John Wesley

Church History
“The Story of John Wesley”

Family Background
Bartholomew Westley- A Puritan minister forced out of pastorate in 1662
John Westley- A noncomforming evangelical jailed for his preaching
Samuel Westley- Became a staunch defender of the established church
Samuel Annesley- A leading noncomformist pastor in London for 30 years
Susannah Annesley- Became a supporter of the Church of England

John Wesley’s Childhood
John was born the 15th of 19 children (9 died in childhood) on June 17, 1703
John was born into near poverty
John’s father Samuel was rarely home
John’s mother Susannah was influencing force on her children
John was born into a time of extreme morality
· Adultery and fornication were public and undisguised
· 11 million gallons of gin consumed in 1750
· In one part of London, 25% of buildings were gin-shops
· Church offices were available for bribe
· Many ministers never visited their parish
· Capital punishment was in place for 160 different offenses
· Hangings were viewed as public entertainment
· 75% of children died prior to their 5th birthday
John was saved from a house-fire in 1709
John was sent to Charterhouse at age 11
John’s family believed their home was haunted by ‘Old-Jeffrey’
John enrolled in Christ Church, a college at Oxford University
John finished his undergraduate degree in 1724

John’s Early Ministry
John was heavily influenced by ‘holiness’ writings
John was appointed ‘fellow’ at Lincoln in 1726, teaching Greek & Logic
John assisted his father in ministry and writing
John’s younger brother Charles joined a ‘Holy Club’
John returned to Oxford and became the leader of this club

The Methodists
There were 6 rules governing the meetings
There were 15 common questions asked of each individual
There were 15 requirements for joining the group
There were dozens ‘kicked out’ of the club
There were some notable members (John & Charles, George Whitefield)

The Missionary
Despite the success of the group, John was in a state of misery
John decided to become a missionary to Georgia under James Oglethorpe
The voyage was met by numerous life-threatening storms
John became an unsuccessful pastor of the Savannah Church
John fell in love with Sophia Hopkey, but this ended disastrously
Wesley was indicted on 9 counts relating to ecclesiastical usage
Wesley returned to England late in 1737 believing himself a failure
Wesley found 4 positives (Knowledge, Guidance, Faced Fear, Moravians)
John began preaching, but was not received well in most churches
John sought out further friendships with Moravian Christians

The Conversion
In 1738 Wesley met Peter Boehler, a Moravian on his way to Georgia
Boehler helped Wesley to admit that he did not have saving faith
Boehler told John to ‘preach’ faith until he ‘had’ faith
Charles Wesley was ‘saved’ in May and went on to write 8,500 hymns
Later that month, Wesley testified to his conversion at Aldersgate Street

Post Conversion
Wesley told everyone of his experience
Wesley traveled to visit the Moravians
Wesley was energized by the preaching styles of Edwards & Whitefield
Wesley became a circuit-riding preacher
Wesley preached an experiential faith

Wesley’s Hard Work
Wesley preached to all of England every 2 years
Wesley traveled 250 thousand miles (horseback/walking)
Wesley preached at least 40 thousand times in England
Wesley had a regimented 4am-10pm schedule
Wesley wrote or edited between 200 & 300 books

Wesley’s Distinctive Message
He preached a message of God’s love
He preached a message of God’s hatred for sin
He preached a message that ended in a decision
He preached a message of assurance of salvation
He preached a message of Christian Perfection

The New Institution
Wesley had no intention of beginning a new church
Wesley organized Methodist groups outside the church
Wesley excelled at ‘follow-up’
Wesley introduced hymns as part of his ‘meetings’
Wesley ruled his ‘societies’ with an iron hand

Wesley Life Comes to an End
Wesley almost married Grace Murray in 1748
Wesley married Mary Vazeille in 1751, she left him in 1771
Wesley advised loyalty to England during the American Revolution
Wesley’s last letter called for the abolition of slavery
Wesley died on March 2, 1791, leaving 65 thousand Methodists behind