One of the best-selling books that Charles Spurgeon ever wrote is "The Soul Winner." This book is actually a compilation of a series of lectures that Spurgeon made on the subject of evangelism.
This was required reading for a seminary course I'm taking on "Building an Evangelistic Church." Today I posted my response to four questions in relation to our reading, which provide a helpful overview and critique of the book. I decided to post my comments here as well in the hopes that the TruthWalk readership will secure a copy for themselves and give it a thorough reading. It will warm your heart both to God and to man, which makes this book a valuable resource in witnessing.
WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS OF THE BOOK?
Certainly one strength is Spurgeon's multi-faceted approach to the subject of evangelism. His lectures include an explanation as to the very essence of soul winning, the personal character of Christ's ambassador, the cost that comes with being a soul winner, methods in witnessing, the responsibility and rewards of sharing the gospel, etc. Spurgeon's book really is a wonderful digest of what God's Word says about this whole matter of soul winning.
A second strength of the book is Spurgeon's emphasis on personal holiness. This is addressed mainly in chapter two, where Spurgeon writes, "An unholy ministry would be the derision of the world, and a dishonor to God" (15). Spurgeon returns to this subject of personal holiness frequently throughout his discourses (44-45, 75-76, 90, et.al.), thus stressing its importance.
A third strength is Spurgeon's own passion for souls and the glory of Jesus Christ. The zeal of this venerated pastor spreads by contagion. Notwithstanding the Elizabethan language of the book, Spurgeon's words still communicate and carry a tremendous force of influence for good in the present day.
WHAT DOES SPURGEON SAY THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO THE 21ST CENTURY NORTH AMERICAN CHURCH?
First, Spurgeon repeatedly points to prayer as an indispensable component of effective evangelism. In addition to private prayer, i.e. "personal communion with God" (45), Spurgeon also stresses the necessity of corporate prayer, insisting, "Somehow we must keep up with the prayer meetings, for they are at the very secret source of power with God and with men" (56). So often in modern evangelical churches, if there is prayer at all, they are very much inwardly focused rather than outwardly focused. Spurgeon's exhortations regarding prayer coincide well with those of the apostle Paul, who instructed Timothy that prayer for all people in reference to salvation is a matter of first priority in the church (2 Tim 2:1-4).
Second, Spurgeon offers terrific counsel for dealing with tares in the church: "We must let the tares grow until the harvest; but the best thing to do, when you cannot root up the tares, is to water the wheat" (59). Pastors far too easily get distracted, discouraged and distressed over professors of faith who are not possessors of faith and wreak havoc in the church. Our ministry, however, should be geared not toward this group but toward the gospel and those who eagerly receive it for their own nourishment. This will inevitably strengthen the "planting of the Lord" (Isa 61:3) and choke out the weeds of hypocrisy.
Third, Spurgeon's sermon, "How to Raise the Dead," recorded in chapter seven provides outstanding counsel on ministering to the lost, particularly those who are children. This sermon emphasizes the importance of personal involvement in the lives of those people that we are attempting to reach for Christ. Later on, in chapter eight, Spurgeon extols the benefits of "private talk" (i.e. personal conversation), saying, "When you know how to carry a man on your heart, and have felt the burden of his case, ou will have his name engraven upon your soul. So you that privately talk to people, you are feeling the weight of souls; and I believe that this is what many regular preachers need to know more of; and then they will preach better" (78). In addition to personal conversation, Spurgeon encourages the use of home visits and personal letters as well. Anything that conveys a personal touch will go a long way in conveying the love of Christ to the lost. In this day of high-tech ministry, servants of Christ would do well to remember that personableness must always take precedence over programming.
WHAT ARE THE WEAKNESSES OF THE BOOK?
In chapter two, Spurgeon states, "You may preach very fine sermons, but if you are not yourselves holy, there will be no souls saved" (16). Certainly every believer is called to a holy life, but ultimately the gospel itself "is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" (Rom 1:16). "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (Rom 10:17). The sovereign God of grace may at times choose to use a very unholy instrument to bring others to Christ. One thinks of Chuck Templeton, a team evangelist with Billy Graham in the early days of his ministry, who was used of the Lord to save numerous people, yet Templeton himself eventually abandoned the Christian faith altogether, thus proving that he himself was never really saved (see 1 John 2:19). God used the false prophet Balaam to bless the Israelites, and the Lord used Judas Iscariot to preach the gospel of the kingdom, effecting God's intended results. On the other hand, great missionaries and holy men of God such as David Brainerd and Robert Moffatt went years without seeing any visible results in their ministry. Though the Christian is to pursue holiness in all of life, God may at times use a very unholy vessel to accomplish his holy purposes.
Along these same lines, Spurgeon says, "Do not be satisfied when a single soul is converted. Remember that the rule of the kingdom is, 'According to your faith be it unto you'" (36). Here again one must be careful not to gauge the faith of a person by how many conversions he has notched on his gospel belt. Later on Spurgeon writes, "He that never saved a sinner after years of work is not a minister of Christ" (132). What about William Carey, who went seven years before he saw his first convert in India, or Robert Moffatt who went nine years without a convert? In his zeal to spur believers on toward effectiveness in evangelism, Spurgeon would have been wise to more carefully weigh and dispense his words.
WHAT IN THIS BOOK MOST CHALLENGED YOU PERSONALLY?
What challenged me post personally was the call to mentor others in such a way that they become reproducing disciples of Jesus Christ. Spurgeon declared, "I think I may say to every person whom I am addressing, If you are yourself saved, the work is but half done until you are employed to bring others to Christ. You are as yet half formed in the image of your Lord" (122). Spurgeon proceeds to say, "If Christ has caught us, we must catch others" (123). I must be committed to the work of evangelism myself, yet I must also be mentoring others to be evangelizing as well.
In chapter fourteen, Spurgeon points to the Vaudois (Waldensian) pastors, each of which took "a young man with him who walked with him whenever he went up the mountainside to preach, and lived in the house with him, and marked his prayers, and saw his daily piety. This was a fine course of instruction, was it not?" (125). This is true discipleship in action and should characterize my own mentoring ministry.