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John Wesley
John Wesley (1703 - 1791). English Anglican clergyman, evangelist, and co-founder of Methodism, born in Epworth, Lincolnshire, to a rector’s family. Educated at Oxford, where he earned an M.A. in 1727, he was ordained in 1728 and led the Holy Club with brother Charles, emphasizing disciplined faith. After a failed mission to Georgia (1735-1737), he experienced a transformative conversion in 1738 at Aldersgate, London, feeling his “heart strangely warmed.” Wesley preached over 40,000 sermons, often outdoors, sparking the 18th-century Evangelical Revival, and traveled 250,000 miles on horseback across Britain and Ireland. He authored 400 works, including A Plain Account of Christian Perfection (1777), and edited The Christian’s Pattern. Founding Methodist societies, he trained 650 preachers and ordained ministers for America, influencing millions. Married to Mary Vazeille in 1751, their childless union strained, but his brother’s hymns enriched worship. A tireless advocate for the poor, he opened dispensaries and schools, and his 1787 sermon against slavery stirred abolitionism. Despite tensions with the Church of England, he never left it, shaping global Protestantism. His maxim, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can,” inspired generations to active faith. Wesley’s journals and letters, still widely read, reveal a legacy of practical holiness and social reform
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John Wesley emphasizes that believers are called to be servants of the Lord, reflecting God's righteousness and covenant relationship. He explains that Israel was chosen to be a light to the nations, demonstrating what it means to live under God's guidance. Just as God called Abraham and established Israel in Canaan, He places us in our own communities to shine His light and share hope with those around us. Wesley encourages us to live in a way that radiates Jesus, performing acts of mercy to free those trapped in darkness. Ultimately, we are to be active servants of the Lord in our daily lives.
Scriptures
You Are the Servant of the Lord
“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and the light for the Gentiles, to open eyes of the blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.” Isaiah 42:6&7 These verses were written for the nation Israel and were a reminder (which they often needed) of the reason they were called into existence as a nation. They were called to live under God in a covenant relationship with Him, allowing themselves to be kept by Him and led by Him. They were to show the world around them what a nation under God looked like, how a nation under God lived, and in this way they would be a shining light to the nations. For this reason God called Abraham, who left his home and with his wife Sarah went to live in Canaan. Through Abraham and Sarah God created the nation Israel and established it in that part of the world. Have you ever wondered why God did not call a North American Indian couple, or a southern African San couple but rather a Middle Eastern Bedouin couple through whom to create a people who would be a shining light to the nations? Well, He certainly could have chosen anyone, but the land of Canaan was the best place at that time to establish a shining light to the nations because it stood on the main trading route between the two great world powers of that time, Egypt and Mesopotamia. By placing His covenant people in Canaan all the world was meant to see and hear about the God who is the creator and sustainer of the world. You and I are often placed by God in the places where we live and work for the same reasons. Whenever we go out of our front doors the world can see lives which radiate Jesus, shining hope into the lives of those around us. Our spirit inspired acts of mercy can set free those who live in the dark dungeons of sin and despair. Pray that as you work or play, as you shop or rest, you will point to Jesus in all that you do; that you will be the servant of the Lord today. Light of the Gentile world, appear! Command the blind thy rays to see, Our darkness chase, our sorrows cheer, And set the plaintive prisoners free. (125)
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John Wesley (1703 - 1791). English Anglican clergyman, evangelist, and co-founder of Methodism, born in Epworth, Lincolnshire, to a rector’s family. Educated at Oxford, where he earned an M.A. in 1727, he was ordained in 1728 and led the Holy Club with brother Charles, emphasizing disciplined faith. After a failed mission to Georgia (1735-1737), he experienced a transformative conversion in 1738 at Aldersgate, London, feeling his “heart strangely warmed.” Wesley preached over 40,000 sermons, often outdoors, sparking the 18th-century Evangelical Revival, and traveled 250,000 miles on horseback across Britain and Ireland. He authored 400 works, including A Plain Account of Christian Perfection (1777), and edited The Christian’s Pattern. Founding Methodist societies, he trained 650 preachers and ordained ministers for America, influencing millions. Married to Mary Vazeille in 1751, their childless union strained, but his brother’s hymns enriched worship. A tireless advocate for the poor, he opened dispensaries and schools, and his 1787 sermon against slavery stirred abolitionism. Despite tensions with the Church of England, he never left it, shaping global Protestantism. His maxim, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can,” inspired generations to active faith. Wesley’s journals and letters, still widely read, reveal a legacy of practical holiness and social reform