August 3
George Whitefield by Dr. D. James Kennedy
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‘Unless
one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’—John 3:3
Do you ever think about our nation
and wonder whether God will renew a land that has sunk to the moral depths
that ours has? Is there any hope for the society in which we live? Perhaps we
can take a cue from another time, another society.
The period in which we live is not
unlike that of the opening half of the eighteenth century, especially in
England. At that time, adultery, fornication, gambling, drunkenness, and the
breaking of the Sabbath were commonplace. Crime was rampant, and sin was the
norm. Sounds rather contemporary, doesn’t it?
But then John Wesley and George
Whitefield came on the scene, and revival began. It came as an electric shock
and galvanized the people of England. As revolution took place in England, the
morality and religion of the country changed completely. (In fact, historians
say that the Victorian period was in many ways a byproduct of the
Wesley-Whitefield revivals.)
God used George Whitefield not
only in England but also in America. Whitefield preached in various colonies
and helped found the University of Pennsylvania. So great was the change
Whitefield sparked that it became known as the Great Awakening.
Whitefield had made England and
America his parish. Tens of thousands would come from miles around to hear
him preach. What was his life-changing, culture-changing message?
The same text that had pulled him
into the kingdom of God: “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom
of God.” Near the end of Whitefield’s life, one of his friends asked him,
“Why is it that you preach so often from that text, ‘Ye must be born again’?”
Whitefield answered, “Because ye must be born again.” With this simple
message, Whitefield helped transform the core of two countries.
To save our great nation, we, too,
must declare throughout the land, “You must be born again!” Perhaps today you
can share this message with someone you know.
Take
care of your life, and God will take care of your death. —George Whitefield
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Thank you for the post. For more on George Whitefield, I would like to invite you to the website for the book series, The Asbury Triptych Series. The trilogy based on the life of Francis Asbury, the young protégé of John Wesley and George Whitefield, opens with the book, Black Country. The opening novel in this three-book series details the amazing movement of Wesley and Whitefield in England and Ireland. The book also richly brings to life the life-changing effect on a Great Britain sadly in need of deliverance from addiction to gin and illiteracy. Black Country also details the Wesleyan movement's effect on the future leader of Christianity in the American colonies, Francis Asbury. The website for the book series is www.francisasburytriptych.com. Again, thank you, for the post.
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