John Wesley

Would you get up and go to church if the sermon started at 5 a.m.? Thousands of people in England did just that (every day!) to hear John Wesley, the founder of the worldwide Methodist movement in the 1700s.

John was the fifteenth of eighteen children born to Susannah Wesley. Eight of those children died in infancy, but the remainder were brought up "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."

John was 35 years old, however, when he wrote:

…while he [someone reading Martin Luther’s preface to the book of Romans] was describing the change God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, …

At that time John Wesley began preaching in open-air meetings throughout London, Bristol, and suburbs of those cities. His powerful messages brought conviction and conversion to thousands of his listeners. Eye witness accounts report, "It was a frequent occurrence for people to cry aloud or fall down as if dead in the meetings, so great was their anguish of heart, …."

During his ministry (begun after age 36!) John Wesley rode over 250,000 miles on horseback and preached over 40,000 sermons. At the time of his death, there were nearly 80,000 Methodists in England and 40,000 in America.

In his Works, Volume VII, Wesley wrote: 

I saw that without holiness no man shall see the Lord. I began by following after it and inciting all with whom I had any [contact] to do the same. Ten years after, God gave me a clearer view than I had before of the way how to attain it, namely by faith in the Son of God.

Wesley’s faith, many believe, had more influence on the spirituality of the Church than anyone since the days of the apostles!

Friend, will you allow John Wesley’s life and example to inspire you to greater devotion to the Lord? If you haven’t already done so, set apart a time during the day to seek the Lord, hear His voice, and grow in holiness through faith in Jesus Christ. As you spend time in His presence, God will begin to use you in greater ways for His glory.