Throwin’ Bricks at Wesley

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” John 15:18-19 (ESV)

The great preacher John Wesley was riding along on his horse one day when he realized that three days had passed, and he had not been persecuted in any way. Not a single brick had been thrown in his direction. He had not been hit by an egg. So he actually stopped his horse and said out loud, “Could it be that I am backslidden or I have sinned?” Slipping down from his horse, he knelt on one knee and asked the Lord to show him if there was anything wrong with him spiritually. A man who disliked Wesley saw him kneeling in prayer, so he picked up a brick and threw it at him, barely missing the preacher. When Wesley saw the brick fly by, he said, “Thank you, Lord! I know I still have Your presence.” No wonder he was such a powerful preacher

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I don’t know about you but I am not a fan of dodging bricks.  However it should be expected when we take a stand for the sake of The Cross. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mat 5:10 ESV) John Wesley displayed the right attitude when it comes to living this out. It even grieves his soul when the bricks aren’t being hurled at him but what about us living in these times? Do we, dare I say, display this attitude or do we resent the bricks and the brick thrower? How about the Almighty Himself?

Ya know there is nothing more dangerous to a Christian than to carry around this kind of resentment against God or the people that He uses to temper and humble us. But you would be shocked by the growing number of believers who hold some kind of grudge against Him.  And why is that? God may call us, burden us, send us and equip us but then, when things do not go as we had planned, such as a brick or two aimed in our direction, we feel misled or betrayed. We forgot the “persecuted for righteousness sake” and went to the “ours is the kingdom heaven” didn’t we? John Wesley didn’t!!

Wesley kept his calling realistic and when it didn’t seem like it was going the way God would have it go, it grieved him. Then God would reveal to him that he was on track and the bricks resumed their tossing. But that didn’t happen until Wesley humbled himself before the throne of grace, prayed and asked God to reveal to him where he had fallen short. Then God revealed purpose. So it should be for us.

It isn’t until the Father decides to reveal what the purpose is in the first place for us ask why we are being persecuted in any case. It’s ours to do if we believe we are called to His good purpose at all then it’s ours to duck when the bricks start flying at us. Ya see, if we are His, and that is our heart’s desire, God can take those bricks and build a wall of fortification around His people. We just gotta get out there and get people to start throwin’ them, Amen? – Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a regular Freedom Fighter blogger

Daily Bible Reading: Leviticus 14; Hebrews 11:1-19

Quote of the day: “The culture of the world and the counter-culture of Christ are at loggerheads with each other. In brief, Jesus congratulates those whom the world most pities, and calls the world’s rejects ‘blessed’.”—John Stott

Bible Memory: It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. Psalm 119:71-72 ESV