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Reading Biographies Together - Spurgeon (VI)
- 08/19/10
- 9
I’m a little bit bleary-eyed this morning. Let me explain. Yesterday I got up early and hit the road before 6 AM. I made my way to Hudson, Ohio, about 5 hours away, where I met up with Bob Bevington and Kevin Meath who, along with me, are co-founders of Cruciform Press. I then spent several hours recording the audio version of Sexual Detox, had dinner and then drove 5 hours back home. It was a really long day!
As I suppose you know, I released Sexual Detox as a free e-book about a year ago. However, since then it has been improved and expanded and edited and will be the first title we release through Cruciform Press. Stay tuned in September for that! We’ve got one book releasing each month after that (some written by authors you know, some by authors you don’t know) and they are looking really, really good.
But I digress. I am going to just jot down a very few thoughts about this week’s reading in Dallimore’s Spurgeon: A New Biography. I think that’s about all my tired brain will be able to handle. I’ll leave those who have read along to fill in the gaps (there are a few of you left, right?).
This week’s chapters looked to the daily life of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, focused on ten especially important years of Spurgeon’s ministry and then sought to introduce the man in a slightly more intimate way by looking to some of his personal characteristics.
One thing I enjoyed reading was the interaction between Spurgeon and Moody. Here was one of history’s greatest evangelists expressing his love and admiration for one of history’s greatest preachers (and vice versa). The two men had great respect for one another and did not feel the least bit of jealousy or competition. Their ministries seemed to complement one another very well.
I was also interested to read of Spurgeon’s changing preaching style and the reasoning behind the change:
By this time Spurgeon’s preaching had changed to some extent. During his first few years in London he had been full of physical as well as spiritual vitality, and that had been reflected in his speaking. He had moved about on the platfirm with unbounded vigor, had frequently dramatized what he was saying, and had given an oratorical flourish to many an element in his discourse. His manner was very natural, and the whole was characterized by his tremendous earnestness.
With the passing of the years his style had altered. As he had matured personally, there had come upon him a still greater determination to be able to say with Paul, “We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord.” He had become still more concerned lest by some oratorical gesture or some particularly striking statement he should draw attention to himself and should thereby cause his hearers to fail to see Christ. By 1875, in an effort to subdue the people’s tendency to be conscious of him as he preached, he had taken on a more conversational style of utterance, moved around very iittle during the sermon, and attempted to avoid anything that could look like mere human oratory, He prayed that as he preached he might be hidden behind the cross and longed that sinners should not be concerned with him but should look upon the Savior.
Spurgeon was conscious of his magnetism, of his power as an orator, and he deliberately dialed it back in order to ensure that people did not miss the message behind the messenger. That takes humility.
Next Week
For next Thursday, please read chapters 18 and 19. Then we’ll have just one week left to finish up the book.
Your Turn
The purpose of this program is to read biographies together. So if there are things that stood out to you in this chapter, if there are questions you had, this is the time and place to have your say. Feel free to post a comment below or to link to your blog if you've chosen to write about this on your own site.
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Comments (9)
Hi guys. I opted out to read along with you guys, but I found today’s comments from Tim, along with the excerpt so encouraging to read, I just had to drop a line.I want to grow in grace like Spurgeon in this way! I was able to preach for the first time at my church a few months ago and I tend to get pretty excited and move around. I want to make absolutely sure that this is not ever to draw attention to myself. Oh, how I need grace!
Concerning the Moody/Spurgeon relation, I thought I remember reading in Iaian Murray’s bio of Spurgeon that Spurgeon was actually quite concerned about some of Moody’s methods. Especially the “Inquiry rooms” that would be set up for people to come and pray or talk with Moody to “get saved” after each crusade. I may be remembering wrong, but I thought Spurgeon was very concerned and apprehensive about some of the things Moody and Sanky were doing.
Just my two cents,Grace to you all!Paul
@Tim: I am still out here reading along, too. :-)
@Paul: I’m sure your congregation appreciated your enthusiasm in preaching the Word with grace. Keep it up!
I continue to be encouraged that Spurgeon kept his focus on Jesus despite all the fame that he could have become engulfed by. Having such a following would be a great temptation to pride, but “he remained humble and was often utterly broken before the Lord.” I wonder how much his physical pain attributed to his brokenness.
I found chapter 17 amusing on Personal Characteristics, particularly the section on his smoking cigars and drinking alcohol.
I also enjoyed hearing of his encounters with Moody and how he handled John G. Gough.
I posted my summary here:
Spurgeon focuses on Christ
I loved Spurgeon’s response to the congregation’s LARGE gift of money and their stress that he spend it on himself - he did not, but rather invested in ministries. Then replied, “With me it is Christ or nothing….He is the sum of my ministry, my All-in-all” (p. 167).
Also, is anyone else shocked that he wrote 500!! letters per week (p. 169)? That’s 100/day if he took Wed & Sun off. What a heart of humility to love people in such a personal way. No wonder his congregation responded to his ailing health with, “We would rather have you for for merely six months than anyone else for the entire twelve!” (p. 174).
Tim,
I was particularly moved by the accounts of Spurgeon as a man of prayer. From other accounts I have read of Spurgeon, his contemporaries were more impressed with his praying than with his preaching, and they were in awe of his preaching. I have further comments on my blogsite
http://schoolofthesolitaryplace.blogspot.com
Thanks!!!
Tim, you write blogs like Spurgeon wrote letters. I hope you get some rest.
There were so many good things in these chapters to recall. I’ve enjoyed the latter part of this book even more than the first, I think! Yes, I’ve read ahead. :)
In my mind, Spurgeon’s chief characteristic is his cheerfulness. At least as presented in this book, that is what is most attractive about him to me.. I think it tempers that great energetic nature that he seemed to have had, making him PLEASANT to be around, apparently, whereas potentially he could have been an overbearing person.
I find this interesting because obviously he also experienced both physical and emotional suffering. When I’m ill (either physically or emotionally) I’m just a drag to be around, which is just ridiculous! :) Spurgeon’s clever quote when he flipped over that last step (I’m getting ahead here…) made me laugh. He seemed to have a wonderful ability to put people at their ease or to encourage them — even drive home a point! — despite his own pain or struggles. It’s such a part of his person that it “leaks” into His relationship to God in prayer — and in his spiritual fellowship with others. I love the stories on pages 178-179 of the spontaneous and cheerful nature of his prayer life. Even in dark moments of his soul, he often fought through to the laughter:
“I was wearied and depressed; and swiftly and suddenly as a lightning flash, this text laid hold of me: ‘My grace is sufficient for you!’ When I got home, I looked it up in the original, and finally it dawned upon me what the text was saying, MY grace is sufficient for THEE. ‘Why,’ I said to myself, ‘I should think it is!’ and I burst out laughing. It seemed to make unbelief so absurd…”
On another note, I am left with a question mark surrounding that great big, huge ministry that he ran like clockwork: HOW did he manage to keep it from becoming like so many of our modern-day “megachurches” — that is, a program-driven social club for good works? This is puzzling to me, and without the ability to see it working out for myself, it’s hard to get a good, clear, objective picture of what life was truly like among that community. We could use some of that wisdom in all our churches.
Good stuff here this week, and I’m looking forward to the next.
I’m still out here reading too. :) I found myself rather amused at the tone of the writing when discussing Spurgeon’s cigar smoking & occasional drinking. Like Dallimore felt he had to apologize for it.
I also continue to be amazed at the amount of work Spurgeon accomplished. However, I couldn’t help but reflect on the story of Moses & Jethro in Exodus 18 & wonder if Spurgeon might not have lived longer & accomplished even more if he had learned to delegate more. I know he did delegate some things, but he still did an extraordinary amount of work on his own and kept his hand in almost everything. It obviously caught up with him in regards to his health.
Hi Sheryl, That was an interesting comment on Moses and Jethro. I thought that was wise,and then I read somewhere that no where in scripture did God call Jethro to settle matters with Moses and the people of God. Moses was doing a great job, same as Spurgeon. Where did they get their energy, but must be by God almighty. Also, when Jethro was asked to join the Israealites, he chose to go back to his people rather then enter the prominised land.. I don’t where his people were spiritually, but I think they were not where Moses and his people were. How could he when he was with Moses who spoke with God and was with God in a special way headed for the prominised land. Just thought you would find this interesting. I did. How did Spurgeon do what he did? He said he learned more on the bed of pain then otherwise. Think of what he accomplished when he gave his all to God the author and finisher of his faith.Enjoy your comments, Anonymous
So I finally got my post on this week’s reading up….such as it is.