John Wesley Statue

Welcome to Bristol, England. Behind me is a statue of John Wesley, one of the greatest evangelists of all time. Wesley lived in the 1700s, and of course he was a man who spent a great deal of time on horseback. because he preached the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout England. He went thousands and thousands of miles on horseback to various parishes. Now the thing about Wesley that we don’t fully understand, his enormous impact not only in the 1700s, but also in the United States. You’ve heard perhaps of circuit riders who went throughout the West in America, preaching the gospel, establishing churches, and making sure that every household in the West heard the gospel.

Now, Wesley was a remarkable man with a very brilliant mind, and even as he preached and sometimes prepared messages on horseback, It was always with the intention of exalting Christ and bringing men and women to saving knowledge of Him. Now let’s remember that Wesley himself had a somewhat interesting conversion.

He was very well educated. He was disciplined. He met with his friends. They did all that they possibly could to live the Christian life. But when he heard the preface to the book of Romans being read, he had his heart strangely warmed. He often refers to that because it was really a conversion experience when he realized that it was personal faith in Jesus Christ that saved you and not merely knowledge. Now, if you were at the statue, you’d discover that in front of it, there is a saying by Wesley that the world is my parish. What did he mean by that? Well, when he began preaching, many people objected to it, saying that all preaching had to happen within the church. And Wesley said, no, I can also preach outside. I can preach to coal miners. I can preach to farmers.”

And he reached as many people as he possibly could with the gospel of Jesus Christ. And even today, though we might not realize it, we are affected by the revivalism of John Wesley whose life continues to represent a love of Christ, a love of the gospel, a love of the poor, but especially a desire to bring men and women into that personal relationship. And he preached that message throughout England, and it has impacted us as well. The whole idea of revivalism in America really has its roots right here. a circuit rider who spent time on a horse sharing the good news of the gospel. Now, when you think of Wesley, I’ve often thought of the last words that he spoke just before he died. He said, best of all, God is with us. And let this monument behind me remind you of the fact that here’s a man who gave his life despite his hardships to spread the good news of the gospel, and we thank God for him even today.