The Wesley Brothers

John and Charles Wesley were two brothers who became prolific preachers and song writers of the 18th century. John and Charles were two brothers from a family of fourteen (some say eleven) children, their mother Susanna Wesley having such a large brood of children, and having Vicar husband who stayed away at castle, and only visited to have conjugal rights, Susanna developed a system of education and doctrine called the methods and which later would be called Methodism. There was incident where John Wesley was almost burned alive in his bed, and he escaped, which would earn him the title, "fire brand," that he was plucked from fire brand of God. John and Charles Wesley grew up to be zealous servants of the Church, Anglican and wanting to spread the Gospel and strict (ascetic) lifestyle of law keeping they learned growing up. At college, having founded a club of like minded methodical practitioners, and as most churches derive their name from persecution, the Anabaptists getting their name as baptizers by mocking Catholics, in the same way fellow students on campus called the Wesley's and their band the Methodists to mock them.

The Methodist Church is large, at 60-80 Million members (Wikipedia), and ironically, John Wesley and Charles Wesley are indirectly the founders  and would later abandon Methodism. John and Charles Wesley went to the Americas to preach the Word and their strict style of holy living, and there without much success, and even being driven from the community back to England they were faced with crisis of faith. John while on board a ship back to England, was caught in gale and terrible storm, in process he found himself terrified of dying because his religion was works based, and he had no security of salvation (he had not discovered Romans 10:9-10 or Ephesians 2:1-11). On board the ship was group of Moravian Christians who were not afraid, and John asked them why this was so, and he learned for first time the Grace through Faith based Gospel that the Apostles of Holy Bible testify to. From there John Wesley went on to become more Charismatic and Spirit Filled, joining and leading the First Great Awakening with his brother and hymn writer Charles Wesley. A great revival, the Awakening struck Europe, and the two brothers went to the fields, farms, and towns preaching the Gospel. Susanna Wesley in her eighties experienced for first time the Holy Spirit and the Gifts.

It is strange the legacy of the Wesley brothers is encapsulated in the Methodist Church which really derives from the austere and ascetic practices that  Susanna Wesley created to manage such a large family (a military like system). Methodism' legacy survived because John and Charles Wesley had instituted it at their college, and ironically they had nothing to do with it after their true revelations that faith (belief) in Jesus Christ alone was sufficient for salvation (John 6:40, John 3:16) and that the Spirit of God still descends on his people like at Pentecost (Acts 2, whole chapter) which is what Holy Bible claims. Methodism and its clinging to a model of religion abandoned by the authors of it, reminds me of how movements often can be from  only a phase or season of a person's life. If we were to splice up Martin Luther's life, we would find Augustinian Catholic Monk Luther, Augustinian Catholic Monk who challenges Indulgences Luther, Catholic Monk and Priest Luther who discovers Salvation by Grace and God's Love, College Professor Luther who challenges the whole Catholic Canons, Excommunicated Luther who clings to Solae Scriptura (Scripture Alone), Author of German New Testament Luther, Resurgent Catholic plus Solae Scriptura Martin Luther, and Disillusioned Luther. If you were to start a movement or church from one of the phases of this man's life, you would have a Sect of Catholicism, or more Baptist Church, and finally if you choose to start a church from Luther's later teachings you would not have schism, but a goal to reform and restore Catholic Church. The same goes with the Wesley brothers, who were Methodists at first but became Moravians later (with their own touch and elements that evolved past Moravianism). This raises the chief concern we should have as Christians, do we join a church or start one based on some words of a scholar or prolific and anointed person like John Wesley or Martin Luther? Or do we stick to what the Holy Bible says, and let the words of Christ and His Apostles who were inspired by Holy Spirit guide us to what the Church should be like? I argue the latter.

I am not trying to disparage John Wesley or Charles Wesley. I am asking a question that applies to Methodism, and all other denominations that have sprung up from a man. If a person deviates in their focus and teaching in the phases of their life like John Wesley and Martin Luther, is it wise to start a church or movement based on them? Since they are subject to change their minds on the matter? I mean Martin Luther went from devout Catholic to skeptic Catholic to Protestant Reformer to Protestant Catholic. Should not the words of Christ and his Apostles be the teaching we make Church around?, "All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer." (Acts 2:42). Every time error has entered the church is when men make traditions, practices, and write ideas that contradict the Scriptures; when they venture outside canon of  New Testament they manufacture errors. 


The Wesley Brothers undoubtly had an impact on Christendom much in same way that Martin Luther initially did, but as in case of Luther where the Lutherans followed the man into his strange and terrible seasons, so did Methodists do the same by lingering in a period of Wesley Brother's faith walk, that was actually the weakest period before their revelation. We must not base our faith, and Christian walk on men like the Wesley Brothers or Martin Luther or John Knox, or Zwingli, and more. Our faith must be in Christ, and what that Christian walk should be is found in New Testament that contains the instructions for all Christian life! There is nothing wrong with great voices for Christ in every age, even today there are spokesmen and spokeswomen, but we must not get carried away with their revelations, especially if they institute practices that either contradict Scripture or resemble other beliefs and rituals in other religions and cults.

I must emphasize that we should follow no one but Jesus Christ! How to follow Christ is preserved in teachings of his intimate friends and apostles Peter, James, John, Paul, Jude and so on. Martin Luther and Wesley brothers did not walk with Jesus Christ and hear from Him in person the teachings of eternal life, the Kingdom of Heaven, and beyond. The Apostles and their words are pure, perfect, and unchangeable because they are eyewitness accounts from the Incarnate Lord God Jesus Christ who came at that time (1-33 A.D.) to teach and die for our sins on cross and raise from dead! Who would you rather base your Christian walk on? The words of men 1600yrs after Christ like Luther or 1800yrs after Christ Ascended like the Wesley Brothers? Or would you base your Christian walk on the words of Christ Himself as remembered by his closest friends on earth, and whom He taught everything to, "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:26). The authority of New Testament and Apostle's words is infinite because its eyewitness accounts and directly from the LORD's own mouth when He walked on earth for thirty three years! The Apostles and their words are divinely inspired, "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17). While certainly Luther and the Wesley Brothers had revelations, those revelations majorly returned to the words and works of Apostles themselves, they went back to Gospel of Grace preached by the Apostle Paul and Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9, John 6:40) and they went back to being Spirit Filled as Apostles were (Acts 2, whole chapter and 1 Corinthians 14:26-32). So why wait for some itinerate preacher or reformer to tell you how to live as Christian and start some new church? When you can go directly to source, Jesus Christ Himself through your relationship with Him and His Holy Scriptures (Holy Bible). For the New Testament is our measure, given by Jesus Christ to guide us and show us how to live as Christians, Solae Scriptura and Spirit Filled at the same time. The movement and church we need is found in Christ and His Scripture (specifically the New Testament) alone. Amen.