Whitefield Evangelist for God
George Whitefield: Evangelist for God
In the study of evangelism, there can be no greater blessing than to study the lives of those who have been used of God in the area of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. George Whitefield is definitely one of those mighty blessed of God individuals who dedicated their lives to itinerant evangelism. His childhood was normal, his youth somewhat dangerous. He lived on the edge of God’s calling on his life inching closer to the purpose of God in his life. He swaggered back and forth through his teen years until he found a book that completely revolutionized his life. He found assurance of salvation in Jesus Christ. He automatically felt an urge to let others know the great truth of eternal life. This set the course for the rest of his life.
His Childhood and Younger Youth
He was born in Gloucester on December 16, 1714 at the Bell Inn to Thomas and Elizabeth Whitefield. He was the seventh and last child since his father died two years after his birth.[1] He had a very normal childhood. In his diary he mentions that he was in the habit of using filthy talk, lying, swearing and course jesting. He would skip church on Sunday and would act irreverently in God’s house when he did go. He loved to go to plays and to all kinds of entertainment of the day. He even tells of taking part in plays at school for which he would stay away from school for days at a time preparing for his part. He regretted the times he had to put on girl’s clothes in some of the plays. He tells how he would steal money from his mother’s pocket while she was asleep and spend it on himself. He mentions that if God had not kept him from doing so many other things, he would have been lost forever.[2] Yet in his early life he had stirrings in his heart that he should act differently. When teased, He would run to his room and pray over a Psalm. He had fun imitating a clergyman and by saying prayers and did other things practiced by
In the study of evangelism, there can be no greater blessing than to study the lives of those who have been used of God in the area of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. George Whitefield is definitely one of those mighty blessed of God individuals who dedicated their lives to itinerant evangelism. His childhood was normal, his youth somewhat dangerous. He lived on the edge of God’s calling on his life inching closer to the purpose of God in his life. He swaggered back and forth through his teen years until he found a book that completely revolutionized his life. He found assurance of salvation in Jesus Christ. He automatically felt an urge to let others know the great truth of eternal life. This set the course for the rest of his life.
His Childhood and Younger Youth
He was born in Gloucester on December 16, 1714 at the Bell Inn to Thomas and Elizabeth Whitefield. He was the seventh and last child since his father died two years after his birth.[1] He had a very normal childhood. In his diary he mentions that he was in the habit of using filthy talk, lying, swearing and course jesting. He would skip church on Sunday and would act irreverently in God’s house when he did go. He loved to go to plays and to all kinds of entertainment of the day. He even tells of taking part in plays at school for which he would stay away from school for days at a time preparing for his part. He regretted the times he had to put on girl’s clothes in some of the plays. He tells how he would steal money from his mother’s pocket while she was asleep and spend it on himself. He mentions that if God had not kept him from doing so many other things, he would have been lost forever.[2] Yet in his early life he had stirrings in his heart that he should act differently. When teased, He would run to his room and pray over a Psalm. He had fun imitating a clergyman and by saying prayers and did other things practiced by
Bibliography: Dallimore, Arnold A. George Whitefield: The Life and Times of the Great Evangelist of the Eighteenth-Century Revival. 2 vols. Westchester, IL: Cornerstone Books, 1979. Haykin, Michael A. The Revived Puritan: The Spirituality of George Whitefield. Ontario: Joshua Press, 2000. Ninde, Edward S. George Whitefield: Prophet-Preacher. New York: Abingdon Press, 1924. Pollock, John. George Whitefield and the Great Awakening. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1972. Short, Ruth G. George Whitefield, Trumpet of the Lord. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald, 1979. Tracy, Joseph. The Great Awakening: A History of the Revival of Religion in the Time of Edwards and Whitefield. Boston: Charles Tappan, 1845. Tyerman, Luke. The Life of the Rev. George Whitefield: B.A. of Pembroke College, Oxford. 2 vols. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1876. Reprint, Azle, TX: , 1995. Whitefield, George. Journal. London: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1960. [5]John Pollock, George Whitefield and the Great Awakening (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1972), 3. [6]Arnold A. Dallimore, George Whitefield: The Life and Times of the Great Evangelist of the Eighteenth-Century Revival, 2 vols. (Westchester, IL: Cornerstone Books, 1979), 1:66. [7]George Whtiefield, Journal (London: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1960), 47. [11]Edward S. Ninde, George Whitefield: Prophet-Preacher (New York: Abingdon Press, 1924), 40. [29]Michael A. Haykin, The Revived Puritan: The Spirituality of George Whitefield (Ontario: Joshua Press, 2000), 36-40. [30]Ruth G. Short, George Whitefield, Trumpet of the Lord (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald, 1979), 25. [31]Joseph Tracy, The Great Awakening: A History of the Revival of Religion in the Time of Edwards and Whitefield (Boston: Charles Tappan, 1845), 99. [38]Albert D. Belden, George Whitefield the Awakener: A Modern Study of the Evangelical Revival (London: Rockiff, 1930), 234.