Hope in Christ in the face of death Pt 2

As many of you know I posted about my wife’s cancer at the end of last year. It is hard to believe that it has been almost 6 months since I blogged about this life changing event! I just wanted to give a short update on how things are going.

My wife underwent surgery in December. The doctor removed some colon, an ovary, a kidney, and some of the lining of her muscles on the left side of her body. The tumor, which was discovered via cat scan, had grown that large. She pulled through the surgery quite well.

She then began chemo therapy. However, as the beginning of February dawned, we both caught covid and she had to stop her chemo treatments. In March she restarted chemo therapy and is doing very well. She goes to Birmingham every other week, and sits in the office, as they pump two different types of chemo into her veins. She is then sent home with a pump attached to her, which pump, is administering a third type of chemo.

In order to pay bills and to keep our finances stable, I had to go back out on the road and drive a big rig. So this is why I have not posted any special material on my blog in a while.

Also, Wednesday April 21 her mother passed away. She was 80 years old. I had to come home the 22nd of April and we buried her mother Friday the 23rd of April.

Through all of this God has been gracious. He knows what is best for us in each and every situation. This does not mean that we do not need prayer! Oh no! Keep praying saints! What it does mean however, is that God works where and how he wills and we must thank him for his many blessings in the midst of it. We our not our own, we are bought with a price!

Therefore, I want to thank all those who have prayed for us and ask that you continue to do so.

God bless you,

Hershel

Reformedontheweb has finally reached 100,000 views

Reformedontheweb is happy to announce that this site has finally reached 100,000 views. Matter of fact, it is right now at 100,484 views total. I thank God for this. I also thank all those which browse this site regularly.

God bless you all,

Hershel

Charles Spurgeon’s Letters-Letter 241

GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE

To [Readers of his sermons].

MENTONE, Jan. 17, 1892.

MY DEAR READERS,—

Your weekly preacher is still weakly; but though his progress towards strength is slow, it has been steadily maintained during the late trying weather. When we consider how many have died, your chaplain is very grateful to be alive to be able to send forth his usual discourse from the Press, and to be, as he hopes, half-an-inch nearer to his pulpit. Happy will he count himself when he is able to preach with the living voice.

Would it not be well for all the churches to hold special meetings for prayer concerning the deadly scourge of influenza? The suggestion has no doubt been made by others; but I venture to press it upon Christians of all denominations that they may in turn urge all their pastors to summon such meetings. Our nation is fast learning to forget God. In too many instances ministers of religion have propagated doubt and the result is a general hardening of the popular feeling, and a greatly-increased neglect of public worship. It is written, “When Thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” Let us, who believe in inspired Scripture, unite our prayers that it may be even so. With a court and a nation in deepest mourning, it is a time to cry mightily unto the Lord.

I have been able again to revise a sermon without assistance. It is upon Psalm 105:37, and, if the Lord will, it will be published next week.

Yours, in deep sympathy with all the sick and the bereaved,

C. H. SPURGEON.

The End of Spurgeon’s Letters

Charles Spurgeon’s Letters-Letter 240

GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE

To [Readers of his sermons].

MENTONE, Jan. 9, 1892.

BELOVED FRIENDS, —

The one want of the church in these times is indicated by the title of this sermon. The presence of God, in saving power, in the Church, will put an end to the present plague of infidelity. Men will not doubt His Word when they feel His Spirit.

It will be the only security for the success of missionary effort. If God be with His people, they will soon see crowds converted and added to the Church. For a thousand reasons, we need that Jehovah should come into the camp, as aforetime He visited and delivered His people from bondage in Egypt.

Could we not all unite in prayer for this as fervently as all united in prayer for my life? It is a far greater and more necessary subject for intercession, and the Lord will not be slow to hear us. Come to Thy Church, 0 Lord, in fullness of power to save! If the Great Advent is not yet, — indulge us with outpourings of grace, and times of refreshing!

Oh, that all Christendom would take up this pleading, and continue it until the answer came!

Receive, dear readers, my hearty salutations. Personally, I scarcely make progress during this broken weather, but the doctor says I hold my own, and that is more than he could have expected. Whether I live or die, I would say in the words of Israel to Joseph, “God shall be with you.”

Yours ever heartily,

C. H. SPURGEON.

Charles Spurgeon’s Letters-Letter 239

GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE

To [Readers of his sermons].

CLAPHAM, June 5.

TO MY FRIENDS EVERYWHERE, —

I have now endured ten silent Sabbaths, and as I know that many of you are anxious to have accurate information as to my state of health, and as I have now something cheerful to communicate, I feel bound to add the present note to this week’s sermon. The pain of my disease which has been intense has now ceased for a week or more. I have had a succession of good nights in which sweet sleep has so refreshed me that I felt each morning to be fax in advance of the previous day. I am now very weak, weak as a little child, but by the same mercy which allayed the pain strength will be restored, and I shall have the pleasure of being again at my delightful labor. Please pray for me that I may be speedily and lastingly restored to health, if it be the Lord’s will. Ask also that the furnace heat which I have suffered may produce its full effect upon me in my own soul and in my ministry. My heart’s inmost desire, as the Lord knoweth, is the salvation of sinners and the building-up of His people in their most holy faith, to the glory of the Lord Jesus: hence it has been very grievous to me to have been debarred my pulpit and shut out from other means of usefulness. Nevertheless, no work has flagged at the Tabernacle, because of my illness; pecuniary help has been furnished just when it was needed, and spiritual help has been given by the Lord of Hosts. We desire to accomplish more, and to receive more blessing, when our health is restored to us. Surely the Master has some great design to be answered by laying His servants aside; we trust it will prove to be so. Let our prayers be more fervent, our zeal more ardent, and our labors for the spread of the Truth more abundant, and God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.

I have one great favor to ask of all readers of the sermons, and that is that they will try to spread them abroad, and increase the number of regular subscribers. What has been good to you will be good for others if the Lord bless it. If you cannot preach yourself, you can distribute the word spoken by others.

I hope to be able to occupy the pulpit again by June 25, if the Lord will; but all things are uncertain to us, especially when one is slowly recovering from severe affliction.

Yours to serve till death,

C. H. SPURGEON.

Charles Spurgeon’s Letters-Letter 238

GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE

To [Ben. Nicholson, Esq.].

WESTWOOD, April 1, 1882.

DEAR FRIEND, —

I am the earnest friend and helper of all who preach the Gospel of Jesus; yet I deem it no unfriendly thing to speak the truth, and what I wrote in 1875 I have never seen any reason to alter. Messrs. Moody & Sankey axe two blessed men of God, and if their converts on that occasion vanished, it was no fault of theirs, neither would I have had them refrain for an hour — far from it.

The movement in London had (comparatively) no link with the Churches, and fostered a rival spirit, and hence it did not bring a permanent blessing of increase to the Churches.

Still, it brought a great blessing to the Church universal, and revived and encouraged us all.

I would warn Churches against trusting in spasmodic effort, but at the same time against refusing such special help as the Lord puts in their way. There is a medium.

In any case, I am not against Evangelistic effort, but heartily its advocate.

Yours very truly and gratefully,

C. H. SPURGEON.

Charles Spurgeon’s Letters-Letter 237

GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE

To [The members of The Society of Friends meeting at Devonshire House].

NIGHTINGALE LANE, 13/1/77.

BRETHREN IN CHRIST, —

I have for some years felt a desire to hold, at times, in our great City, meetings for business men where I might address them upon the things of God. Convenient places are few, and the hire of those available would be beyond my personal means.

It therefore occurred to me that you might perhaps allow me to speak in your Meeting-house, for I know your liberality of mind; and although personally I am not agreed with you in all points, yet in the greater truths we are one, and even in all things one in the desire to be led of the Spirit, and to live to the glory of God.

Several Friends have encouraged me in the hope that you would freely lend me your Meeting-house, but I earnestly entreat that those who are in favor of so doing will not imagine that I could or would wish for this favor if it would wound the minds of any Friends.

I, your brother in the Lord, ask you for the loan of your Meeting-house for one hour about mid-day on four days in April or May which may be mutually convenient. If it seem good to you to decline, I shall not need to be assured that your reasons will be kind, for I shall be sure of it; but if you are moved to grant me my desire, I can assure you that I seek not to make converts to a sect, or to a school of thought, much less to any form of outward ordinance; but I desire to bear testimony, as the Spirit enables me, for the gospel of Jesus, with the one aim of leading souls to the Savior.

As, through great weariness, I am obliged to rest for a while in the South of France, I must ask your patience if there should be delay in replying to any enquiries which may arise out of this request. May the Spirit of God be over all in your assembly, even as I trust He moveth me in this act!

Yours in Christ Jesus, in brotherly love,

C. H. SPURGEON.

Charles Spurgeon’s Letters-Letter 236

GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE

To [The Philadelphia Conference of Baptist Ministers].

DEAR SIR, —

I beg you to thank all the brethren on my behalf. I am deeply affected by your brotherly love. One touch of grace has, in a truer sense than a touch of nature, made us all akin. I rejoice every day in the prosperity of the Church of God in the United States. Your nation is but in its youth, and you are educating it for a high career; ours is old, and slow to learn, and we are with much difficulty lighting its candle, lending it spectacles, and opening the Bible before it. We cannot expect to teach Mr. Bull quite so readily as you teach Master Jonathan. We will, however, do our best; and you will pray for us, and God will bless us.

I feel as if I was even now squeezing the hand of each minister, and receiving a return grip. Take it as done. Thank your God bless you!

Yours heartily,

C. H. SPURGEON.

Charles Spurgeon’s Letters-Letter 235

GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE

To [The Secretary of the Church at Devonshire Sq.].

CLAPHAM, Jan. 8.

MY DEAR SIR, —

I congratulate you on the prospect of an emigration from the worse than Egypt of Devonshire Square. Whatever your chapel may have been in ages past, it has become of late atmospherically and entomologically horrible; the din outside, on the Lord’s-day, in which Jews and Gentiles emulate each other in row-making, fits your house to be a den in Babylon rather than a temple upon Zion. That a church and congregation should have gathered so long, in such a spot, is a miracle of grace on God’s part, and of inertness on the part of man. May you get away from the rags and the racket, and may you and your friends enjoy prosperity abundantly!

Yours very truly,

C. H. SPURGEON.

Charles Spurgeon’s Letters-Letter 234

GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE

To [The Editor of The Star].

NIGHTINGALE LANE, June 10, 1857.

SIR, —

I beg to call your immediate attention to several errors in an article in this morning’s Star headed” Mr. Spurgeon done by a pickle-selling Tartuffe.” I cannot imagine the origin of so extraordinary a statement, for it might as well have been said that Adam robbed my orchard as that Mr. had appropriated our funds. I am happy to say that the moneys for the new Tabernacle are “preserved” in the London and Westminster Bank, in two good names, and have never been placed in any jeopardy up to the present. It is very probable that Mr. was a hearer of mine; for, in a congregation of such magnitude, he may have been sometimes included; but he was not a member of my church, he did not hold a seat, nor did he regularly attend. He may have worn a white neckcloth, but he did not purchase it out of our funds, for he was in no way whatever connected with us beyond being an occasional attendant. If ever your informant has been under the sound of my ministry, I can only regret that I must put him down, with as one who did not hear to profit. Men should be cautious in their repetition of unfounded tales, and especially so in cases where the sacred name of religion is concerned.

I am,

Yours faithfully,

C. H. SPURGEON.