Mid Week Open Porch

We don’t have mid week open porches very often, and when we do it’s usually because I haven’t thought of anything to write about. We will continue with our reposts of the Ezekiel series next week.

Today’s open comes with a great docu-drama I watched Saturday night. I had seen it in my suggested watch list for a while but finally Saturday I had a bit of time to start and I was actually glued to it until it was over.

I know most if not all of us have heard of Charles Spurgeon. I’ve had a few quotes of his in my list of favorites for years. I’ve also read a couple of his sermons online, but I never really knew much about him as a pastor, never knew the man behind the quotes.

As I watched this, I learned so much about what a humble spirit he had even from such a young age, and a somewhat free spirit in that he left the family ‘pulpit’ and became a Baptist in Victorian England. His story and life while not unusually special, was still extraordinary because of his passion for the Lord. He reminds me of the Apostle Paul, only without the… hardness. I don’t know if that’s the right word- as Paul doesn’t seem hard (not nearly as much as James lol) but he does exhort a perfection somewhat, that I find awfully hard to live up to no matter how much I want to.

It’s Spurgeon’s humbleness though that stands out to me most. Like Paul, he knows his sin and his nature, and is constantly aware of all Who Jesus is, and all who he is, and is always willing to give his Lord and Savior the glory.

He was a man before his time, and starting so young, was the object of mean spiritedness and spite, even from among other pastors of the time. Yet he still had humor.

He once penned, “Sometimes, laughter may become the holiest possible expression”

I appreciate the humor in this one, from his autobiography, ”

After Spurgeon’s baptism, his mother wrote him a letter: “Ah, Charles! I often prayed the Lord to make you a Christian, but I never asked that you might become a Baptist.”

“Ah, mother!” Spurgeon replied. “The Lord has answered your prayer with His usual bounty, and given you exceeding abundantly above what you asked or thought”

As for critics, criticism, and as proving things don’t change much, the media also had a field day with him whenever they felt the urge. It seems that jealousy and pettiness are qualities that have never died out in an evolving race either.

In the end, he realizes that much like in our time, church leaders are too quick to put aside the validity of the Lord’s Word, and go with the world. And it broke his heart. The world needed a Charles Spurgeon, and they were hungry. Frankly our world could use a few of him now, but I can’t help but wonder how much would change, but how much would be the same…

I hope folks will watch this. It really is a great story.