The Furnace Room
A group of excited guests came to visit the great Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, England. The fellowship featured the preaching ministry of Charles Spurgeon. Spurgeon was known as the greatest preacher of his age and one of the great orators in the history of the church. Upon arriving at the fellowship, the excited guests asked a man who they supposed to be a member for a tour of the sprawling campus. The man welcomed their request. It wasn’t long into the tour when the guide asked the group if they would like to see the furnace room of the church. The group was confused and was not really concerned with the physical plant for heating the church, especially since it was the middle of the summer! However, they didn’t want to appear rude or ungrateful so they submitted to the request. The man walked them through the maze of the complex until they he finally presented them with the furnace room of the fellowship. He opened the door to a huge open room filled with hundreds of people praying and seeking the Lord for the service that about to take place. The guide revealed himself as Charles Spurgeon and told the guests: “Prayer is the engine that fuels our church.”
