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D.L. Moody
Dwight Lyman Moody (1837 - 1899). American evangelist, publisher, and founder of Moody Bible Institute, born in Northfield, Massachusetts, to a poor Unitarian family. Leaving home at 17, he worked as a shoe salesman in Boston, converting to Christianity in 1855 through his Sunday school teacher. Moving to Chicago, he founded a Sunday school for street children, growing it to 1,500 attendees by 1860. Without formal ordination, he preached across the U.S. and Britain, holding campaigns with song leader Ira Sankey, drawing millions, including 130,000 in London in 1875. Moody authored books like Heaven (1880) and founded the Chicago Evangelization Society (1889), now Moody Bible Institute, training thousands of missionaries. Married to Emma Revell in 1862, they had three children. His practical, love-focused sermons bridged denominations, influencing figures like Billy Graham. He established Northfield Conferences, fostering global missions, and raised funds for Chicago’s YMCA. Moody’s tireless work, delivering over 100 sermons annually, transformed 19th-century evangelicalism. His maxim, “If this world is going to be reached, I am convinced it must be done by men and women of average talent with hearts on fire,” drives his enduring legacy.
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Sermon Summary
D.L. Moody emphasizes the importance of living in full communion with God, urging believers to allow God to influence every aspect of their lives, from daily habits to conversations. He warns that even small distractions can hinder this communion and encourages Christians to prioritize Christ in their hearts. Moody illustrates that just as a small insect can thrive in polluted waters by gathering a protective layer of air, believers can shield themselves from the world's negativity through prayer and communion with God. He reminds us that true Christianity is the manifestation of Christ in our daily lives, as exemplified by Daniel's purity in Babylon.
Communion
COMMUNION Do not shrink from the thought of living in full communion with God. Be decided to let God draw nearer and nearer and put His holy finger on every detail of your daily life, on every detail of your daily work, on every detail of your daily habits, of your conversation, your reading, your writing. Very small things can hinder full communion with God. Let us be united that our Lord and Master shall have the first place in our hearts. The believer should ever remember that Christ is his life, and that Christianity is nothing less than the living exhibition of Christ in his daily walk. COMMUNION WITH GOD Among the forms of insect life, there is a little creature known to naturalists which can gather around itself, a sufficiency of atmospheric air, and so clothed with it, descends into the bottom of the pool; and you may see the little diver, moving along dry, and at its ease, protected by his crystal vesture, though the water all around be stagnant and bitter. Communion with God, and prayer is such a protector. A transparent vesture, the world sees it not, a real defense, it keeps out the world. By means of it, the believer can gather so much of heavenly atmosphere around him, and with it descend into the putrid depths of this contaminating world, that for a reason. No evil will touch him, and he knows when to ascend for a new supply. Communion with God kept Daniel pure in Babylon.
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Dwight Lyman Moody (1837 - 1899). American evangelist, publisher, and founder of Moody Bible Institute, born in Northfield, Massachusetts, to a poor Unitarian family. Leaving home at 17, he worked as a shoe salesman in Boston, converting to Christianity in 1855 through his Sunday school teacher. Moving to Chicago, he founded a Sunday school for street children, growing it to 1,500 attendees by 1860. Without formal ordination, he preached across the U.S. and Britain, holding campaigns with song leader Ira Sankey, drawing millions, including 130,000 in London in 1875. Moody authored books like Heaven (1880) and founded the Chicago Evangelization Society (1889), now Moody Bible Institute, training thousands of missionaries. Married to Emma Revell in 1862, they had three children. His practical, love-focused sermons bridged denominations, influencing figures like Billy Graham. He established Northfield Conferences, fostering global missions, and raised funds for Chicago’s YMCA. Moody’s tireless work, delivering over 100 sermons annually, transformed 19th-century evangelicalism. His maxim, “If this world is going to be reached, I am convinced it must be done by men and women of average talent with hearts on fire,” drives his enduring legacy.