Grace Blog
Counsel from Spurgeon on Christmas
My friend Tony Reinke has written an excellent blogpost about Charles Spurgeon’s counsel for his church members during the Christmas season in his sermon entitled “Going Home“. As Tony explains, Spurgeon’s “the aim of the message was to encourage each member of his congregation to humbly, wisely, and appropriately find opportunities to share their personal testimony with family and friends.” His sermon, based on the demoniac in Mark 5 going home after being converted, provides helpful practical instruction, including:
* Christmas is suited for sharing the gospel with family and friends.
* Aim to share the story of God’s grace in your life.
* By sharing we edify believers.
* By sharing we reach lost friends and family.
* Be alert for one-on-one opportunities to share your story.
* Don’t expect this sharing to be easy.
* Overcome this fear by sharing to honor your Savior.
* Share your story with gratitude to God.
* Share your story with humility.
* Share your story truthfully—don’t embellish it.
* Tell your story seriously—don’t share it flippantly.
* Don’t neglect your personal devotions during Christmas.
* Rest upon the Holy Spirit’s help to share.
* Remember that this story you share over the holidays is the story that will be on your lips eternally.
Take a look at Spurgeon’s sermon itself and the excerpts provided in Tony’s blogpost.
Labels: Advent, Cape Coral, Charles Spurgeon, Christmas, Grace Baptist Church | posted by TimBrister at 8:21 pm | Categories: Advent, Evangelism |
On Expository Listening
Follow on the heels of this morning’s study on “Expository Listening” from What Is a Healthy Church Member?, I would like to post a couple of quotes–one from Jay Adams and the other from Charles Spurgeon. These quotes speak directly to the responsibility of the hearer of God’s Word proclaimed.
Jay Adams:
“Too many laymen speak about the preaching event as if it were a one-way street, as if the responsibility for what transpires when the Bible is proclaimed rests solely on the shoulders of the preacher. But that’s not so! Effective communication demands competence from all parties.” (Taken from A Consumer’s Guide to Preaching)
Charles Spurgeon:
“We are told men ought not to preach without preparation. Granted, but we add, men ought not to hear without preparation. Which, do you think, needs the most preparation, the sower or the ground? I would have the sower come with clean hands, but I would have the ground well-plowed and harrowed, well-turned over, and the clods broken before the seed comes in. It seems to me that there is more preparation needed by the ground than by the sower, by the hearer than by the preacher.” (Taken from Spurgeon at His Best)
May our participation in hearing the Word of God be that fertile ground where the gospel seeds produces bountiful fruit in our lives to the glory of God and the good of our fellow members!
Labels: Charles Spurgeon, Expository Listening, Jay Adams, Thabiti Anyabwile, What Is a Healthy Church Member? | posted by TimBrister at 12:40 pm | Categories: Church Membership, Sunday School Stuff |
Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Free Download
For the month of December, ChristianAudio.com is giving away the first 90 days of Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening. For years, this devotional by Spurgeon has been my favorite to read (although Winslow’s Morning Thoughts is challenging it!). To download the audio, go here and remember to use “DEC2008″ as the coupon code to get it for free.
Labels: Charles Spurgeon, Morning and Evening | posted by TimBrister at 7:22 am | Categories: Resources |
