John Wesley Beliefs
The seas raged and it became all too clear that the small ship was immediately outmatched by the unyielding power of the wind and the waves. As the seas broke over the deck, John Wesley, an young Anglican minister on mission to the new world of North America, felt the overwhelming dread of panic and the cold sting of fear stab him straight through the heart. “How can this be?” thought the young man, “I am pursuing the Lord’s work and have given myself to reach those in the upstart colony of Georgia.” In hearing the cries of his fellow Englishmen, Wesley knew that they too, were experiencing the same panic and fears. These cries confirmed to all that the end was near and that all would be lost. At the same moment, above the cries, hymns, signing and praise rose from the nearby German Moravians. At that moment, Wesley was torn. He thought that he shared the same faith, but why did he sense fear, while they expressed hope?
John Wesley was born in 1703 to Samuel and Susannah Wesley. His father Samuel was an Anglican Minister. However, his mother, raised as a Puritan, provided the strongest and deepest influence on John’s life. In fact, it is said that he inherited his methodical nature from her. While Susannah provided the influence, John followed in his …show more content…
father’s footsteps through the Church of England to become an Anglican Minister. This road of destiny paved by his father’s connection with high church Tory’s, resulted in a premier education. Education started for young John at Charterhouse School in London and then on to the prestigious Oxford University. While it appears that everything was pre-destined for John, at age 6 he almost perished when the Parsonage they lived in caught fire. Throughout his early years, his mother Susannah used the biblical description, “as a brand plucked out of the burning - someone whom God had saved for a special purpose.” These convictions that God’s hand of providence protected him for a special purpose stayed with him throughout his life and went on to shape and influence his future ministry.
While at Oxford, John joined an organization founded by his brother, Charles known as the “holy club.” Other notable members of the “holy club” included George Whitfield.
The members of the club devoted themselves to lead a holy and sober life. This included disciplining themselves to private devotions, taking communion together each week, and spending three hours studying the bible and praying together each day. In addition, they visited prisons and helped the poor and downtrodden. As the ordained priest in the group and through his gifting, John soon rose to assume leadership of the “holy club.” Soon, the “holy club” became known as the “Methodists” or those known for their methodical style and approach to
life.
At this point in his life, John was invited by Governor Oglethorpe in Georgia to pastor a church in Savannah. After surviving the harrowing trans-Atlantic voyage, Wesley, troubled by his lack of faith asked the Moravian Gottlieb Spangenberg for help. He was surprised when Spangenberg asked him questions that troubled him even further, “Do you know Jesus Christ?” and “do you know that He saved you?” As Wesley’s heart was further exposed and examined by these questions, he entered into an unsuccessful ministry in Savannah. The strengths of his own methodical style and approach to ministry did not sit well with his parishioners. Furthermore, his pursuit of a young woman with intent towards matrimony also failed miserably when she married another. Upon the defeats and the self-doubts, a bitter Wesley left Georgia and his church and quietly returned to England.
Upon his return to England, Wesley set himself to answer these lingering and troubling questions of doubt and faith. Again, he sought out the advice and counsel of another Moravian to help him. Peter Boehler became Wesley’s mentor and advisor. Convinced that he still lacked saving faith, Wesley decided to give up preaching. However, Boehler convinced him to keep preaching as he searched for his faith. Everything changed for Wesley on May 24, 1738. As recorded in Wesley’s journal:
"In the evening, I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change, which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation, and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."
With his new found saving faith, Wesley quickly responded to the call of one of his friends and a past member of the “holy club,” George Whitfield. Whitfield, with his fiery style in the open air, spoke to the working classes of the industrial revolution where revival was breaking out in Bristol. Wesley responded and soon took over leadership of the movement. While Wesley was initially taken back by the open air preaching that led to emotional responses from the masses, he soon accepted the movement as that of the Holy Spirit convicting the hearts of men.
Wesley and Whitefield, while friends, soon parted ways as the result of theological differences, primarily that of predestination. While both were Calvinists, Wesley could not accept the doctrines of predestination and free will and preferred the Arminian position. Soon thereafter, the Calvinist Methodist Church was formed. While this movement flourished, the Anglican Church soon objected to the methods of preaching in the open and how this movement was growing independently. These objections led to some persecution including ruffians brought in to disrupt services performed in the open. This point of contention always challenged Wesley who had his roots and the roots of his family firmly planted in the Anglican Church. However, the mass movement of people from an agrarian society to an industrialized society created a need that went beyond the traditional parish structure of the Anglican Church. When challenged on this point, Wesley often used the quote, “The world is my parish.” This quote is known as a favorite slogan and motto of the Methodist missionary movement.
Wesley remained devoted to the crown and was troubled by the rebellion of the colonies. However, even though he deplored the politics of the revolution, he also recognized the spiritual need in North America. He also recognized that most Anglican ministers had departed the colonies leaving a void, especially for the celebration of communion and the sacraments. To this end, in 1784, he ordained two lay preachers for new country and also provided the organizational structure for including a Bishop for these new presbyters.
While Methodism met the need of the masses in Great Britain brought about by the industrial revolution, Methodism truly filled the need brought about in North America. This need was driven from the immigrant population and the migratory movements of people to the west. This people movement truly created a need for a church outside of the traditional role. To this end, Methodism flourished in America.
A key figure in the Methodist movement in America was lay preacher Francis Asbury. Wesley sent him to Philadelphia in 1771 as a lay minister. Asbury used the itinerant preaching style and was known as the Methodist on horseback. This style aligned well with the migratory population of the United States of America. It is estimated that during his 45-year ministry, he delivered approximately 16,500 sermons and travelled some 300,000 miles. Francis Asbury was known as “Bishop Asbury of the United States of America.”
Although Methodist grew into the denomination of Methodism, John Wesley remained a committed Anglican. It was never his intent to create a denomination. However, Wesley emerged in history at a time when and where God needed people to meet the changes that were happening across, political, national, and social boundaries. John Wesley was the man God used to help facilitate this change and meet the spiritual needs brought about by people movements both across Great Britain and in newly formed United States of America.
Within this global purpose, it is important to note, that God deals with all of us on a very personal level. In others words, even as an Anglican Minister who grew up in the church, was educated in the church, preached in the church and went on mission in the church, without God, our own efforts, like Wesley, amount to nothing. In his own strength, John Wesley failed miserably. However, once he found his saving faith through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, nothing could stop him.
Wesley went to his glory upon his death in 1791. In summary, the best description of John Wesley’s life can be found in his own words, one of his most famous aphorisms: "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”
John Wesley was born in 1703 to Samuel and Susannah Wesley. His father Samuel was an Anglican Minister. However, his mother, raised as a Puritan, provided the strongest and deepest influence on John’s life. In fact, it is said that he inherited his methodical nature from her. While Susannah provided the influence, John followed in his …show more content…
father’s footsteps through the Church of England to become an Anglican Minister. This road of destiny paved by his father’s connection with high church Tory’s, resulted in a premier education. Education started for young John at Charterhouse School in London and then on to the prestigious Oxford University. While it appears that everything was pre-destined for John, at age 6 he almost perished when the Parsonage they lived in caught fire. Throughout his early years, his mother Susannah used the biblical description, “as a brand plucked out of the burning - someone whom God had saved for a special purpose.” These convictions that God’s hand of providence protected him for a special purpose stayed with him throughout his life and went on to shape and influence his future ministry.
While at Oxford, John joined an organization founded by his brother, Charles known as the “holy club.” Other notable members of the “holy club” included George Whitfield.
The members of the club devoted themselves to lead a holy and sober life. This included disciplining themselves to private devotions, taking communion together each week, and spending three hours studying the bible and praying together each day. In addition, they visited prisons and helped the poor and downtrodden. As the ordained priest in the group and through his gifting, John soon rose to assume leadership of the “holy club.” Soon, the “holy club” became known as the “Methodists” or those known for their methodical style and approach to
life.
At this point in his life, John was invited by Governor Oglethorpe in Georgia to pastor a church in Savannah. After surviving the harrowing trans-Atlantic voyage, Wesley, troubled by his lack of faith asked the Moravian Gottlieb Spangenberg for help. He was surprised when Spangenberg asked him questions that troubled him even further, “Do you know Jesus Christ?” and “do you know that He saved you?” As Wesley’s heart was further exposed and examined by these questions, he entered into an unsuccessful ministry in Savannah. The strengths of his own methodical style and approach to ministry did not sit well with his parishioners. Furthermore, his pursuit of a young woman with intent towards matrimony also failed miserably when she married another. Upon the defeats and the self-doubts, a bitter Wesley left Georgia and his church and quietly returned to England.
Upon his return to England, Wesley set himself to answer these lingering and troubling questions of doubt and faith. Again, he sought out the advice and counsel of another Moravian to help him. Peter Boehler became Wesley’s mentor and advisor. Convinced that he still lacked saving faith, Wesley decided to give up preaching. However, Boehler convinced him to keep preaching as he searched for his faith. Everything changed for Wesley on May 24, 1738. As recorded in Wesley’s journal:
"In the evening, I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change, which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation, and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."
With his new found saving faith, Wesley quickly responded to the call of one of his friends and a past member of the “holy club,” George Whitfield. Whitfield, with his fiery style in the open air, spoke to the working classes of the industrial revolution where revival was breaking out in Bristol. Wesley responded and soon took over leadership of the movement. While Wesley was initially taken back by the open air preaching that led to emotional responses from the masses, he soon accepted the movement as that of the Holy Spirit convicting the hearts of men.
Wesley and Whitefield, while friends, soon parted ways as the result of theological differences, primarily that of predestination. While both were Calvinists, Wesley could not accept the doctrines of predestination and free will and preferred the Arminian position. Soon thereafter, the Calvinist Methodist Church was formed. While this movement flourished, the Anglican Church soon objected to the methods of preaching in the open and how this movement was growing independently. These objections led to some persecution including ruffians brought in to disrupt services performed in the open. This point of contention always challenged Wesley who had his roots and the roots of his family firmly planted in the Anglican Church. However, the mass movement of people from an agrarian society to an industrialized society created a need that went beyond the traditional parish structure of the Anglican Church. When challenged on this point, Wesley often used the quote, “The world is my parish.” This quote is known as a favorite slogan and motto of the Methodist missionary movement.
Wesley remained devoted to the crown and was troubled by the rebellion of the colonies. However, even though he deplored the politics of the revolution, he also recognized the spiritual need in North America. He also recognized that most Anglican ministers had departed the colonies leaving a void, especially for the celebration of communion and the sacraments. To this end, in 1784, he ordained two lay preachers for new country and also provided the organizational structure for including a Bishop for these new presbyters.
While Methodism met the need of the masses in Great Britain brought about by the industrial revolution, Methodism truly filled the need brought about in North America. This need was driven from the immigrant population and the migratory movements of people to the west. This people movement truly created a need for a church outside of the traditional role. To this end, Methodism flourished in America.
A key figure in the Methodist movement in America was lay preacher Francis Asbury. Wesley sent him to Philadelphia in 1771 as a lay minister. Asbury used the itinerant preaching style and was known as the Methodist on horseback. This style aligned well with the migratory population of the United States of America. It is estimated that during his 45-year ministry, he delivered approximately 16,500 sermons and travelled some 300,000 miles. Francis Asbury was known as “Bishop Asbury of the United States of America.”
Although Methodist grew into the denomination of Methodism, John Wesley remained a committed Anglican. It was never his intent to create a denomination. However, Wesley emerged in history at a time when and where God needed people to meet the changes that were happening across, political, national, and social boundaries. John Wesley was the man God used to help facilitate this change and meet the spiritual needs brought about by people movements both across Great Britain and in newly formed United States of America.
Within this global purpose, it is important to note, that God deals with all of us on a very personal level. In others words, even as an Anglican Minister who grew up in the church, was educated in the church, preached in the church and went on mission in the church, without God, our own efforts, like Wesley, amount to nothing. In his own strength, John Wesley failed miserably. However, once he found his saving faith through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, nothing could stop him.
Wesley went to his glory upon his death in 1791. In summary, the best description of John Wesley’s life can be found in his own words, one of his most famous aphorisms: "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”