Charles Spurgeon has been adequately described as one of those preachers who appears once every 100 years, in whom all the powerful gifts that are useful to the ministry are deposited. His life and work remain today, more than 100 years after his death, encouraging and encouraging. stimulating gospel ministers for the third millennium.
Any study of Spurgeon’s ministry immediately reveals a man obsessed with evangelism. From the time of his conversion to the day of his death, Spurgeon maintained an intense concern for souls. He was a fan of all good manners. As a pastor, he took the apostolic council very seriously to do the work of an evangelist, and he diligently tried to arouse evangelical concern among his church members and his fellow preachers.
- This confuses some scholars of Spurgeon’s life.
- Because with this evangelical fervor (and.
- We might say.
- Despite contemporary statements to the contrary).
- He never abandoned his deep attachment to the doctrines of Grace.
- Proclaimed what is called.
- In the popular hall.
- “Calvinism”.
- He did so not out of devotion to a man or a philosophical system.
- But because he was convinced that all the truths that have historically always been under this banner were nothing but biblical Christianity; it was this understanding that enabled him to preach to Christ in such a simple and convincing way.
Some who disagree with Spurgeon’s theology, but appreciate his evangelization, have trouble reconciling their beliefs and practice. These people generally refer more or less to the following: Yes, Spurgeon was Calvinist; however, despite this, he was an evangelist. However, such an analysis is not correct. It would be better to say: it is clear that Spurgeon was Calvinist and therefore an evangelist, his dedication came from his doctrine and his faith guided his practice.
It is at this stage, perhaps more than anywhere else, that the Prince of Preachers has much to teach today’s shepherds. Over the past 25 years, many have resorted to Spurgeon’s theology. This theological renewal is unfolding. But what we have not seen is a growth to the extent of the kind of evangelization practiced by Spurgeon, which should alarm all those who want to see an authentic and biblical renewal spread in our churches.
There is a generation of shepherds who grew up with evangelism in the model of after-sales art. Some of the textbooks of modern evangelism differ very little from The Art of the Deal, written by Donald Trump (a millionaire today). This type of evangelism has done great damage to the churches, filling them with irreversible people and finally confusing believers about the true nature of Christianity. Such evangelization is mortal and must be rejected. But, as Jesus warned, when an unclean spirit abandons a man, if that spirit is not replaced, he will soon return and bring with him seven other spirits worse than him, will he?and this man’s last state is worse than the first (Mt 12:45). False evangelization must be replaced by true evangelization, and Spurgeon can show us the way, especially in terms of internal attitudes and desires.
Spurgeon was Calvinist with? C? Shift and a Baptist with?B? In capital letters, but his CRISTIANISM was written entirely in capital letters. At a student conference at a pastoral school, he recognized that it was desirable to try to turn a paidobaptist into a Baptist and to help the Arminians see that salvation is entirely through grace. But, he said, our main objective is not the reversal of opinions, but the regeneration of nature. Should we bring men to Christ and not to our particular views on Christianity?Proselytists belong to the Pharisees. ; regenerating men for God is an honorable goal of Christ’s ministers.
It is virtually impossible to find a printed Spurgeon sermon that does not contain appeals to the unconverse. They are full of allegations, arguments, warnings, and instructions for sinners, calling and inviting them to come unto Christ. Purgeon’s attitude is reflected in John Bunyan’s portraits. of a true gospel minister in The Pilgrim. In his first sermon at New Park Street Church, he used this scene to describe how the gospel minister should consider the souls of men and women:
João Bunyan paints us the portrait of a man whom God wanted to guide towards heaven; Have you noticed how beautiful this photo is? This man has a crown of life on his head, the earth is under his feet, he is as if pleading with men and with the best of books in his hands. Oh! How I want to be that kind of preacher for a moment; he could reason with men, as João Bunyan describes it. We are all ambassadors for Christ and, as such, we must plead with men, as if God were speaking to them through us. How I love to see a preacher cry! How I love to see a man capable of weeping for sinners, a man whose soul longs for the wicked, as if he could somehow lead them to the Lord Jesus Christ! I cannot understand a man who steps up to the pulpit and presents a cold, indifferent speech, as if he is not interested in the souls of his listeners. I believe that the true minister of the gospel is one who has a real desire for souls, manifested in an attitude similar to that of Rachel, when she shouted: “Give me children or I will die. ” This minister will also cry out to God, to see the Lord’s elect born and brought to God. And, as I think, every true believer must be extremely jealous when praying for the souls of the wicked; And when they do, God blesses them abundantly and the church prospers. However, beloved ones, even if you see damned souls, how few care about them! Sinners can sink into the mire of misfortune; yet few tears are shed for them! The whole world can be carried by a torrent to the precipice of damnation and yet how few really cry out to God on behalf of these people! How many men say: “Oh! May my head become water and my eyes a source of tears! So would the dead of the daughter of my people cry day and night? We do not mourn before God the loss of the soul of men, as it would be good for Christians to do.
Spurgeon argued that not only certain types of preachers can gain souls; in fact, every preacher should work seriously to keep his listeners safe.
Unless conversions are constantly observed, a bitter cry to God must be raised in all our congregations. If our preaching never saves a soul (and this is not common), shouldn’t we better glorify God as farmers or merchants?What honor can the Lord receive from useless preachers?The Holy Ghost is not with us, nor does God use us for its glorious purposes, unless souls are awakened to eternal life. Brethren, can we bear to be useless?
For Spurgeon, this passion was inextinguishable. He saw, quite precisely, that the glory of God was at stake.
Again, if we are to be covered by the power of the Lord, we must feel an intense desire for the glory of God and the salvation of the children of men. Even when we are more successful, we must strive for more. If God has given us many souls, we must yearn for what we have a thousand times. The satisfaction of the results will be the slow death of progress. It’s not good for a man to think he can’t improve himself. He has no holiness, if he thinks he’s useful enough. This fiery passion will inevitably determine the way a man preaches. On the one hand, he will make his efforts to be clear in his speech. You have to tell yourself: no; I can’t use that difficult word, because that poor lady sitting there wouldn’t understand me. I cannot emphasize this dark difficulty, for this poor soul may be concerned about such difficulty and not relieved by my explanation. If you like human beings, you’ll like difficult words less.
The purpose of seeing souls gained in Christ through preaching will also lead the preacher to work hard to be interesting. “How, in the name of reason, can souls be converted by sermons that numb people?”That’s why humor can play a legitimate role in preaching. Spurgeon felt that provoking a momentary laugh was a crime less serious than half an hour of deep sleep.
He is so categorical in this regard that it is easy to misunderstand him. Purgeon did not claim that the preacher was responsible for the evangelical success of his ministry; is responsible for being faithful to the task of evangelizing. God, in his sovereignty, will save those he wants, whenever and wherever he wants. Spurgeon never doubted it. However, he refused to allow us to forget that at the heart of a faithful ministry lies a deep passion for the souls of men and women. He said: “If sinners should be condemned, unless they jump into hell overlooking. our bodies; if they perish, let them perish with our arms and hands by touching their knees, begging them to stay; if hell fills up, unless it fills up despite our efforts, and no one enters it. unnoticed and undisceded by that person?
If our doctrine does not lead to devotion, something is wrong; We will not finish our task until the head, the heart and the hands agree; that sanctified integration of our personality will only be achieved when we see the Lord face to face. But we must strive to achieve this goal, here and now. Having received the gospel, we must engage in evangelism. And the more clearly we have assimilated the gospel, the more passionate we are in giving ourselves to evangelism.
Translation: Prof. Wellington Ferreira © Editor FIEL 2009
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