The Impact of Prayer on the Ministries of DL Moody, CH Spurgeon, and Billy Graham

210 Pages·2009·7.87 MB·English

by  Rodney Baker

Guillermin Library
liberty University
Lynchburg, VA 24502
THE IMP ACT OF PRAYER ON THE
MINISTRIES OF D. L. MOODY, C. H. SPURGEON, AND BILLY GRAHAM:
A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY
A Thesis
Presented to the Faculty of
Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary
Lynchburg, Virginia
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Ministry
by
Rodney Baker
December 1999
©
1999
Rodney Baker
This Thesis was prepared and presented to the faculty as a part of the requirements for the Doctor
of Ministry degree at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, Lynchburg, Virginia. All rights and
privileges normally reserved by the author and copyright holder are waived for the Seminary.
The Seminary library may catalog, display, and use this Thesis in all normal ways such materials
are used, for reference and for other purposes, including electronic and other means of
preservation and circulation, including on-line computer access and other means by which library
materials in the future may be made available to researchers and library users.
LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
THESIS PROJECT APPROVAL SHEET
IV
To Our 24-Hour Intercessor--Jesus
Hebrews 7:25
TABLE OF CONTENTS
APPROVAL PAGE ..................................................... iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................. vi
ABSTRACT ........................................................... ix
INTRODUCTION ....................................................... 1
Chapter
1 PRAYER IN THE EARLY LIFE, CONVERSION, AND CALL OF
D.L.MOODY .............................................. 4
The Influence of Prayer in Moody's Early Life .............. 4
Prayer and the Conversion ofD. L. Moody ................. 10
Prayer and Moody's Call to the Ministry .................. 16
Young Men's Christian Association ................ 19
Moody Meets Sankey ........................... 22
2 EVANGELIST-REVIVALIST, D. L. MOODY'S ANOINTED
MINISTRY ............................................... 26
Prayer and the Preaching ofD. L. Moody .................. 26
Thy Undergirding Power of Prayer in the Ministry
ofD. L. Moody ................................ 31
Personal Prayer Life ofD. L. Moody ..................... 33
Praying for the Power of the Holy Spirit ................... 36
Prayer and Soulwinning ................................ 39
Prayer and Sunday School Work ......................... 45
VI
Prayer Revival of 1857-8 and Its Impact on D. L. Moody's
Ministry ...................................... 47
Prayer in His Meetings ................................ 50
Prayer in His School .................................. 56
Prayer in His Family Life .............................. 59
3 PRAYER IN THE EARLY LIFE, CONVERSION, AND CALL OF
C. H. SPURGEON .......................................... 65
The Influence of Prayer in Spurgeon's Early Life ............ 65
Prayer and the Conversion of C. H. Spurgeon ............... 71
Prayer and Spurgeon's Call to the Ministry ................. 74
4 PASTOR-EVANGELIST, CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON'S
ANOINTED MINISTRY ..................................... 80
Prayer and the Preaching of Charles Spurgeon .............. 80
Prayer and the Metropolitan Tabernacle ................... 86
Prayer Revival of 1857-8 and Its Impact on Spurgeon's
Ministry ...................................... 93
Personal Prayer Life of C. H. Spurgeon ................... 96
Manner of Prayer ..................................... 98
Naturalness of Prayer ................................. 100
Prayer and Soulwinning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Prayer and Soulwinning at the Metropolitan Tabernacle ..... 106
Praying for the Power ofthe Holy Spirit .................. 107
Prayer and Power in Preaching ......................... 109
Prayer in the Midst of Trials ........................... 111
Prayer and the Pastor's College ......................... 114
Vll
Prayer and His Family ................................ 118
5 COMPARING SPURGEON'S AND MOODY'S PRAYER LIVES .. 123
6 PRAYER IN THE EARLY LIFE, CONVERSION, AND CALL OF
BILLY GRAHAM ......................................... 130
The Influence of Prayer in Graham's Early Life ............ 130
Prayer and the Conversion of Billy Graham ............... 133
Prayer and Graham's Call to the Ministry ................. 136
7 EVANGELIST BILLY GRAHAM'S ANOINTED MINISTRY ..... 142
Prayer and Soulwinning ............................... 142
Prayer and Powerful Preaching ......................... 147
Prayer and the Bible .................................. 152
Prayer and the Power of the Holy Spirit .................. 157
Personal Prayer Life of Billy Graham .................... 165
Prayer and Crusades .................................. 170
Prayer and the Invitation ........................ 177
Impact of Crusades ............................ 178
Prayer and the Immediate Family ....................... 179
CONCLUSION ....................................................... 186
Implications for Contemporary Preachers ............................. 186
BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................... 190
viii
ABSTRACT
This study describes the significance of prayer in the nineteenth century
ministries of evangelist-revivalist D. L. Moody, pastor-evangelist C. H. Spurgeon, and
the twentieth-century ministry of evangelist Billy Graham. Furthermore, a description of
the three most successful evangelical ministries of the last two centuries will demonstrate
the vital role of prayer in their effective Christian ministries.
After extensively researching the lives ofD. L. Moody, C. H. Spurgeon, and Billy
Graham, it is clear that prayer played a major role in their lives and, according to
personal statements, was a key to their success. While various facets of their ministry
have been examined, this proposed work will be narrow as it solely examines the
spiritual discipline of prayer in the lives of Moody, Spurgeon, and Graham.
This thesis has been written by using primary sources, which included Moody's,
Spurgeon's, and Graham's own words and recordings of their lives. The paper also used
biographers and other secondary source's evaluations of these men's ministries,
especially in regard to their prayer lives.
ix
INTRODUCTION
There are servants of Christ who seem to possess greater power and effectiveness
than their contemporaries. In fact, the ministries of these giants of the faith surpass what
most have experienced, resulting in the positing of various explanations of success.
Three such men credited with spearheading the growth of evangelical Christianity in the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries are C. H. Spurgeon, D. L. Moody, and Billy Graham.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon was born of the flesh on June 19, 1834, in Kelvedon, England.
He was born of the Spirit on January 6, 1850, in Colchester. Dwight Lyman Moody was
born of the flesh on February 5, 1837, in Northfield, Massachusetts. He was born of the
Spirit on April 21, 1855, in Boston. Billy Graham was born of the flesh on November 7,
1918 just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. He was born of the Spirit in 1934 in
Charlotte, North Carolina.
Many reasons have been offered for the success of these men's ministries. Some
people have concluded that Moody, Spurgeon, and Graham experienced success because
of their preaching, some say it was their spirituality, some say their earnestness, and
others say it was their prayer life. No doubt, their success was due to a combination of
all the above. However, Spurgeon affirmed that one ofthe primary reasons souls were
won at the Tabernacle was because of the spirit of prayer. I Spurgeon clearly understood
IWilliam B. Riley, The Perennial Revival: A Pleafor Evangelism (Philadelphia:
American Baptist Publication Society, 1916),51.
1
2
that proclamation power came from God as he asserted, "Oh! To think this: that you a
puny man may stand here and speak to God and through God may move all the worlds.,,2
"I would rather have a Master of Prayer than a M.A. from both universities [Oxford and
Cambridge]. He who knows how to pray has his hand on the leverage which moves the
universe. ,,3
A contemporary of the English C. H. Spurgeon was the powerfully anointed
American, evangelist-revivalist D. L. Moody. Mr. Moody was a man of prayer. Here,
4
we also touch the inner source of his matchless power.
Moving from the nineteenth century into the mid-twentieth century, students in
the history of revivals began predicting that mass evangelistic meetings like those held by
5
D. L. Moody, Billy Sunday, and others had possibly come to an end. Then God raised
Christianity's greatest evangelist in history, Billy Graham. Like Spurgeon and Moody,
Graham believes "more can be done by prayer than anything else. Prayer is our greatest
weapon.,,6
2c. H. Spurgeon, "True Prayer--True Power," New Park Street Pulpit, vol. 6
(Pasadena: Pilgrim Publications, 1981),336.
3c. H. Spurgeon, "The Best Strengthening Medicine," The Metropolitan
Tabernacle Pulpit 37 (Pasadena, Tex.: Pilgrim Publications, 1971): 328.
4A. T. Rowe, D. L. Moody: The Soul-Winner (Anderson, Ind.: Gospel Trumpet
Co., 1927), 82.
5David Lockard, The Unheard Billy Graham (Waco: Word Books, 1971),23.
6Cort R. Flint and the Staff of Quote, compo and ed., The Quotable Billy Graham
(Anderson, S.C.: Doke Housse, 1966), 153.