I do too and I thought it might not be inappropriate to share some here, perhaps with a little personal reflection [unless the mods think it inappropiate]
I listened with awe to Bexies contribution about the muslim who found Jesus, alas I did not see the vid but I listened, I have an amazing imagination, I can see him all huddled in rags crouching in the corner of his prison cell crying "God forgive me, God forgive me."
What a picture of the human condition that is.
Suddenly the gentle tap on the shoulder, the strong gentle voice "I forgive you" That's it isn't it, that's the Jesus I know. Like St. John says "Moses gave us the law but grace and truth came from Jesus, and we have all recieved, grace upon grace.
THE GREAT AWAKENING.
The great awakening in Britain will always be associated with the honourable Wesley brothers, I do not have to impress on anybody the wonderful testimony it is to God's dealings with the church in Britain and America.
I wonder if we might look a little more closely at the very roots and origins of it and see if we cannot recieve instruction and blessing thereby. Do you long for revival? personal and public?
Wesley was imperious, a right stickler and was so to the end of his long fruitful life, he was not an easy man to keep close company with.
In his Methodist club at Oxford he had everybody doing all kinds of good works and arduous devotions they were going to get to heaven the hard way, running the gauntlet of the sneers and persecution of fellow students.
George Whitefield the young servitor just 18 was part of all this, long hours of studying the bible and godly books of the times, long hours of discipline and prayer and devotion.
As penance and self dicipline he would lie out in the frost for hours in just his servitor's gown. He did many a work of charity and the Methodist group at Oxford were known by the poor folk of Oxford.
One day he came upon a local woman in utter desperation, she was soaking wet, half running half stumbling along after her attempted suicide, she had tried to drown herself in the Thames but had been pulled out. What a tale of woe she had to share. George Whitefield was at a loss and distressed when he visited her with her husband in prison, he cried out to them their need to be born again according to St. John's gospel ch. 3. vs. 16 and after prayer left them with a coin.
A few days later George Whitefield met this same woman again and he was stunned for she was radiant with joy, he questioned her closely, "but sir," she cried, "you told me I must be born again and I have been, me and my husband."
George Whitfield returned to his quarters in utter perplexity, he had witnessed something he had never seen before and something he knew John Wesley had never witnessed.
Thus began Whitefield's own quest for this new birth, he found it some days later reading Bishop Hall's contemplations "Thou barest our sins, Thy Father saw us in Thee and would punish us in Thee, Thee for us."
George Whitefield had a thirst, he drank and drank but still he was thirsty and he remembered that Christ had said "I thirst" on the cross when His sufferings were near an end, Whitefield threw himself upon his bed and cried "I thirst, I thirst." His first prayer of utter helplessness.
When he returned to his desk he realised he was happy.
That my brothers and sisters was the start of the great awakening from that day forth George Whitefield began preaching the new birth through simple faith, simple receiving what Jesus had done on the cross and the crowds flocked to listen, the word went round, pretty soon he was barred from the churches as a huckster.
John Wesley came into the same faith a good deal later, he was at that time in America and failing badly. By the time he came came back to England all London and Bristol was in uproar through Whitefield's message.
Britain was a much, much darker place than it is now, the church was in a much colder condition but Whitefield and later Wesley's simple message of the new birth brought the people flocking. Don't ever buy this idea that Jesus is only for the holy few.
It was because the whole world was turning to Jesus that the authorities decided it was best to crucify Him, people flocked to Jesus, people flocked to the apostles.
People flocked to Billy Graham.
Now if the mods do not think this little post is inappropriate [and I submit to their judgement happily] I would like to share how a few other revivals started, the Welsh revival, Jonathan Edwards and not least the Salvation Army you will see how amazingly simple and the same they always are.
I think they do belong in the testimony thread. I hope it is a blessing.
