Spurgeon on Choosing a Local Church

True Preaching and Sanctified Sweat Go Hand in Hand (2 Tim. 2:15; Col. 1:29)

"Expect To Be Misunderstood, Misrepresented, Belied, Ridiculed..."

Charles Spurgeon's advice to faithful ministers of the gospel.  "Expect to be misunderstood, misrepresented, belied, ridiculed, and so forth; for so was the Sent of the Father....As the Father sent His Son into a world which was sure to treat him ill, so has he sent you into the same world, which will treat you in the same manner if you are like Christ."

...."For my part, I am quite willing to be eaten of dogs for the next fifty years; but the more distant future shall vindicate me. I have dealt honestly before the living God."

'Useless Fault Finding' (Spurgeon gems)

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The last few years of pastoral ministry have been especially joyful.  In large part this is because those who excelled most at highlighting specks in others eventually saw fit to take their "fault finding" elsewhere.  In this vein, I know of one pastor who during one sit down meeting was criticized for three plus hours.  The sad irony was that this brother had some pretty significant logs in his own ministry/marriage/family.  During this lengthy meeting this member never once admitted any of those shortcomings or failures (see Matthew 7:1-5).  During meetings like this it is often best to say very little and to not turn the tables.  To evaluate the criticisms and accusations of others and to swallow any kernels of truth and to spit out the rest.  

In this vein, I came across this encouraging word from Charles Spurgeon.  "From the earliest period it has been found impossible for the messengers whom God has sent to suit their style of utterance to the tastes of all."

Many hearers lose much blessing through criticizing too much, and meditating too little; and many more incur great sin by calumniating those who live for the good of others. True pastors have enough of care and travail without being burdened by undeserved and useless fault-finding.  We have something better to do than to be forever answering every malignant or frivolous slander which is set afloat to injure us.