It has stood the test of time,
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God's book -- the Bible.
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Still relevant in
today's complex world.
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It Is Written ...
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sharing hope around the globe.
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Thanks for joining me
today. I'm John Bradshaw
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and this is It Is Written.
Every now and then someone
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appears on the world
stage that makes a dramatic
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difference. As the
old saying puts it,
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Cometh the hour, cometh the man.
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The 'hour' we're
talking about today was the 18th
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Century - a time when England
had degenerated, religiously,
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into a tired and
formulaic routine.
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The Church of England
was now the state church
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in the United Kingdom,
and though it had broken
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from Rome, and several of Rome's
doctrines had been rejected,
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the forms of Rome
had been largely retained
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by the Church of England.
And the monarchy had simply
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taken the place of the
pope as the head of the church.
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The road to
Protestantism had been rocky.
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Men and women had won freedom
from Rome at a great cost -
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many lost their lives
being murdered, or martyred,
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and persecution was intense.
By the 1700s, Protestantism
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in England wasn't the vital
force its founders had hoped
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it would be. The
vitality had just seeped
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right out of the church.
Formalism and nominalism had
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taken over spiritual
life. Something was needed.
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Someone was
needed. [Folk Melody]
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And in the early
1700s - June 28, 1703,
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the 15th of Samuel and Susanna
Wesley's children was born
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here in Epworth, in
Lincolnshire, England.
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Epworth is about 45
miles south of York and about
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the same distance from Leeds,
and today has a population
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of less than 4000
people. Obviously much smaller
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back then.
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The Wesleys had
moved here in 1695.
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Yet from this unassuming
place came the man who would
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go on to become one of the great
religious reformers of all time.
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He would become the founder
of the Methodist Church --
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and would breathe new life
into Christianity in England --
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and provide inspiration
to Christians all over
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the world.
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Only 10 of Samuel and Susanna
Wesley's 19 children survived.
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And if you think
that was a large family,
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Susanna's father
- a dissenter pastor
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who had separated from
the established church -
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had 25 children,@
and Susanna was the 25th.
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Samuel Wesley - who went
to school with Daniel Defoe,
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the author of Robinson Crusoe
- had graduated from Oxford
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and was the church of England
pastor here - and this is where
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the Wesley's lived.
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At that time the
rectory was a wooden building
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and it had a thatched
roof. When John Wesley
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was 5 years old,
the Rectory burned down.
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His father would say that
he believed the fire was set
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intentionally by
discontented church members.
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Little Jacky, as John's
mother called him, was rescued
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in dramatic circumstances.
John wrote later that he
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was saved 'as a brand
plucked from the burning'.
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This new Rectory was
built in 1709 at a cost of £184,
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not quite $300 USD.
When John Wesley was 13,
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certain events lead people
to believe that this Rectory
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was haunted.
People urged Samuel Wesley
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to take his family away from
here and get them to safety.
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Samuel said that he believed
the devil should flee from him,
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and not the other way around...
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¤ [Pastoral Melody] ¤
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Samuel Wesley, John's father,
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was the pastor of this church.
This is St Andrew's Church,
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the parish church of Epworth.
Parts of this building date
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back to the 12th Century.
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And as a young man,
John Wesley was the curate
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of the parish church in
the little village of Wroot,
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about 5 or 6 miles from Epworth.
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He is buried here,
just yards from where
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he used to preach.
John Wesley would come back
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to Epworth and come here
to St. Andrews and step up on
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top of his father's tombstone
and use it as a pulpit from
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he would preach the Word of God.
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When he'd come back to
Epworth to visit his family,
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John Wesley would
normally stay right here,
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at the Red Lion Inn, and
because he wasn't allowed to
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preach in the
churches, he'd preach
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from unorthodox places,
such as from right on top of his
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father's tomb and he would
preach here, from these very
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steps, in this exact place
and from these steps take his
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Bible in his hand,
proclaim the Word of God
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and encourage the
people of Epworth to follow
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Jesus Christ by faith.
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Every Word is a one minute
Bible based daily devotional
00:06:00.12\00:06:03.83
presented by Pastor
John Bradshaw and designed
00:06:03.83\00:06:06.46
especially for
busy people like you.
00:06:06.46\00:06:08.83
Look for Every Word on
selected networks or watch
00:06:08.83\00:06:12.03
it on line every day on
our website itiswritten.com.
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[Rythmic Melody]
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There's a great verse
in the book of Nehemiah.
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One of the great verses
really, full of meaning.
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Nehemiah has returned to
Jerusalem and he has set about
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the task of re-establishing
Jerusalem society and he's in
00:06:31.15\00:06:34.39
the midst of building
the wall around the city.
00:06:34.39\00:06:36.52
Critics and detractors and
enemies are trying to distract
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him from that work when he
sent a message to them saying,
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"I am doing a great work,
so that I cannot come down.
00:06:41.50\00:06:44.60
Why should the work cease while
I leave it and go down to you?"
00:06:44.60\00:06:49.20
Now let's think:
each of us are engaged
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in a great work, the
work of sharing Jesus
00:06:51.01\00:06:53.34
or that of living for Him.
The devil wants to distract us,
00:06:53.34\00:06:57.05
to get us off base,
to get us to spend out
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energies in other
areas. And here's God's message
00:06:59.45\00:07:02.25
about that: it's a great
work, a great work we're doing.
00:07:02.25\00:07:06.02
and nothing should be
allowed to distract us
00:07:06.02\00:07:08.46
from that work.
¤ [Theme Music] ¤
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I'm John Bradshaw
for It Is Written.
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Let's live today by Every Word.
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¤ [Stately Melody,
¤ String Ensemble] ¤
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John Wesley
studied at Christ Church
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at Oxford
University. It was and still
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is a very prestigious
school. King Edward the 7th
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was educated here.
William Penn, the founder
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of the State of Pennsylvania,
and the current Archbishop
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of Canterbury. In
fact, Christ Church
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has produced as many Prime
Ministers of Great Britain , 13
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as the other 45
Oxford colleges combined.
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And it was while he
was here that John Wesley
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began to experience
personal spiritual revival.
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Along with his brother,
Charles, and others such
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as George Whitefield, or
Whitfield, depending on your
00:08:05.88\00:08:07.88
pronunciation,
John Wesley formed
00:08:07.88\00:08:10.42
the Holy Club - a
group that met regularly
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and were determined to live
a holy life dedicated to God,
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in a very systematic way.
00:08:17.33\00:08:21.46
Wesley sought to be holy.
So he adopted a very rigid
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approach to his life, often
denying himself and following
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certain 'methods' of living
that he believed would enable
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him to live that life
that he wanted to live.
00:08:38.38\00:08:41.95
This 'methodical' approach
to faith in God saw Wesley
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and his fellows in the Holy
Club here at Lincoln College
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become branded as "Methodists."
To begin with, this term
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"Methodists" was
intended as an insult
00:08:55.73\00:08:59.47
but Wesley and his
friends came to embrace the term
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as they believed it reflected
God's will for their lives.
00:09:02.97\00:09:06.17
¤[Cello solo-thought provoking]¤
00:09:06.17\00:09:11.55
When Wesley came
to Oxford University,
00:09:14.72\00:09:16.38
he knew full well just
what faithfulness to the Word
00:09:16.38\00:09:18.95
of God could cost.
He knew that in 1536
00:09:18.95\00:09:22.29
another former Oxford student,
William Tyndale, had been
00:09:22.29\00:09:25.09
burned at the stake for his
faith in Jesus Christ and for
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daring to disobey the orders
of the Roman Catholic Church.
00:09:27.83\00:09:31.53
And Wesley had another
very graphic reminder of what
00:09:31.53\00:09:34.24
faithfulness cost. You
see, right here behind me
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is the very spot in which
Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley
00:09:38.51\00:09:43.01
and Thomas were burned
at the stake for their faith
00:09:43.01\00:09:45.48
in the Word of God.
Latimer and Ridley in 1555
00:09:45.48\00:09:48.92
and Cranmer, who had been
the the Archbishop of Canterbury
00:09:48.92\00:09:51.55
- in 1556. It is
said that Latimer said
00:09:51.55\00:09:55.69
to Ridley as they
were about to be burned,
00:09:55.69\00:09:58.03
"Be of good comfort."
"We shall this day light such
00:09:58.03\00:10:01.73
a candle, by God's
grace, in England, as I trust
00:10:01.73\00:10:05.47
shall never be put out."
Now Cranmer, on the other
00:10:05.47\00:10:09.17
hand, recanted his opposition
to the Roman Catholic Church
00:10:09.17\00:10:12.54
several times but then he
recanted his recantations.
00:10:12.54\00:10:17.78
He was brought to this
spot on Broad Street in Oxford
00:10:17.78\00:10:20.82
and burned at the stake.
And when he was, he did what
00:10:20.82\00:10:23.49
he said he would do.
He took the very hand that
00:10:23.49\00:10:26.32
had written the
recantations and thrust it into
00:10:26.32\00:10:29.29
the flames. Today,
a cross commemorates
00:10:29.29\00:10:34.10
the spot at which these
men gave their lives for their
00:10:34.10\00:10:36.67
faith in Christ, while near
this sport stands the Oxford
00:10:36.67\00:10:40.47
Martyrs' Memorial, in
remembrance of Latimer,
00:10:40.47\00:10:43.27
Ridley and Cranmer.
The inscription on the base
00:10:43.27\00:10:46.47
of the memorial says
this: "To the Glory of God,
00:10:46.47\00:10:51.28
and in grateful commemoration
of His servants, Thomas Cranmer,
00:10:51.28\00:10:55.02
Nicholas Ridley, Hugh Latimer,
00:10:55.02\00:10:57.79
Prelates of the Church of
England, who near this spot
00:10:57.79\00:11:01.52
yielded their bodies
to be burned, bearing
00:11:01.52\00:11:04.46
witness to the sacred
truths which they had affirmed
00:11:04.46\00:11:07.13
and maintained against
the errors of the Church
00:11:07.13\00:11:10.03
of Rome, and rejoicing that
to them it was given not only
00:11:10.03\00:11:14.87
to believe in
Christ, but also to suffer
00:11:14.87\00:11:18.74
for His sake."
00:11:18.74\00:11:21.74
John Wesley knew
that the road to reform
00:11:23.48\00:11:25.61
would not be easy. He
understood what opposition
00:11:25.61\00:11:28.88
to truth could look
like. But he was determined.
00:11:28.88\00:11:32.02
He was determined to
live a life of faith.
00:11:32.02\00:11:34.59
A life to the glory of
God. A life that would result
00:11:34.59\00:11:38.13
in personal transformation.
But just as the road
00:11:38.13\00:11:42.20
to reform in the
church would no be easy,
00:11:42.20\00:11:45.00
Wesley discovered that the road
to reform in his own personal
00:11:45.00\00:11:48.37
life would not be
easy either. You see,
00:11:48.37\00:11:52.24
like most people,
John Wesley had to learn
00:11:52.24\00:11:54.48
the secret of
living a life of faith.
00:11:54.48\00:11:57.58
So what was it that John
Wesley learned that changed
00:11:57.58\00:12:00.58
his life? And could it change
00:12:00.58\00:12:02.75
your life? More
in just a moment.
00:12:02.75\00:12:06.32
[Thoughful Melody]
00:12:06.89\00:12:13.40
But ye shall receive
power, after that the Holy Ghost
00:12:15.60\00:12:18.77
is come upon you:
and ye shall be witnesses
00:12:18.77\00:12:21.37
unto me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judaea,
00:12:21.37\00:12:24.44
and in Samaria, and
unto the uttermost part
00:12:24.44\00:12:27.61
of the earth.
00:12:27.61\00:12:29.14
The uttermost part of the earth
seems like an appropriate way to
00:12:30.81\00:12:34.48
describe Mongolia, sandwiched
between China and Siberia.
00:12:34.48\00:12:40.72
About two and a half percent
of Mongolians are Christians.
00:12:40.72\00:12:45.69
Or to put it another
way, Mongolia is 97.5 percent
00:12:45.69\00:12:51.83
non-Christian.
00:12:51.83\00:12:53.60
The church hasn't
made real inroads here.
00:12:54.64\00:12:57.51
And according to the
Bible, somehow or other,
00:12:57.51\00:13:01.38
Mongolians will all be given
an opportunity to known Jesus.
00:13:01.38\00:13:07.02
It Is Written's Mission Mongolia
is bringing the Good News
00:13:07.02\00:13:10.69
of Jesus Christ to
the people of Mongolia.
00:13:10.69\00:13:13.99
Your support of Mission Mongolia
will make it possible for
00:13:13.99\00:13:16.83
It Is Written to send teams
of missionaries to Mongolia,
00:13:16.83\00:13:20.16
to share the
Gospel of Jesus Christ.
00:13:20.16\00:13:23.00
Bibles are needed in
the Mongolian language.
00:13:23.00\00:13:26.07
And your help will make it
possible for people to own their
00:13:26.07\00:13:28.30
very own Bible for the
first time, and learn of Jesus.
00:13:28.30\00:13:33.21
Other humanitarian needs will
also be met, as Mission Mongolia
00:13:33.54\00:13:37.95
provides for many people who are
being left behind by a society
00:13:37.95\00:13:42.75
relentlessly rushing
forward. Don't leave Mongolians
00:13:42.75\00:13:46.49
in the dark. Your
help will make it possible
00:13:46.49\00:13:49.82
for Mission Mongolia to
introduce people to Jesus.
00:13:49.82\00:13:54.93
Call now, 1-800-253-3000.
That's 1-800-253-3000,
00:13:54.93\00:14:03.14
to support Mission
Mongolia. Or visit us online at
00:14:03.14\00:14:07.48
www.itiswritten.com. Or
you can support this work or
00:14:07.48\00:14:12.68
learn more about it by writing
to It Is Written, P O Box 6,
00:14:12.68\00:14:17.59
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37401.
00:14:17.59\00:14:22.12
It was in 1735 that John Wesley
00:14:23.36\00:14:26.23
and his brother Charles,
newly ordained to ministry,
00:14:26.23\00:14:29.43
left England bound for
the province of Georgia
00:14:29.43\00:14:32.67
in the American colonies.
They left from Gravesend,
00:14:32.67\00:14:36.00
near where the River Thames
runs into the English Channel,
00:14:36.00\00:14:38.97
on a ship called The Simmonds.
And it was on that journey
00:14:38.97\00:14:42.48
that John Wesley came face
to face with what he perceived
00:14:42.48\00:14:45.88
to be his own
great spiritual lack.
00:14:45.88\00:14:49.08
While crossing the Atlantic
Ocean, a terrible storm arose.
00:14:49.08\00:14:53.09
Wesley believed that
he was going to die -
00:14:53.09\00:14:55.52
and he was terrified.
00:14:55.52\00:14:58.39
But also aboard the ship
were a number of German Moravian
00:14:59.13\00:15:01.76
believers, members of a
religious group that had
00:15:01.76\00:15:04.47
its origins in the teachings
of John Huss - who himself
00:15:04.47\00:15:08.07
was strongly influenced
by another English reformer,
00:15:08.07\00:15:11.07
John Wycliffe, the
Morning Star of the Reformation.
00:15:11.07\00:15:14.98
During this storm the Moravians
remained calm - no panic,
00:15:16.88\00:15:20.72
and they had a peace
that Wesley didn't possess.
00:15:20.72\00:15:24.62
In fact, they sang as
the storm raged around them.
00:15:24.62\00:15:29.26
Wesley later asked them if
they had been afraid to die.
00:15:29.26\00:15:32.13
No, they said, we
were not afraid to die.
00:15:32.13\00:15:34.86
And it was then that Wesley
realized that in spite of his
00:15:34.86\00:15:38.67
methodical approach to
his religious life, he was
00:15:38.67\00:15:41.84
missing something
tremendously important.
00:15:41.84\00:15:45.14
His brother Charles
had a similar experience.
00:15:45.14\00:15:47.74
It was thought at one
time@ that Charles was going
00:15:47.74\00:15:50.05
to die. He had become so ill
00:15:50.05\00:15:52.45
and somebody asked him
upon which he rested his hope
00:15:52.45\00:15:55.25
of salvation.
Charles answered by saying,
00:15:55.25\00:15:58.89
"I have used my best
endeavors to serve God."
00:15:58.89\00:16:02.62
Led to believe his answer
might have been lacking just
00:16:02.62\00:16:05.49
a little bit, Charles
thought, "Are not my endeavors
00:16:05.49\00:16:09.76
a sufficient ground of
hope? I have nothing else
00:16:09.76\00:16:13.20
to trust to!" The
Wesleys had thought
00:16:13.20\00:16:17.37
that living a virtuous
life and observing all the right
00:16:17.37\00:16:19.77
forms would bring them
to the place where they
00:16:19.77\00:16:22.28
had peace with God.
But they came to understand
00:16:22.28\00:16:26.08
that genuine Christian
living involves an inward change
00:16:26.08\00:16:29.58
that affects the thoughts
and the feelings, not just
00:16:29.58\00:16:32.52
the words and the actions.
They came to understand that
00:16:32.52\00:16:35.52
this inward transformation
was an integral part of
00:16:35.52\00:16:38.83
genuine Christian living.
Up until now, they had been
00:16:38.83\00:16:41.76
trying to achieve
righteousness by works but
00:16:41.76\00:16:44.63
now they began to understand
that great foundational
00:16:44.63\00:16:48.04
teaching of Christianity
- righteousness by faith
00:16:48.04\00:16:51.47
in Jesus Christ. In
1738, John Wesley, now 35,
00:16:51.47\00:17:00.28
and his brother Charles,
31, returned to England.
00:17:00.28\00:17:04.25
And it was that year
that something remarkable
00:17:04.25\00:17:06.76
happened,
something that would change
00:17:06.76\00:17:09.06
the world. On May 24, 1738,
00:17:09.06\00:17:12.99
John was attended a Moravian
meeting in London, right here
00:17:12.99\00:17:16.46
on Aldersgate Street.
This is what he would later
00:17:16.46\00:17:20.27
write about what
happened here that night.
00:17:20.27\00:17:23.84
"In the evening I went
very unwillingly to a society
00:17:23.84\00:17:27.51
in Aldersgate Street, where
one was reading Luther's preface
00:17:27.51\00:17:31.15
to the Epistle to the Romans.
About a quarter before nine,
00:17:31.15\00:17:35.25
while the leader was
describing the change which God
00:17:35.25\00:17:37.72
works in the heart
through faith in Christ,
00:17:37.72\00:17:40.29
I felt my heart
strangely warmed.
00:17:40.29\00:17:43.19
I felt I did trust in
Christ alone for salvation;
00:17:43.19\00:17:47.60
and an assurance was given me
that He had taken away my sins,
00:17:47.60\00:17:51.37
even mine, and saved me
from the law of sin and death."
00:17:51.37\00:17:56.91
¤ [Poignant Musical score] ¤
00:17:58.41\00:18:03.45
John Wesley would
never be the same again -
00:18:07.75\00:18:10.19
and nor would the
world. He continued to live
00:18:10.19\00:18:13.52
his methodical, self-denying
life, but now as the result
00:18:13.52\00:18:17.39
of his faith in
God, and not the ground
00:18:17.39\00:18:20.43
of his faith.
Wesley came to understand
00:18:20.43\00:18:23.10
that the grace of
God is the foundation
00:18:23.10\00:18:25.70
of a believer's existence
and he realized that grace
00:18:25.70\00:18:29.27
resulted in obedience.
00:18:29.27\00:18:31.47
Wesley dedicated his life
to preaching these great truths
00:18:31.74\00:18:35.38
- justification through
faith in the blood of Jesus,
00:18:35.38\00:18:38.78
and the transforming
power of the Holy Spirit
00:18:38.78\00:18:41.22
in a person's life.
00:18:41.22\00:18:43.18
¤ [Patriotic
Theme] ¤ World history has
00:18:49.06\00:18:50.36
taught us to associate the
word surrender with thoughts of
00:18:50.36\00:18:53.36
defeat, shame and loss,
But what if it were the road
00:18:53.36\00:18:57.20
to ultimate victory? What
if surrender meant letting
00:18:57.20\00:18:59.90
go of your sin or dysfunction
in exchange for freedom
00:18:59.90\00:19:03.67
and integrity?
What if your conqueror
00:19:03.67\00:19:07.01
offered you
healing, wholeness and power?
00:19:07.01\00:19:11.11
When you're used to being in
charge, surrender to God may be
00:19:11.11\00:19:13.82
a struggle, but I guarantee you
surrender to God is the greatest
00:19:13.82\00:19:17.72
victory you'll ever win!
If you'd like to understand
00:19:17.72\00:19:20.62
more, request our FREE
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00:19:24.36\00:19:29.06
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[Fountain
splashing] Like many reformers,
00:20:08.74\00:20:11.21
John Wesley had no intention
of starting a new denomination
00:20:11.21\00:20:13.84
when he founded
Methodism. It's interesting -
00:20:13.84\00:20:17.18
Catholicism had been
the state religion, and it
00:20:17.18\00:20:19.55
needed serious reformation.
Out of that milieu came
00:20:19.55\00:20:22.98
the Church of England -
which itself came to the place
00:20:22.98\00:20:25.82
where IT needed to be reformed.
To begin with, John Wesley
00:20:25.82\00:20:29.29
wanted to teach and
preach within the confines
00:20:29.29\00:20:31.16
of the Church of England.
But it wasn't long and he wasn't
00:20:31.16\00:20:34.30
welcome in the
Church of England.
00:20:34.30\00:20:36.46
He was ardently opposed
to the Calvinist teaching
00:20:36.46\00:20:38.70
of predestination, believing
instead that people were free
00:20:38.70\00:20:42.34
to choose whether they wanted
to accept or reject salvation.
00:20:42.34\00:20:46.51
This pitted him
against his good friend,
00:20:46.51\00:20:48.71
George Whitefield, with
Wesley saying that he believed
00:20:48.71\00:20:52.65
Calvinism
represented "God to be worse
00:20:52.65\00:20:55.48
than the devil."
After Whitefield died,
00:20:55.48\00:20:58.89
John Wesley wrote
that "in some things,
00:20:58.89\00:21:01.42
people might agree to disagree".
That's the first time we know
00:21:01.42\00:21:04.93
of that the phrase
"agree to disagree"
00:21:04.93\00:21:07.10
ever appeared in print.
00:21:07.10\00:21:10.97
And John Wesley was a
committed abolitionist.
00:21:13.77\00:21:16.54
He was friends with William
Wilberforce and with John
00:21:16.54\00:21:19.07
Newton who wrote
the hymn Amazing Grace.
00:21:19.07\00:21:22.71
So this was another
point where he differed from
00:21:22.71\00:21:24.51
his friend George Whitefield,
who had argued in favor
00:21:24.51\00:21:27.05
of slavery. John
Wesley usually travelled
00:21:27.05\00:21:30.45
on horseback, and he preached
two or three times a day.
00:21:30.45\00:21:33.46
Stephen Tomkins wrote
that Wesley traveled "more
00:21:33.46\00:21:35.86
than 250,000 miles, he
gave away 30,000 pounds, ...
00:21:35.86\00:21:40.30
and preached more
than 40,000 sermons.
00:21:40.30\00:21:44.50
Now all this travel was not
especially good for Wesley's
00:21:44.50\00:21:47.07
marriage. When
he was 48 years old
00:21:47.07\00:21:50.07
he married Mary,
a 40-year-old widow.
00:21:50.07\00:21:53.31
Wesley's
philosophy was pretty simple.
00:21:53.31\00:21:55.68
He wrote, 'I cannot see
00:21:55.68\00:21:58.08
how a Methodist
preacher can answer it to God
00:21:58.08\00:22:00.72
to preach one sermon
or travel one day less,
00:22:00.72\00:22:03.72
in a married than
in a single state.'
00:22:03.72\00:22:06.96
Mary had a hard
time seeing it that way.
00:22:06.96\00:22:09.66
She grew weary of his
relentless travel schedule,
00:22:09.66\00:22:12.99
and she become jealous
of the attention that Wesley
00:22:12.99\00:22:15.13
was getting from other
women. Now it cannot be said
00:22:15.13\00:22:18.83
that John Wesley
handled all of the pressure
00:22:18.83\00:22:21.04
on his marriage like a saint.
He actually wrote and said
00:22:21.04\00:22:24.17
some pretty
scathing things to Mary.
00:22:24.17\00:22:26.57
Biographer Robert Southey
wrote 'There are few stomachs
00:22:26.57\00:22:29.58
which could bear to
have humility administered
00:22:29.58\00:22:31.78
in such doses.'
Mary actually left Wesley
00:22:31.78\00:22:34.55
several times, but
after he would beg her
00:22:34.55\00:22:36.92
to return, she'd come
back. But things were not good
00:22:36.92\00:22:40.22
at home. Writer
John Pollock wrote
00:22:40.22\00:22:43.12
that Mary was
actually seen dragging Wesley
00:22:43.12\00:22:45.86
across the floor by his hair.
No wonder, then, that after
00:22:45.86\00:22:49.40
15 years of marriage, Mary left.
00:22:49.40\00:22:52.03
And when she did, Wesley wrote,
00:22:52.03\00:22:54.24
"I did not forsake
her, I did not dismiss her,
00:22:54.24\00:22:58.01
I will not recall her."
00:22:58.01\00:23:00.31
¤ [Acoustic Guitar- ¤
¤ Melacholic  Melody] ¤
00:23:01.38\00:23:06.61
Wesley's Chapel here
on City Road in London
00:23:06.98\00:23:09.95
was built in
1778. Wesley preached
00:23:09.95\00:23:13.72
in this very chapel -
continuing to proclaim
00:23:13.72\00:23:16.29
the powerful grace of God
that is able to forgive sins
00:23:16.29\00:23:20.46
and change a human
heart. Wesley taught a lot about
00:23:20.46\00:23:23.90
the Holy Spirit,
and the infilling
00:23:23.90\00:23:26.17
of the Holy Spirit, which
he believed to be the privilege
00:23:26.17\00:23:29.47
of a believer to receive.
He taught on the doctrine
00:23:29.47\00:23:32.67
of sanctification, how a person
could have the "mind which
00:23:32.67\00:23:37.01
was in Christ, enabling
us to walk as He walked"
00:23:37.01\00:23:40.52
as Wesley said. He
taught that a person
00:23:40.52\00:23:43.12
is restored "not
only to the favor,
00:23:43.12\00:23:46.02
but likewise to
the image of God."
00:23:46.02\00:23:48.82
¤ [Melody continues] ¤
00:23:50.33\00:23:53.26
Wesley died in
1791, almost 87 years old.
00:23:54.46\00:23:59.20
His emphasis on personal
revival based on the power
00:23:59.20\00:24:02.24
of the Bible and the work of
the Holy Spirit in a person's
00:24:02.24\00:24:04.47
life saw him leave
behind 135,000 Methodist Church
00:24:04.47\00:24:09.48
members and over 500
itinerant Methodist preachers.
00:24:09.48\00:24:13.95
And he died poor.
Virtually everything he owned
00:24:13.95\00:24:17.85
or had earned he had
given to the cause of God.
00:24:17.85\00:24:22.12
When he was dying, he
took hold of the hands of those
00:24:22.12\00:24:25.36
with him in his room
and said again and again,
00:24:25.36\00:24:27.83
"Farewell,
farewell." And finally he said,
00:24:27.83\00:24:31.53
"The best of all
is, God is with us".
00:24:31.53\00:24:35.04
And he said it
again: "The best of all,
00:24:35.04\00:24:37.64
God is with us."
And then, he died.
00:24:37.64\00:24:43.11
He's buried here,
just behind this chapel.
00:24:46.78\00:24:50.52
His Godly mother, Susanna,
is buried just across the street
00:24:50.52\00:24:53.59
in Bunhill Fields
cemetery as is John Bunyan,
00:24:53.59\00:24:57.53
the writer of one of the
most magnificent and famous
00:24:57.53\00:25:00.13
literary works in the
history of Christianity -
00:25:00.13\00:25:02.90
Pilgrim's Progress.
00:25:02.90\00:25:04.80
His brother Charles is buried
about two miles from here.
00:25:05.27\00:25:08.10
Charles is famous for
writing some of Christianity's
00:25:08.10\00:25:10.54
best-loved hymns. Hymns such as
00:25:10.54\00:25:13.44
"And Can it Be"; "O
For a Thousand Tongues
00:25:13.44\00:25:16.34
to Sing"; "Christ the Lord
00:25:16.34\00:25:18.35
is Risen Today"; and
"Soldiers of Christ Arise."
00:25:18.35\00:25:24.09
What an active place this
is going to be on the morning
00:25:24.35\00:25:26.49
of the resurrection, when
"the dead in Christ shall rise."
00:25:26.49\00:25:31.19
Like so many of us, John
Wesley had a religion that was
00:25:31.19\00:25:34.40
all about the forms or religion
but didn't have the power
00:25:34.40\00:25:38.10
of living faith.
His belief system didn't
00:25:38.10\00:25:41.54
change his heart or give
him assurance of salvation.
00:25:41.54\00:25:45.51
But everything changed
because John Wesley met Jesus
00:25:45.51\00:25:50.21
- the real Jesus,
a personal Saviour,
00:25:50.21\00:25:53.88
and a close friend.
John Wesley discovered
00:25:53.88\00:25:57.22
the power of the
presence of Christ in his life.
00:25:57.22\00:26:01.52
I want you to know
that the same Jesus
00:26:01.52\00:26:04.73
that changed John Wesley's
life can change your life today.
00:26:04.73\00:26:09.86
The same Bible that brought
such power into John Wesley's
00:26:09.86\00:26:12.83
daily existence can
bring power to where you
00:26:12.83\00:26:15.90
are right now. And
the same Holy Spirit
00:26:15.90\00:26:19.71
that brought transformation
and assurance of forgiveness
00:26:19.71\00:26:23.18
of sins and the life of
Jesus lived out in John Wesley's
00:26:23.18\00:26:27.42
life can bring all those
things into your life right now.
00:26:27.42\00:26:33.15
Just one man - John Wesley
- and the world was changed.
00:26:33.15\00:26:38.13
Just one man -
Jesus - and you're life
00:26:38.13\00:26:42.86
can be changed, today.
Let me pray with you...
00:26:42.86\00:26:46.47
Our father in heaven,
from this really rather sacred
00:26:46.47\00:26:50.41
spot, I want to thank you
today for Jesus, the Jesus
00:26:50.41\00:26:54.31
that John Wesley met, the
Jesus who changed his heart
00:26:54.31\00:26:57.35
and changed his life.
And the Jesus who can come
00:26:57.35\00:27:00.38
into our lives right
now and make them everything
00:27:00.38\00:27:03.28
they ought to
be. I thank you today
00:27:03.28\00:27:05.75
for assurance. I
thank you that you forgive
00:27:05.75\00:27:08.32
us for our sins and I thank
you that Jesus will live his
00:27:08.32\00:27:11.49
life in us and
make us completely new.
00:27:11.49\00:27:16.36
Let us live now believing
and knowing and leaning on you
00:27:16.36\00:27:20.04
and trusting in
Christ for our salvation.
00:27:20.04\00:27:22.90
We pray and thank
you in Jesus' name, Amen.
00:27:22.90\00:27:27.48
¤ [Musical
Interlude- Gentle Melody] ¤
00:27:33.55\00:27:38.22
¤ [It Is Written
Theme] ¤ I want to thank you
00:27:46.86\00:27:47.96
for joining me
today and until next time,
00:27:47.96\00:27:50.07
remember: It is written,
man shall not live by bread
00:27:50.07\00:27:54.14
alone, but by
every word that proceeds
00:27:54.14\00:27:57.94
from the mouth of God.
00:27:57.94\00:27:59.27
¤ [Theme Music Swells] ¤
00:27:59.31\00:28:02.81