Book Review: "Lectures to My Students" by Charles Spurgeon

Lectures to My Students by Charles Spurgeon should be read by every pastor at least once. If you want to learn about preaching and pastoring, why not learn from one of the most effective communicators and soul-winners in history? This book is a collection of lectures he gave to students and future pastors at the Pastor's college. Spurgeon (1834-1892) has been given the title "the Prince of Preachers," due to his proliferation of Spirit-led preaching and the great number of people who became Christians as a result of his preaching. There are several biographies about Spurgeon, but for a short, helpful overview of his life, consider reading the "Heroes of the Faith" biography of Charles Spurgeon.

In this collection of 28 lectures, Spurgeon offers wisdom and practical advice on issues related to pastoral ministry and preaching, including: personal integrity, calling, prayer, choosing texts, preaching etiquette, the Holy Spirit, evangelism, dealing with interpersonal conflict, earnestness, and how to handle criticism. Some of my favorite chapters in this book were: "The Holy Spirit in Connection with Our Ministry," "Earnestness," "The Blind Eye and the Deaf Ear," and "Sermons--Their Matter."

I have countless underlinings in my book and notes in the margins--too many to share here. Walking away from this book, here are some of the main points that will stick with me:

1) The pastor must tend to his own soul and walk with Jesus before tending to the souls of others. Unless a pastor takes time to pray and read the Bible and serve and grow in his own joy in the Lord, he cannot serve others well. One cannot give away what one does not possess.

2) Any beneficial, eternally significant result of a sermon happens because of the saving activity of the Holy Spirit and the clear proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ. It matters not how well a man preaches or how charismatic is his personality if he does not have the anointing of the Holy Spirit. So, pastors must constantly pray for the Holy Spirit to work for them. Pastors must saturate everything they do with prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to cover and anoint their work, to move mightily among their flock, and to save lost souls. Only God can save people; we can not.

3) It is a great privilege to pray in a public church service. Do not seek to impress others with your words or knowledge. Do not say anything to detract from worship to God and glory to Him alone. Recognize that you are bringing not only your own request before God, but the requests of every believer present. Allow the different trials and blessings currently experienced by everyone in the church family to shape the content of your prayers. Be reverent, and be yourself. Written prayers are not necessary, but may be used some.

4) Preach Jesus Christ crucified in every sermon, because that is at the heart of the Gospel of Jesus. Preach Christ crucified and its implications for the lost, the found, the backslidden, the rich, the poor, the depressed, the hopeless, the elderly, the child, the man, and the woman.

5) Preach a combination of book-length and topical sermons, depending on the context in which you are preaching. Preach everything in the context of the larger text. If you are a traveling preacher, you obviously have but one sermon to preach with a crowd, so pray for divine wisdom as you discern which text to preach. While it appears that Spurgeon did not advocate preaching through a book of the Bible, it seems to me that his sermons would only have been further enhanced had they come in the context of series of sermons on the same book.

6) A preacher must be convinced of the urgency of the message he is preaching if he desires his audience to sense the same urgency. The preacher must be passionate and excited about the Word of God if he desires his flock to be the same. Do not be fake, but always remember the privilege you've been given to teach and preach the living Word of God, and allow your natural zeal for Jesus and his Word to fill you with authentic enthusiasm for preaching and hearing a message from God.

7) Seasons of depression, discouragement, and trial are to be expected. If you are preaching the Word of Christ, if you are united with Christ, you will suffer for Christ and with Christ. Make sure to give yourself regular breaks and Sabbaths, so that you can refresh your soul and reconnect with the Lord. Persevere, for God is with you.

8) Be a guy with whom other guys can relate. Socialize. Have some hobbies. Let others see you as a mere man, just as they are. This does not mean engaging in sin, but it does mean not putting oneself on a pedestal or allowing others to keep oneself there. Men and women want to know that you're a real person who struggles like they do, who enjoys the same things they do, and who lives where they live.

9) Embrace a balanced combination of studying books and studying life. While our primary energy should be spent in God's Word and studying it, also fill your extra time with commentaries and edifying reading. Head knowledge is no substitute for street knowledge, though. Learn about life wherever you can. Visit hospitals, jails, orphanages, and other places, so that you can enhance your worldview, your experiences, and your understanding of how the Gospel applies to the lives of everyone.

10) Conduct yourself privately and publicly in a way that is pleasing to God. Do not tout your intellectual and theological prowess. Do not constantly be in "attack mode," always looking for a spiritual discussion to win or a heresy to conquer. Stand firm in the truth of God's Word. Do not overreact or outburst during most theological discussions. Be patient with others, and maintain your humility. Act in a way that will win people to Christ and that will bring joy to the Lord.

11) Be yourself while preaching. Do not put your audience to sleep, but don't be someone you aren't. God has designed you with your unique personality and has sovereignly placed you to share His Word with the audience before you. Don't dramatize or act. Be genuine. Speak clearly and loudly and passionately. Vary the tone of your voice, so as not to be boring. Work at getting better at communicating. Preaching takes practice and more preaching to get better at it. Learn from excellent preachers, but be yourself, and make no apologies for that.

12) Expand your mission field by getting outside the church building. Get involved in the community. Eat where people eat, go to public parks, volunteer in local organizations, etc. Don't expect every lost soul to come to you. Jesus told us to go out and make disciples of all nations. Spend adequate time on your sermon, but get out and be with the sheep in their pasture.

13) Harsh comments will be thrown at you in ministry. You need to allow many of those comments to roll off your back. Consider what truth you may glean from all criticism, take the good, and leave the bad. Be able to bear some criticism. You don't really want others to think you're perfect, and you certainly don't want to be in danger of considering yourself flawless, do you? Don't allow comments to stick with you. Hear them, learn them, release them to God, and move on. Don't believe gossip you hear. Don't be paranoid about people out to get you. Don't worry about the people who don't like you. Live a life of such godly integrity that your actions will mute the accusations of your enemies. Do not make much of an abundance of praise or depreciation from others. Preach the truth of God's Word in love, and worry not whether people love you or hate you. Care only that you are faithful to God and have lovingly and accurately shared his Word.

14) Teach the full Gospel of Jesus, including the depravity of sinners, the necessity of the Holy Spirit's divine intervention, the atonement of Jesus, justification by faith, and the love of God in Jesus. Plead with your audience to repent and be saved and to love Jesus. Be bold in your proclamation of the Gospel, and do not feel as if you're asking the audience a favor to listen to God's Word, as though they would oblige Jesus to save them. They need Jesus, and they are going to hell without him. Work hard. Allow other trustworthy preachers to fill your pulpit from time to time, so that your audience can hear the Gospel from a fresh voice.

15) Use illustrations in preaching in order to help your audience more clearly visualize and comprehend the Gospel message. Be on the lookout for illustrations all around you. Read the news, read books, look at your own life, examine history, examine culture, and learn from a variety of sciences and studies. The more you learn about different areas of life, the more illustrations you are bound to find. Only use an illustration if it is helpful and clarifying, though. It should not add another layer of confusion to your message, but should reveal, bring into focus, and simplify another point you're trying to prove.

Although there are definitely certain sections of this book that are antiquated and fit for a specific time and place in history, the majority of Spurgeon's insights are still helpful, applicable, and can be translated into our world today. I highly recommend it to all pastors.

Charles Spurgeon. "Lectures to My Students." Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979.