Category Archives: Spurgeon

On Disagreeing with Spurgeon

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I have been thinking and praying for weeks (maybe months now?), trying to find an easy way to write what is in my heart. This is a sensitive post, I know. I know many will agree and many will not, but it is burning deep within me, and I have decided to click the “publish button”.

I will use a few examples of one of the men who has been a very important and strong influence not only in my life, but in the lives of many of us, to try to explain what is in my heart, the man is Charles Spurgeon.

What would you think of a preacher today whose chief project at a certain time in his ministry would be raising money for a new church building? Well, Spurgeon did this. The estimated cost to build the new Tabernacle was very high, so he started to accept more invitations to preach in many different places to receive more offerings.(1)

“Just before the building was ready to be opened, since the entire costs had not yet been met, a great bazaar was held to raise the remaining amount. This action caused questioning in many evangelical minds then, and it will do the same today.” (2)

I am sure, that if this were happening today, the next day we would see many, many bloggers pointing harshly at him.

The Tabernacle was a huge building with seating for about 3,600 people.(3) Yes, that is the number; a big one, right? Please, just imagine what many of us (and me too, probably) would be thinking of this today. We love the local church and most of us do not believe in mega-churches. Spurgeon, the man we all love to quote, however, pastored one.

OK, if by now you are surprised, read the next:

“People who wished to attend regularly paid for a seat on a three-months’ basis and were admitted by ticket. Others remained outside till five minutes before the beginning of the service, at which time the restriction was removed and the crowd rushed in and filled the rest of the building.” (4)

I dare to say I don’t agree at all with Spurgeon on these practices. However, I must also admit that he has been a man that through his written word has influenced my life tremendously. I have learned so much from him, his teachings have been, without a doubt, a blessing to the Church of Christ.

So what is it that is in my heart?

I want to be free in this space to say, for example, that John Piper’s teachings have been (and still are) a strong pillar in my faith. Do I agree with everything he does and with all the friends he has? No. But I would never dare to say that he is not a godly man. God forbid.

Mac Arthur, Carson, Horton, Tim Challies, The Pyro-Team, The Gospel Coalition, The Resurgence, my beautiful friends on the blogsphere, the Puritans, my dearest friends in another country, my sister, all of them have taught me something, and no, I don’t always agree with every one of their words; but I am willing to learn from them, and even change my points of view when Truth demands so.

My family has been blessed greatly by Douglas and Nancy Wilson, by their ministry, their books, and the Church he pastors. We have not seen, anywhere, a church that practices the gospel in such a vivid way as theirs. They are an example to us on how to live the Christian life in obedience to the Word, with joy, practicing hospitality and living in community. Do we agree then with every single word we have read in their books/blogs? No, not necessarily; but we count it as a wonderful gift of the Divine Providence that our son is a member of their church.

I love Ann Voskamp, she is my friend, and has been a blessing to me many times; I always give thanks to God for her. I don’t agree with some of the things she has written, but again, I cannot, no matter what, dare to say that she is not a child of God. Each one of us is still short-sighted; each one of us is still in the process of Sanctification, and each one of us will give account of our own words before the Lord.

I have a few friends who are passionate about contending for the truth, and I love them and respect them very much. I too was in the wrong church under false teaching for many years, but I do not always agree with their tone of voice. Does that mean that I love them less? Not at all; I need them as part of the body of Christ in which we belong together.

Let me come back to our dear Spurgeon again. He knew that none of us in infallible, and he dared to say,

“I am a great lover of John Bunyan, but I do not believe him infallible…” (you may read the rest here)

Note please, that I am NOT, NOT, NOT (yes, I want to make this clear) advocating for pluralism or relativism. Certainly not. I love doctrine very much and I believe in contending for the faith. At the same time, I pray I will grow in discernment every day, because the Bible says that the days in which we are living are evil. I read the Word, study it, memorize it in order to have the Truth well planted in my heart; I long to live by it and be obedient to it. Borrowing the words of Erik Raymond I say: “While I believe that in some cases controversy is not only helpful but essential (see the recent Rob Bell firestorm), I don’t believe a steady diet of it is.” (emphasis mine)

Friends, I, too, once read the wrong books. I, too, listened wrong teachings for many years, but God had mercy on me when I did not expect  it. His grace reached my stubborn and prideful heart and granted me the gift of repentance. It is my prayer that God will reach deep into my heart even now, and change me more and more. I pray I will always have a teachable heart, humble enough to say, “I am still learning, I do not have it all right.”

We are still of this fallen world, and that is one of the reasons I long for Jesus to come. I long for the New Creation, because on that day, the children of God will be sharing one table. We will be able to see clearly, and we will feast and rejoice in the One who is the Author of our Faith. And those wolves who have deceived many while hiding among the sheep will be judged by the Only One worthy to open the seal of the Book, and He will cast them out into the eternal fire.

Meanwhile, let us be ready, abiding in the Word, spending more time in the Word than anywhere else; the only book that is infallible is God’s Word.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” I Timothy 3:16- 17

God help us,

Becky

(1) Spurgeon, A New Biography by Arnold Dallimore, Banner of Truth p.94
(2) ibid. p.97
(3) ibid. p.98
(4) ibid p.98

Your Word has Caused Me to Hope by Susannah Spurgeon

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Shiloh Photography©

 

“Not that we loved God — but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:10

As the precious balm of Gilead, or the cassia and sweet calamus of the holy anointing oil — so these blessed words came into my dull and aching heart this morning. Dear Lord, I thank You for them; You have taken them from Your own Book, and spoken them to me with Your living, loving voice — and they have quickened me to love You!

With shame and sorrow, I had brought to You my hard and insensible heart. I could only groan out my utter lack both of faith and feeling before You. The very desire to love You — seemed to lie fettered and powerless within me; only an occasional struggle revealing its bare existence. Then, Lord, while I knelt in Your presence, with bowed head and troubled spirit — tears and sighs my only prayers — and You whispered those sweet words in my ear, and they brought light and liberty to my captive soul! Blessed be Your dear Name for this glorious deliverance!

It is not my poor, cold, half-hearted love — which is to satisfy and comfort me; but Your love — great, and full, and free, and as eternal as Yourself! Surely, I had known this before, Lord; but I had shut myself up in unbelief until, in Your sweet mercy — You spoke the Word which released me from my bonds, opened my prison doors, and led me out into the sunshine of true peace in believing!

“Not that we loved God!” No, and that is the sad wonder and mystery of our unrenewed life, dearest Master. Not to have loved You — is our greatest guilt and shame. It was even worse than this with us, for we were enemies, by wicked works — to Him who claimed the most ardent and grateful love of our souls! We had put ourselves in an attitude of defiance against our best Friend; or if not openly defiant, we were totally forgetful of Him to whom our heart’s allegiance was justly due.

“Not that we loved God!” Ah, dearest Lord, You know how deeply, sadly true this was of me — and how I mourn over the years spent without love to You, and at a distance from You! O hard heart, O blind eyes, O poor, dull, sluggish soul — that could be unmindful of the strivings of God’s Spirit, could deliberately neglect the pleadings of a Savior’s love, and see no beauty in One who is “altogether lovely!”

“But that He loved us!” Here is . . .
a blessed contrast,
the antidote for sin’s sting,
light after darkness,
hope after despair,
life after death!

Lord, my soul flings itself on this glorious fact, this saving truth — as a drowning man seizes upon a life-belt thrown to him in the surging sea! If You do not love me and save me — I must perish forever. But there is no question of sinking — when Jesus saves; no fear of losing life — when He loves.

O my Lord, how I thank You for this precious Word upon which You have caused me to hope! Now, all the day long, my heart shall sing over the safety and blessedness of being freely loved — instead of fretting about the sad lack of my poor love to You.

“Not that we loved God” — is darkness, and bitterness, and eternal destruction!

“That He loved us” — is light and pardon, peace and everlasting life!

Susannah Spurgeon

Becky

via Grace Gems

 

Come to the Lord’s Vineyard Today

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“Our longest sorrows have an ending, and there is a bottom to the
profoundest depths of our misery. Our winters shall not frown
forever; summer shall soon smile. The tide shall not eternally ebb
out; the floods must retrace their march. The night shall not hang
its darkness forever over our souls; the sun shall yet arise with
healing beneath its wings.

 

Despair not, then, afflicted believer; He that turned the captivity
of Job can turn your captivity. He shall make your vineyard again to
blossom and your field to yield her fruit. You shall again come
forth with those that make merry, and once more shall the song of
gladness be on your lip.

 

 

Let not despair rivet his cruel fetters about your soul. Hope yet,
for there is hope concerning this matter. Trust still, for there is
ground of confidence- He shall bring you up again, rejoicing, out
of captivity, and you shall yet sing to His praise–
“You have turned my mourning into dancing: you have
put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness.”

C.H. Spurgeon

 

 

Let us come to the vineyard with our Lord, and eat from the sweet fruit of His precious Word today.

Becky

Praying the Psalms -Psalm 130-

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Summer is here, and for me summer is the time to study the Psalms in depth. Last year I used Calvin’s commentary as my guide; and this summer I will be led through them by Spurgeon. This week I have been meditating on Psalm 130, and as I read Spurgeon’s commentary, I was impressed on the richness of this wonderful Psalm, and how much I need to pray it. This Lord’s day my prayer is based on this Psalm as well as on Spurgeon’s reflections.

Psalm 130

My Soul Waits for the Lord

A Song of Ascents.

Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!

Father of Lights, All Merciful King, let my life be a progression, an ascent to you. Never going back, but always growing, always from glory to glory until the day I see your face and find my joy fulfilled. Oh LORD, that I may always cry to you, no matter where I might be, no matter how depth the valley or how scary the storm; that you may always hear my voice calling your name which is mighty to save at all times. Let me walk this week whispering prayers, laying down at your feet, with an audible voice, my cares, my concerns, the deepest longings of my heart knowing that you hear me.

 

O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

Hear me, hear my prayer, O Father!  To know that you hear my prayer is my only hope, my only comfort in the valley. That I may not forget that you are a God who delights in hearing the prayer of his people, of his children! Lord, open my mouth, that I may utter all day prayers before you! Why should I keep quiet if you hear me? Why should I remain silent if my Heavenly Father has ears for my prayers?

 

If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.

Father, it is true, “none fear the LORD like those who have experienced his forgiving love. Gratitude for pardon produces far more fear and reverence for God than all the dread which is inspired by punishment”  O God, amen,  I fear your name, which is holy, because of your amazing grace has been manifested to me. You have seen my heart, you have searched within me and have not found anything good in me; yet, in spite of all my iniquities and for the sake of Jesus Christ, my Mediator, it has pleased you not to count me among the condemned, among those who have no hope; you have not marked all my iniquities, and now in Jesus I can stand before the Most Holy and find forgiveness. I bow with all reverence and fear your goodness.

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.

Father, because I know that you hear me, I can now wait on You knowing that if it pleases You to make me wait, I will wait with all my heart because those who wait on the Lord are blessed indeed!  Help me remember that the waiting itself is beneficial for my soul as it “tries my faith, helps me exercise patience, trains me in submission, and helps me endear the blessing when it comes.” Father, help me to persevere as I wait on you in the study of your Holy Word and prayer, because “Your Word O LORD, is a firm ground for a waiting soul to rest upon.” Father, give me the determination to wake up early every day, strengthen my body that I may wake up before my family, to pray earnestly for each one of them. That I may not be distracted by anything! That my first words every day bring glory to you. Lord, I want to seek you diligently, with all perseverance, wholeheartedly;  I want to wait for you even more than the watchman for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the LORD!
For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.
And he will redeem Israel
from all his iniquities.

God, you are my only hope; in you alone is steadfast love, and plentiful redemption! You have crowned me with these three, what else should I want?

I love you, O Lord, my Redeemer!

Becky

 

>Summer Children’s Art Gallery -Marco T.-

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>Welcome to the grand-opening of the Summer Children’s Art Gallery!

Today I am very proud to show you what my nephew Marco has drawn: Achilles Hit by an Arrow.

Marco is 12 years old and lives in Canada with his beautiful family and a big dog. He loves to draw in his spare time and is ready to enjoy his summer.

Thank you Marco, for participating in this virtual gallery today. Your drawing made me think of these words of Spurgeon, that we all need to remember and consider carefully:

“A cunning enemy we have to deal with; he knows our weak points; he has been dealing with men for these last six thousand years; he knows all about them. He is possessed of a gigantic intellect—though he be a fallen spirit; and he is easily able to discover where our sore places are, and there it is he immediately attacks us. If we are like Achilles, and cannot be wounded anywhere but in our heel, then at the heel he will send his dart, and nowhere else.”

Becky

 

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