Through the Year with John Wesley

Stephen Poxon

Description

Through the Year with John Wesley refreshes and presents some of the theological and reflective writings of the Reverend John Wesley, renowned as 'The father of Methodism'. A deeply spiritual man of high integrity and indomitable character, Wesley strove to present great Christian truths to the non-churchgoing masses of England throughout the 1700s, making a powerful impact upon the nation; the like of which has rarely been felt since. Each daily reading is a pure extract from Reverend John Wesley's prolific output as an intelligent, thoughtful and passionate writer. Married to appropriate verses of Scripture and a daily prayer, the words he left behind carry an ancient power.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Lion Hudson
• Date de parution: 17 novembre 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780857218247
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

"John Wesley was clearly an explosive force in his own lifetime and beyond but, like most charismatic leaders of his kind, he now lies over the horizon of most people’s consciousness. What’s more, his insights and his systems of organising church life have either grown weary with time or become lost in an overgrowth of custom and distortion. So it’s a brave man who would take on the challenge of releasing the raw energy, tapping back into the mind-boggling and heart-warming ideas, which gave Wesley such a unique place in the gallery of great Christian thinkers and preachers of the past. I’ve been trying to do this for decades and I know how difficult a task it is. So, in all honesty, I picked up Stephen Poxon’s book with some hesitation. But I need not have worried. Page after page brings illumination, inspiration, intellectual stimulation even to diehards like me. The generosity of spirit of John Wesley, "the friend of all and the enemy of none" is here displayed again and again. As is the simplicity of his life, the depth of his faith, his determination to go on declaring the good news of the gospel until his last breath. This is a little gem of a book that defies the gravitational pull of oblivion. Day after day for an entire year, it will lift the spirits of twenty-first century men and women and equip them to face the challenges of today’s world. No mean feat."
Lord Leslie Griffiths
Also by Stephen J. Poxon
Through the Year with William Booth
Through the Year with Catherine Booth
At the Master’s Side

Text copyright © 2017 Stephen Poxon
This edition copyright © 2017 Lion Hudson
The right of Stephen Poxon to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published by Monarch Books
an imprint of
Lion Hudson IP Ltd
Wilkinson House, Jordan Hill Road,
Oxford OX2 8DR, England
Email: [e-mail]
www.lionhudson.com/monarch
Hardback ISBN 978 0 85721 823 0 Paperback
ISBN 978 0 85721 888 9
e-ISBN 978 0 85721 824 7
First edition 2017
Acknowledgments
Cover image: IanDagnall Computing/Alamy Stock Photo
Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.
Extracts marked KJV from The Authorized (King James) Version. Rights in the Authorized Version are vested in the Crown. Reproduced by permission of the Crown’s patentee, Cambridge University Press.
Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Scripture marked NASB taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked NIV taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicised. Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 Biblica, formerly International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. "NIV" is a registered trademark of Biblica. UK trademark number 1448790.
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Songs on pp. 22, 314, 332, 348 taken from The Song Book of The Salvation Army, 2015 © Copyright The General of The Salvation Army. Reproduced by permission
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
For Reverend Neil Drayton, Friend and Example
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
It is, quite literally, I am painfully aware, impossible for me to adequately acknowledge the debt I owe to those who have helped me with producing this small glimpse into the life and times of John Wesley. My association with Methodism has, by and large, been pleasant, educational and enriching. I am, therefore, indebted to at least a hundred individual Methodists who have kindly schooled me in some great traditions, and introduced me to the story of Wesley’s denomination. Likewise, I now carry deep impressions made upon me by Methodists who have demonstrated holiness and offered me qualities I would like to imitate. Then, there are those who have generously allowed me to borrow or keep books that have proved truly invaluable in my research: volumes about, or by, John Wesley, as well as publications adding to my awareness of this particular branch of Christianity, and treasured hymnals. I do hope it will suffice for me to express here a humble and grateful note of thanks to everyone involved. Perhaps the best way for me to convey my gratitude is to state that I couldn’t have produced this book without you.
I NTRODUCTION
Without question, John Wesley was used of God in a marvellous and mighty way. A stubborn, forthright, complex individual, his unorthodox influence upon the fortunes of England, and his lasting influence upon Christendom was, and is, immense – quite staggering in its proportion.
Wesley, let it be admitted, was, for all his saintly qualities (and there were many), a human being with frailties and flaws. He could be remarkably eccentric, devoutly dogmatic, and, sometimes, horribly mistaken. Yet, the beauty of John Wesley was his utter tenaciousness. Steadfastly convinced of gospel truths, he submitted himself to decades of hardship, deprivation and ostracization in his tireless pursuit of converts and the deepening of their spiritual experience.
Phenomenally intelligent, and an ardent scholar to the end, Wesley nevertheless deliberately and consciously made strident efforts to present a message that was accessible to all: the highly educated, with whom he easily and capably held his own in debate, and the illiterate, believing that each and every individual could become a recipient of grace.
Forced, often, to plough his own furrow in terms of evangelism, Wesley remained undeterred, taking heart from the company of close friends. Blessed with a temperament that was almost uniquely unable to dwell on discouragement, he worked with astounding energy, wit and eloquence to preach, write and witness at every opportunity. Myopic in his devotion to Christ, frustrated and saddened at times by what he regarded as the lesser efforts of some clergy, he nevertheless maintained a spirit of charity, good humour and indefatigable zeal.
Methodical to a tee – obsessive, possibly – and undoubtedly guilty of some catastrophic decisions (not least in his personal life), John Wesley was also kind and generous to a fault. Whereas he could occasionally be scathing in his criticisms, his warmth of heart was perhaps never better demonstrated than by his splendid gesture of inviting paupers to act as pall-bearers at his funeral service, thereby guaranteeing them a fee. Wesley’s Christianity – always evangelical – included vast amounts of concern for the poor, and he was years ahead of his time in terms of challenging and motivating the Church at large on questions of social action.
A marvellous theologian, a skilled (if longwinded!) preacher, an evangelist to his fingertips, and most definitely a one-off, we stand in awe of a visionary disciple who was by no means perfect, but consecrated his all to God. A mere fraction of his works are presented within this book – modernized where Wesley’s original phraseology would make them incomprehensible – in the hope that "he being dead yet speaketh" (Hebrews 11:4, King James Version).
S. J. P.
J ANUARY 1 ST
"T HOUGH I HAVE BEEN SPEAKING FIGURATIVELY … I WILL … TELL YOU PLAINLY ABOUT MY F ATHER "
(John 16:25 NIV )
I have frequently spoken in public on every subject in this collection and I do not feel there is any one point of Christian doctrine not covered here, for the benefit of each reader. Everyone who reads these pages will clearly see what these doctrines are, which I embrace and teach as the essentials of true religion. Nothing here appears in an unnecessarily elaborate or elegant form of speech, as I write as I generally speak – ad populum – to the majority of people, to those who neither relish nor understand the art of speaking, but who are competent judges of Christian truth. I mention this so that readers may spare themselves the effort of seeking for what they will not find. I prefer plain truth for plain people and I therefore abstain from intricate philosophical speculations; and, as far as possible, from any overt demonstration of academic learning, unless in citing the original Scripture when it is helpful and relevant to do so. I try to avoid all words which are not easily understood or used in public life; and, in particular, those kinds of terms that belong mainly to the sphere of intellectual theological study, but which are largely irrelevant to common people – everyday people, that is, who have no need of speaking in such ways, and to whom the gospel appears unadorned and straightforward. 1
Inclusive Lord, I pray today for ministers and preachers charged with sharing your word with congregations and communities. Bless them with clarity of mind and speech, so that their messages reach many.
1 From Fifty Three Sermons.
J ANUARY 2 ND
D ON ’ T PUT IT OFF ; DO IT NOW ! D ON ’ T REST UNTIL YOU DO
(Proverbs 6:4 NLT )
For many years I have wanted to collate and set down in writing, thoughts that have occurred to me either in reading or conversation which might help and encourage people who do not have the advantage of learning, to understand the N