CrossPoint Community News 11/17/2022

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

       We can be encouraged to know, love, and follow Jesus Christ as we learn about the lives of other Christians who have gone before us. This week, we take time to learn about George Whitefield, little known for starting the Methodist church, better known for being part of the Great Awakening back in the 1700’s in the United States and England. A famous preacher, D. Martyn-Lloyd Jones (himself an Englishman) said that Whitefield was “the greatest preacher that England has ever produced.”
       George Whitefield was a typical church kid – someone who knows the truths, the stories, and maybe even thinks that preaching is cool, but didn’t really know Jesus. He liked to be in front of crowds, even as a child – such as in plays or public speeches. He even liked attending church when he visited his brother out of town.
       When he returned to school after having dropped out to help his mother with the Bell Inn (in Gloucester, England), he fell in with the Wesley brothers, John and Charles (who are generally thought to be the founders of Methodism). Their “holy club” met to do religious activities, encourage one another, and help the poor and needy. It wasn’t until he was 21 that he learned of the reality of spiritual regeneration and the new life that we can have through Christ. It was then that he truly became a Christian, a follower of Christ.
       God used Whitefield’s skills in public speaking to train him as a preacher. And an avid preacher he was! Pastor Warren Wiersbe explains: “Historians tell us that Whitefield preached from forty to sixty hours a week, a total of more than eighteen thousand sermons during thirty-four years of public ministry.” Benjamin Franklin wrote of Whitefield that his open-air preaching could be heard clearly by approximately thirty thousand people at one time.
       Whitefield and the Wesleys had some public falling-out due to differences in theology. But Whitefield remained charitable and even handed over the leadership of the Methodist church to the Wesleys to avoid controversy and maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
       Whitefield had 7 visits to preach throughout the American Colonies. He worked to found an orphanage in Georgia and on his final visit to the states, passed away while staying in the parsonage (the house of the pastor next to the church) of the Presbyterian church in Newburyport, MA. (You can go to the church to learn more about Whitefield even today!).
       He was a man who was disciplined, reformed in his theology, passionate in his evangelistic zeal and sold out for a life of following Jesus. He told his friends that he “would rather wear out than rust out” and “We are immortal until our work is done.”
       How can you imitate the example of Whitefield as you imitate the example of our Lord Jesus Christ?

Please continue to pray for the nation of Ukraine. Here is a suggested list of prayers if you are at a loss for words in how to pray: https://send.org/story/hh_pray_for_ukraine. Thank you for kneeling on behalf of the people of Ukraine and Russia, and taking a stand (or a knee in prayer) against the forces of darkness in this present age.