Three hundred years ago, December 16th 1714, a man by the name of George Whitefield was born. Many consider George Whitefield the greatest evangelist and preacher who ever lived. The Lord saved Whitefield in 1735 through a book that Charles Wesley lent him, The Life of God in the Soul of Men by Henry Scougal. He said of his conversation, “I know the place…Whenever I go to Oxford, I cannot help running to the spot where Jesus Christ first revealed himself to me and gave me the new birth.”
Whitefield went on to play a key role in the Great Awakening and devoted his life to spreading the Gospel throughout Britain and America during the mid-1700s. Accompanied by his contemporaries John and Charles Wesley and Jonathan Edwards, during the Great Awakening, George Whitfield introduced millions to the gospel, helped start thousands of churches, and spiritually united the colonies before the coming Revolutionary war.
Whitefield was a dynamic force for the Gospel, and it is estimated that 80% of the American colonial population heard him preach. His life touched people such as William Wilberforce, who devoted his life to abolishing slavery in Britain.
Preaching was what Whitefield was most known for; making little time to rest, he preached an estimate of 10 sermons a week. Crowds came in droves to hear Whitefield’s sermons; and he preached to numbers as high as 20,000 with some estimates as high as 80,000, which for the mid-1700s was no small feat. Many times his services would last until 2am. Benjamin Franklin a friend and publisher for Whitefield estimated that he could hear Whitefield’s voice while preaching as far as a mile away.
Even though he is most known for his preaching, Whitefield sought to care for the outcast. He started an orphanage in Georgia called Bethesda, which means “House of Mercy”. His hope for the orphanage was that many acts of mercy would take place in the walls which held the fatherless children.
Perhaps one of his most famous quotes is the following:
I will never speak of what is real as though it is imaginary. I will not be a velvet-mouthed preacher.
The Following Are Some More of the Evangelist’s Quotes:
· “The care of the soul is ‘a matter of the highest importance;’ beyond any thing which can be brought into comparison with it.”
· “If you are going to walk with Jesus Christ, you are going to be opposed … In our days, to be a true Christian is really to become a scandal”
· “God forbid that I should travel with anybody a quarter of an hour without speaking of Christ to them.”
· “What! Get to heaven on your own strength? Why, you might as well try to climb to the moon on a rope of sand.”
· “We must all have the spirit of martyrdom, though we may not all die martyrs.”
· “God is well pleased when all our actions proceed from love, love to Himself, and love to immortal souls.”
· “Press forward. Do not stop, do not linger in your journey, but strive for the mark set before you. Fight the good fight of faith, and God will give you spiritual mercies.”
Believers we have a “goodly heritage!” We should rejoice in what God has done, remember the men and women that he has used, and request that Lord to do it again in our generation.
Pastor Jack, thank you for helping us remember the greatness of George Whitefield, the preacher who helped lead the Great Awakening. America will forever be indebted to service and sacrifices made by her early spiritual fathers. May the LORD raise up faithful ministers like Whitefield, Edwards, Finney, and the Wesleys who can again turn our hearts back to Him and our Godly heritage! Blessings!