Gleanings Among the Sheaves

AOG Discussion Edition

By: Charles Spurgeon

Narrated by: C. J. McAllister

Charles Spurgeon may be known as the "Prince of Preachers", and deservedly so; but you will find upon listening to this volume that his gifts were not limited to sweeping orations delivered to extensive crowds. This beautiful text contains dozens of brief passages on a wide variety of topics that relate to the Christian life. Equally useful as a daily devotional or a springboard for additional study and meditation, this edition includes the full, unabridged text of the original, in addition to extensive study and discussion questions to help spark further thought.

©2018 James Barnes (study and discussion questions); main text public domain (P)2018 James Barnes

Good introduction to Spurgeon

Spurgeon was called the Prince of preachers. With McAllister reading this book it is easy to see why. Thoughtful and profound words from a man who isn't as widely known these days but like Chesterton ought to be. wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone looking to deepen their faith.

Good theology, poor discussion.

I received a review copy of this audiobook.

Spurgeon, as always, is insightful and clever, with good biblical examples and allusions.

The AOG additions, however, are obnoxious. Unlike many others in the series that take the author's perspective as fact, they ask why he might say the things he does. Further, the sections into which the book was split were too large, leaving too many topics too slip through the cracks.

Nice introduction to Spurgeon

This was a good introduction to some of the sermons and thoughts of Spurgeon. I appreciated the performance of the narrator, he was easy to listen to.

Life lessons from the past

Disclaimer:"This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."

It is not humility for a man to stand up and say he cannot do something when he knows he is capable of doing it.  If a man has 10 talents, it is not humility for him to say that he only has 5 talents.

There has never been a man of a changed heart that at first didn't have a miserable heart.

We do not grow strong in faith during sunny days.

 Cross in the heart gamers a cross the back easy to bear. If we have Christ crucified in our heart the troubles of the world are easier to take.

 Christ on the cross is of no value to us if we do not have the Holy Spirit in us.

Idle Christians are not always tempted by the devil, but by being idle tempts the devil to tempt them.

Jesus will not listen to dictatorial prayers.

The nice thing about reading books by pastors of the past is you see that the human plight has not changed much.   We still struggle with the same overall needs and wants.  Yes, technology and advancement may change the way it looks for us today than it did in the 1860's when Spurgeon wrote this book.  

One aspect of this audiobook I enjoyed was that each chapter contained study guide / deeper thinking questions at the end.  Also hats off to the narrator because the thou knowest how to speaketh these words! 

A classic Christian work from one of the best

Charles Spurgeon's Gleanings among the Sheaves include excerpts from his sermons, devotionals, and other writings to encourage and build the faith of the Christian. This is not light reading/listening and is probably not one you want to tackle in a sitting or two. The eloquence and depth of the writing and insight should cause one to take pause to reflect and meditate on the teachings. In fact, in this edition there are sections where questions are asked of the listener to prompt further thought and/or discussion if used for a Bible study group.

One of the things that sets this particular edition apart is the excellent narration by C.J. McAllister. Although it did seem to take about 4-5 minutes for him to get into the rhythm and style of the 19th century prose, once he did the narration was smooth and engaging. The pace, cadence, and inflection was just right so the words could sink in. I would highly recommend this listen to all serious Christians to enhance their walk with Christ.

A review copy of this audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in return for this unbiased review. If you found this review helpful, please take a moment to click yes below.