An all-round ministry - Spurgeon - VII - Chapter 4 concluded

Required reading
An all-round ministry by CH Spurgeon (Available from Amazon or free here) - Conclude Chapter 4.

My summary
Now we conclude the chapter on how to meet the evils of the age by looking at the remedy to them: preach the gospel in all its length and breadth of doctrine, precept, spirit, example and power.

Spurgeon then instructs us that we should preaching the gospel by:
(i) having knowledge of the gospel;
(ii) seeking after a deeper and more experimental acquaintance with the gospel;
(iii) keeping to the gospel more continually;
(iv) becoming more and more earnest and practical;
(v) being more and more simple and clear in the preaching of the gospel;
(vi) exemplifying it in our lives when out of the pulpit;
(vii) getting saturated with the gospel.

What grabbed me
Great illustration about bad preaching: 'Some preachers remind me of the famous Chinese jugglers, who not long ago were everywhere advertised. One of these stood against a wall. and the other threw knives at him. One knife would be driven into the board just above his head, and another close by his ear, while under his armpit and between his fingers quite a number of deadly weapons were bristling. Wonderful art to be able to throw to a hair's breadth and never strike! How many among us have a marvellous skill in missing! "Be not afraid," says the preacher, "I am never personal. I never give home-thrusts." Stand quite still, my friend! Open your arms! Spread out your fingers! Your minister has practised a very long while, and he knows how to avoid troubling you in the least with truth too severely personal. Brethren, cultivate that art if you desire to be damned, and wish your hearers also to be lost; but if you want to be the means of saving both yourselves and them that hear you, cry to your Lord for faithfulness, practicalness, real heart-moving power. Never play at preaching nor beat about the bush; get at it, and always mean business.'

Don't be good at missing the heart, be good at striking the heart!

Next week's reading
Commence Chapter 5 (A new departure) by reading up to the paragraph beginning, 'Perhaps I have spoken at too great length upon the former part of my subject; I now propose to dwell upon the necessity of renewing grace.'

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.