Spurgeon presentation

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Spurgeon presentation

• 15th November 2009

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The purpose of this study

• This study is not for the worship of a man, no
  matter how gifted he was
• His gifts came from God, the blessing came from
  God
• But there is a clear learning from the mans
  life
• There are clear lessons for us to take home and
  apply

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Timelines

• Born 1834, Kelveden, Essex
• 1835 Parents move to Colchester, he stays with
  Grandparents at Stambourne
• 1840 Moves home to Colchester
• 1848 Goes to St Augustines College, Maidstone
• 1849 Becomes pupil assistant at Newmarket,
  Cambridgeshire

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Timelines

• Saved January 1850 baptised May 1850
• Preaches first sermon 1850 364 sermons in 1st
  year
• Accepts pastorate at Waterbeach,
  Cambridgeshire,1851
• First preaches at New Park Street Chapel, 1853
• Accepts pastorate at New Park Street Chapel,1854
• 1855 Church expanded
• 1855 Church too small
• August 1855, decision made to move to bigger
  premises

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Timelines

• Marries Susannah Thompson, 1856, Jan 8th
• Twin sons born, (Thomas and Charles, 1856, Sept
  20th)
• 1858, first visit to Ireland
• 1859, Foundation stone of Metropolitan Tabernacle
  laid
• Opens new building (Metropolitan tabernacle
  1861)
• Opens boys part of Stockwell Orphanage 1867
• Opens girls part of Stockwell Orphanage 1879
• Alms houses supported throughout
• Membership of Tabernacle 5600
• Died 31st Jan 1892 on Feb 9th 60,000 people
  file past his casket

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Family

• Father a minister, grandfather a minister
• One of 17 children (nine of whom died)
• He spent a significant part of his childhood at
  his grand parents house (from 18 months old to 4
  or 5)
• Young Spurgeon used to gather his siblings in the
  stable and preach to them from the hayrack
• Spurgeon was not interested in sports and games
• He was a reader and had a good intellect

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Salvation

• Spurgeon knew the way of salvation from an early
  age
• He did not become a Christian until the age of 16
• He was converted at a primitive Methodist chapel
  by a preacher who had wondered if it was worth
  preaching because there were so few there
• The preacher had challenged Spurgeon directly
  about how sad he looked
• Spurgeon recognised this and was converted

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Baptism and calling

• Spurgeon had been brought up in a congregational
  background
• Was convinced from the Bible that he had to be
  baptised
• Was baptised in May 1850
• Started to preach almost immediately

• Preached 364 sermons in first year
• At age of 17 was called to pastor a church at
  Waterbeach in Cambridgeshire
• A small country church
• Displayed exceptional preaching ability and
  became more widely known

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The move to London

• Spurgeon spent about 18 months at Waterbeach
• He came to the attention of many people as a
  star of the future
• New Park Street chapel wrote and asked him to
  come and preach in 1853
• Spurgeon wrote back suggesting that they didnt
  realise how young he was
• They wrote back saying they did and would he come
  and preach
• He preached and then came back and preached for
  six months, at the end of which the church called
  him to be their pastor

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The situation in London

• Spurgeon was overawed at the prospect of a move
  to London (city of 2.36 million)
• He preached to 200 in the chapel at New Park
  Street (which seated 1200)
• In 1854, the building was too small!
• The building was expanded to accommodate another
  few hundred people
• In a number of months the expanded building was
  too small
• Resolved to move to new premises

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The Metropolitan Tabernacle

• A fund for a new building was started in 1858
• The new building was complete by 1861
• It seated 6000 people
• Attendance at the church was much larger many
  were still turned away

• During the interim, the church had met at the
  Exeter Hall and the Surrey hall which could seat
  10,000 and 8,000 respectively

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Church growth

• Substantial church growth
• Commentators attribute the growth to
• Spurgeons godly preaching
• The prayerfulness of the church members
• The church and the pastor were made for each
  other
• They shared the work

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Waterbeach chapel
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New Park Street Chapel
Start of Spurgeons ministry
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New Park Street Chapel
1 year into Spurgeons ministry
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Metropolitan Tabernacle
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Metropolitan Tabernacle
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The Metropolitan Tabernacle today
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Surrey Music Hall
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Surrey Music Hall
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Exeter Hall
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Facts

• Father and grandfather were ministers
• 17 children in Spurgeons family, but nine died
• Spurgeon often worked 18 hours per day
• Often preached 10 times/week
• He had 12,000 books in his library
• He wrote many hymns
• He suffered from depression
• He suffered from severe ill health throughout his
  life

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Ministries

• Spurgeon saw much need around him
• Regularly gave to other pastors and contacts
• He tried to meet needs with those who wanted to
  work alongside him
• Church pastorate
• Bible college
• Alms houses
• Orphanages
• Magazine
• Christian literature society

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Preaching

• Spurgeon was renowned as a tremendous preacher
• He was widely in demand
• In the early part of his ministry he travelled
  widely and spoke in many countries
• Over time he became less able to fulfil
  commitments because of his frequent illnesses
• Decided to stop travelling and focus on the
  church in London

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Preaching

• He was renowned for the following in his
  preaching
• His clarity
• His straightforwardness
• His depth
• His sincerity
• His humour
• His illustrations
• His relevance

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Humour

• Spurgeon was not a typical Victorian preacher
• He was well known for his humour
• He used humour to drive home many points
• He stated that a preacher should never be boring
• Effort should be put into holding the attention
  of the congregation

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Quotes

• Humility is to make a right estimate of one's
  self.
• Many men owe the grandeur of their lives to their
  tremendous difficulties.
• No one knows who is listening, say nothing you
  would not wish put in the newspapers.
• None are more unjust in their judgments of others
  than those who have a high opinion of themselves.
  
• Of two evils, choose neither.
• Sincerity makes the very least person to be of
  more value than the most talented hypocrite.
• Trials teach us what we are they dig up the
  soil, and let us see what we are made of.

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Quotes

• There is growing up in Society a Pharisaic
  system which adds to the commands of God the
  precepts of man, to that system I will not yield
  for an hour.
• I shall endure upbraidings and sneering so
  long as I feel clear in my conscience before
  God.
• Dont give prominence to small issues
• He stated There is no word so hateful in all the
  world to me as Spurgeonism the work of
  forming a new sect I leave to the devil. I preach
  no new gospel and have no desire to separate
  myself (p124) he valued the communion of the
  saints and tried to promote it.

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Quotes

• Spurgeon's godly mother later said to him, "Ah,
  Charles! I often prayed the Lord to make you a
  Christian, but I never asked that you become a
  Baptist." Spurgeon could not resist the
  temptation to reply, "Ah, mother! The Lord has
  answered your prayer with His usual bounty, and
  given you exceeding abundantly above what you
  asked or thought."

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The pastors college

• The pastors college was started in 1856
• Intended to train men to preach more effectively
• No fees were charged
• All candidates were interviewed
• During Spurgeons lifetime, more than 900 men
  went through the college
• Almost 200 new churches were planted in Britain
  by the college graduates

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The orphanages

• Spurgeon saw many destitute children in his area
• He resolved to do something about this
• His orphanages were as much like a home as
  possible
• Children organised into families (of 30)
• The majority of those who came through the
  orphanages lived good lives and were benefitted

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Boys orphanage (built 1866)
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The Magazine

• Spurgeon saw the opportunity to spread truth
  through a magazine
• Started in 1865
• Issued monthly
• Used to address current issues
• Used to teach foundational truths
• Used to address the questions of readers

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The controversies

• The stampede (1856)
• The baptismal regeneration debate withdrawal
  from Evangelical Alliance (1864)
• The downgrade debate withdrawal from Baptist
  Union (1888)
• Leaving the Baptist Union as a result of
  increased liberalism

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Statistics

• Before his death in 1892.
• He had preached to more than 10 million people
• He had published more than 2500 sermons

• He had published more than 49 volumes of
  commentaries, sayings, anecdotes, illustrations
  and devotions
• Today there are more writings and books by
  Spurgeon than by any other Christian writer

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What was his secret?

• Spurgeon was especially gifted
• He was a person who followed Gods will and ended
  in exactly the right situation for him
• He was devoted to God
• He saw prayer as highly important
• He had common sense and used it
• He was sensitive to need and tried to address it

• He was faithful to the Bible and not the
  conventions or expectations of others

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What was his secret?

• He studied the Bible intently
• He sought to understand what it said not impose
  his own restrictions on it
• He involved others and was dependent on them in
  many areas
• He did not see himself as better than others
• He was highly organised
• He thought things through intently
• He was able to use effective illustrations to get
  his point across

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What can we learn?

• Recognising and using gift in the church
• The importance of prayer
• The importance of teaching
• The need to challenge convention
• Use the latest technology and methods
• The need to work as a team
• The need for succession planning
• God always provides

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Conclusion
1 Corinthians 123 but we preach Christ
crucified a stumbling block to Jews and
foolishness to Gentiles 1 Corinthians 922 To
the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have
become all things to all men so that by all
possible means I might save some. 1 Corinthians
320-22 20and again, "The Lord knows that the
thoughts of the wise are futile. So then, no
more boasting about men! All things are yours,
22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world
or life or death or the present or the futureall
are yours, Colossians 323 Whatever you do,
work at it with all your heart, as working for
the Lord, not for men.
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Agenda

• Timelines born, converted, preached, married,
  died
• Ministries Pastorate, orphanage, pastors
  college, alms houses, book ministry, widespread
  preaching
• Significant people Wife, Father Olsen, his
  grandparents, his parents, his brother
• Quotes
• What made Spurgeon what he was?
• Zeal
• Love for God
• Prayer
• Intellect
• Giftedness
• Organisation
• Illness (time with God)
• What lessons can we learn?