Charles Haddon Spurgeon: Is your church all busy for God?

“We ought to have our churches all busy for God. What is the use of a church that simply assembles to hear sermons, or even as a family gathers to eat meals? What, I say, is the profit, if it does no work? …

Because of Christian idleness we hear of the necessity for amusements, and all sorts of nonsense. If they were at work for the Lord Jesus we should not hear of this…

Much needs to be done by a Christian church within its own bounds, and for the neighbourhood, and for the poor and the fallen, and for the heathen world, and so forth; and if it is well attended to, minds, and hearts, and hands, and tongues will be occupied, and diversions will not be asked for. Let idleness come in, and that spirit which rules lazy people, and there will arise a desire to be amused…

The man who is all aglow with love to Jesus finds little need for amusement. He has no time for trifling. He is in dead earnest to save souls, and establish the truth, and enlarge the kingdom of his Lord.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) in “The Greatest Fight in the World” excerpt from section entitled “Our Army” from this, his final manifesto.

Leaders like Spurgeon were all busy for God. When he was not preaching one of over 3,500 sermons, he ran an orphanage, trained people for ministry, and lived a generous life. His faith was anything but idle.

There is much kingdom work to be done and it is especially hard to focus on it when our culture is rooted in self-gratification and entertainment. May we serve as catalysts for doing God’s work in congregations, following the example of saints like Spurgeon.

“To those who struggle to make ends meet, guard against being envious of the wealthy and work on being content with life as it is.

To those who would have to admit that the pursuit of more and more money is now a passionate drive, hear the warning again: if you don’t come to terms with yourself, it’s only a matter of time before you’ll find yourself ensnared and miserable. In the process, you’ll lose the very things you think money will buy: peace, happiness, love, and satisfaction.

And to those who are rich? Put away conceit, forget about finding ultimate security in your money, and cultivate generosity . . . tap into “the true life.”

Straight talk, but that’s what it takes to strengthen our grip on money. Be honest now, are you gripping it or is it gripping you?”

Charles R. Swindoll in “Strengthening Your Grip on Money” excerpts from Strengthening Your Grip: Essentials in an Aimless World (Dallas: Word, 1982) 71–87.

Now that’s straight talk that contains a message for everyone about money! I suggest we all consider what aspect of his sound biblical advice relates to each of us and respond accordingly.

“It will not bother me in the hour of death to reflect that I have been “had for a sucker” by any number of impostors; but it would be a torment to know that one had refused even one person in need.”

C.S. Lewis in Letters to an American Lady (26 October 1962) 108.

All who desire to give generously will be “had for a sucker” at one time or another. Don’t let “getting burned” cause you to abandon a life of generosity; instead, let us adopt this perspective. May we, like Lewis, develop a reputation for assisting people so as to be sure not to miss those who really need our aid.

“Covetousness, or the desire to have more than one has (not necessarily through envy of somebody else) not only leads to strife but also expresses a fundamentally wrong philosophy of life, according to which possessions are all that really matter.”

I. Howard Marshall in New Bible Commentary, Revised: Luke (London: IVP, 1970) 908.

Our society has been built on covetousness. Billboard’s tell us that happiness is found in having things. I appreciate how Marshall spells out that such thinking only leads to strife. Want release from strife? I suggest you take the opposite approach. Give something away.

I am officiating my niece’s wedding today, Jamie Hoag, in St. Louis. In one of our pre-marital counseling sessions I reminded Jamie and Ryan that even as life is more than possessions, marriage is more than money. Teaching them that was a helpful reminder for me.

If you want to grow in generosity, teach someone to avoid covetousness. Warn them that it leads to strife, and encourage them instead to develop patterns of giving and sharing.

“It is no wonder that we the West are so frequently described as being materialistic, superficial, and selfish. Our drive to possess and consume, as well as our tendency to believe that worth can be measured by wealth, are hallmarks of a society that has lost its way…May God help us to simplify our lifestyle, grow in generosity, and live in contentment.”

John R.W. Stott (1921-2011) in Issues Facing Christians Today () 295, 318.

This meditation comes from a great chapter in Issues Facing Christians Today entitled, “Simplicity, Generosity, and Contentment.” I commend it to you. It opens with this sobering statement and closes with this simple prayer.

I included both his opening statement and closing prayer because for a society that has “lost its way” I believe Stott is spot on! The answer is simplicity, generosity, and contentment, and these three traits mark a pathway that is only possible to walk with God’s help.

“The word ‘poverty’ has come to sound so negative and extreme in our ears that I prefer the word ‘simplicity’, because it puts the emphasis on the right points…Our enemy is not possessions but excess. Our battle-cry is not ‘nothing!’ but ‘enough!'”

John V. Taylor (1914-2001), Bishop of Winchester, in Enough is Enough (London: SCM, 1975) 81-82.

I am learning that until we draw the line of how much is enough, which is linked to simplicity and contentment, we can’t embark on the journey of generosity. It is hard because our society reinforces the opposite message that enough is never enough.

In response, Bishop John V. Taylor, friend of John R. W. Stott, calls us repeatedly to ask and answer the countercultural question: How much is enough? For instance, as we look at townhouses in our process of downsizing, we ask ourselves: How much is enough?

As we take our time in answering the question, we have found that the path of simplicity becomes more clear. We are coming to grips with the fact that we need a whole lot less than we thought we did. Join us. Ask and answer this question for yourself.

“Generosity has nothing to do with what one has or does not have. Generosity is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is not the “gift” of the few, but a possibility for all. Few things are more encouraging than to encounter a truly generous person. I want to be that person. Don’t you? COME HOLY SPIRIT!”

J.D. Walt in “How Democrats and Republicans miss the point on Poverty” blogpost on 29 June 2014 at seedbed.com.

Amen J.D.! Generosity is a “possibility” for everyone! The best part is that while it is not possible by our power or resolve, it is possible for everyone by the Holy Spirit. So in antiphonal response to J.D., here’s my prayer for you and me today: COME HOLY SPIRIT!

May the Holy Spirit fill you today, this week, this month, this year, and for the rest of your days with “…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, GENEROSITY, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…” (Galatians 5:22-23 NRSV).

I love J.D. Walt, chief sower at seedbed.com, because he is sowing for another great awakening. Check out his site. I produced a couple videos for the seedbed on Christian generosity which can be found by clicking on my seedbed blog.

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perterbations of love is Hell.”

C.S. Lewis in The Four Loves (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1960) 169.

The generous life calls us to take risks and to set aside selfishness and the perceived safety that luxuries offer. Are you willing to take risks to live and love generously? If not, what are you afraid of?

If Lewis were still with us, I think he would echo Jesus (Mark 8:36) and say: “Do not try to gain the whole world and lose your soul! And don’t say I didn’t warn you of the implications of such decisions.”

“Time is your most precious gift because you only have a set amount of it. You can make more money, but you can’t make more time. When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you’ll never get back. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time.”

Rick warren in The Purpose-Driven Life: What on Earth am I Here For? (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002) 127.

This week we have spent some quality time together driving to California for our nephew’s wedding. Why make the long drive? We wanted to celebrate the special day with loved ones, as it was a once-in-a-lifetime event. Since life is short, let’s make the most of the time given to us and bless others every chance we get by giving them a piece of ourselves.

“Greed is a particularly dangerous sin because it hides in our hearts while binding us to our materialistic desires. Money has tremendous power over us: for some it is our significance, for others it is our security. We can break free from our slavery to money by treasuring Jesus, who was willing to pay the ultimate price so that we may be his ultimate treasure.”

Tim Keller in a sermon entitled “Treasure vs. Money” delivered on 2 May 1999.

Many think the way to get free from the power of money is giving. I think that’s part of it. I think we must also treasure Jesus. When we let go of money and take hold of Jesus we start to realize that we have all we will ever need, the ultimate treasure.