Written by J. Drew Tillman |
Monday, September 2, 2024
A third point for Spurgeon was unity, especially unity among minsters of the gospel. In a day with much division, Spurgeon’s point is a good reminder. He said, “Whenever the foot is at enmity with the hand there must be something like madness in the body; there cannot be a sound mind within that frame which is divided against itself.” And elsewhere, “If there be among us any remnants of the spirit of division; if there be aught in us that would make us excommunicate and cut off brethren, because we cannot see with them in all the points of the spiritual compass, though we agree in the main; if it be so, then there must be somewhere or other an unhealthy disease. . . . Oh my heart longs to see a more thorough union among the minsters of Christ Jesus.”

In 1860, Spurgeon spoke to the London Missionary Society and expressed a desire for fruitful missions. He titled his talk “Peace at Home, and Prosperity Abroad.” For Spurgeon, successful missions started with healthy local churches. He asked, “What are the points which constitute the healthiness of the church at home?” His answer:

Purity of life (conversion) confirmed through membership examination;
The soundness of the gospel (sound doctrine);
The saved bond of brotherhood (unity);
Constant activity (devoted to good works);
Abounding in prayer.[1]

Perhaps he could have added four or six more, but these points are certainly a good place to start if we want to see a local church become healthier.
1. Purity of Life (Conversion) Confirmed Through Membership Examination
Spurgeon believed saints should be “sufficiently distinguished from the world” and “in our purity—and in our purity alone—we stand.” How is a church “pure” and distinguished from the world?
Conversion. This view was consistent in Spurgeon’s preaching. In another sermon, Spurgeon said, “An unholy, unregenerated church can never be the pillar of the truth. If there be a failure in vital godliness, if humble walking with God be neglected, the church cannot long remain a healthy church of God.”[2] He preached, “If we take into our churches those who are not converted, we swell our numbers, but we diminish our real strength.”
For Spurgeon, true success was not measured by numbers alone but “our success in a measure depends upon the vitality, healthiness, and godliness of each individual.” Spurgeon knew that unconverted individuals impacted the rest of the body.
Those tempted to compromise biblical membership for the sake of numerical growth should listen to Spurgeon’s caution: “We have not brought the world up to us; we only brought ourselves down to it. We have not conquered the world; we have only yielded to it. . . . We have brought the chaste spouse of Christ to commit fornication among people.”
How can churches work to be sure her members are Christians?
For Spurgeon, the answer is simple: careful membership examination. He preached, “We cannot possibly be too strict in the examination of those who are proposed for church fellowship.”
Regarding membership, Spurgeon sought to combine the mildness of the Savior’s mind and the love of the Spirit with a stern firmness. This means churches should work hard “with the most prudent discretion in maintaining the purity of discipleship.” We guard conversion “when we are engaged in the acceptance or rejection of candidates for the fellowship of the visible church.”
Furthermore, pastors should labor in our membership examinations. He concluded this point of health with these words,
That God might grant to each of us, who are the pastors of the church, that unceasing vigilance and constant watchfulness whereby we shall be able to detect the wolves in sheep’s clothing, and whereby we shall be able to say calmly, sternly, yet lovingly, to those who come before us seeking communion, without satisfactory evident that they belong to the living family of God, “You must go your way until the Spirit of God hath touched your heart, for until you have received the living faith in Jesus, we cannot receive you into the number of his faithful ones.”
2. The Soundness of the Gospel (Sound Doctrine)
Is the gospel faithfully preached? Is sound doctrine affirmed and celebrated? If not, a church might be headed toward hell rather than health. Spurgeon said, “Alas! If her doctrines be tainted, her faith will not be maintained, and the church being unsound, can tell what next may occur.” Spurgeon held true to this conviction throughout his preaching. In another sermon he said, “A healthy church kills error, and tears in pieces evil.”[3]
While he was an unflinching defender of the truth, Spurgeon also sought to be charitable and to seek unity around vital truth.
He mentioned the Calvinism vs. Arminianism debate as an example:
I should be prepared to go a very long way for charity’s sake and admit that very much of the discussion which has existed even between Arminians and Calvinists has not been a discussion about vital truth, but about the terms in which that vital truth shall be stated. . . . When I have read the conflict between that mighty man who made these walls echo with his voice, Mr. Whitfield, and that other mighty man equally useful in his day, Mr. Wesley, I have felt that they contended for the same truths, and that the vitality of godliness was not mainly at issue in the controversy.
Now, these words might sound strange because elsewhere Spurgeon is clearly dogmatic about Calvinism.
Read More
Related Posts:

Three precious promises as I’ve grieved over the last few months: God loves me unconditionally despite my doubts and lack of peace. God’s ways are higher than mine. Isaiah 55:8-9 tells us that “my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” I know God is close to those who have a broken heart. “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

A few months ago, one of my best friends moved away, and I was plunged into some of the deepest grief I have ever experienced. It sent me spiraling into a season of depression and provoked one of the deepest questionings of my Christian faith. At times, I cried out to God, pleading for an answer that would give me the peace and closure I needed to move on. At other times, I was filled with pride and arrogance, demanding an answer from God and refusing to trust Him again until I got one.
In the following paragraphs, I am going to be very open about my struggles because I believe that is what the church needs. For too long, we have kept inside what we should be sharing. In Galatians 6:2, Paul commands us to “bear one another’s burdens.” Most relationships in the church barely scratch the surface, either because we are too afraid to share with others or because we don’t know how to respond. My hope is that this article will help both those who are grieving and those who want to minister to others.
As I wrestled with my feelings, naturally I looked for others who had experienced something similar. I stumbled across C.S. Lewis’ A Grief Observed one day and decided to give it a read. I have read several of C.S. Lewis’ works in the past, most of which are either allegories or apologetics. A Grief Observed was very different, almost like a deeply personal journal that was not intended for public reading. Originally published under the pseudonym N.W. Clerk, Lewis wrote A Grief Observed after his dear wife Joy died of cancer. They were married for only four years before she passed away.
Now, I have certainly not experienced the death of my friend. Nonetheless, there is still incredible grief from his absence. Growing up as an only child, I always wanted a brother. The Lord most definitely filled that desire through my friend. For the past four years, we spent nearly every day together. And through my friend, I repeatedly experienced the unconditional love of God as he forgave me when I was wrong and saw past all my many faults. And now, suddenly, he is gone. I am thankful that we still have the ability to communicate and visit each other. But the fact is that my friend no longer lives close by, and things will never be the same. That void is often overwhelming.
As I read A Grief Observed, I found myself identifying with many of the feelings this giant of the faith experienced so many decades ago. At the start, Lewis addresses God’s apparent silence in our grief:
But go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You may as well turn away. The longer you wait, the more emphatic the silence will become. There are no lights in the windows. It might be an empty house. Was it ever inhabited? It seemed so once. And that seeming was as strong as this. What can this mean? Why is He so present a commander in our time of prosperity and so very absent a help in time of trouble?
Thankfully, these are only thoughts that crossed Lewis’ mind and not anything he actually came to believe. I know such thoughts have crossed my mind during the last few months, and I’m sure they have crossed yours as well during a time of grief. Later, Lewis acknowledges that grief is one of God’s methods to test our faith, to show us who or what our trust is really in:
God has not been trying an experiment on my faith or love in order to find out their quality. He knew it already. It was I who didn’t. In this trial He makes us occupy the dock, the witness box, and the bench all at once. He always knew that my temple was a house of cards.
Read More
Related Posts:

Jesus turns our world’s ways on their head. For those of us with nothing to boast in, it is wonderful news. But for those who have spent our lives scrambling to be near the front of the queue, it is a sharp rebuke and challenge. The question Jesus presses upon me is, ‘Have I come like a child, empty handed, laying aside everything that gives me status?’ And if I have, does that continue to be the way I live in the kingdom, resolutely refusing to play the status game?

One of the enduring images of Jesus in the minds of many is of Jesus surrounded by children, some sitting on his knees with his arms around them. It may raise eyebrows in our ‘safe space’ world, but it captures an attractive aspect of the Jesus we meet in the Gospels. But if Jesus’ disciples had had their way, it would not have happened.
The incident is reported Mark 10:13–16. People are bringing young children to Jesus. The parents (I presume) recognise that Jesus is much more than another travelling preacher. They think his touch and blessing carry weight. But the disciples attempt to stop it. I have some sympathy for the disciples. They finally recognised that Jesus is important. He is the Messiah (Mk 8:29), the long-promised king God was going to send to crush their enemies and bring all the benefits of his victory and rule. He has arrived: the most important person in the world! And they are the inner circle. So they take it upon themselves to shape his itinerary.
Imagine that Jesus was going to be in your town or city for a weekend, and you were in charge of his itinerary. Who would make the cut? The Prime Minister? The business tycoons? The bishops and moderators? The University professors? They would be on my list. Would you include children? Certainly not! Grubby, noisy, unpredictable kids—keep them away from Jesus. They are not important, they are not the influencers, it would not be a good use of Jesus’ time and attention.
The disciples think Jesus will be pleased with their discernment. But Jesus is furious with them.
We Can Be So Wrong
They got Jesus and his kingdom totally wrong. The kingdom he is bringing belongs to people like these children. Jesus is more than willing to give his time and attention to children. Don’t stop them. Don’t even hinder them.
In our sentimentality, it would be easy to stop here. Let’s value the children in our families, in our communities, and in our churches. Grubby they may be, but they are precious and they are the future. Give me a child and I will shape the adult. But Jesus has something sharper and more significant to say to us adults: ‘Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it’ (verse 15). These are strong words. They encompass everyone regardless of race or sex or age or education or religion. They encompass all time (‘never enter’), and so speak about every person’s eternal destiny in the kingdom of God.
Becoming Like a Child
What does Jesus mean by, ‘receive the kingdom of God like a child’? What aspect of childlikeness does Jesus have in mind? There have been many suggestions.
Read More
Related Posts: