Faithful in Service

 I just finished reading about John Wesley. A zealous evangelist, tireless worker, and tremendous administrator. He is credited with founding the Methodist denomination. Wesley spent much time in prayer. He preached a salvation by grace available to the masses. The common people without pedigree were welcomed to attend his meetings. 

This did not set well with the religious establishment of the day. He was banned from preaching in any of those pulpits. He started preaching outside drawing crowds of thousands as early as 5:00 a.m. He often preached three times a day. He traveled by horseback and did not consider retirement when he reached his seventieth or eightieth decades. He worked at winning souls and organizing the growing Methodist denomination in his day. Even back then Methodism spread far beyond England to other nations like Scotland, Ireland, and the American Colonies. 

When he was 86 years old, he did a nine week preaching tour across Ireland. He preached 100 sermons in 60 different towns and villages on that tour. No slowing down for this warrior for Christ. Six of those sermons he preached outdoors. No retirement for this flaming soul devoted to God. 

In February of the following year, at 87 he preached to a large crowd outdoors calling people to repent. A couple of weeks later he preached at a chapel in London and then preached at a friend's house the following day. Suddenly his health began to fail. His eyesight dimmed. His strength faded. He died not long afterward. 

Wesley rode on horseback over 250,000 miles preaching. To better understand the magnitude of that, it is the equivalent of circling the globe ten times. It is estimated that he averaged traveling on top of a horse around 5,000 miles per year. He preached over 40,000 times. That averages out to over a sermon a day if you include his childhood years. The average is higher if you take into account he probably did not start preaching until he was 20 something. He published more than 5,000 sermons, books, and pamphlets. This man was faithful in his devotion and service to God. 

None of us can be John Wesley. I have good news. Nobody is supposed to be. God had a unique calling and purpose for Wesley just like He has for each of us. We are called to be faithful where He planted us and doing what He purposed for us to do. Faithful service is what God desires from all of us.