Home for the Holidays

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Dear New Covenant Family,

This week’s article will be a post from Tony Reinke, who is commenting on a sermon from C.H. Spurgeon. May we be encouraged to make much of Christ as we “go home for the holidays!”

Grateful for your fellowship,

Pastor David Sunday

Home for the Holidays 

On Sunday morning, December 21, 1856, Charles Spurgeon preached a sermon to prepare his growing church for the coming Christmas season. He titled it “Going Home,” and the aim of the message was to encourage each member of his congregation to humbly, wisely, and appropriately find opportunities to share their personal testimony with family and friends. 

Spurgeon had become the pastor of New Park Street Church in April 1854. At that time the church had 232 members. By Christmas of 1856 the membership had risen quickly to around 4,000. A large number of newly converted Christians needed to be prepared for their return home for Christmas. 

Spurgeon’s sermon text was taken from the dramatic account of Jesus healing the Gerasene demoniac in Mark 5:1–20. Spurgeon focused his attention on Jesus’s commission to the man after he was healed: “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you” (v. 19).

After explaining the demoniac’s radical life-transformation by Christ and his commission to go home, Spurgeon commissioned his church to return home. In the remainder of the sermon Spurgeon develops several practical points:

• Christmas is suited for sharing the gospel with family and friends.
• Aim to share the story of God’s grace in your life.
• By sharing we edify believers.
• By sharing we reach lost friends and family.
• Be alert for one-on-one opportunities to share your story.
• Don’t expect this sharing to be easy.
• Overcome this fear by sharing to honor your Savior.
• Share your story with gratitude to God.
• Share your story with humility.
• Share your story truthfully—don’t embellish it.
• Tell your story seriously—don’t share it flippantly.
• Don’t neglect your personal devotions during Christmas.
• Rest upon the Holy Spirit’s help to share.
• Remember that this story you share over the holidays is the story that will be on your lips eternally. 

A pdf of this post is available here (7 pages). You are free to download, email, print, or copy this file as you wish. 

May the Savior be glorified this Christmas season as we gather with friends and family.