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Spurgeon’s Secret to a Fruitful Ministry from Crossway on Vimeo.
Alive in Christ
Spurgeon himself was absolutely clear on why his ministry was so fruitful. He said, “It’s because I preach Christ. If I had not preached Christ and Christ crucified than this church would have been emptied.” He was speaking of a church of about 6,000 people in South London. So he’s saying that it’s not about himself, but Christ and the message of Christ crucified that made his ministry so fruitful.
But Spurgeon also can seem larger-than-life and can seem an extra special person to us today. If you look at his life, what’s very clear is that his aliveness, his largeness, vitality, and energy was not just how he was wired to be, it was an embodiment and expression of his theology.
Spurgeon believed that when you come to know Christ and are filled with his Spirit, you become more fully alive, more fully human, more fully who God meant you to be. Those who are in Christ, go all out at life. Spurgeon embodied that. He laughed and he cried much, he read avidly, he felt deeply. That’s really an expression of his theology: knowing Christ and living for him.
Spurgeon is so attractive—so alive—because he was made so alive in Christ and that’s why he’s so special.
This is a guest article by Michael Reeves, author of Spurgeon on the Christian Life. This post originally appeared on crossway.org; used with permission.
Michael Reeves (PhD, King’s College, London) is president and professor of theology at Union School of Theology in Oxford. He is the author of Delighting in the Trinity, Rejoicing in Christ, and The Unquenchable Flame: Discovering the Heart of the Reformation.
