Tuesday, August 8, 2023

Charles Spurgeon

O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy

Habakkuk 3:2

Spurgeon writes, “In the present era there is a sad decline of the vitality of godliness. This age has become too much the age of form instead of the age of life. We have preachers who read their sermons out of manuscripts—a pure insult to almighty God. It may sound beautiful and eloquent, but where is the fervent preaching such as that of George Whitefield.

Whitefield’s sermons were not eloquent, but were rough and unconnected. But it was not in the words themselves, but in the manner in which he delivered them, the earnestness with which he felt them, the pouring out of his soul as he preached them. When you heard him preach, you felt like you were listening to a man who would die if he could not preach. Where, where is such earnestness today? One sad proof that the Church is in need of revival is the absence of earnestness which was once seen in Christian pulpits.”

Not that I agree with manuscripts being a disgrace, but I understand what Spurgeon is saying. We have become so performance-driven in ministry that we have lost our fervor for God. What about the fire? What about God's presence? We are so busy dotting the "I" and crossing the "t" that we lose sight of the whole point—God’s transformative power in the work of our lives.

PRAYER: Lord, send a revival. Lord, send a revival. Lord, send a revival, and let it begin in me.

Foster, R. J., & Smith, J. B. (2005). Devotional classics: Selected readings for individuals and groups. HarperSanFrancisco.