Biography

Reflection on Tersteegen

It seemed to me as if he had gone straight into heaven, and lost himself in God; but often when he had done praying he was as white as the wall.

– A friend’s comment after meeting Tersteegen at Kroneberg –

Keep Close to My Bible – Charles Spurgeon

I have been called an Arminian Calvinist or a Calvinistic Arminian and I am quite content so long as I can keep close to my Bible. I desire to preach what I find in this Book whether I find it in anybody else’s book or not.

– Charles Spurgeon –

The Prayer Life of DL Moody – RA Torrey

Out of a very intimate acquaintance with DL Moody, I wish to testify that he was a far greater pray-er than he was preacher. Time and time again, he was confronted by obstacles that seemed insurmountable, but he always knew the way to overcome all difficulties. He knew the way to bring to pass anything that needed to be brought to pass. He knew and believed in the deepest depths of his soul that nothing was too hard for the Lord, and that prayer could do anything that God could do.

– RA Torrey –

Everyone Was Happy – Richard Wurmbrand

It was strictly forbidden to preach to other prisoners. It was understood that whoever was caught doing this received a severe beating. A number of us decided to pay the price for the privilege of preaching, so we accepted their [the communists’] terms. It was a deal; we preached and they beat us. We were happy preaching. They were happy beating us, so everyone was happy.

– Richard Wurmbrand –
from Tortured for Christ

Encouraged by Others – Robert Murray M’Cheyne

Read part of the life of Jonathan Edwards. How feeble does my spark of Christianity appear beside such a sun! But even his was a borrowed light, and the same source is still open to enlighten me. —

– Robert Murray M’’Cheyne –

There was Lightening in His Faith – Charles Spurgeon

Nobody doubted that Martin Luther believed what he spoke. He spoke with thunder, for there was lightning in his faith. The man preached all over, for his entire nature believed. You felt, “Well, he may be mad, or he may be altogether mistaken, but he assuredly believes what he says. He is the incarnation of faith; his heart is running over at his lips.”

– Charles Spurgeon –
from Lectures To My Students

October 18, 2014

I was thinking, while I was reading these passages, what if we could erase from our minds all knowledge of the history of Christianity from the close of the period described in the book of Acts – and then looking at the book of Acts, sit down and try to calculate what was likely to happen in the world? We would most likely expect very different results – a radically changed world as the outcome of it all. A system which started with such power, under such promises and declarations on the part of its Author, and producing, as it did in its first century, such gigantic and momentous results! We would have thought (if we knew nothing of what has intervened from then until now) that the whole world would have fallen long ago to the influence of that system, and would have been brought under the authority of its great Originator and Founder. I say from reading these Acts, and from observing the Spirit which moved the early disciples, that we should have anticipated ten thousand times greater results – and in my opinion, this anticipation would have been perfectly rational and just.
– Catherine Booth –