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Qualifications for Soul-Winning - Manward | Charles Spurgeon · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reform Thinking. We have an absolutely massive
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stack of sources on the table today, and I am just thrilled
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you are joining us. If you look at what we working
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with, we have historical biographical notes on 19th
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century London. We have a specific theological
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frameworks drawn straight from the Westminster Confession of
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Faith. And well, at the center of it
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all, we have a specific historic text.
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Today our mission is to conduct a thorough analysis of Charles
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Spurgeon's lecture to his pastoral college titled The Soul
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Winner Qualifications for Soul Winning Manward.
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Right. And if you are listening to us
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right now, you likely have an interest in how historical
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theology applies to daily Christian practice.
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We want to sit down with you, open up these sources, and
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examine what it takes to effectively communicate the
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truth of the Gospel to another human being.
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To give you some contacts, Spurgeon previously laid out the
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God Word qualifications from Austria, focusing on what God
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requires and what God alone can do.
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Today, our investigation shifts entirely to the man Word
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characteristics. Yeah, these are the specific
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tangible human qualities that make a messenger effective in
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reaching the souls of men. We are looking at the human
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instrument, the actual person delivering the message.
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That is a critical distinction to make right at the outset, and
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I think it frames everything we are going to discuss today.
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As Protestant Christians who adhere to the Westminster
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Confession, we hold firmly to the sovereignty of God in
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salvation. The Confession is very clear in
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chapter 10 regarding effectual calling, that God alone is the
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one who regenerates the heart and grants salvation.
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It is entirely a work of His grace.
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Spot on. Yet the confession is equally
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clear that God uses secondary causes.
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He uses human instruments to deliver the gospel message.
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This creates A fascinating theological framework for our
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discussion today. Since God is the one who saves
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well, what role does the human messenger actually play?
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Spurgeon's lecture answers that by investigating the precise
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traits that make those human instruments effective,
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compelling, and useful in the hands of God.
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God could use angels to preach the gospel, but He chooses to
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use flawed human vessels. Therefore, the character, tone,
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and manner of that vessel matter immensely.
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OK. Let us let us unpack this right
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away 'cause you just dropped a very specific theological term
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and I want to make sure everyone is on the same page.
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You mentioned effectual calling from Chapter 10 of the
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confession. For listeners who might not be
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seminary graduates or who are just stepping into Reformed
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theology. Can we break that down into
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plain English? Give me the Explain like I Am 5
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version of effectual calling and why it sits at the center of
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this conversation about human qualifications.
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Absolutely. Think of effectual calling like
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this. God extends an invitation to
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salvation, but it is not just a polite flyer left on your
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doorstep that you can easily throw away.
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An effectual call means God is actively working inside the
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person's heart, changing their desires so that they actually
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want to respond to the invitation.
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It is effective. The person willingly and
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joyfully accepts the truth because the Holy Spirit has made
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them alive to it. So the internal work is already
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happening. Precisely.
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Now the human messenger is the one standing on the porch to
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speak, handing over the invitation.
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The messenger cannot change the heart of the person inside the
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house. Only God does that.
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But the messenger is still required to knock on the door,
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speak clearly, and deliver the message in a way that represents
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the king who sent it. Spurgeon's entire lecture is
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about how the messenger should stand, speak and behave on that
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porch. That sets the stage perfectly
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for Spurgeon's first major point in this lecture, which we might
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call the baseline qualification. Spurgeon is remarkably blunt
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here. He introduces the idea that an
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ignorant person, they actually uses the word ignoramus, is
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simply not suited for the great work of winning souls.
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Now he does not say this to be cruel, but he draws a very sharp
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line. He really does.
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He points out that a person who only knows 2 basic facts, that
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they are a Sinner and that Christ is a Savior, absolutely
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has a duty to share that basic truth with anyone in a similar
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condition. However, to be a teacher of
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others, to be entrusted with the task of guiding A congregation
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or leading many to the truth, 1 needs extensive instruction in
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the teachings of God. You cannot be largely used in
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this specific service if you are ignorant of the broader
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theological truths yourself. Aspersion is making a highly
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practical distinction between the duty of every Christian to
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share their personal testimony and the specific calling of a
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teacher or a minister. Every believer has a mandate to
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say I was blind, but now I see that requires no formal
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theological training whatsoever. It is the raw, beautiful reality
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of personal experience. But Spurgeon is addressing those
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who wish to be soul winners in a broader, perhaps vocational or
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highly influential sense. Right, the people actively
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standing in front of a crowd. Yes, to teach others, you must
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possess a wide and comprehensive knowledge of God's truth.
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You cannot explain the covenant of grace, the nature of
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justification, or the realities of sanctification if you have
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not studied them thoroughly yourself.
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True usefulness in this area requires a taught of God
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knowledge. It requires study, reading and a
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mind that has grappled with the text of Scripture.
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Before we move off that thought, I'm going to stop you again
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because we have more theological terminology on the table.
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You mentioned justification and sanctification.
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If we're talking about a messenger needing to understand
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these concepts to cure their ignorance, let us define them
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for the listener. What is the distinction between
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those two realities that a teacher needs to grasp so
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firmly? That is a great catch.
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Justification is the legal declaration by God that a Sinner
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is entirely forgiven and declared righteous in his sight
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based solely on the finished work of Christ.
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It is an event. It happens the moment a person
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believes is the judge banging the gavel and saying not guilty.
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Sanctification, on the other hand, is the ongoing process
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that happens after justification.
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The day-to-day reality. Correct.
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It is the lifelong day by day work of the Holy Spirit, making
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the believer more holy, helping them put sin to death and live
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in a way that honors God. A teacher must know the
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difference. If a teacher confuses
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justification and sanctification, they might
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accidentally tell a congregation that they have to work hard to
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earn their forgiveness, which destroys the gospel of grace.
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That is precisely why Spurgeon insists that ignorance
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disqualifies a person from being a primary teacher.
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He illustrates his absolute need for instruction with a
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wonderfully simple metaphor. He says that there must be some
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light in the candle that is to lighten the darkness of others.
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The physics of the metaphor are undeniable.
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A candle cannot give off light if the Wick is not lit, and a
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person cannot impart knowledge that they do not possess.
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It is a brilliant image. If the goal is to drive away the
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darkness of misunderstanding and sin in the minds of the hearers,
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the speaker must carry the light of comprehensive biblical
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instruction. The ignorant person, no matter
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how much goodwill or desire they have to do good, must be left
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out of the rays of great soul winners.
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They're disqualified from entering the lists, as Bergin
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puts it, until they undergo the necessary instruction.
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That candle metaphor perfectly encapsulates the Reformed view
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of preaching and teaching. The light is the word of God,
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but the candle is the human mind and mouth that delivers it.
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If the mind is empty, the candle is unlit.
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You simply cannot make known to others what you are ignorant of
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yourself. This is why our theological
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tradition places such a heavy premium on an educated clergy
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and well instructed lay teachers.
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The mind must be engaged. It is not just about raw
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emotion, not at all. Spurgeon urges his listeners to
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ask that they may be well instructed in the truth of God
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specifically so they can be able to teach others.
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The pursuit of knowledge here is not for academic pride.
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It is a utilitarian pursuit. You gather the light of
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knowledge so that you can shed that light on the people God
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places in your path. And that actually brings up a
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terrifying thought, because what happens when you have someone
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who does have the knowledge, whose candle is lit, but they're
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just reciting it like a script? Spurgeon had a real problem with
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that, did he not? That naturally pivots us into
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his second major section, which requires us to look closely at
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the authenticity of the messenger.
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Yes, this is where it gets very challenging.
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He transitions to the absolute necessity of evidence sincerity.
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It is not enough to simply hold correct doctrines in your head,
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or even to speak them accurately.
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The hearer must see beyond any shadow of a doubt that the
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speaker genuinely believes the doctrines they are proclaiming.
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Sincerity must be manifest at once to anyone who looks for it.
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If the audience suspects for even a moment that you are
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proclaiming something you do not fully believe yourself, the work
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will have no effect. You must escape what we might
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call the actors trap. The anecdote Spurgeon provides
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here is devastating in its simplicity.
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He recounts a conversation about a good sermon.
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A listener is asked if the minister preached a good sermon,
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and the listener agrees that the words spoken were very good.
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Yet when asked if they profited from it, the listener replies
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that they gained absolutely nothing.
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The explanation is the core of Spurgeon's warning.
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The listener states that the preacher was viewed merely as an
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actor performing a part. Wow, just an actor.
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Yes, the audience member did not believe the preacher actually
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felt what he was preaching, nor did the preacher seem to care
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whether the audience felt it either.
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The words were orthodox, the doctrine was sound, perhaps even
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perfectly aligned with the Westminster Confession, But the
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delivery was entirely heartless. That phrase, an actor performing
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a part, is such a strong indictment.
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Think about what an actor actually does.
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They study a script, they learn the motivations of the
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character, they put on a costume, and they manufacture an
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emotion for a designated period of time.
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But when the curtain falls, they go back to being themselves.
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The message was never their true reality.
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It is entirely artificial. Spurgeon issues an intense
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warning about this kind of behavior in a religious setting.
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He says that when preaching becomes a matter of routine or
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form, it sinks into a theatrical performance, and he does not
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mince words about how God views this.
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He calls it a mockery of divine truth, a caricature more worthy
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of the devil than of God. Divine truth is far too precious
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to be treated as a script in a play.
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The listeners are perceptive. As soon as they suspect the
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speaker is insincere, they will listen with disgust.
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They cannot separate the careless messenger from the
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message, no matter how hard they might try to feed on the truths
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being offered. Spurgeon offers a stark, even
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shocking alternative to this kind of theatrical religion.
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He says it would be far better to return to secular business.
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He specifically mentions weighing butter or selling reels
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of cotton than to the pretend to be a minister of the Gospel That
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highlights the absolute sanctity he assigns to the proclamation
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of truth. There is no shame in secular
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labor. Selling cotton and weighing
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butter are honest, honorable professions that contribute to
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society. Right, there is dignity in
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normal work. Absolutely.
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But pretending to speak on behalf of God when your heart is
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not in it is a massive offense. It creates disgust in the
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hearers because it trivializes the eternal state of their
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souls. If you are going to speak for
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God, you must be thoroughly sincere, or else you should
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remain silent and find another line of work entirely.
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Alley that to modern life outside of a 19 century pulpit.
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We see this exact dynamic constantly in the cororate
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world, or in politics or with online influencers.
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People have a highly tuned radar for inauthenticity.
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When ACEO reads a corporate apology off a teleprompter using
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all the correct PR jargon, but their eyes are dead and their
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tone is flat, the public instantly rejects it.
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The words are right, but the sincerity is absent.
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The public sees right through it every single time.
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Spurgeon is saying that if a corporate apology fails without
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sincerity, how much more will the eternal truths of the gospel
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failed to land if the person speaking them sounds like they
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are reading a grocery list? That is a brilliant modern
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parallel. Humans are exceptionally good at
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detecting a lack of conviction. We look for micro expressions,
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tone of voice and body language to confirm if the words match
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the internal state of the speaker.
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In the context of Reformed theology, where we believe we
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are handling the very words of life, speaking them without
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evidence, sincerity is almost a form of blasphemy.
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It communicates to the listener that the subject matter is not
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actually true, or at least not true enough to affect the person
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talking about it. The hearer concludes, If this
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does not move you, why should it move me?
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Sincerity is the bridge of trust over which the truth must
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travel. That requirement for internal
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conviction leads perfectly into the third qualification.
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In our deep dive, Spurgeon takes sincerity and adds intense
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emotional weight to it. We move from evidence sincerity
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to evident earnestness. Sincerity means you believe it,
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but earnestness means you feel the overwhelming, heavy reality
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of it. Here's where it gets really
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interesting, because Spurgeon shares a vague comparison using
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the physics of preaching. I love this part of the lecture.
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He uses the imagery of artillery.
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He asked the audience to imagine someone giving him a 100 LB
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cannonball and letting him simply roll it across the floor
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of the room. Then he contrast that with a
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tiny rifle bullet, but one that is actually fired from a gun.
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The outcome based purely on physics is obvious.
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The meaning behind that physical illustration is brilliant.
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The heavy 100 LB cannonball rolled across the floor
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represents A sermon full of massive, weighty theological
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words, perhaps delivered with perfect elocution and flawless
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grammar, but totally lacking in force or passion.
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It slowly bumps into the listener's foot and does
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absolutely nothing. It just rolls to a stop.
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Exactly. The small rifle bullet, however,
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represents a simple truth, perhaps a very basic
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presentation of grace, but one that is driven home by the
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intense emotion, conviction, and earnestness of the speaker.
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Because it is fired with extreme force, it pierces the heart.
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Spurgeon notes that we should never despise the little bullet
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because very often that is the one that kills the sin and kills
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the Sinner, leading to their spiritual rebirth.
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The size of the vocabulary does not decide the outcome, the
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force of the delivery does. Let us stay on the physics for a
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second. Force equals mass times
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acceleration. A massive vocabulary with 0
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emotional acceleration generate 0 impact, but a tiny word
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accelerated by genuine burning earnestness hits with
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devastating force. He takes the artillery metaphor
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even further with an incredible historical story.
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He recounts the tale of a Fort that was firing its cannons on
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an enemy ship. This is a wild story.
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The Fort was landing direct hits, but absolutely no damage
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was occurring to the vessel. The cannonballs were just
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bouncing off the thick wooden hall or causing minor dents.
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Then the general command gave a specific order.
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Make the cannonballs red hot before firing them.
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They did. They fired the red hotshot and
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the enemy vessel caught fire and was sent to the bottom of the
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sea in 3 minutes. Spurgeon uses this to tell
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preachers what they must do with their words.
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They have to make them red hot. He is telling them to fireball
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on Sundays, not snowball. He exhorts his students to hurl
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grenades and throw a red hotshot into the enemy's ranks.
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This speaks to the absolute necessity of emotional
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intensity. We are not dealing with trivial
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matters. We are not discussing the
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weather or giving a dry lecture on mathematics.
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The states require this high level of heat.
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The highest possible stakes. As Spurgeon points out, the
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Christian is dealing with an earnest Savior, an earnest
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heaven, and an earnest hell. When you consider that you are
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speaking to immortal souls about eternal pardon or eternal
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consequences, a lack of earnestness is an anomaly.
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A preacher without earnestness in the face of these realities
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must have a heart of stone, not a heart of flesh.
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So what does this all mean for you, the listener, In a
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practical sense, think about pitching an idea at work that
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you genuinely believe will save the company from a disastrous
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mistake. If you walk into the conference
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room and casually read a spreadsheet in a monotone voice,
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your colleagues will ignore you. But if you stand up, look them
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in the eye, and speak with the undeniable urgency of someone
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who sees a Cliff approaching, they will listen.
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The facts are the same, but the earnestness demands attention.
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Spurgeon applies his exact standard to handling the gospel.
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You cannot talk about rescue operations at the same tone you
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use to order a cup of coffee. That urgency is the direct
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result of understanding what is at stake.
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In a Reformed understanding. We know that the natural human
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heart is hard and resistant to the truth.
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We need God to breakthrough that hardness.
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The earnestness of the speaker is often the very instrument God
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uses to capture the attention of that hard heart.
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If a person speaks with a casual, indifferent tone about
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matters of life and death, the listeners natural defense
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mechanisms will dismiss the message as irrelevant.
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Earnestness signals to the listener's brain that something
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vital is happening. It cuts through the noise of
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everyday life and demands a hearing.
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The progression here in Spurgeon's Logic is fascinating.
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We have instruction, sincerity, and earnestness, but earnestness
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without affection can easily become harsh.
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If you were just firing red hot cannonballs all day, you might
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end up burning down the people you're trying to save.
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So Spurgeon introduces the next vital characteristic in Section
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4, evident love for the hearers. This is where he warns against
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the danger of vitriol. This is such a necessary
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warning. He describes the absurd habits
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some ministers have of practically abusing their own
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congregations from the pulpit. He gives the example of a
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preacher who chose the parable of the Good Samaritan as his
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text. This preacher read the verse, A
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certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell
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among thieves, and then immediately used it to attack
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his listeners, saying, I know another man who did come to this
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place and fell among thieves. It is a stunning misuse of the
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platform, Spurgeon points out. The sheer absurdity of raving at
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the people you are supposed to be shepherding.
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Think about the psychology of a leader who uses their position
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to constantly attack the people under their care.
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It usually stems from deep insecurity or a fundamental
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misunderstanding of their role. They see the audience as the
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enemy. Precisely.
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Spurgeon makes the very practical observation that even
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dogs and cats love the people who love them, and human beings
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operate on a very similar emotional frequency.
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If you are constantly throwing vitriol and emptying vials of
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wrath over your audience, you'd guarantee your own failure.
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The listeners will shut down a cold man, one who seems carved
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out of a block of marble, or a highly combative man will never
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succeed in drawing souls to Christ, regardless of how
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accurate his theology might be. Imagine doing that in a modern
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setting. Imagine a manager standing up in
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a Monday morning meeting and saying we are going to talk
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about teamwork today. Which is funny because looking
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around this room I see nothing but a bunch of selfish thieves
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who steal company time. That manager might have accurate
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data on low productivity, but they have completely destroyed
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any chance of actually leading those people to a better
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outcome. Spurgeon contrasts that kind of
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cold attacking behavior with a beautiful description of a
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minister named Doctor Brock. Spurgeon describes him as a man
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having a great big heart. He compares this kind of
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minister to the harbor at Portsmouth or Plymouth.
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The imagery of the harbor is brilliant.
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A harbor is a massive, safe enclosure.
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The waters outside might be chaotic, violent, and
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threatening, but once a ship enters the harbor, it can cast
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its anchor and feel completely protected under the Lee of a
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great rock. Spurgeon is saying that the
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messenger of the truth must be that kind of safe space for the
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listener. Men succeed in this work
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precisely in proportion to how large their hearts are.
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You have to be a great heart if you want to lead pilgrims to the
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Celestial City, which is a wonderful reference to John
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Bunyan's famous character in Pilgrims Progress.
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A great heart fights off the giants and the lions to protect
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the weak pilgrims under his care.
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He does not attack the pilgrims himself.
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To highlight the necessity of this large hearted humanity,
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Spurgeon examines the opposite extreme.
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He describes meeting certain perfect brethren.
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These were men who gave off the appearance of living an entirely
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sinless, ascetic life, but they lacked all human warmth.
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They were unapproachable. Spurgeon humorously compares
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them to old bits of leather or pieces of seaweed.
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There was no humanity in them, no empathy, no shared struggle.
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They just sat up on a pedestal. Perceived perfection.
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This brings up a massive theological point regarding the
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incarnation. The Lord Jesus Christ did not
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shun human nature. He took it on.
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He joined His divine nature to human nature and elevated it.
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He wept. He ate with sinners.
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He experienced fatigue and sorrow.
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Ministers therefore, must be men among men.
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They must mingle with their people in perfect love and
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sympathy. They cannot live as isolated
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hermits in a state of self absorption, looking down their
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noses at the struggles of ordinary people.
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They have to get their hands dirty in real life.
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That is it. They must embody the mandate
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given by the Apostle Paul, who said he became all things to all
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men, that he might by all means save some.
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If you present yourself as a piece of flawless leather, no
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one will ever bring their brokenness to you.
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We see that seaweed personality outside the church all the time.
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Do we not think about the Co worker who is technically
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brilliant, who never makes a mistake on a spreadsheet?
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But it was completely devoid of empathy.
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If you're going through a personal crisis, you do not go
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to the Seaweed Co worker, you go to the person with the
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Portsmouth Harbor Heart, the person who actually cares about
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you. Spurgeon is insisting that truth
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must be delivered through the conduit of genuine human
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affection. If the listener does not feel
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loved by the speaker, the speaker's words will just bounce
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off right? And moving from evident love,
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Spurgeon tackles A deeply practical and related issue in
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Section 5, evident unselfishness.
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Love focuses on the other person, while unselfishness
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requires the act of denial of your own ego and your own gain.
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He focuses heavily on the trap of self seeking, specifically
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looking at the ruinous nature of greed.
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He states plainly that a man ceases to be effective the
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moment he becomes known as a selfish individual.
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Selfishness is something that cannot be hidden.
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It manifests itself at the dinner table in the way a person
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handles disputes, and certainly in how they view their
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compensation. Spurgeon warns his students
21:45
about seeking money and salary, stating they should be content
21:48
with basic food and raiment. I have to push back a little on
21:51
that, or at least ask for some nuance.
21:53
When Spurgeon says a minister should be content with basic
21:55
food and clothes, is he demanding literal poverty in his
21:59
day? Perhaps the economic structures
22:01
were different, but in the modern world, how practical is
22:04
that for someone trying to raise a family and pay a mortgage?
22:06
Does he mean the messenger must take a vow of poverty, or is he
22:09
talking about a posture of the heart?
22:10
That is a very fair question. We have to look at the broader
22:13
context of Spurgeon's own life and the reformed view of work.
22:17
Spurgeon himself was not destitute.
22:19
His writing sold millions of copies and he managed a large
22:21
staff. He is not advocating for a
22:23
monastic vow of poverty. He is attacking the motivation
22:27
of greed. He is targeting the person who
22:29
enters the ministry or any form of spiritual leadership, looking
22:32
at it as a lucrative career path or a way to enrich themselves.
22:36
The posture of the heart must be 1 of contentment.
22:39
If the primary driver of your decisions is how much money you
22:41
can extract from a situation, your congregation will sense
22:45
that you view them as customers rather than as souls under your
22:47
care. He highlights an interesting
22:49
paradox regarding this issue of compensation.
22:53
Spurgeon explains that the act of eagerly grabbing and grasping
22:57
for money usually results in losing it entirely.
23:00
People resent A greedy leader and will withhold their support.
23:04
However, if a person tries to put the thought of money away
23:07
from them and focuses entirely on the spiritual task at hand,
23:11
pouring themselves out for the good of others, the money often
23:13
comes back to them doubled, because people gladly support
23:16
someone who genuinely cares for them.
23:19
The application extends far beyond just financial
23:21
compensation. Selfishness is a multifaceted
23:24
disease. Those who are selfish with money
23:26
will inevitably be selfish in other areas.
23:28
They will want all the glory for themselves.
23:30
They will dominate conversations.
23:32
They will refuse to share credit for a successful project.
23:35
In a spiritual context. They will view the success of
23:38
others not as a victory for the Kingdom, but as a direct threat
23:41
to their own standing and prestige.
23:43
He illustrates this ego driven selfishness with the ugly trade
23:47
of ministerial jealousy. He describes a pastor who hears
23:50
about a massive revival at a neighboring church where many
23:53
souls are being saved. Instead of rejoicing the good
23:56
things are happening, the selfish minister reacts with a
23:59
sneer. He questions the validity of the
24:01
neighboring revival, asking where those converts will be in
24:04
a few months time. The selfish individual values
24:07
his own tiny game, perhaps one single new member added to his
24:11
own church in a year. Far more than a neighbor's
24:13
massive success of adding 100 members.
24:16
It is the completely self-centered, territorial view
24:18
of the world. Spurgeon draws out a core lesson
24:21
from this behavior, stating a universal rule of human
24:24
perception. The less a person thinks of
24:27
themselves, the more others will respect them.
24:30
Conversely, the more a person demands that people bow down and
24:33
recognize their greatness, the less people will actually think
24:36
of them. If someone decides they are
24:38
going to be a great leader and they are willing to thrust
24:40
others aside, steal credit, and sneer at the success of their
24:43
peers to achieve that status, they will ruin their own
24:46
usefulness. Any trace of selfishness must be
24:49
eradicated. The people you are trying to
24:52
reach will see the self seeking motives and will immediately
24:54
discount your message, assuming you are only speaking to them to
24:57
build your own empire. Apply that to the modern
25:00
corporate ladder. We all know the manager who
25:02
takes credit for their team's late night hard work to secure
25:04
their own promotion while throwing their peers under the
25:07
bus. That manager might get the
25:09
corner office, but they have lost all moral authority.
25:13
No one will ever follow them out of loyalty, only out of fear or
25:16
obligation. Spurgeon is saying that in the
25:19
realm of communicating eternal truths, moral authority is
25:22
everything. You cannot be a selfish credits
25:24
dealer and a messenger of grace at the same time.
25:27
The two realities cancel each other out.
25:29
That requirement for internal purity and moral authority
25:32
brings us to section six of our deep dive, where Spurgeon
25:35
discusses holiness of character and seriousness of manner.
25:38
He starts with the absolute necessity of letting the
25:41
message. It is entirely useless to talk
25:43
about a higher spiritual life on Sundays if you were living a
25:47
lower carnal compromise life on the weekdays.
25:50
The character must match the sermon.
25:52
The private life must validate the public proclamation.
25:55
He even advises abstaining from perfectly lawful things if
25:58
engaging in them would cause weak members of the flock to
26:00
stumble. When people see that a speaker
26:02
is genuinely holy, they are drawn to the holy things being
26:05
preached by the sheer force of the speaker's character.
26:07
OK, but when we say holy and serious, people often picture
26:11
someone who is miserable. Spurgeon addresses this
26:14
directly, making a brilliant distinction between true
26:17
seriousness and artificial melancholy.
26:20
And he shares one of the funniest anecdotes in the entire
26:22
lecture. He talks about a conversation
26:24
overheard in a railway carriage. A passenger was comparing the
26:28
physical appearance of a certain Catholic cardinal to Charles
26:30
Spurgeon himself. The passenger noted that the
26:33
cardinal looked like a skeleton, and he attributed this lean,
26:36
ascetic appearance to long fasting, prayer, and immense
26:39
holiness. This passenger then criticized
26:41
Spurgeon. Noting this, Spurgeon ate and
26:43
drank like an ordinary mortal, and therefore the passenger felt
26:46
Spurgeon's preaching was worthless compared to the
26:48
Cardinals. The setup is perfect because it
26:51
captures the common human misconception that physical
26:54
misery equals spiritual depth. We tend to think that if someone
26:58
looks gaunt and sad, they must be very close to God.
27:01
But the friend of this passenger delivers an incredible
27:04
punchline. He quietly asks if it ever
27:06
struck the man that the Cardinals lean skeletal
27:09
appearance might simply be because his liver was out of
27:11
order. He concluded that it was not
27:13
Grace making the cardinal so lean, but a medical issue.
27:16
Wait, so this guy on the train actually looked at this
27:18
incredibly revered fasting cardinal and just casually said
27:22
Nah, he just got a bad liver? That is brutal and hilarious.
27:26
It is brilliant. Spurgeon uses this hilarious
27:29
story to analyze certain brethren who are naturally of a
27:31
melancholy disposition. You know the type.
27:33
They never laughed. They think it is wicked to
27:35
smile, and they go about increasing the misery of the
27:38
world with their gloomy faces. Spurgeon points out that this
27:41
kind of unnecessary melancholy is not a sign of grace.
27:44
It is just a bad liver. Either physically or
27:46
metaphorically, these overly sour individuals pour buckets of
27:50
cold water on human joy. Spurgeon strongly warns against
27:53
confusing a miserable disposition true spiritual
27:56
seriousness. God is the author of Joy and a
27:58
messenger of good news should look like they actually believe
28:01
the news is good. However, Spurgeon balances that
28:04
humor with a deeply tragic story.
28:06
To illustrate why a prevailing seriousness of manner is a
28:09
strict necessity, he tells the story of a minister called to
28:13
the deathbed of a young man. The young man reveals that years
28:16
ago he walked home with this very minister after a church
28:19
service. The young man had been deeply
28:22
convicted by the sermon he just heard and was on the verge of
28:25
giving his heart to Christ. He wanted to speak to the
28:28
minister about his soul during the walk home.
28:31
He was ready for a life altering conversation.
28:33
But the minister ruined it. The moment they left the church,
28:36
the minister cracked a joke. All the way back, the minister
28:39
made fun of serious subjects and displayed total levity.
28:42
The dying young man confessed that this joking behavior
28:45
thoroughly disgusted him with religion and all who professed
28:48
it. Because of that light hearted
28:50
inappropriate banter, the young man suppress the spiritual
28:53
concern. The young man tells the minister
28:55
that he is now dying, rejecting religion, and he places the
28:58
blame squarely on the minister's liberty, saying his blood will
29:01
lie at the minister's door. It is a fatal joke.
29:04
That is a devastating narrative. The contrast between the humor
29:08
of the liver story and the tragedy of fatal joke is
29:10
jarring, but it makes the point perfectly.
29:13
Timing is everything. There is a time to laugh at
29:16
absurdity, but when dealing with someone's eternal soul, careless
29:19
levity is destructive. The severe consequence of that
29:23
I'll timed joke was the loss of an immortal soul.
29:26
While Spurgeon advocates for cheerfulness and warns against
29:28
artificial melancholy, he draws a hard line against levity that
29:32
mocks sacred things. There must be prevailing
29:35
seriousness about the Christian life.
29:37
If you preach about eternal consequences in the pulpit but
29:40
treat everything as a massive joke at the supper table, the
29:43
listeners will assume the sermon was just an act.
29:46
The message will be destroyed by the messengers casual attitude
29:49
outside the church doors. This careful balancing act,
29:51
being cheerful but serious, bold but loving, continues into our
29:56
final section, which contrasts tenderness with pugnacious
29:59
behavior. Spurgeon begins by reviewing the
30:02
concept of holy boldness. He offers advice to young
30:05
preachers, telling them never to apologize for their youth or for
30:09
attempting to speak the truth. A messenger of the Gospel is an
30:12
ambassador sent by a monarch. You do not apologize when
30:15
delivering a message with the authority of the king behind
30:18
you. He says the preacher is simply a
30:20
trumpet of ram's horn. It does not matter if the horn
30:23
was pulled off the ram yesterday or 25 years ago.
30:25
If God blows through it, there will be noise.
30:28
Therefore, speak out straight, but do it with extreme
30:31
tenderness. This is where the art of reproof
30:33
comes into play. Delivering unpalatable truths is
30:36
a stern necessity for anyone who cares about others.
30:39
People must be warned about their blind spots and their sin,
30:42
but there is a right way and a wrong way to do it.
30:44
This project is a brilliant analogy, he says.
30:46
One method of correction is like kicking a man downstairs in such
30:49
a skillful fashion that the man actually likes it.
30:52
I love that image. It implies that the correction
30:55
is firm, You are moving the person from one place to
30:57
another, but the delivery is so daft, so filled with genuine
31:01
care, that the person receiving the correction feels grateful
31:04
rather than attacked. The other methods Spurgeon
31:07
describes is opening a door for someone in such an offensive,
31:10
nasty way that the person refuses to walk through it until
31:13
you are completely out of sight. The door is open, the truth is
31:16
available, but your behavior is so repulsive that the person
31:19
rejects the safe passage simply because they despise you.
31:23
Truth must be spoken, but it must be wrapped in the kindest
31:25
possible form so that the listener is drawn to the truth
31:28
rather than repelled by the delivery.
31:29
To illustrate the absolute wrong way to do this, Spurgeon
31:32
describes the pugnacious preacher.
31:35
He references the Irish one at Donnybrook Fair and a notorious
31:38
St. preacher on Clapham Common. These were places historically
31:42
known for brawls and public fights.
31:45
These are men who communicate as if they are prize fighters.
31:48
They're never happy unless they're pitching into somebody,
31:51
causing fights, rows and setting everyone by the ears.
31:55
If you let them into heaven, they would probably start a
31:57
fight with the angels over the seating arrangements.
31:59
They confuse being combative with being faithful.
32:02
That combative spirit leads Spurgeon to introduce one of the
32:05
most devastating metaphors in the entire lecture, the
32:08
spiritual ship Scuttler. He describes a certain type of
32:12
minister who goes from church to church, leaving absolute ruin
32:15
behind him. This man arrives at a church,
32:18
looks around, decides it needs to be purified, and begins his
32:21
destructive work. The first thing he does is drive
32:23
out the principal Deacon. Next he drives away all the
32:27
leading families. He bores holes into the planks
32:29
of the vessel under the guise of making it more holy.
32:32
Just as the church is about to sink under the weight of his
32:35
divisive, combative behavior, he slips off, boards another church
32:38
vessel and repeats the exact same process of destruction.
32:41
Think about the psychology of that kind of person.
32:44
They actually believe they are doing a good thing.
32:46
They think their harshness is a sign of uncompromising truth.
32:49
But Spurgeon says this man's presence is like the spot where
32:52
the foot of the Tartars horses put down.
32:54
The grass never grows there again.
32:57
It is a terrifying description of a contentious, bitter spirit.
33:00
He scorches the earth and calls it a purified garden.
33:03
To combat this toxic mindset, Spurgeon mentions a legend about
33:07
Muhammad. The story goes that an Angel
33:09
came and squeezed 2 black drops of sin out of his heart.
33:13
Spurgeon urges his students to pray that God would squeeze the
33:15
malice I'll will and bad temper out of their own hearts before
33:18
they even attempt to interact with others.
33:20
He anticipates an objection here from someone who might say, but
33:24
we must set things right. We cannot let people tread on
33:26
us. I see a problem and I am going
33:29
to take the bull by the horns. Spurgeon replies that taking a
33:32
bull by the horns is the action of a fool because the bull is
33:36
highly likely to project you into space.
33:38
He points out the folly of putting a mad bull into a China
33:41
shop with the intention of getting the China cleaned.
33:43
You cannot use the display of evil temper to set right
33:46
anything that is wrong in a church, a family, or a business.
33:49
The strict rule is that truth must always be spoken in love,
33:52
especially when rebuking Sin. The ship Scuttler destroys the
33:56
very thing he claims to be saving it because he lacks
33:58
tenderness. As we draw this discussion to a
34:00
close, let us summarize the atmosphere Spurgeon is calling
34:03
for. Winning Souls is not just about
34:06
having a high IQ or the right theological definitions macked
34:09
out on a whiteboard. It requires an entire atmosphere
34:12
permeated with these specific human characteristics.
34:15
The messenger must possess comprehensive knowledge to light
34:18
the candle, evidence sincerity to avoid the actor's trap, red
34:21
hot earnestness to Pierce the heart, a Portsmouth Harbor size,
34:24
love to provide safe refuge, complete unselfishness, genuine
34:28
holiness paired with cheerfulness, prevailing
34:30
seriousness, and a tender spirit that refuses to scuttle the
34:33
ship. And this brings the application
34:36
directly back to you, the listener.
34:38
You may not be a vocational pastor standing in a pulpit on
34:40
Sundays, but you do communicate truth in your daily
34:44
interactions. You interact with coworkers,
34:46
family members, neighbors, and friends.
34:49
How do these historical, stringent qualifications
34:51
challenge the way you speak to them?
34:54
Are you rolling a cold 100 LB cannonball of correct doctrine
34:58
at your teenager, or are you firing a small red hot bullet of
35:02
earnest, loving truth? Are you acting like the
35:04
pugnacious Street Fighter in your staff meetings, or are you
35:06
the safe harbor? The Reformed tradition insists
35:09
that God alone changes the heart, but it also insists that
35:12
God uses the specific tone, manner, and character of the
35:15
speak as the means to accomplish that divine work.
35:18
Your character is the wrapping paper on the gift of the Gospel.
35:21
I want to leave you with a final thought to consider something
35:24
that springs directly from this text, but shifts the perspective
35:28
entirely. We have spent this entire deep
35:31
dive looking at the immense responsibility of the messenger.
35:34
We have placed a heavy burden on the person doing the speaking,
35:38
but if our human manner, our sincerity, earnestness and
35:41
tenderness can so heavily dictate whether divine truth is
35:44
accepted or rejected, what is the responsibility of the
35:47
hearer? Are we as listeners, permanently
35:50
bound by the flawed human packaging of the message?
35:54
Or is there a duty for us to look past a ship scuttler, to
35:57
look past the bad temper, the awkward delivery, or the lack of
36:00
earnestness, and actively fight to find the truth hidden beneath
36:03
the flawed human exterior? If the messenger fails to be the
36:06
perfect Portsmouth Harbor, do we have an obligation to drop
36:09
anchor anyway? It is a question that requires
36:12
intense self reflection the next time you sit under the teaching
36:14
of the word, or the next time someone offers you an
36:17
unpalatable truth. Thank you for joining us for
36:20
this deep dive on reformed thinking.