Yet I Have Reserved 7,000!

The Metropolitan Tabernacle Points Christ’s Church Forward

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Earlier this month, business meetings took me to London for the first time. The schedule required me to be away over a Lord’s Day. I wondered if there were any faithful churches left in a city of over 8,000,000 souls [1]. Though familiar with some history of Christ’s church in London, news from stateside focuses on atheism, humanism, and the mythical pluralistic utopia that the United Kingdom relentlessly pursues. The Lord reminded me of Dr. Peter Masters, the minister at Charles Spurgeon’s former church, the Metropolitan Tabernacle. I discovered that not only was the church still open, but Dr. Masters was still the pastor. An elder invited me to lunch during the afternoon fellowship meal, so I booked a hotel just over a mile (1.61km) from the Tabernacle. What would I find at the Metropolitan Tabernacle 132 years after Spurgeon’s death?

A Recent History of Christianity in the United Kingdom

A census in 1851 found that 10.1 million people among England’s population of 18 million attended Church of England or other Christian churches.[2] The fact that 56% of the population was outwardly seeking the Lord surely had something to do with the great advancements of the British empire during the Victorian Age.[3] During Queen Victoria’s reign, great revival took place around the world. The Second Great Awakening with all its faults nevertheless helped to develop great zeal for the gospel of Jesus Christ and its spread around the world. The London Baptist Missionary Society was sending missionaries to the far reaches of the earth. David Livingston served during this golden era for missions. John Griffith and Fred Roberts went to China. On the Presbyterian front from Scotland, John Paton went to the New Hebrides with decisive effect.

It was not only foreign missions that were advancing in the Victorian age, but remarkable work was happening on the home front. Three years after the 1851 census, a young minister named Charles Spurgeon moved to London to become pastor of New Park Street Chapel. In 1861, the church moved to Elephant & Castle and received a new name: The Metropolitan Tabernacle. Spurgeon spoke of a constant revival during his pastorate.[4] The Spirit was also working elsewhere in the City through ministers like Archibald Brown. Across the pond in Chicago, the Lord used evangelists like D.L. Moody to advance Christ’s Kingdom in the United States.

As great as the Kingdom advancement was, problems also arose during this era. Charles Darwin began promoting his pseudoscience of evolution. The downgrade controversy was affecting independent Baptist churches in the UK and would eventually crush the Gospel witness of the Baptist Union.[5] The sister heresy of modernism was sweeping through German academia and would jump the ocean to the United States before the end of the 19^th century. While many men held their ground, standing firm on the Word of God and His great gospel of salvation, many more fell into the clutches of liberalism and its powerless message. The Bible, once held up in all areas of society as the very Word of God and worthy of all allegiance, was no longer viewed as infallible. Higher criticism crushed the trustworthiness of the Scripture in the minds of many. Myriads rejected miracles and the supernatural work of God. It was not only atheists and humanists rejecting God’s Word, but pastors did the same.[6] Independent churches and denominations alike fell away from the truth throughout the 20^th century.

Certainly, there were bursts of light in the growing darkness of the 20^th century. The Lord converted many thousands through the preaching of men like Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Donald Barnhouse, and J. Gresham Machen. Nevertheless, the decline continued in the United States and to a more rapid degree, in the United Kingdom. Estimates suggest that just 2.5 million people in the U.K (4.3% of the population) will attend church in 2025.[7] Just 28% of the population claims belief in God or any higher power.[8] Most faithful churches are few and small. Humanistic pluralism has taken firm root in the U.K. and few places more deeply than London itself.

By way of example, the bastion of expository preaching that was Westminster Chapel in London is now a charismatic church with little reference to salvation by grace alone through faith alone. Their website says little of their noteworthy history grounded on the powerful and inerrant word of God or their beloved 20^th century pastors, Martyn Lloyd-Jones and G. Campbell Morgan, who so clearly proclaimed that Word.

The denomination of J.C. Ryle is now a denomination of Christ in name only as it promotes sin and wickedness at the highest levels of its woke and LGBTQ-promoting hierarchy. News reports reach the States of the government forbidding silent prayer outside abortion clinics, let alone speaking to a woman on the brink of murdering her child. In 2024, large buffer zones were formed by law to keep lovers of life away from the lovers of death.[9] What would the Metropolitan Tabernacle look like surrounded by a culture in disarray?

Pure Worship

I entered the Tabernacle early on Sunday morning, eager to be with the people of God. I looked forward to seeing the church whose famous minister from the 19^th century had tremendous impact on my life and whose current minister has been laboring faithfully and with great outpouring of the Spirit for many decades. As I took my seat in the gallery, the simplicity of this church and her worship was palpable.

The sanctuary was wonderfully plain. All I saw on the platform was a pulpit, several chairs, and some flowers. There were no drums, guitars, flags, crosses, stained glass, or the maze of wires and microphones that we are told we need to reach modern people in the 21st century. The only thing on the wall was that pointed verse God used to convert Spurgeon and so many before and after him: “Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the Earth” (Isaiah 45:22). Throughout the worship service, this visible call of the gospel was before the eyes of everyone. Distractions from God’s call dwindled to a bare minimum.

The simplicity of the service made it simple to follow. The hymn numbers from the Psalter Hymnal (Psalms & Hymns of Reformed Worship) were listed to the right and left of the pulpit. When Dr. Masters announced the hymn, the organ played, and the whole congregation stood as one and sang with joy. By the end of the second hymn, the galleries were full. As the service progressed the simplicity remained. Dr. Masters read Scripture, prayed, led in singing, and preached the Word. There was an offering, the customary announcements, a benediction, and the Lord’s Supper in the evening. It was remarkably simple and Biblical.

God called all nations to worship at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. As I looked around the sanctuary, it was clear that representatives were present from a plethora of nations. “All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name” (Psalm 86:9). To my right was a man from India. To my left, a family from China.

The membership was made up of individuals from every continent and many countries from each. Then there was the deaf ministry represented in the front left of the sanctuary where 30+ deaf individuals followed the service through sign language and participated in singing through sign language. Few things move the soul like seeing so many singing with their hands, “Come Lord Jesus….” as they pull their outstretched arms to their hearts.

I find myself compelled to note the Bible the Tabernacle and its members use. Gathered in worship were hundreds of people from every nation and every language. Live translators communicated in at least five of those languages, including sign language. For many in the congregation, English was a second language. Wouldn’t this be the place to use one of the many modern translations?  As I sat in the gallery with my witnessing and traveling companion, a NKJV, I knew at once that Dr. Masters was not reading from it or any other newer translation. He was reading from the Authorized Version, the KJV.

The man from India was using the Authorized Version. The family from China was using the Authorized Version. The translators were translating live in the Authorized Version. Later, 400+ unchurched children in the Sunday School program would recite from the Authorized Version. The Metropolitan Tabernacle is by no means a KJV-only church. However, they have seen the modern translations come and go at ever increasing speed and have continued using the translation that has endured, remains universally recognized, and is understood across national boundaries.[10]

Speaking with two of the elders after the evening service, they told me that the Metropolitan Tabernacle made a conscious determination that the way to advance the gospel forward was to go back to the old, straightforward paths. Christ’s kingdom does not advance through gimmicks or man-centered worship but by proclaiming the pure word of God and His gospel of salvation concerning Jesus Christ His Son. The Metropolitan Tabernacle embraces pure worship of the pure God. Nothing brings greater joy to the Christian than the Spirit-led worship of the triune God.

Powerful Preaching

Seventeen years before I was born, the Metropolitan Tabernacle called Dr. Peter Masters to be its pastor. Thirty-seven years after I was born, I heard Dr. Masters preach two powerful sermons. God has blessed the church with consistent, clear, bold preaching of the Word for the fifty-four years of Dr. Masters’s ministry.

Someone told me that when the Tabernacle called Dr. Masters in 1970, the church was in a desperate state. There were only about 40-50 people worshipping in a building that could hold 1,000 or more. The Tabernacle had rejoined the Baptist Union some years prior, and the liberalism of that Union had helped to scatter the flock. One of Dr. Masters’s requirements for accepting the call was exiting the Baptist Union, which the church did.

A 90-year-old lady was in the church in 1970. She had the remarkable testimony of sitting under Charles Spurgeon as a little girl (Spurgeon died in 1892). She had not given up on the Metropolitan Tabernacle and prayed with others for God to raise up another faithful minister. God did just that, and the 90-year-old woman lived just several weeks into Dr. Masters’s ministry, seeing with her own eyes God’s blessing on the church once more and a clear answer to her persistent prayer.

I am unable to summarize Dr. Masters’s work over the past 54 years. I know too little and would not begin to do it justice. Lord willing someone will someday publish a book on his life and ministry at the Tabernacle since 1970. I can, however, say this: God told ministers to “preach the Word.” The disciples prayed for boldness in doing that preaching. Dr. Masters preaches the Word. He does so with power, authority, and boldness. I found myself focused intently on the sermons. Dr. Masters exposited the text with clarity and drove it home to our hearts.

Throughout the preaching was the call to look to Christ for salvation, trust in Christ by faith, follow Christ in faithfulness, and tell of Christ in this life and the life to come. Dr. Masters warned of sin and the way the Devil brings old sins back to Christians. He called for repentance and faith for leaders of false religions. He presented Christ crucified to sinners and pleaded for the souls of the unbelievers.

Every Sunday evening service for the past 54 years has been an evangelical service. Dr. Masters aims for the preaching to display the gospel from the text for the benefit of believer and unbeliever. It is the old, old story of Jesus and His love. Dr. Masters does not repeat one text over and over but rather presents the gospel in a fresh and relevant manner each week. A member of 54 years rejoices in it. A visitor from the United States does the same. The Spirit may convert first-time visitors by working effectually through the same sermon.

The Lord gave me the opportunity to sit with Dr. Masters after the evening service. In our brief one on one conversation, he told me many things, one of which I will share. I asked what counsel he would have for me as I pursue full-time gospel ministry. Without delay he responded, “Preach the gospel! If it gets boring for you like many American and British preachers, you are preaching it wrong and being lazy in your preparation. Do not stop preaching the gospel!” Dr. Masters follows that counsel in his own ministry: He preaches the gospel.

Persistent Evangelism

A church in the heart of London has a unique opportunity for evangelism, and the Metropolitan Tabernacle does not neglect this providence. More than 100 volunteers help to gather children from surrounding neighborhoods to afternoon Sunday School classes. Led by lovers of the Lord and seekers of the lost, many members witness outside the church before the evening service, inviting lost souls to the Savior and attendance of the evangelistic service. Throughout the week they spread the net further, calling all to “seek the Lord” and “call upon His name.”

As the world presses in from every side, the Metropolitan Tabernacle is not hiding, it is not running, it is not giving in to the pressures of the world. It is standing firm on the Rock and calling all men and women, boys and girls to rally around the banner of Truth.

When Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones completed his series of lectures at Westminster Seminary that would become the famous book, Preaching and Preachers, he did so by telling the young men that they had hard work ahead of which he was not jealous. He was not jealous because the culture no longer respected ministers. But then he said that they had glorious work ahead of which he very much wished he could be a part. Neither the culture nor the powers of darkness can destroy Christ’s kingdom. Many more will come in. The Spirit of God is at work and will work. God will revive His church again!

The good news of Christ crucified for wretched sinners saved me. It saved untold numbers of others. Christ is saving still today. The Metropolitan Tabernacle does not merely hold conferences on evangelism. It does not merely teach about how to fulfill the great commission. Seeking the youngest children and the oldest adults, the Tabernacle is doing the work of evangelism. The seed is sown. The seed is watered. God is giving the increase.

I asked an elder and his wife about their Lord’s Day schedule. They leave their home between 9:00 and 10:00 in the morning. They arrive home after 9:00pm in the evening. Hundreds of other members looked to be doing the same thing. They are given over to the joyful service of God. Their theology is clear. Their commission is before them. They have been well fed. They want others to join their number as they move forward to glory.

Pointed Testimony

It is easy to give in to the melancholy of thinking we are in one of the few churches that stays faithful in the world. Depression threatens. Self-pity beckons. Sin tempts. Elijah thought all the children of Israel had forsaken God’s covenant. He reckoned he was the only one left that worshipped the true God in the true way. It was at that moment that the Lord told Elijah, “Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18).

The Lord has reserved many thousands in the United Kingdom who have not bowed the knee nor kissed the idols of this present evil age. The Metropolitan Tabernacle is not the only faithful church – there are others. May the remnant in the United Kingdom and the United States alike persevere in the old paths and the old ways of simple and pure worship. It is the way forward. May the Gospel of God concerning Jesus Christ be preached from every pulpit with faithfulness, power, and conviction. May evangelism be at the heart of the work of the whole body. These are the ways forward for the Church of Christ.

If the flood gathers, and the Jordan overflows its banks, still the divine watchword, “Forward!” shall speed us on, and we will enter heaven’s gates amongst the blood-washed throng, and sing unto him who hath enabled us to triumph gloriously in obedience to that command, “Forward! — forward!” God help you to go forward, and unto him be praise for ever and ever. Amen. [11] 

~Charles Spurgeon

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[1] Jonah 4:11

[2] https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/story-of-england/victorian/religion/

[3] Queen Victoria reigned from 1837 – 1901 https://www.royal.uk/encyclopedia/victoria-r-1837-1901

[4] While speaking of revival, Spurgeon also lamented the many unconverted souls in London and the United Kingdom.

[5] Charles Spurgeon and Archibald Brown among others separated themselves and their churches from the Baptist Union.

[6] The Auburn Affirmation published in 1924 rejected the Biblical teaching on inerrancy, substitutionary atonement, miracles, the bodily resurrection of Christ, and the virgin birth as necessary beliefs for Christians as taught in the Bible. More than 1,000 ministers signed the Affirmation. https://www.pcahistory.org/documents/auburntext.html

[7] That number includes Church of England and Roman Catholic Church attendees.

[8] https://faithsurvey.co.uk/uk-christianity.html

[9] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/protection-zones-around-abortion-clinics-in-place-by-october

[10] Those looking to change the language of the Westminster Standards should consider these things and ask themselves if children are straying from the faith because they don’t understand the gospel and catechisms in the language of the Authorized Version or if they are straying from the faith because their parents and churches aren’t adequately proclaiming the power of God unto salvation in any language.

[11] Charles Spurgeon, Forward! Forward! Forward! Metropolitan Tabernacle, October 18, 1863. Sermon on Exodus 14:15. https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/forward-forward-forward-2/#flipbook/