1700’s in England…Dark Times

Bible reading, prayer, holy living, and Christian service. While a college student at Oxford Charles Wesley founded “The Holy Club”: an accountability group that was devoted to Bible reading, prayer, holy living, and Christian service. John Wesley took over leadership of the group later on at Oxford.

John Wesley was once challenged by the Moravian pastor, Augustus Spangenberg, who questioned his salvation: "Do you know Jesus Christ?"� John replied: "I know He is the Savior of the world." Spangenberg responded: "True, but do you know He has saved you?" Wesley answered: "I hope He has died to save me."

saved me from the law of sin and death." On May 24, 1738, Wesley went "very unwillingly" to a Moravian church meeting in Aldersgate. There, "I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for Salvation, and assurance was given me that He had taken away my sin, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."

George Whitefield began preaching in the open to coal miners near Bristol. and had begged John & Charles Wesley to come to continue and organize the campaign that he had begun. After arriving on March 31, 1739; Wesley witnessed Whitefield's preaching in the open fields to thousands.

They would regard nothing done All this was lost upon them. "Behold the amazing love of God to the outcasts of men! His tender condescension to their folly! They would regard nothing done in the ordinary way. All this was lost upon them. The ordinary preaching of the Word of God they would not even deign to hear."

- A.S. Woods, Wesleyan Biographer “He endured it only because God had called him to adopt such a means…There is something ironical that such a man as Wesley should expose himself… Nor did he shrink from the uncouth mob . .. with filth and foul odors, and often heckling and violence... a dapper little don ... finical about his appearance... as neat as a tailor's model ... he could not bear a speck of dirt. He hated noise and disturbance. That he should venture... and face the great unwashed was nothing short of a miracle.” - A.S. Woods, Wesleyan Biographer

the whole Bible for my book, the whole Church for my fellowship "I want the whole Christ for my Savior, the whole Bible for my book, the whole Church for my fellowship and the whole world for my mission field." “The world is my parish.” - in response to the Bishop of Bristol, who objected to his preaching as it “disrupted” local Anglican services

“Preach abroad . . . It is the cooping yourselves up in rooms that has damped the work of God, which never was and never will be carried out to any purpose without going out into the highways and hedges, compelling poor sinners to come in. (Luke 14: 15-24) ”

“Our call is, to save that which is lost. Now, we cannot expect them to seek us. Therefore we should go and seek them…” “The greatest hindrance to this, you are to expect from the rich, or cowardly, or lazy Methodists ... go out in God's name into the most public places .... Shall we barter our souls for money?”

“You have nothing to do but to save souls “You have nothing to do but to save souls. Therefore spend and be spent in this work. And go not only to those that need you, but to those that need you most. It is not your business to preach so many times, and to take care of this or that society; but to save as many souls as you can; to bring as many sinners as you possibly can to repentance”

“…and with all your power to build them up in that holiness without which they cannot see the Lord.”

over 250,000 miles (60 miles a day) For the next 50 years, Wesley energetically preached throughout the British Isles. Travelling on horseback, Wesley covered over 250,000 miles (60 miles a day) preaching an average of 3 times a day, beginning at 5 a.m. each morning. He preached over 40,000 sermons in his life. With pulpits increasingly closed to Wesley; he turned to the open air…preaching in fields, marketplaces, in parks, and at mines.

Prison Reform, Abolition and Temperance. Methodists became leaders in many social justice issues of the day, particularly Prison Reform, Abolition and Temperance. Wesley had a profound concern for people's physical, as well as spiritual welfare. Holiness had to be lived out and seen in works of mercy. Almost all that Wesley received from his publications were invested in charities. He made provision for the care of the sick. He superintended schools and orphanages.

Thieves performed restitution. The effects of Wesley's preaching were dramatic. Swearing stopped in factories. Drunkards became sober. Thieves performed restitution. Neighbors gave one another mutual help through the church “societies”. Wesley's preaching had the greatest impact amongst the poorest classes.

of mankind; the ignorant were instructed, the wretched relieved Upon John’s death, the Gentleman’s Magazine commended the "infinite good to the lower classes of the people…By the humane endeavors of him and his brother Charles, a sense of decency and morals and religion was introduced to the lowest classes of mankind; the ignorant were instructed, the wretched relieved and the abandoned reclaimed."

the supernatural element that makes us great.” "My fear is not that our great movement, known as the Methodists, will eventually cease to exist or one day die from the earth. My fear is that our people will become content to live without the fire, the power, the excitement, the supernatural element that makes us great.”