grace is crazy.

10Mar10

i’ve been reading the book preaching and preachers by dr. d. martyn lloyd-jones (which, if you are a preacher, you would greatly benefit from reading).

the following is a story about charles spurgeon that i found inspiring.

“there is another very good story which i repeat for the comfort of any preacher in need, or any man in a state of desperation – lay preachers particularly. it is another story about spurgeon who, as is known, was given to fits of depression. he suffered from gout, and that condition is often accompanied by an element of depression. during one of these attacks spurgeon was so depressed that he felt he could not preach, indeed that he was not fit to preach. so he refused to preach in the tabernacle the following sunday and went off to the country to his old home in essex. on the sunday morning he slipped into a seat at the back of the little chapel where he had attended as a boy. a lay-preacher was preaching that morning, and the poor man proceeded to preach one of mr. spurgeon’s printed sermons. the moment the good man had finished spurgeon rushed on to him with tears streaming down his face, and thanked him profusely. the poor man said, ‘mr. spurgeon i don’t know how to face you, i have just been preaching one of your sermons.’ ‘i don’t care whose sermon it is,’ said spurgeon, ‘all i know is that your preaching this morning has convinced me that i am a child of God, that i am saved by grace, that all my sins are forgiven, that i am called to the ministry, and i am ready to go back to preach again.’”

crazy.

mark