Blog Entries from 2022

Four Ways of Serving God During Christmas

December 8, 2022

The Christmas season is a time of rest and celebration. But it is also a time of great opportunity. The workplace is filled with Christmas carols and decorations. Family gatherings bring Christians together with their unsaved loved ones. Neighbors exchange gifts and host neighborhood parties. Opportunities to serve the poor and needy abound. In all …

Six Reasons the Savior Was Born in a Stable

December 1, 2022

Every detail surrounding the incarnation is significant. The virgin birth, the parents from Galilee, the journey to Bethlehem, the line of David, the shepherd, the angels, and many others are all strands woven into the tapestry of God's work of redemption from the creation of the world. Therefore, every detail is worth meditating on, even …

“A Symbol of the Invisible”: Spurgeon’s Teaching on Animals

November 15, 2022

This is part two of a series on Spurgeon's teaching on animals. See Part 1 here. Perhaps the primary feature of Spurgeon’s thinking on animals is in using the animal world to illustrate spiritual truths. This can be seen particularly in his sermons. During a lecture to his students on preaching, Spurgeon once provided this basis …

Spurgeon: A Fighter and a Lover

November 2, 2022

Charles Spurgeon should not be interpreted as a theological sadist, deriving pleasure from pummeling his doctrinal opponents. That he was a notable defender of the faith, is without question. He fought against baptismal regeneration and the undermining of essential evangelical doctrines, which he saw as threats to the gospel. He was outspoken and took strong …

Spurgeon’s Associationalism after the Downgrade Controversy

October 25, 2022

Throughout his ministry, Spurgeon was a champion of Baptist associationalism. While he believed in the congregational autonomy of each local church, Spurgeon gladly partnered with other Baptist churches for the cause of missions, evangelism, and church planting. So he reinvigorated the London Baptist Association, often hosting and chairing meetings. He became active in the Baptist …

Spurgeon, the Sending Pastor

September 27, 2022

In the spring of 1861, the newly-constructed Metropolitan Tabernacle opened for services. This magnificent building in London was constructed debt-free and provided a home for the thousands who were coming week after week to hear pastor Charles Spurgeon. But even as Spurgeon celebrated the new meeting space, he was also burdened by a massive spiritual …

Spurgeon Library Update – Fall 2022

September 20, 2022

The 2022-23 academic year has begun at Midwestern Seminary, and at the Spurgeon Library, we are excited about the year ahead. As a new feature on spurgeon.org, we would like to provide occasional updates on the work that is happening here. Recent Publications In August, we saw the release of Spurgeon the Pastor. My goal for this …

Christ Is Precious

September 12, 2022

Public speaking is hard. Extemporaneous speaking is even harder. But then again, on any given day, we find ourselves speaking spontaneously about the things that we love: a favorite sports team, a fun memory, a movie we recently enjoyed, and more. Perhaps the secret to extemporaneous speaking is simply to speak on a subject that …

The Waterbeach Pulpit – The Lost Sermons of C. H. Spurgeon, Vol. 7

September 1, 2022

It is easy to recount the story of C. H. Spurgeon’s arrival in London as a kind of Elijah story. In 1 Kings 17, Elijah comes on the scene suddenly with virtually no background information, and he goes on to play a pivotal role in Israel’s history. Likewise, many in Spurgeon’s day wondered at this …

Spurgeon on Expositional Preaching

August 29, 2022

Spurgeon believed that the power of the pulpit lay not in the preacher, but in the Word of God. Therefore, he believed that preachers should preach expositional sermons. These were sermons that took a text of Scripture as their main theme and sought to explain and apply those texts to the people. Spurgeon did not …