May 24 in Christian History.
On May 24, 1738, a young Anglican priest named John Wesley rediscovered faith in a way that would profoundly change Christianity in the West.
John Wesley and his 18 siblings were born into a devout Anglican home. From a young age, John was raised with an awareness of the need for personal piety and sanctification.
He studied at Oxford, where he joined a “holiness club.” The members of the tight-knit fellowship would spend their days in prayer, meditation, devotional reading, fasting, and serving others. They would hold each other accountable to ever higher standards of purity. Even with all these regiments, Wesley could not shake the sense of his own inadequacy.
During a voyage to America in 1735, Wesley’s ship was hammered by a heavy storm. As he cowered in fear for his life, he noticed a group of Moravian preachers calmly worshiping God throughout the tempest. When he asked them why they were not afraid, they told him that they had faith in Christ. These words cut deeply into the fearful Wesley, who began to doubt his own faith.
He tried to spread his ideas of regimented moral living to his congregation in America but met with bitter failure. Fear, confusion, and frustration overwhelmed the failed preacher as he returned to England. But all that changed on the evening of May 24, 1748.
Wesley had reluctantly agreed to attend a meeting at Aldersgate Street. At the meeting, a section of Luther’s introduction to the book of Romans was read. Wesley famously wrote in his journal that he felt his heart “strangely warmed.” He said: “an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."
This new understanding revolutionized his faith, and he began preaching to large congregations with his friend, George Whitfield. The two men met with a great deal of success, particularly among the lower classes.
Wesley emphasized Christianity as a personal relationship with God. He often wrote about the personal feeling of assurance that comes with saving faith in Christ. Along side faith, Wesley continued to stress the importance of holy living. This message took root in England and America at a time when the Anglican church had largely slumped into nominal laxity.
Wesley’s followers became known as Methodists. While the movement was intended to take place within the context of the Anglican church, it would eventually break off to become its own church entirely.
Wesley’s influence was monumental. He is said to have preached 40,000 sermons in his lifetime, and before he died, Methodism had over 115,000 members. Today, there are 80 Million Methodists around the world.
Verse of the day: James 4:8
Draw near to me and I will draw near to you.