A Pastor’s Sketches: Conversations with Anxious Souls Concerning the Way of Salvation (Ichabod Spencer)

A Pastor’s Sketches

Conversations with Anxious Souls Concerning the Way of Salvation

A Pastor’s Sketches is one of the finest and most unique books ever written on the subject of evangelistic and pastoral ministry. It should rightly take its place on the desk of every pastor, but is immensely useful to anyone helping others to know God.

Drawing on his meticulous note-taking from evangelistic and counseling efforts, Ichabod Spencer accurately retells a helpful sampling of these encounters, including many of the excuses, spiritual strongholds, and lies that keep souls away from Christ.

Each chapter or sketch includes a narrative of Spencer’s efforts to apply the Scriptures under the guiding counsel of the Holy Spirit in order to help people overcome their personal obstacles to faith and repentance. He then shares with readers the primary lessons which can be learned from each interaction.

Endorsements

“A sobering and challenging reminder that the Holy Spirit is the true agent of conversion.  This book is urgently needed today when so much of our evangelism is patterned after current marketing methods.” — Jerry Bridges, author of The Pursuit of Holiness

“These sketches show a doctrinal depth and an experiential savvy perfectly meshed in one who had the cure of souls as his passion.  He dare not intrude on God’s work and he dare not omit anything that was his to do.  Spencer takes us to school on this eternally important issue.” — Thomas Nettles

Contents

1. The Young Irishman
2. Faith Everything
3. Simplicity of Faith
4. Waiting for the Holy Spirit
5. Business Hindrance
6. Waiting for Conviction
7. Not Discouraged
8. Reliance on Man
9. Bad Advice
10. The Whole Heart
11. The Welsh Woman and Her Tenant
12. The Holy Spirit Resisted
13. The Heart Promised
14. Fixed Despair
15. Total Depravity
16. Ignorance of Self
17. Superficial Conviction
18. Excitement
19. Ashamed of Christ
20. The Last Step
21. The Persecuted Wife
22. The Arrow Driven Deeper
23. Divided Mind
24. Human Resolves
25. I Can’t Repent
26. A Strange Snare
27. Fanaticism
28. A Mother’s Prayer
29. Easy to be a Christian
30. Proselyting
31. The Obstinate Girl
32. Conviction Resisted
33. Determination
34. The Miserable Heart; or, Delusion and Infidelity
35. Unconditional Submission
36. The Unpardonable Sin
37. Election
38. The Brown Jug
39. The Harvest Past; or, The Dying Universalist
40. Doctrines and Death

and many more chapters on other conditions and needs of the soul.