Charles Wesley - An Incredible Life That Shook The World

Charles Wesley - An Incredible Life That Shook The World
Three young Englishmen gathered with 60 other people for a New Year's prayer meeting on Fetter Lane in London.  The date was January 1, 1739.  Charles Wesley, his brother John and a friend George Whitefield continued in prayer until 3:00 in the morning.  John records in his journal the phenomenal event that took place:
"About three in the morning, as we were continuing instant in prayer, the power of God came mightily upon us, insomuch that many cried our for exceeding joy, and many fell to the ground.  As soon as we were recovered a little from that awe and amazement at the presence of his Majesty, we broke out with one voice, ‘We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord."
The Holy Spirit filled the Wesley brothers and George Whitefield and commissioned them for an incredible work that would shake two continents for God.  That work would affect the lives of millions and even save the English-speaking world from the ravages of the French Revolution.  The First Great Awakening swept the British Isles and the American continent.  These three young men preached to tens of thousands in the open air, in cemeteries, on town squares and anywhere that people would listen.  
Charles was one of the most dynamic of these preachers.  His commitment to spreading the Gospel of Christ knew no bounds.  On one occasion, he traveled without sleep for three days in rain to make an appointment.  More remarkable than his preaching was his powerful gift of writing hymns.  He wrote 4,000 hymns, many still sung by Christians today.  This video is a glimpse into the remarkable life of a man sold out to God.  

God Smashes a Moonshiner's Still

"GOD SMASHES A MOONSHINER'S STILL" Among the most remarkable eccentric, itinerant, Methodist preachers that ever lived in the New River Valley, was Robert Sawyers Sheffey, who was born in the county of Wythe, Virginia, July 4, 1820, and died in Giles County, Virginia, in 1902. He was a son of Henry Sheffey, of Wythe, and came into the New River Valley some time in 1859, where he married for his second wife a Miss Stafford in what is commonly known as Irish settlement, in Giles County, where Mr. Sheffey located.  Mr. Sheffey declared war on the devil, sin and especially the moonshine trade, which was destroying lives, families and communities.

For reasons of his own, Robert Sheffey never united with the  Methodist conference, but continued throughout his career as a Methodist circuit rider, going from place to place, and wheresoever his inclinations led him. He was eccentric beyond description. That he was a pious devout Christian and Godly man was never doubted. He was a man of wonderful faith in God, and was usually most eloquent in public prayer. When troubles and difficulties surrounded him his oft repeated statement was, "I'll go and talk to the Lord about it."

One thing about this good man which was most remarkable, that his prayers for specific things were not only not in vain, but what he asked the Lord for, he in some way or some how always seemed to receive it. So often were his prayers answered, and his highest hopes and aspirations gratified, that people who knew him well and were disposed to do evil things were frequently alarmed for fear he would call down vengeance from heaven upon their guilty heads, and many believed that if he should ask the Lord to smite them with pestilence or death it would be done. The eccentricities of this man led numbers of people to express doubts as to his sanity. Some of these expressions reached Mr. Sheffey, and he often publicly repeated what he had heard, and his only comment was, "Would to the Lord they were crazy on the same subject that I am."
 

Many and interesting are the stories and anecdotes told of this preacher and of his conduct; some of which will here be related, and from which it will appear that while his eccentricities often appear therein, yet the great and strong faith of the man is also exhibited. Many years ago, Mr. Sheffey had a regular preaching place on East River in Mercer County,  West Virginia, near the residence of Mr. Anderson Tiller, at whose house, he made his stopping place, and where he was always carefully looked after and entertained. It was known that Mr. Sheffey was exceedingly fond of sweet things, and especially of honey. On an occasion, when on a preaching tour, he went to fill his appointment on East River, and became as was usual the guest of his brother, Tiller. Being on a Sunday morning and late in the summer season and while at the breakfast table, Mr. Tiller remarked to Mr. Sheffey that he regretted that he had no honey for him, that his bees had done no good, had not swarmed and that he feared they had frozen out in the winter or that some insect had destroyed them, and that the season was too far spent to have any swarms. Mr. Sheffey arose from the table and went down upon his knees, and told the Lord that the brother's bees had not swarmed, and that there was no honey in the house, and he implored the Lord to have the bees swarm. Scarcely had his petition ceased when the swarms came with such rapidity that Mr. Tiller was unable to procure rapidly enough sufficient gums to save the swarms. The truth of the incident is vouched for by the best people in the neighborhood of where it occurred.


At a meeting being held by Mr. Sheffey at Jordan's Chapel, now in Summers County,  West Virginia, Dr. Bray, a physician in the neighborhood together with his wife, were present at Sunday morning service and had with them a nursing infant child, which was taken suddenly ill about the close of the service. The mother became alarmed and grief stricken about the condition of her child, and in her hysteria she cried out that her child was dying. A large number of people were present and gathered around the mother and child supposed to be dying, when Mr. Sheffey appeared and being informed of the cause of the trouble, said, "Brother give me the little child," and taking it in his arms he fell upon his knees, and in a most earnest prayer to God asked for the life to the little child and that it might be restored to its mother. Arising from his position on the ground, he handed the child to its father, remarking, "here brother is your little child well and all right;" and so it was!!


Mr. Sheffey had a right good vein of humor in his makeup, and he occasionally exercised that faculty to the discomfiture of people. Some thirty years ago, there lived on the upper waters of Brush Creek, a Christian gentleman by the name of Robert Karr, a member of the Methodist Church, at whose house Mr. Sheffey was entertained, when on his preaching tours in that neighborhood. He had a protracted service in the neighborhood of Mr. Karr, which had continued some weeks, and which Mr. Karr had not attended, and whose non-attendance Mr.Sheffey had observed, and taking his brother Karr to task about his want of interest in the meeting, inquired why he did not attend. Mr. Karr replied that he had a good reason, and being pressed by Mr. Sheffey to give his reason, he finally said, "Well, I don't just exactly like your way;" whereupon Mr. Sheffey with a ha! ha! said, "Neither does the Devil."


On the occasion last mentioned or a similar one, while Mr. Sheffey was holding a meeting at Mr. Karr's, early one Sunday morning, a young man rode up to the house and delivered to Mr. Sheffey a message from his wife that his little son, Eddy, was very sick, and that the doctors had said he could not live and for him to come home at once. Mr. Sheffey made no response to the message, but went off a distance to some high granite boulders on the top of the highest of which he went to the Lord in prayer, and continued to pray until the time had arrived for him to meet his congregation at the church. On reaching the pulpit, he related to his congregation the message he had received, and then said, "I have talked to the Lord about this, and Eddy is not going to die." Eddy Sheffey lived and became a bright, intelligent, useful and honored citizen.


Mr. Sheffey had wonderful faith in God's providences, his care for his people in providing for their wants, physical as well as spiritual. It is told of him that on one occasion he met a man in the road on a very cold day, and that the man had on no socks, and that Mr. Sheffey observing this took off his and gave them to the man. After riding some distance he stopped at a house to warm his feet, and that the lady of the house said to him that she had knit for him some nice pairs of socks which she wished to present him. Another thing may be mentioned of this man, and that was the tender care of his horse and of other animals. He could not bear to see them suffer, not even a bug if turned on its back, and he has been known to dismount from his horse and turn it over. If he found what appeared to him to be a hungry animal or dog, he would give it his lunch rather than eat it himself. The story is told of him and another preacher who were out in some wild mountain district, that on leaving the house where they had been entertained, the woman put a lunch in Mr. Sheffey's saddle-bags telling them that they were not likely to meet with their dinner that day, and that she had provided a lunch that they might not suffer from hunger. Off the preachers went on along the mountain pathway during the morning hours and until about noon, proposed to eat the lunch. Mr. Sheffey informed him that he had no lunch, that he had just met two very hungry looking dogs to which he had given the lunch. 

"Sheffey Wages War Against the Moonshiners"

If there was a man beyond any other that believed that the whiskey traffic was one of the Devil's strongholds it was Mr. Sheffey. He assailed this traffic when opportunity offered and often in public prayed for its overthrow and destruction. He was often appealed to by good people to pray the Lord to remove still-houses and liquor manufactures. On the upper waters of the Bluestone, many years ago, was a whiskey distillery operated by a man and his son. Mr. Sheffey stopped in the neighborhood at the home of a good Methodist family. The good woman of the house told him of this distillery, and that it was ruining and wrecking the lives of many of the young men in the neighborhood, and requested him to pray for its removal, which he promised to do. The lady inquired "how long will it be before we may expect our prayers to be answered;" "about twelve months," was his reply; and sure enough within the twelve months the distillery was closed up, and the owner and his son in jail on charge of defrauding the government.


On another occasion he was on Wolf Creek, near Rocky Gap, when he was informed by the mother of a family with whom he was stopping, of the existence of a distillery in the neighborhood that was proving a great evil and requested Mr. Sheffey to pray for its removal. Mr. Sheffey then and there went to the Lord in prayer, and asked Him to destroy the evil, and if necessary send fire from Heaven to burn it up, and that very night an old dry tree near the distillery took fire, fell on the shanty and destroyed the whole thing. The whole neighborhood firmly believed Sheffey's prayer brought down that fire, which rid the neighborhood of the evil.

During a revival meeting, many of the moonshiners had gathered in the back of the church.   They had come to see if Sheffey would dare to speak against them and their vile trade.  Knowing that they were there, Sheffey rose and stood behind the pulpit.  He said, "I know that there are moonshiners here tonight.  God knows who you are!  I have prayed a prayer concerning you.  In that prayer, I asked God to do one of three things tonight....that you repent and get saved, or that you will leave town, or else that He will strike you dead!  The choice is yours!" Knowing that Sheffey had the reputation of getting exactly what he prayed for, several moonshiners ran to the altar and the rest ran out of the door and left town that very night!

Traveling through a community, Brother Sheffey came across a distillery. Approaching the owner, the old circuit rider warned him to shut the business down or else God would cause an oak tree to fall upon the buildings and smash it to pieces.  The wicked owner laughed him to scorn and said, "Old man, there isn't an oak tree within miles of here!  What can God do about that!  Get out and leave me alone!"   That very night, a violent storm hit that region.  A powerful wind came down upon a mountaintop miles away, uprooted a large oak tree and carried it a great distance and dropped it right on top of the distillery completely destroying all of it!

Mr. Sheffey's hostility and open expression against the liquor traffic and the traffickers, often brought down upon him, not only the curses and hatred of these people, but once at least, a pounding upon his head. He was preaching in Bland County, and during the service was interrupted by some crude young men under the influence of alcoholic spirits, which led to their severe censure and arraignment by the preacher.   This offended and enraged them so that they took position at the outside of the church door, and as Mr. Sheffey went out they clubbed and beat him severely. These people were indicted in the Court of Bland County, and Mr. Sheffey summoned as a witness for the Commonwealth. He did not appear, and compulsory process was taken against him, and on his appearance in Court he endeavored to avoid testifying. The young men were convicted, when Mr. Sheffey with tears in his eyes, and a prayer on his lips implored the court to allow them to go unpunished, that they knew not what they did; that he had forgiven them, that he had asked the Lord to forgive them, and now asked the Court to forgive them, which in a measure it did.

Once while traveling to Wytheville, Virginia, he noticed a low hanging limb with a large hornets nest on the outskirts of the town.  As he entered the town, his attention was drawn to numerous men coming in and out of a very large house.  He approached a young man coming out of the house and  inquired what was the cause of the comings and goings at this home.  With vulgar sarcasm, the young man remarked that Sheffey must be rather stupid to not know that it was a house of prostitution.  After the young man left, Sheffey hailed two young boys to come to him.  He offered them a fifty cent piece for their help.  He told them of the hornets nest on the edge of town.  He asked them to carefully get the nest, plug the opening and bring it to him.  A little while later, the young boys came with the nest.  After paying them their reward, he walked up a side alley and gently opened a window on the first floor of the home.  He cast the hornets nest into the room and shut the window.  Smashing to the floor, the nest released a swarm of angry hornets.  All of a sudden, a panicked mob of men and women burst through the front and back doors of the house.  Sheffey had cleaned house!!

As has already been stated, Mr. Sheffey went to the Lord about everything he did, even about small things, which sometimes brought him into ridicule by some classes of people, but that did not in the least deter him. He believed that the Lord controlled the actions of animals as well as men, and in verification and illustration thereof the following story is told by a gentleman living a few miles south of Pearisburg, Virginia. Mr. Sheffey stopped at his house over night, and by Mr. Sheffey's direction his horse was turned on pasture. Mr. Sheffey, having an appointment for the next day and anxious to get off early, requested the gentleman to have his horse ready for him. The man went out very early to get the horse which he was unable to do, even summoning help, still the horse would not allow himself to be caught, nor would he be driven into the stable yard or lot. Finally the man gave up the effort to secure the horse, went to the house and informed Mr. Sheffey of the situation, and he went out with the man into the field where the horse was grazing, and requested the man to wait until he told the Lord about it. Down upon his knees he went and told the Lord of the inability of the man to bridle the horse and requested that He put it into the mind of the horse to stand and be bridled, and on rising from his knees he said to the man "you can now bridle the horse," which he immediately did. Many other such things occurred in the history of this man, which for want of space cannot here be related.

Whatever may be said of this peculiar man and his eccentricities,  he was a man who walked with and knew his God.  The brilliance of his itinerant ministry lit up the dark hollows, valleys and mountaintops of early Appalachia and  covered and filled them with the glorious light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Hello shook when he came to town.  He died in peace with God and man, and all who knew him revere his memory.  His mantle of ministry did not fall to the ground when he died.  Elijah's mantle fell upon Elisha at Elijah's departure.  Sheffey's mantle has been kept on hold until an  Elisha Generation would come along and pick it up.  That generation has come.  It is time to pick up this fallen mantle and finish what this old circuit rider started long ago!

The Circuit Rider vs The Televangelist

                           by Michael Edds

In my continued research on the "old wells of revival" I have discovered 

some incredibly contrasting bits of information. One of the top
televangelists in the nation was recently invited to preach in Baltimore,
Maryland. His terms for coming were:

#1. That he must be picked up by a limousine at the airport,
#2. That he must have $1,000 spending money,
#3. That he must be guaranteed at least $10,000 in offerings.

This same televangelist/ pastor lives in a multi million-dollar mansion,
eats in the finest restaurants and wears the most expensive tailor-made
suits. His writings and speaking engagements have garnered millions of
dollars. He brags that he is a role model of the prosperity message of
our day. He pastors a mega church, appears on national and international
television, has authored many books and draws tens of thousands to hear
him. To his credit, he is a powerful, commanding speaker. However,
please contrast this to the following life and ministry of the great
circuit rider, Francis Asbury in the late 1700s and early 1800s.

While still in his 20's, Francis Asbury left his home and family forever
in England to come to a wilderness called America. He came to be a
traveling preacher/evangelist in a nation with little infrastructure such
as roads, decent housing, few hotels and restaurants, poor sanitation and
dangerous drinking water, few medical professionals and limited law
enforcement. The nation had recently plunged into a violent war of
independence against Asbury's native land of England. The American
frontier was also ablaze with war between the colonist and Native
Americans tribes.

Asbury was not greeted upon his arrival by a limo. He had to purchase a
horse on which he traveled 6,000 miles a year for over 40 years. His financial
reward was $60 a year, much of which he gave away or sent back to England
to help his parents. He wore hand-me-downs not tailor made suits. He had
no retirement, no insurance, no dental plan, and no 401 k. He set no fee
for his ministry.

What he did receive, he often gave away. He traveled on "roads" on which
his horse sank many times knee-deep in mud. If a road did not exist, he
would lead his horse over the steep, rocky inclines of the Appalachians
to reach a pioneer community. Many times, his feet and legs were bloodied
and bruised by the horrific journey. When he came to a river where there
was no bridge or ferry, he would swim his horse across. Numerous times,
he was nearly drowned by an angry, swollen stream. His "hotel" on many
occasions was on a dirt floor in an overcrowded, rat-infested frontier
cabin. Often times he slept in the woods, on a mountain ledge or in damp
cave. Many days he would travel over 60 miles with nothing to eat. The
paths and roads he traveled were full of dangers from murderers, thieves,
wolves, bears, poisonous snakes and roaming bands of Native Americans with
whom the frontiersmen were at war. If he met someone who needed a cloak,
food or money, he would take what he had and give it to the person in
need. Asbury sought out the forgotten, hidden places of early America. He traveled from New England, to the Midwest, and to the Deep South
spreading the Gospel of Christ. When he would meet a person who was ill,
he would minister to their physical needs with the last medication he had.
He demanded nothing of others in order to come into a community. The
demands he made were on himself. Frequently, his body would be racked
with pain, illness, fever, hunger and weakness. His physical being would
cry out for rest and nourishment. However, his spirit ruled his body. When truly unable to travel, he would mount his horse and ride for 8 hours
or more through blinding snowstorms, torrential rain or in oppressive
heat.

He too had been invited to Baltimore. In 1816 he was traveling by buggy
through Virginia headed to the annual conference in Baltimore. However,
he was dying. His last sermon was preached in Richmond. He had to be
carried into the meeting room. He commented, "I am too weak t o walk but
not to preach.” They sat him on a small table and he ministered the Word
for the last time. He made it as far as Spotsylvania twenty miles north of
Richmond. He body was rapidly failing. He stopped at a friend's house on
Saturday. Shortly before he left this world he was asked, "Do you feel
Jesus precious?" Summoning his last remaining strength, the great circuit
rider raised both hands in victory. Minutes later he laid his head on a
friend's hand and gently slipped away to be with the Lord. He owned no
mansion, no land, and no bank account. His net worth was what he wore on
his body. He was buried in a borrowed grave plot.
When Asbury came to America, there were few Methodist believers and fewer
preachers. At the end of his ministry, there were over 240,000 Methodist
believers and almost 8,000 ministers. He affected lives of thousands upon
thousands. He changed the very course of American history. Among his
converts were poor farmers, merchants, Governors of several states,
frontiersmen, slaves, Native Americans, State Supreme Court Justices,
attorneys, physicians, housewives, children, youth and people from all
walks of life. He gave all he had. He sought nothing for himself. His
passion was to bring salvation and the Light of the Gospel to those in
darkness of sin. He loved a nation and made it his own even though he was
not her native son.

Quite a CONTRAST between the CIRCUIT RIDER and the TELEVANGELIST!

One was selfless, the other selfish.  One was people-centered, the other
ego-centered. One was a Kingdom builder, the other an empire builder. One drew souls into the Kingdom of God; the other drew the masses into an
arena. One demanded of him, the other demanded of others. One gave
freely, the other commanded a price. One was a servant, the other a
celebrity.

Hebrews 11:32-38 speaks about the real heroes of the faith: They
were..."tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a
better resurrection. Still others had trial of mocking and beatings, and
of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were
sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about
in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented... they
wandered in deserts, and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.... of
whom the world was not worthy."

How long are we going to tolerate the "superstar syndrome" in the church? How long are we going to feed the ego and pocketbooks of these self-seeking
charlatans, regardless of how articulate they are? How long will we
continue to pack their arenas and buy their CDs, DVDs and books? How long
will we pick them up in limos, and line their wallets with thousands and
thousands of dollars to spend on self? How long will we tolerate
apostasy?

My God, how far we have fallen! God is calling on us as His people to
repent and turn from our wicked ways. He is calling us to seek HIS face.
I am praying that God will overthrow this current, perverted religious
system and will fulfill Jeremiah 3:15 and give us shepherds after His own
heart...like circuit rider Francis Asbury of old.

Darkness Is Coming!!!

 

"A DREAM OF THE COMING DARKNESS"
by Michael Edds

In the fall of 2004, I had a dream. It was so real and terrifying that I had to get up from my bed. The following is an account of the dream:

“I was visiting my birthplace, a small village in the beautiful Greenbrier Valley of West Virginia. I pulled my car off the road and parked in front of the old Methodist Church. I got out of the car to stretch my legs. The day was absolutely pristine and picture perfect. The sky was cloudless, the sun bright, and the air fresh and crystal clear. I was admiring the beautiful flowers growing in people’s yards. Many were busy working in their yards and gardens on such a gorgeous day. There was such peace and serenity.

I turned and looked toward the southeast. I was astonished at what I saw. A billowing cloud of complete blackness was suddenly approaching the town. It completely blotted out all light and scenery where it advanced and covered. It approached the village limits, which was a river southeast of the community.

I made the comment, “Oh my God, the Darkness has come!” I sensed great evil and danger in it. I looked around to see if anyone else saw what I saw. To my amazement, people were oblivious to the approaching wall of darkness. They were still busy working in their yards and around their homes.

I made the statement, “They do not realize what it will be like when the Darkness comes. All of the sun light, beauty of nature and peace will disappear when the Darkness moves in. Everything in their lives will suddenly and drastically change.”

I turned to get into my car to flee the approaching Darkness. All of a sudden, six motorcyclists drove out of the blackness and across the bridge into the town. I gasped, "The advance guard of the Darkness has arrived!" These riders were on black motorcycles and dressed in black leather from head to toe.

I jumped into my car as they approached. They slowed down as they reached my car and the leader yelled out, “Don’t you dare leave!” I locked my car doors as he approached and floored the gas pedal. My tires squealed as I fled. The motorcyclists pursued me and tried to force me off the road. I swerved into two and caused them to wreck. The rest pursued me for many miles and shot at me.

After some distance, I approached some men working on the road and asked for help or to make a call for me to the police. The cyclist were no longer in sight. I started to get out of the car but heard a voice from above warning me to not to get out of the car but to drive on. Finally, I realized that I was running out of gas and stopped down the road to refuel. I pulled up to a gas station and started refueling. The dream ended with me praying for God’s protection while I refueled.

When I awoke, I was trembling with fear. I got up to settle myself.

The parts of the dream that stood out were:

1. The Darkness suddenly came upon the land.
2. Before it came, all was serene, beautiful and peaceful.
3. No one saw it coming.
4. An advanced guard came into the community first on a reconnaissance mission.
5. The Darkness then moved in and totally blotted out all light and beauty. Life drastically changed for people.
6. I fled for safety.

America is on the threshold of something cataclysmic that will radically change life, as we know it. A wall of Darkness is about to suddenly fall upon this land.

John 16:13 tells us that the Holy Spirit will tell us of things to come. He warns us in advance to prepare us for what is ahead.

Hebrews 11:7 records, “…Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with Godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household….”

An advance guard of this Darkness is already at work. People are living in a false sense of complacent security. I believe that the cup of iniquity is full in America, which will unleash divine judgment upon this nation. Something is about to shatter the hardness of this wicked nation’s heart.

God has revealed to me that a Great Awakening is about to burst forth upon the scene. This Awakening will give America and the world one last chance to repent. Most importantly, it will bring the Bride of Christ together. Historically, Awakenings have preceded calamity. This could happen again. However, the coming Darkness may actually precede the Final Awakening and be the cause of people turning to God, which would bring about the Awakening.

May God’s people listen to the warning of the Holy Spirit and move with Godly fear to the saving of their households and neighborhoods. God desires for us to prepare an ark of safety to which people can flee for refuge when disaster comes. Let us listen and quickly move. Darkness is coming!