies and other entertainment mediums. Though not often recited in its entirety, few are unfamiliar with the famous …
“United Adoration”: Spurgeon and Congregational Singing
November 11, 2020
The year was 1855 as controversy brewed about the pews of London over the publication of a hymn-book entitled, The Rivulet. Penned by the local minister Thomas Lynch, the book raised more than a few ministerial eyebrows for its lack of explicit Christian orthodoxy. The hymn-book quickly acquired the epithets, “pantheistic,” “written by a Deist” with “not one particle of …
Spurgeon on Union with Christ
November 3, 2020
Charles Spurgeon never ceased to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout his ministry. At the center of this gospel message was the doctrinal and experiential understanding of union with Christ. For the Prince of Preachers, union with Christ was the lifeblood of the trinitarian work of salvation. He proclaimed, “The first cause of your union …
Spurgeon on Pastoral Transitions
October 27, 2020
Founded in 1652, the New Park Street Chapel had been around for over 200 years when they called 19-year-old Charles Spurgeon to be their pastor in 1854. Like many other churches, this historic Baptist church went through many ups and downs throughout its long history. Reflecting on those pastoral transitions, Spurgeon shares nine lessons for …