Wesley

John Wesley, An English Reformer, part 2

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John Wesley’s conversion in May of 1738, was a change from a mere intellectual belief in salvation to one of the heart. Because of this experience at Aldersgate, Wesley was truly converted. As a result, many people began to experience the same thing at his meetings. From this point on, Wesley’s preaching was marked with a zeal and enthusiasm that was not seen before.

As a result of this heart conversion, Wesley now determined to put his whole energy into laboring for the salvation of lost humanity. He spent the rest of his life preaching for the sole purpose of saving lost sinners for Jesus Christ.

Last month we left Wesley leaving for Germany to visit and observe the Moravians. He was received cordially by Count Zinzendorf, the leader of the Moravians, and spent three months observing these God-fearing people. He recorded some of their practices that he would later utilize in his own work as an evangelist.

Returning to England in August, he began preaching, uniting with a group of like-minded members of the Church of England. He also spent some time reading, studying, praying and preaching to those who were in prison, offering them free salvation and celebrating Holy Communion. The next few weeks were spent preaching at various churches in London and making a trip to Oxford.

John and his brother Charles preached wherever they had the opportunity, but the opportunities to preach in churches were rapidly diminishing. By the end of 1738 most of the churches in London were closed to the Wesleys because of their enthusiastic preaching of the doctrine of mystical conversion.

While preaching around London when the opportunities opened up, Wesley received an invitation from George Whitefield to participate in open field preaching.

Whitefield had returned to England from America in December of 1738, but because of some things he had written and published in his journal, he had lost favor with the English ministry. Consequently, all Church of England churches were closed to him. As a result he turned to preaching wherever he could. Thus began the preaching in open fields or on street corners. This was to be Wesley’s mode of preaching for the rest of his life.

“Wesley became an itinerant evangelist, preaching in the open, because only in this way could he reach those who were out of touch with God. His congregations were made up largely of those who were beyond the range of the usual ministrations of the Church. This in itself was an indictment of the Church’s failure to fulfil its proper function, for, considered in terms of the New Testament, it exists primarily for the purpose of bringing Christ to the people and the people to Christ. That this should be regarded as at all abnormal in the eighteenth century was an indication of how far the contemporary Church had fallen from its original standards. Unless the Church is an outgoing society, it is untrue to its own nature.” A.S. Wood, The Burning Heart, 137.

In the spring of 1739, Wesley traveled to Bristol and on April 2 he preached to about three thousand in a field outside the city. Wesley’s quiet manner of preaching was often enlivened. This caused him to be accused of being “enthusiastic” which was anathema to the Church of England. By actual test, Wesley’s voice was found to be heard over four hundred feet away.

Wesley’s mission was largely to the laboring class of people but he was not indifferent to all other classes. His “audiences included farmers, lawyers, clergymen and nonconformist ministers, university undergraduates and civic leaders” as well as “those from foreign lands—especially the Germans in Newcastle.” Ibid., 145.

The success of the Methodist meetings may be attributed to the singing as much as to the preaching of the Wesleys. Charles Wesley was a prolific hymn writer and many of his hymns were sung by those who attended the meetings.

Whitefield left for America in August, 1739, and the Wesleys continued their field preaching for the next three years with their headquarters located in London and Bristol.

The preaching of Whitefield moved thousands to repentance and faith, but no separate structure was provided to nurture the converts. John Wesley decided that some sort of organization was needed to take care of those who were brought to a knowledge of salvation and accepted Christ as their Savior.

He organized “society” groups patterned after the Oxford Holy Club and the Moravian groups in which he had participated. It was not his intention to establish a new church but to develop these “societies” as a part of the Church of England. These “societies” were divided into classes made up of about a dozen persons who met once a week with a leader for spiritual discussions and guidance. They enumerated their temptations, confessed their faults and shared their concerns testifying to the working of God in their lives.

These societies flourished under the direction of the leaders, most of whom were women. As Methodism grew, Wesley encouraged laymen to become his helpers and assistants as preachers. Some of these were full time itinerant preachers and served the societies by encouraging and counseling with them.

 

A New Career

 

In May of 1742, Wesley’s work was expanded to the north of England as far as Newcastle. On May 30, He walked into the poorest part of town and, introducing himself, sang the hundredth Psalm. After preaching a sermon, he announced that he would preach again at five in the evening. Thus began a career of itinerant field preaching that was to last for the next fifty years. Although his territory was mainly the triangle made up of Bristol, London and Newcastle, he journeyed into Scotland, Ireland and Wales exercising his control of the “societies” located in these lands. Until he was seventy years of age his mode of travel was almost always by horseback.

In 1744, the Annual Conferences were begun where Wesley met with his preachers each year to discuss theology, the mission of Methodism and appoint to preachers their areas for the coming year.

“Opposition to the new religious movement was inevitable. Both the conditions of the country and the character of the Methodist revival made opposition certain. The invasion of Methodist preachers was resented by high and low alike, but while the bishops replied with quartos; the mob resorted to clubs and stones. The whole story throws a flood of light on social and intellectual conditions in the middle of the century.” Umphrey Lee, The Lord’s Horseman, 92.

In the 1740’s, England was made up of isolated communities with virtually no communication between any of them. At the same time there was the fear of invasion by the French, with anticipation far worse than the event when it happened. Even the slightest suspicious act made a person liable to arrest. An uprising by the Catholics was dreaded because their cause was supposed to be the same as that of the Pretender then living in Rome.

Wesley met many kinds of opposition while he was preaching. Especially in the early years of his open air ministry he was harassed by mobs that pelted him with rocks and dirt. Cattle were driven through the audience and loud noises were emitted in an attempt to drown out the voice of the preacher. Many times Wesley and some of his preachers were threatened with physical harm. But all of the opposition they experienced did not have any lasting effect upon Wesley’s work. During the later years of his ministry the mob violence virtually ceased.

Wesley made sure that none of his preachers misinterpreted his motto, “I look upon the world as my parish,” as giving them the freedom to go wherever they chose. In the Methodist church one of the gravest mistakes is for one preacher to invade the parish of another. However, Wesley considered that he had the calling to go anywhere the Lord directed him.

Opposition to Methodism took many forms. There were a number of anti-Methodist publications including those by playwrights and novelists as well as those published by the clergy. In answer to the objections of the clergy Wesley responded by saying, “He had a mission to fulfill, and if existing protocol stood in the way then it would have to be set aside. ‘I would observe every punctilio of order, he told George Downing, chaplain to the Earl of Dartmouth, “except where the salvation of souls is at stake. There I prefer the end before the means.’” The Burning Heart, 102.

“He was determined not to be restricted by ecclesiastical barriers. Hervy had inquired how Wesley could justify the invasion of other men’s parishes upon catholic principles. It was a characteristic of Anglican Evangelicals like Hervy to adhere to the parochial system. Wesley’s reply is a classic one. ‘Permit me to speak plainly. If by catholic principles you mean any other than scriptural, they weigh nothing with me. I allow no other rule, whether of faith or practice, than the Holy Scriptures; but on scriptural principles I do not think it hard to justify whatever I do. God in Scripture commands me, according to my power, to instruct the ignorant, reform the wicked, and confirm the virtuous. Man forbids me to do this in another’s parish: that is, in effect, to do it at all; seeing I have now no parish of my own, nor probably ever shall. Whom, then, shall I hear, God or man? If it be just to obey man rather than God, judge you. A dispensation of the gospel is committed to me; and woe is me if I preach not the gospel. But where shall I preach it, upon the principles you mention?” Ibid., 105, 106.

Uniformity of opinion was not required by the Methodist Societies but uniformity of conduct was according to the following: First, by doing no harm; by avoiding evil of every kind. . . Secondly, By doing good. . . Thirdly, by attending upon all ordinances of God.

John was finally married in February of 1751 to a widow named Mary Vazeille. The marriage was a rocky one from the first because he refused to stop his itinerant preaching tours. Also he was not an attentive husband, devoting his time and energy to the Methodist work. Becoming discouraged by John’s continual absence and jealous of his correspondence with the many women in the Methodist movement, Mary separated from him many times until her death in 1781. Wesley was out of town and did not hear of her death until after the funeral.

On February 8, 1750, an earthquake struck London. A second occurred a month later creating a frenzy among the people. Charles preached a sermon on “The Cause and Cure of Earthquakes” followed by a pamphlet of hymns suitable for calamities such as this. Both John and Charles considered earthquakes as instruments of God to punish sinners. John announced publicly that he was thankful that God had so lightly warned the people by the first shocks.

 

Untiring Labor

 

The year 1753 finds John Wesley often ill, but he refused to slow down. On October 22 he went to Canterbury even though he was sick. All week he complained of sickness but had no time for treatment as he met with classes from morning to night. This was typical for the whole year.

During the fifties He visited Ireland and Scotland (twice), traveling extensively around the two countries preaching and sightseeing.

In the years 1755 and 1756 the great issue was the question of separation from the Church of England. Charles was convinced that all the preachers in the north were for separation and he agreed with them. John on the other hand refused to see the inevitable separation coming and remained a staunch supporter of the Church of England.

In 1757, Charles retired from itinerant preaching and settled down with his wife in Bristol, leaving John to continue his superintending of the Societies and itinerant preaching. Two years later, in November 1759, John preached two sermons and observed the general thanksgiving for the success of the British armies in capturing Canada from the French.

In spite of his bad experience in Georgia, Wesley maintained a lively interest in America and the American colonies. From 1768 he had preachers in the colonies. In 1769, two missionaries were sent with fifty pounds, as a gift, to the work in America.

As conflict began brewing between England and the American colonies, Wesley instructed his preachers to labor for peace. He wrote to his preachers stating, “You were never in your lives in so critical a situation as you are at this time. It is your part to be peace-makers, to be loving and tender to all, but to addict yourselves to no party. In spite of all solicitations, of rough or smooth words, say not one word against one or the other side. Keep yourselves pure, do all you can to help and soften all; but beware how you adopt another’s jar.” The Lord’s Horseman, 185.

Being a High Churchman, Wesley was loyal to the crown. However, he eventually overcame his prejudice against the colonies in their desire for freedom, but he would not condone armed rebellion and said, “If a blow is struck, I give America for lost, and perhaps England too.” Ibid., 189. In spite of this he retained his faith in the American cause.

John Wesley’s attitude on the American question was making it difficult for him to retain control over the Methodist work in America. It was becoming evident that American Methodism would be independent of Wesley or the Church of England. In 1779, some Methodist preachers took it upon themselves to administer the sacraments without being ordained. He was faced with the fact that fifteen thousand Methodists “would not be content to be members of a religious society—they would have nothing less than a church.” Ibid., 197.

In February of 1784, John Wesley met with his preachers to consider sending missionaries to the East Indies, but it was decided that the time was not right because there was no “providential opening.”

In March he started out on a seven months journey to west England, Scotland and Wales. He preached continually, reproving the people for not attending the early services. The intense cold made him sick and he said, “I shall pay no more visits to new worlds, till I go to the world of spirits.”

In the meantime, pressure for secession was building to a high pitch. The American Methodist preachers clamored for ordination that they might ordain their own successors to the ministry. Wesley finally gave in to them but stipulated that he would ordain them only for the work in America. This did not satisfy other preachers in other lands. He was persuaded to ordain for Scotland, where they had no chance to receive the sacraments as those in the American colonies.

Charles, after a lingering illness, died on March 29, 1788. John did not hear of his death until after the funeral, thus he could not attend.

“On June 28, 1782, Wesley wrote in his Journal: ‘I entered my eightieth year; but, blessed by God, my time is not labour and sorrow. I find no more pain or bodily infirmities than at five-and-twenty. This I still impute (1) to the power of God fitting me for what He calls me to; (2) to my still traveling four or five thousand miles a year; (3) to my sleeping, night and day, whenever I want it; (4) to my rising at a set hour; and (5) to my constant preaching, particularly in the morning.” Ibid., 198.

For the next nine years John Wesley continued to travel and preach until July 16, 1790. That day he made his last entry in his expense book and his diary ended on the same day. On that day he also wrote a letter to William Wilberforce encouraging him in his fight for the abolition of slavery.

At ten o’clock in the morning Wednesday, March 2, 1791, John Wesley, the greatest of the English reformers, died “without a groan or a sigh.”

“The men who survived to fight the battle of Methodism were good men, many of them capable and intelligent; and within a few years they had built a church—built, it must be said on foundations laid by John Wesley himself. But the catholic minded man, who had dreamed of a new world in which men might adventure in the spirit without clash of creed or order, was dead; and what he would have thought and said of the works of his successors, no one will ever know.” Ibid., 214.

 

John Wesley, An English Reformer, part 1

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The little village of Epworth lies between the Trent, the Don and the Idle Rivers, on the Isle of Axholme, in northern England. This became the home of John Wesley who was born on June 17, 1703.

His father, Samuel, was born a gentleman and made himself a scholar. He went to school at Stoke Newington with Daniel Defoe and received instruction from Charles Morton, who later became vice-president of Harvard College in New England. He was raised a dissenter from the Church of England. He eventually served as chaplain on a man-of-war and as a curate in London. His final home was in Epworth as the rector of that village. Besides his scholarship, Samuel Wesley was noted as a poet and was one of the editors of the Athenian Mercury.

He served several terms as a representative of the diocese of Lincoln to the legislative body of the Church of England and fought for the independence of the lower house from the dominantly Whig house of bishops.

John was the second son and the fifteenth child, his elder brother Samuel was thirteen when John was born.

The rectory was burned when John was six years old and he was barely saved by the help of some neighbors. His father had given his son up for lost, so when he received him back he said that John was “a brand plucked from the burning.” The father took this as a sign that God intended great things for the boy.

Samuel was very unpopular with the people of the village due to his being a clergyman and a Tory. Also Nathaniel Reading, an attorney and collector of taxes, was a friend of his. In addition to this, he was a strict disciplinarian asking about the private lives of his parishioners and enforcing the rules of the church. Besides burning his house down, the “resentful Islonians” stabbed his cattle and maimed his sheep. The family lived in poverty as a result of the rectors running into debt and he had to appeal to his patrons to help pay his creditors.

“Unable to associate with the villagers, whom they regarded as clods and worse, cut off from the great world by miles of sullen, turgid waters, living in poverty galling to their gentility, the Wesley household was a world unto itself. And the Wesley children bore to their graves marks of their isolation, of their confinement to the weary, monotonous fen lands, of their resentment of poverty and suffering. They were all more or less eccentric; at least four of the girls made unhappy marriages; one of them brought shame on the country rectory.” Umphrey Lee, The Lord’s Horseman, 19.

The life of the Wesley family was not all gloom. The mother, Susannah, had the marvelous ability to manage her brood, teaching them to cry softly and fear the rod. The children spent six hours a day in the home school where the mother taught them the Lord’s prayer as soon as they could speak. After the age of five she taught them to read, and at the end of the day the older children read to the younger ones.

John was an exasperating child, demanding a reason for everything. His father, having been provoked to anger remarked to his wife, “I profess, sweetheart, I think our Jack would not attend to the most pressing necessities of nature unless he could give a reason for it.” Ibid., 20.

At the age of eleven, in 1714, the boy was nominated by the Duke of Buckingham to Charterhous, a school in London. At the age of seventeen, John entered Christ Church, Oxford College. He was a normal schoolboy, dabbling in verse and enjoying tennis and river sports. During his academic days his health was not always the best, so he turned to the medical field. He read many books on health and one especially which “recommended temperance and exercise forbidding highly seasoned meats, and advised drinking two pints of water and one pint of wine each twenty-four hours.” Ibid., 28.

On September 19, 1725, he was ordained deacon. Following this, in 1726, he was elected Fellow of Lincoln. This election, which included a stipend, gave him financial independence. With this independence John did not remain idle, but continued his academic studies and received a master’s degree in 1727.

 

Special Leave

 

He took special leave, twice in the next three years, to help his father by preaching at Epworth and Wroote. Wesley kept a detailed diary of his daily activities giving us a clear picture of a man well bred, interested in the souls of his parishioners, while at the same time unmindful of his own soul and body.

By this time Wesley had become acquainted with the writings of William Law, especially his latest book, Christian Perfection. The works of this man awakened his passion for the pursuit of holiness, first for himself and then for others. John attempted to introduce Law’s discipline into the Wesley family with tragic results. The father ordered him out of the house if he continued with his “apostolical nostrums.”

In 1729, Wesley received a call to return to Oxford. He lectured on Greek, Philosophy and Logic. As a teacher he was faithful and thorough. But other interests were beginning to develop in the heart of this teacher. Charles had founded a club at Oxford while John was in Epworth with his family.

John joined this club and soon became the leader. Under his leadership it became “one of the most famous in modern religious history.” Ibid., 33. George Whitefield, who later became famous as an open field preacher, joined the club. Benjamin Ingham, another well known man, joined the club. He later left the Church of England and took up with the Moravians.

The activities and philosophy of the club included attending church services and partaking of the Lord’s supper. In addition they met together in John Wesley’s room for devotions and careful study of the Greek New Testament. They also visited the sick and prisoners and organized classes for poor children. Their own funds, along with solicited money, were used to relieve the poor and occasionally to obtain freedom for a man imprisoned for debt. Wesley continued to study vigorously and read a formidable list of books, all the while carrying on a large correspondence that took a whole day each week.

By now John’s father was coming to the end of his life and he appealed to his son to come take his place in the rectory. John’s reply was that he considered that he was better able to promote holiness in himself and others at Oxford.

James Oglethorpe, a distinguished soldier and apostle of prison reform, called John Wesley in 1732 to go as a missionary to the Georgia colony he had set up. Wesley wrote, on October 10, 1735, that his main reason for going was for his own soul’s salvation. He hoped to learn the truth of the gospel by preaching to the “heathen.” Charles Wesley was also hired along with Benjamin Ingham, for the colony.

During the voyage (December 10 to February 5), they encountered at least three storms. One of these storms was so violent that the English screamed out in fear while the German Moravians sang a psalm showing no fear. Wesley was impressed by the calmness of these people.

Wesley hoped to be a missionary to the Indians, but he had agreed to take care of the parish of Savannah until another minister should arrive. A few days after his arrival John Wesley was visited by an Indian Chief named Tomo-chachi whom he called “king” of the Savannah nation. The king came with a request that the white priests feed the Indians with milk for they were only children. The king complained to Wesley that the Spanish and French were building forts and the English traders were liars.

The people in the Georgia colony became disenchanted with Wesley because of his high church leanings and his insistence that his parishioners adhere to the rigid discipline of the church. Then something happened which added fuel to the fire of opposition to him.

He had become involved emotionally with Sophia Hopkey, who at one point wished that John would ask for her hand. He solicited advice from his Moravian friends, but they did not give him any encouragement. Because of his hesitancy, the young lady ran off with another man. As a result of that action, Wesley refused to admit her to Communion because she did not communicate her intentions.

Along with all the other unhappiness, Sophia’s husband brought suit against Wesley. The Grand Jury indited him on ten counts, nine of which related to ecclesiastical usages, such as refusing to baptize a child but by immersion and refusing to read the burial service over the body of a dissenter. Wesley refused to plead on the ecclesiastical charges stating that the court had no jurisdiction in these matters. He asked for an immediate trial on the tenth point, which was regarding the charges of Sophia. The trial never occurred.

 

Disappointment

 

Disappointed with the hostility of the parishioners of Savannah and the fact that the Indians were not interested in being instructed in Christianity, Wesley left Georgia in December of 1737 and returned to England. He said, “I went to America, to convert the Indians, but oh, who shall convert me?” Ibid., 61.

Upon his return, he gave a report as to the condition of the colony stating that many had left and that the colony was in critical condition. He was cleared of the charges against him and his resignation was accepted. He looked back on his experience in Georgia and his passion for Sophia as a victory over his lower nature.

There were four advantages Wesley had realized from his time in Georgia. 1. He had learned to read German, French, Spanish and Italian. 2. That he had to leave the direction of his affairs with the Lord. 3. He had lost his fear of the sea. 4. He had become acquainted with the Moravians whom he found to be model Christians.

“Looking over this characteristic summary of personal losses and gains in Georgia, one can understand the way which Wesley was going. His search for Christian perfection through self-discipline, by good works, by a strict adherence to what he believed to be the practice of the Primitive Church, his discouragement as the result of his experiences in the New World, all prepared Wesley for a rearrangement of his life pattern. He was ready for a mystical conversion of the type recorded by Luther and Paul—although not of the type recorded by Augustine.” Ibid., 64.

The following experience occurred and was recorded by Wesley on Wednesday, May 24, 1738. “I think it was about five this morning, that I opened my Testament on those words, . . . ‘there are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, even that ye should be partakers of the divine nature.’ . . . Just as I went out, I opened it again on those words, ‘Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.’ In the afternoon I was asked to go to St. Paul’s. The anthem was, ‘Out of the deep have I called unto Thee, O Lord: Lord, hear my voice. O let Thine ears consider well the voice of my complaint. If Thou, Lord, wilt be extreme to mark what is done amiss, O Lord, who may abide it? For there is mercy with Thee; therefore shalt Thou be feared. O Israel, trust in the lord for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all his sins.’

“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.” Ibid., 65.

Following this, Wesley began a program of attempting to persuade others to have the same conversion he himself had experienced. His brother Charles had been converted a few days before and he supported John in his efforts to influence others. In later years John would change his mind regarding the necessity of others having the same inner change that had developed in his own heart and life.

“John . . . was now all aflame with the ambition to visit Herrnhut, in Saxony, the home of the Moravians. He had embarked for Georgia hoping to learn the true gospel by studying the reactions of the ‘noble savage’ to his preaching; disappointed there, he now believed that Herrnhut would prove his spiritual El Dorado. He had now, he thought, learned the first lesson of the gospel; he hoped that ‘conversing with those holy men who were themselves living witnesses of the full power of faith, and yet able to bear with those that are weak’ would be a means of ‘establishing’ his soul. He plunged at once into plans for this new pilgrimage and on the twelfth of June left for Germany.” Ibid., 66, 67.

 

The Gospel in the Great Controversy

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There are many who say, “I have heard this message before;” but I ask, “Why has it not changed you? Where are you spiritually?” In The Great Controversy, the chapter called “The Snares of Satan,” Satan does not care whether you are praying, studying or attending church so long as you remain in an indifferent, careless state. While Jesus is in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary ministering on our behalf, we have the opportunity to repent and be cleansed of our sins. It is during this time that Satan wants us to remain careless and indifferent. The time is very short. Many are hearing message after message and are being convicted but not being changed. Many will say that the message was so powerful and I am so convicted; I see my sin and I am going to get it right. After a few days, however, they return to the same condition as before the conviction.

Martin Luther and John Wesley had similar experiences in which they began to study the Word and had a desire to surrender but did not know how. As a result, they failed many times until they had an understanding of righteousness by faith and came to a point where they had to make a choice and count the cost. This is the experience of many Christians today.

In John 6:25–29, it says, “And when they had found Him on the other side of the sea, they said unto Him, Rabbi, when camest Thou hither? Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for Him hath God the Father sealed. Then said they unto Him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent.”

He goes on to say, “And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” Verse 40. “No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” Verse 44. Jesus said, “I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us His flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me. This is that bread which came down from heaven.” Verses 48–58.

This group of disciples came to Christ after He had performed the miracle of the loaves and the people were filled. They came seeking another miracle and asked in verse 28, “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” They were basically asking: “What can I do to secure my own salvation?” They wanted to know what work they could do to inherit heaven. Jesus was trying to tell them that there was nothing they could do. He said, “I am that bread that came down from heaven. Unless you eat of My flesh and drink of My blood you have no life in you. Those who eat of My flesh and drink of My blood, those are the ones that will be resurrected on the last day.”

To eat of the flesh and drink of the blood of Christ means to behold Him—to study the life of Jesus Christ and to live out that which you are reading. By beholding you become changed. Many of these individuals that heard what He said decided that it was too difficult to do these things and they left. Though they were called His disciples, they followed Him no more. Here was a crossroads. Jesus looked upon the few that remained and asked, “Are you going to leave as well?” They responded, “Lord where would we go?” (See John 6:67, 68.)

Each must make a decision. Each, as studying the word of God and seeing those things that are required of us, must sacrifice to drink of His blood. In the place of spending time with Him throughout the day, many would rather do a work or suffer punishment in a vain attempt to inherit eternal life.

Martin Luther

Martin Luther was a man that was very earnest and desired to know of God. As he began to read the Bible he became convicted.

“An earnest desire to be free from sin and to find peace with God led him at last to enter a cloister and devote himself to a monastic life. Here he was required to perform the lowest drudgery and to beg from house to house. He was at an age when respect and appreciation are most eagerly craved, and these menial offices were deeply mortifying to his natural feelings; but he patiently endured this humiliation, believing that it was necessary because of his sins.” The Great Controversy, 123.

He was trying to do a work in order to inherit salvation himself, but God was working with him.

“Every moment that could be spared from his daily duties he employed in study, robbing himself of sleep and grudging even the time spent at his scanty meals. Above everything else he delighted in the study of God’s word.” Ibid.

These things are examples for us. Everything that Luther experienced, we are going to experience. Luther’s experience needs to be ours. He delighted in the study of God’s word.

“He had found a Bible chained to the convent wall, and to this he often repaired. As his convictions of sin deepened, he sought by his own works to obtain pardon and peace. He led a most rigorous life, endeavoring by fasting, vigils, and scourgings to subdue the evils of his nature, from which the monastic life had brought no release. He shrank from no sacrifice by which he might attain to that purity of heart which would enable him to stand approved before God. ‘I was indeed a pious monk,’ he afterward said, ‘and followed the rules of my order more strictly than I can express. If ever monk could obtain heaven by his monkish works, I should certainly have been entitled to it. … If it had continued much longer, I should have carried my mortifications even to death.’ … As the result of this painful discipline he lost strength and suffered from fainting spasms, from the effects of which he never fully recovered. But with all his efforts his burdened soul found no relief. He was at last driven to the verge of despair.” Ibid.

Until Luther began to understand that it is by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ that one is fitted to accept the free gift of salvation, he did everything he could to secure his salvation. If he had stopped searching before that, he would have been lost, but he continued to search.

“When it appeared to Luther that all was lost, God raised up a friend and helper for him.” Ibid.

Pray for spiritual friends to walk with you! Do not be discouraged—whatever your situation. There are times God will allow things to happen in your life; you may experience discouragement, bitterness and trial so that you can see your need of Jesus Christ. Many do not see their need. If you are not searching and agonizing, what can He do for you?

God raised up a helper for Luther. “The pious Staupitz opened the word of God to Luther’s mind and bade him look away from himself, cease the contemplation of infinite punishment for the violation of God’s law, and look to Jesus, his sin-pardoning Saviour. ‘Instead of torturing yourself on account of your sins, throw yourself into the Redeemer’s arms. Trust in Him, in the righteousness of His life, in the atonement of His death. … Listen to the Son of God. He became man to give you the assurance of divine favor.’ ‘Love Him who first loved you.’ … Thus spoke this messenger of mercy. His words made a deep impression upon Luther’s mind. After many a struggle with long-cherished errors, he was enabled to grasp the truth, and peace came to his troubled soul.” Ibid., 123, 124.

Luther found the peace that God offers. Many are searching today but cannot find it because they are constantly looking at their sins and do not believe that Jesus pardons them personally. Focus on today and pray that God will give you His Holy Spirit and grace for today because you cannot do a work of a lifetime in one day. Do not focus on yourself. Look to Christ daily. Do not allow Satan to make you feel that you are not worthy. God came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.

“To a friend of the Reformation Luther wrote: ‘We cannot attain to the understanding of Scripture either by study or by the intellect. Your first duty is to begin by prayer. Entreat the Lord to grant you, of His great mercy, the true understanding of His word. There is no other interpreter of the word of God than the Author of this word, as He Himself has said, “They shall be all taught of God.” Hope for nothing from your own labors, from your own understanding: trust solely in God, and in the influence of His Spirit. Believe this on the word of a man who has had experience.’ ” The Great Controversy, 132.

We are not to trust in intellect or human wisdom but in God. You need to believe that He will guide you into all truth. Ezekiel 36:25–27 says, “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them.”

His judgments are His law. He wants to put in us His character. The Holy Spirit will cause us to walk in His statutes. God will write His law upon our hearts and that will cause us to walk in His ways. It was not until Luther had this understanding that he was truly converted.

“The Reformation did not, as many suppose, end with Luther. It is to be continued to the close of this world’s history. Luther had a great work to do in reflecting to others the light which God had permitted to shine upon him; yet he did not receive all the light which was to be given to the world. From that time to this, new light has been continually shining upon the Scriptures, and new truths have been constantly unfolding.” Ibid., 148, 149.

Luther did not have all the light—he had a small understanding. We have so much light with so many books yet many would rather read other literature. There is no excuse for those who have not read the Conflict Series or have not studied The Great Controversy. The messages they did not have then we have now. We need to be putting these principles into practice.

“From the secret place of prayer came the power that shook the world in the Great Reformation. There, with holy calmness, the servants of the Lord set their feet upon the rock of His promises. During the struggle at Augsburg, Luther ‘did not pass a day without devoting three hours at least to prayer, and they were hours selected from those the most favorable to study.’ In the privacy of his chamber he was heard to pour out his soul before God in words ‘full of adoration, fear, and hope, as when one speaks to a friend.’ ‘I know that Thou art our Father and our God,’ he said, ‘and that Thou wilt scatter the persecutors of Thy children; for Thou art Thyself endangered with us. All this matter is Thine, and it is only by Thy constraint that we have put our hands to it. Defend us, then, O Father!’ …” The Great Controversy, 210. [Emphasis added.]

There is no excuse for us to neglect prayer and study. We need to agonize over souls. The most polished instrument that Satan can use is an individual who is not converted, who does not pray, but appears to be a Christian. There are similar experiences like those disciples who left Christ after He said that the only way for salvation was to eat and to drink of Him. Those who stayed still struggled. They came to a full understanding when the Holy Spirit came and then they could teach others. In Acts 2:37 we see the response to their teaching: “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?” There it is again, “what shall we do?” Verses 38, 39: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

This is not just for them but for us. We need to fall on the Rock and be broken—we need to agonize even if we do not feel like it. Go to God and ask to be led to the Rock. If you have never experienced falling on the Rock and being broken, you will never experience repentance. You will never be converted and when Jesus comes, you will be lost.

John Wesley

Wesley had the same experience:

“Wesley and his associates were led to see that true religion is seated in the heart, and that God’s law extends to the thoughts as well as to the words and actions. Convinced of the necessity of holiness of heart, as well as correctness of outward deportment, they set out in earnest upon a new life. By the most diligent and prayerful efforts they endeavored to subdue the evils of the natural heart. They lived a life of self-denial, charity, and humiliation, observing with great rigor and exactness every measure which they thought could be helpful to them in obtaining what they most desired—that holiness which could secure the favor of God. But they did not obtain the object which they sought. In vain were their endeavors to free themselves from the condemnation of sin or to break its power. It was the same struggle which Luther had experienced in his cell at Erfurt. It was the same question which had tortured his soul—‘How should man be just before God?’ Job 9:2.” The Great Controversy, 254. [Emphasis added.]

This was the same experience that Luther had. Wesley had seen the righteousness of Christ and wanted to be holy.

“John and Charles Wesley, after being ordained to the ministry, were sent on a mission to America. On board the ship was a company of Moravians. Violent storms were encountered on the passage, and John Wesley, brought face to face with death, felt that he had not the assurance of peace with God. The Germans, on the contrary, manifested a calmness and trust to which he was a stranger. …

“In the midst of the psalm wherewith their service began, the sea broke over, split the mainsail in pieces, covered the ship, and poured in between the decks as if the great deep had already swallowed us up. A terrible screaming began among the English. The Germans calmly sang on. I asked one of them afterwards, ‘Were you not afraid?’ He answered, ‘I thank God, no.’ I asked, ‘But were not your women and children afraid?’ He replied mildly, ‘No; our women and children are not afraid to die.’—Whitehead, Life of the Rev. John Wesley, page 10.” Ibid., 254, 255.

These were individuals believing they are about to die. Some were singing with the peace of God in their hearts while others were screaming. When you come face to face with death, at that time you will know that you are right with God or not. Life is short. Are you hid with Christ in God? John Wesley realized that he did not have the faith in God that he had witnessed among the Moravians.

“On his return to England, Wesley, under the instruction of a Moravian preacher, arrived at a clearer understanding of Bible faith. He was convinced that he must renounce all dependence upon his own works for salvation and must trust wholly to ‘the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29). At a meeting of the Moravian society in London a statement was read from Luther, describing the change which the Spirit of God works in the heart of the believer. As Wesley listened, faith was kindled in his soul. ‘I felt my heart strangely warmed,’ he says. ‘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.’ ” Ibid., 255, 256.

He finally began to understand Bible faith and to know what it means to “behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” He now understood that it was not by looking to yourself or anything you can do but it is by faith in Jesus. With that faith abiding in you, obedience will become the fruit. You will love others because this is the result of abiding in Christ and spending time with Him.

“Through long years of wearisome and comfortless striving—years of rigorous self-denial, of reproach and humiliation—Wesley had steadfastly adhered to his one purpose of seeking God. Now he had found Him; and he found that the grace which he had toiled to win by prayers and fasts, by almsdeeds and self-abnegation, was a gift, ‘without money and without price.’

“Once established in the faith of Christ, his whole soul burned with the desire to spread everywhere a knowledge of the glorious gospel of God’s free grace.” Ibid., 256.

Once Wesley had a personal experience with God, he had the desire to share, and that must be your desire. You must have a true burden for souls. Do you understand what it means to cry between the porch and the altar?

“He continued his strict and self-denying life, not now as the ground, but the result of faith; not the root, but the fruit of holiness. The grace of God in Christ is the foundation of the Christian’s hope, and that grace will be manifested in obedience. Wesley’s life was devoted to the preaching of the great truths which he had received—justification through faith in the atoning blood of Christ, and the renewing power of the Holy Spirit upon the heart, bringing forth fruit in a life conformed to the example of Christ.” Ibid., 256. [Emphasis added.]

Jesus prayed all night because He had a love and a burden for souls. Wesley’s whole life changed because it was now being led by the Holy Spirit to a similar burden. We must understand that Christianity includes that burden and that love. When we really begin to understand the work going on in the heavenly sanctuary, God will give us new motives, new thoughts, new feelings. When we are in Christ we have become new.

“Wesley declared the perfect harmony of the law and the gospel. ‘There is, therefore, the closest connection that can be conceived, between the law and the gospel. On the one hand, the law continually makes way for, and points us to, the gospel; on the other, the gospel continually leads us to a more exact fulfilling of the law. The law, for instance, requires us to love God, to love our neighbor, to be meek, humble, or holy. We feel that we are not sufficient for these things; yea, that “with man this is impossible” (Matthew 19:26); but we see a promise of God to give us that love, and to make us humble, meek, and holy: we lay hold of this gospel, of these glad tidings; it is done unto us according to our faith; and “the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us” (Romans 8:4), through faith which is in Christ Jesus.’ ” The Great Controversy, 263.

The law and the gospel are one. The law will show you your sins but it is not a remedy for your sins. It will convict but not convert. The law will point you to the gospel, which is Jesus Christ, and He will save you. His law will be fulfilled in us.

In many churches the law has been done away with—made void. When there is no law being upheld, no sin being shown, you cannot see Christ or the cross, or that the law cannot be fulfilled in us. Many want to feel good and not hear about sin. They want to be happy in their sinful condition, feeling that they are saved. The majority of Christianity believes that the law cannot be kept. This is a sad condition.

Many think that by going to church on Sabbath, wearing a long skirt, not eating meat, doing devotions, they are justified.

Galatians 2:16 says, “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”

“To those who urged that ‘the preaching of the gospel answers all the ends of the law,’ Wesley replied: ‘This we utterly deny. It does not answer the very first end of the law, namely, the convincing men of sin, the awakening those who are still asleep on the brink of hell.’ The apostle Paul declares that ‘by the law is the knowledge of sin’ (Romans 3:20); ‘and not until man is convicted of sin, will he truly feel his need of the atoning blood of Christ. … ‘They that be whole,’ as our Lord Himself observes, ‘need not a physician, but they that are sick’ (Matthew 9:12). It is absurd, therefore, to offer a physician to them that are whole, or that at least imagine themselves so to be. You are first to convince them that they are sick; otherwise they will not thank you for your labor. It is equally absurd to offer Christ to them whose heart is whole, having never yet been broken.” Ibid., 264.

You need to show people that they have a need and are not ready to meet Christ; otherwise they will not accept your message because they think that they are good and have no need of Jesus. In Isaiah 50:4 it says, “The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.”

“At the close of his long life of more than fourscore years—above half a century spent in itinerant ministry—his [Wesley’s] avowed adherents numbered more than half a million souls. But the multitude that through his labors had been lifted from the ruin and degradation of sin to a higher and a purer life, and the number who by his teaching had attained to a deeper and richer experience, will never be known till the whole family of the redeemed shall be gathered into the kingdom of God. His life presents a lesson of priceless worth to every Christian. Would that the faith and humility, the untiring zeal, self-sacrifice, and devotion of this servant of Christ might be reflected in the churches of today!” The Great Controversy, 264.

One man, through the power of the Holy Spirit, was able to win at least half a million souls to Jesus Christ!

We are at the last moment of earth’s history. Is it your experience right now that you are literally agonizing and praying for yourself and for others? The more we see what the condition of ourselves and God’s people are in, the more our time will be spent in prayer instead of looking for a fun church and fun things to do. Whatever you are doing you may incorporate God’s word, His Spirit of Prophecy, into your mind by listening to tapes or reading. Many get so caught up on social media and every other time-consuming habit that it cancels out the seed that God has placed within you and has no opportunity to germinate.

Ellen White said: “I had a dream once in which I saw a large company gathered together, and suddenly the heavens gathered blackness, the thunder rolled, the lightning flashed, and a voice louder than the heaviest peals of thunder, sounded through the heavens and the earth, saying, ‘It is done.’ Part of the company, with pallid faces, sprang forward with a wail of agony, crying out, ‘O, I am not ready.’ The question was asked, ‘Why are you not ready? Why have you not improved the opportunities I graciously gave you?’ I awoke with the cry ringing in my ears, ‘I am not ready; I am unsaved—lost! lost! eternally lost!’ ” The Youth’s Instructor, July 21, 1892.

Everyone will be speechless. There will be no excuses in that day. There were times when Ellen White said they were so burdened that they would pray for hours and hours until they felt in their soul that their burden was lifted and the peace of God came upon them. We need to know how to agonize as Jacob did. God is graciously allowing us this time. Probation is extended for you.

Luther and Wesley had to search until God showed them the way. Behold God, our loving Redeemer. Spend time with Him before time runs out.

Maria Cofer and her husband, John, have established a digital media company to create and promote video media teaching the unique message of Adventism using social media such as Facebook and YouTube. They are currently engaged in establishing training schools under the name, The Schools of the Prophets for the youth. She may be contacted via gospelofhealth.org.