Olive Tree Blog
Historical

Who Was John Wesley?

Who was John Wesley?

John Wesley (June 17, 1703 – March 2, 1791) was a Christian theologian who is credited with the foundation of Methodism. His brother, Charles Wesley, and fellow cleric, George Whitefield are also credited.

WESLEY’S ROLE IN METHODISM

He helped to form and organize small Christian groups that developed personal accountability, discipleship and religious instruction. Additionally, he also appointed itinerant evangelists to travel and preach like he did. Wesley taught them to care for the small groups of people. Then, under Wesley’s direction, Methodists became leaders in many social issues of the day, including prison reform and abolitionism.

Throughout his life, Wesley remained within the established Anglican church, insisting that the Methodist movement lay well within its tradition. He became widely respected, and by the end of his life, had been described as “the best loved man in England”.

John Wesley (1703-1791). Engraved by J.Pofselwhite and published

JOHN WESLEY’S LAST WORDS

Wesley died on Wednesday March 2, 1791, in his eighty-eighth year. As he lay dying, his friends gathered around him, Wesley grasped their hands and said repeatedly, “Farewell, farewell.” At the end, summoning all his remaining strength, he cried out:

“The best of all is, God is with us.”

Then he lifted his arms and raised his feeble voice again, repeating the words, “The best of all is, God is with us.”

READ WESLEY’S WORDS

Interested in learning more about Wesley’s life and teachings? Here are some resources:

  1.  John Wesley’s Teachings, Complete 4 Volume Set
  2. Wesley Study Bible Notes
  3. Parallel Commentary on the New Testament (Also by Charles Spurgeon and Matthew Henry)
  4. Renew My Heart

Thanks to our partners at the Wesley Center, we also have several other John Wesley Writings available for the Olive Tree Bible App.

Thanks to the Wesley Center Online for the content of this post.

Related Posts

5 Comments

  1. Carol hardwicke

    Wonderful reading! I learned alot, thank you

  2. Tim Smith

    Are his lies and slander of Augustus Toplady discussed in these resources?

  4. Sarah

    Wow. I wonder what his daily life was like to be regarded remarkably.