January 2, 2025

A snowstorm is forecasted to hit Kansas City over the weekend, and I’m reminded of one of my favorite stories from Charles Spurgeon’s life: the story of his conversion. As churches ponder whether they should cancel services, here’s an encouragement not to underestimate how God might work even through a snowstorm and a simple worship …

December 18, 2024

With the Christmas season upon us, we are reminded of God’s plan of salvation for His people; a plan which centered on the incarnation, death, and resurrection of His only begotten Son. We naturally meditate upon the reality of Christ’s work on behalf of sinners; a truth which ought to be on the forefront of …

December 11, 2024

To most modern Western Christians, it might be a surprise to discover that Spurgeon did not celebrate Christmas with the lights, bells, wreaths, and festivities that many of us enjoy today. Newspapers in the late 1800s show that the Metropolitan Tabernacle had no Christmas decorations and showed no signs of the holiday. In contrast to …

December 3, 2024

Just as Paul found allies and serious ministry partners in a few key women, Spurgeon found a special ministry partner in one woman whom he and others lovingly referred to as “his favorite deacon,” Mrs. Lavinia Strickland Bartlett.[1] Mrs. Bartlett is one of the Church’s and Charles Spurgeon’s lesser-known heroes of the faith who warrants …

November 22, 2024

As we enter the Thanksgiving season, many of us would recount the countless blessings the Lord has bestowed upon us. We recall how the good Lord has provided for us a roof above our heads, food on our tables, family that supports us, and friends that care for us. Yet, beyond these foundational blessings, how …

November 5, 2024

Charles H. Spurgeon was considered by many to be the greatest preacher of his generation and lived during the nineteenth-century revival of the celebration of Christmas in the US and England. He loved Christmas and welcomed the holiday season as an opportunity for reflection, rest, and being reunited with friends and family. In A Wondrous Mystery: …

October 31, 2024

In early 1887, C. H. Spurgeon published a paper in The Sword and the Trowel that, unbeknownst to him, would kindle a flame in the Baptist Union. This flame grew into the fiery debate, known as the Downgrade Controversy, that engulfed Baptists for the coming years. The altercation sent Spurgeon and the Baptist Union careening …

October 18, 2024

Every Christian should have a thorough grasp of the doctrine of Christ’s atonement. This doctrine presents Christians with the bedrock of assurance which can enable us to persevere through the often-unrelenting trials of life. Oftentimes, however, this doctrine is more assumed than understood. For his congregation, Spurgeon wanted to present a clear explanation of this …

October 4, 2024

Many Christians are happy to affirm Scripture's teaching of eternal assurance, sometimes summarized as "once saved, always saved." However, many are more hesitant when it comes to affirming the Reformed doctrine of effectual atonement or definite atonement, namely that by his death on the cross, Jesus not only made salvation possible, but He accomplished salvation …

September 26, 2024

Writing in 1889, after the Downgrade Controversy, Spurgeon wrestled with the question of unfaithful ministers and congregational accountability. Under the new modern theology, these ministers were using the language of historic Christianity, but redefining that language in rationalist and anti-supernatural ways. But how are churches to hold them accountable? As a congregationalist, Spurgeon believed that …