From a sermon entitled: “What Makes a Great Church”…
Before the term “mega church” was ever conceived, Charles Spurgeon pioneered one right in the heart of London, England. When he was just twenty years of age, the New Park Street Church in London called him to be their preacher. Soon people were coming in such large numbers that the church building couldn’t hold them. So they constructed a new building—the Metropolitan Tabernacle—which seated 6,000 people, which was unheard of in that day, and they filled it twice every Sunday.
For thirty-one years, he filled the Metropolitan Tabernacle twice on Sunday and hundreds and hundreds of people were baptized.
Charles Spurgeon, who is referred to by many as the prince of preachers, would have been the first to tell you that the source of the churches strength and success wasn’t in any special program or new idea, nor was it in the words that he preached: Left to themselves they were just mere words. There was a greater source of strength. So what was it that gave this church its power?
Well, the story goes that one Sunday, five young college students who were preparing for the ministry visited the Metropolitan Tabernacle to hear Spurgeon speak. While waiting for the church doors to open, Charles Spurgeon himself approached them and asked if they would like to see the powerhouse of this great church. The soon-to-be preachers were delighted to see the secret to the power of this church. Spurgeon led them through a long hallway, down a stairway, and cautiously opened a door at the bottom. What the five young men saw astonished them. Looking through this open doorway, they saw about 700 church members bowed in prayer asking God for His blessing on the upcoming service. “That,” said Spurgeon “is our powerhouse!”
Want Burns to be a great place? Pray for our family.
Pray for me as I preach to select the best topics, study them faithfully, and deliver them well.
Pray for the elders to shepherd this flock and care for our spiritual needs.
Pray for our leaders and go-to people who organize our work together.
Pray for every member who struggles, who celebrates, or who is somewhere in between.
Pray that God would use us to reach those nobody has reached, serve those nobody has served, and love people who have never experienced the love of Jesus.
Pray for God’s grace and presence to abound in our family.