“Don’t rely too much on labels, for too often they are fables.”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, often called “C.H.” Spurgeon, is known as the most famous British Baptist preacher in Christian history. Born on June 19, 1834, he has often been called “the Apostle Paul of his generation.” Remarkably, he was never taught to preach, yet he became the most popular preacher in all of London.
At age 15, he was walking home, when the sky above him suddenly opened into a terrible snowstorm. Looking for somewhere to stay warm until the storm passed, he ducked into a church building where a service was taking place. The preacher was reading Isaiah 45:22 about looking to Jesus as the substitute Lamb slain for our sins, and the simple message of it changed Charles Spurgeon’s whole worldview. God opened Spurgeon’s spiritual eyes so he could look to Jesus that day for salvation.
He began preaching at age 16. Soon, he was preaching to crowds of 10,000 at a time – and this was before microphones were invented! From the very beginning, Charles Spurgeon was a gifted speaker and a powerful preacher. By age 20 he had already preached over 600 times. At age 25, he built the famous Metropolitan Tabernacle which seated 5,000 for each service. Even that was not enough room, since usually 1,000 or so more people would have to stand outside the Tabernacle to listen.
People began to call Spurgeon “the Prince of Preachers,” and his sermons were published in written form like a newsletter each week. By the end of his life, he had preached more than 3,600 sermons and published over 49 books and commentaries.
He married Susannah and raised twin sons. With his family, he helped start the Pastor’s College and the Stockwell Orphanage. He often said, “I’d rather be poor in His service than rich in my own.”
What would you prefer? What would you like to be rich in – God’s service or man’s wealth?
Isaiah 45:22 – “Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.”