August 16
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A while back, I was given a little book of quotations called “The Quotable Mr. Wesley,” which is a collection of quotes from the founder of Methodism, John Wesley. Wesley was an amazingly devoted servant of Christ, and one of the most passionate proclaimers of the gospel the world has ever known. Wesley worked to reform the abuses he saw in the Church of England in the 1700s, and in the mid-1700s the Methodist Movement came to America, eventually forming its own denomination after the Revolutionary War. Wesley once said the following about those who would passionately and boldly spread the gospel of the saving grace of Jesus Christ:
“Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen, such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven upon earth.”
Wesley revealed a few different things about his convictions in this simple quote. The first is that he understood that the power of the gospel is not from professional credentials or from numbers. Wesley believed strongly in an educated clergy, and he developed a “course of study” for his uneducated pastors so that they would have the best tools available for preaching the gospel. However, he knew that what was most important was the passion of the heart for God. So we don’t get to use the excuse of ignorance for not telling others about Jesus Christ. First of all, we can learn more about our faith, about the Bible, and about our basic Christian beliefs. Even more importantly, however, we can live out our faith with passion and conviction even if we are not as knowledgeable as we would like or need to be. You may not be an expert in theology or in the Bible, but you are an expert in how God has worked in your life, so share that life and experience with others.
The second understanding that Wesley revealed in this quote is that a small number of people can have a major impact on the world. Jesus started with twelve disciples. When John Wesley and his brother Charles formed the “Holy Club” at Oxford University in Oxford, England, there were just a few students participating in the movement that would eventually have a major religious impact in Great Britain and lead to a new denomination in America. Each one of us has an opportunity to impact a number of lives every day, and it doesn’t take a lot of people for God to change the world for the better.
Are you, are we, committed in our day and time to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ? Can you say that you fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God? Or do you let your fears and let your desires for the things of this world inhibit your witness?
We are blessed to have the power of the almighty God available to us and working in this world through us. Let’s not cheapen that gift of God’s grace by letting our worries, our fears, and our earthly desires keep us from shaking the gates of hell and helping establish the kingdom of heaven upon this earth.
