Participants:
Series Code: LIN
Program Code: LIN000009A
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00:18 Resister, the French word for resist
00:20 is scratched into the rim of a refuse hole 00:23 in the tower of Constance. 00:25 Tradition ascribed the etching of this slogan to Marie Durand, 00:29 the most famous prisoner at the time 00:31 that the slogan appeared. 00:32 Marie's brother was a Huguenot pastor 00:35 and he held worship services in his home 00:38 and for this reason she was snatched 00:40 from her home as a recently married teenager 00:43 and thrown into prison in the year 1730. 00:47 Marie's brother Pierre was killed by gunshot 00:49 soon after but her life would turn out very different. 01:04 She was held behind a large door 01:06 inscribed with the words, 01:07 "All hope abandon ye who enter here," 01:10 in a large circular stone prison. 01:13 There was a six-foot circular hole 01:15 in the ceiling that let in precious little light and air 01:18 as well as snow and rain, depending on the season. 01:22 Food came in via a similar hole in the floor. 01:25 Cold, wet, humid, and damp, the woman suffered here 01:29 for nearly 40 years in misery, infection, and tears. 01:40 Marie was only young when she was taken a prisoner, 01:42 but because of her education 01:44 she became a leader and was able to act as 01:46 an agent for the women. 01:47 For 38 years, until 1768, 01:51 she led them in singing and prayer 01:53 through the heat of the summer and the cold of the winter. 01:57 Marie was always trying to better their condition, 01:59 tirelessly petitioning until she was finally 02:01 able to get every woman granted the Book of Psalms. 02:12 Though unjustly imprisoned, 02:14 Marie sought to make the best of her situation 02:17 and that of the other women she was sentenced to live with. 02:20 There was another woman 02:22 whose story is perhaps sadder than Marie's. 02:24 A young girl at the age of 8 imprisoned for 40 years 02:28 because her mother 02:29 took her to a Protestant church service. 02:38 Such cruel punishments are not of God. 02:40 To take away someone's liberty because you disagree 02:43 with their beliefs is not Christian 02:45 or representative of Jesus. 02:47 One can only imagine the despair and hopelessness 02:51 that these women suffered right here in this room 02:54 as year after year, decade after decade 02:57 they lived in such pitiful conditions 02:59 with no hope of release. 03:05 The women were eventually released. 03:07 Marie was an old woman, 03:09 having spent her best years in prison. 03:12 Her family home here in the mountains 03:14 became a Huguenot monument, 03:16 a testimony to religious steadfastness 03:19 in the face of unjust ecclesiastical 03:22 and royal oppression. 03:24 Marie was just an ordinary woman. 03:26 She did not write a thesis on theology 03:28 nor did she preach any sermons. 03:30 She did not willingly seek out trouble 03:33 nor did she stand before councils 03:34 to defend her faith 03:36 as many others we have talked about did. 03:38 She was unjustly imprisoned yet remained steadfast, 03:42 preserving her faith in the face of terrible 03:45 injustice and oppression. 03:58 I find her story moving and inspiring. 04:02 We never know when in the course 04:03 of the normal affairs of life we might be called 04:06 upon to exercise a faith that we don't think we have 04:09 and show courage to those around us. 04:12 The song says, "Will your anchor 04:13 hold in the storms of life? 04:16 When the clouds unfold their winds of strife? 04:19 When the strong tides lift and the cables strain 04:22 will your anchor drift or firm remain?" 04:25 The answer lies in the chorus. 04:27 "We have an anchor that keeps the soul steadfast 04:32 and sure while the billows roll, 04:34 fastened to the rock which cannot move, 04:37 grounded firm in deep in the Savior's love." 04:40 We often sing this song 04:41 when things in life are going so smoothly, 04:44 but if and when the waves come, may our anchor hold. 05:45 John Wesley was born in 1703 05:49 just before the Industrial Revolution 05:51 took place during a time 05:52 when England was a firmly Anglican country. 05:56 He was born in the small village 05:58 of Epworth in the north of England 06:00 where his father served as the rector. 06:03 This here is the family home 06:04 where he would have grown up and spent his childhood. 06:13 His mother bore 19 children in total 06:16 and the most famous of the others 06:18 was Charles Wesley. 06:19 Both of the parents were spiritual people 06:21 and ran the home according to strict rules, 06:25 no eating in between meals and once a week 06:28 they had an interview with their mother 06:30 for the purpose of spiritual instruction. 06:38 John and his brother Charles came here to study 06:40 at Oxford University 06:42 where they enrolled at Christ's College. 06:45 Many of the great movements of this world 06:47 have been born at universities 06:49 and although he did not know it at the time, 06:51 John Wesley was about to be part of this phenomenon. 06:55 He graduated from Christ's College 06:56 with a bachelor's and then with a master's 06:59 before he was elected a fellow at Lincoln College 07:02 where he was given his own room and a salary. 07:05 His room can still be seen today, 07:07 preserved as he left it. 07:10 He left for about a year or so to go back to Epworth 07:13 at the request of his father 07:14 before returning back here to university. 07:22 It was on his return that he found his brother Charles 07:25 had started a small club for the purpose of Bible study 07:28 and in pursuit of Christian life. 07:31 Each member took vows to lead holy lives, 07:34 pray daily, take communion weekly, 07:36 and visit prisons regularly. 07:39 The group was incredibly practical, preaching, 07:42 educating, relieving jailed debtors 07:45 where possible, and caring for the sick. 07:48 They would fast every Wednesday 07:50 and on each day they would meet from 6 to 9 pm 07:53 and the name that they were called 07:55 was the Holy Club. 07:56 However this is not what they became known by. 07:59 In 1733, an unknown author wrote in a pamphlet 08:03 and described him as the Oxford Methodists, 08:06 and slowly this name began to stick. 08:08 It was also here that John Wesley's paths 08:11 would cross with another man who would go on to have 08:14 a huge impact, George Whitfield. 08:20 George Whitefield graduated from Pembroke College 08:23 and when he finished university, 08:25 rather than settle in a parish he immediately began preaching, 08:29 becoming an itinerant preacher and evangelist. 08:32 He traveled all over England in particular in Bristol 08:35 where he spent some time with John Wesley 08:37 and they both did open-air preaching. 08:43 Both the Wesleys and Whitfield would spend time in America 08:47 but with differing results in their ministries. 08:50 John Wesley went to Georgia but it did not go very well 08:53 and he returned home to England. 08:55 George Whitfield traveled to America 08:57 on seven different occasions, 08:59 had much success, and was well-liked. 09:02 He was involved in the Great Awakening 09:04 that took place in the 1700s, 09:06 a great religious revival, 09:08 and is also remembered as one of the first 09:11 that preached to those enslaved. 09:16 The roots of this far-reaching movement 09:19 of Methodism go back to a small group Bible study 09:22 with a handful of students on a university campus. 09:26 Zechariah 4:10 says, 09:28 "Do not despise the day of small things." 09:32 Never underestimate the impact of a small movement 09:35 with humble beginnings. 09:37 The Wesleys and Whitfield did not start the Holy Club 09:40 because they wanted to found a church or travel the world, 09:43 but because they wanted to change their lives 09:46 and the lives of those around them. 09:48 I pray that you may seek to make a difference 09:50 wherever you are, be it at our home, 09:53 work, or school. 09:55 Do not despise the day of small things. 10:45 George Whitfield made 10:47 a greater impact in his ministry 10:48 in America than in England, and in the 18th century, 10:51 apart from the monarchy, 10:53 he was perhaps the best-known name 10:55 on the whole of the East Coast. 10:57 Virtually every man, woman, and child 11:00 had heard the great itinerant preach at least once. 11:03 He preached over 18,000 sermons in the course of his life. 11:07 At the age of 55 in 1770 11:10 he was still preaching regularly, 11:12 despite ill health. 11:14 He once famously said, 11:15 "I would rather wear out than rust out." 11:18 He died whilst on a trip to America in Massachusetts 11:21 and is buried in the crypt 11:23 of the Old South Presbyterian Church, 11:25 Newburyport, Massachusetts. 11:34 John Wesley, on the other hand, chose to stay here in England 11:38 and through the course of his long ministry 11:41 he would have a huge impact here. 11:43 After he settled in London, 11:45 John Wesley lived in this house here, 11:48 however he spent most of his time 11:50 away from here 11:51 traversing the country on horseback, 11:53 preaching and visiting 11:55 the numerous small Bible study groups that he had set up. 11:59 Through the course of his life, it is estimated that 12:02 he traveled over 240,000 miles on horseback, 12:07 often reading as he rode so as not to waste time. 12:18 He once said, "The world is my parish." 12:21 These words are engraved on his statue outside his home. 12:24 He explained this by saying 12:26 that wherever he was in the world, 12:28 it was his duty to witness and minister there. 12:34 Prayer was an integral part of John Wesley's life 12:37 and he wanted a special place to pray, 12:40 so he had an extension built on the back of his house. 12:43 You can see it today around 12:44 the back protruding out the back. 12:46 You know, sometimes today those of us who own houses, 12:49 we sometimes will build a bigger kitchen, 12:51 a bigger living area, 12:52 or a bigger garage if we have some money. 12:54 And yet Wesley took the time 12:56 and money that he had to build 12:57 a special place dedicated for prayer. 13:01 This room is sometimes called the engine room of Methodism, 13:05 and you can visit it today and pray there 13:07 where John Wesley used to pray every day. 13:15 It is sometimes said that 13:16 big things come in small packages. 13:18 John Wesley was only 5 foot 3 or 161 centimeters, 13:23 yet he was a giant of a man. 13:25 He never intended to start his own denomination, 13:28 and yet the movement 13:29 that started as just a collective 13:31 of small Bible study groups 13:33 mushroomed into its own denomination. 13:36 He died on the 2nd of March, 1791, 13:39 and as he lay dying 13:41 with his friends surrounding him, 13:42 he grasped their hands and said repeatedly, 13:45 "Farewell, farewell." 13:47 Then, summoning up all his strength, 13:49 he said, "The best of all is God is with us." 13:54 Then raising his arms one last time, he said, 13:57 "The best of all is God is with us." 14:07 To Wesley it was granted to arouse the church in England 14:11 from a state of stagnation and backsliding, 14:15 and yet he was faithful in this duty. 14:17 Two things that stand out from his life 14:19 and ministry are the importance of the preaching of the Word 14:22 and the importance of small group Bible study. 14:26 These two methods 14:27 I believe are divinely ordained. 14:29 If done today, they will cause 14:31 the same revival in our lives and ministry 14:33 that they caused back then. 14:35 Wherever you are, 14:36 whether it's preaching the Word in your home church 14:38 or in your home area, or whether it's doing 14:40 small group Bible study in your family 14:43 or in your home or in your workplace 14:45 or amongst your friends, 14:46 be faithful in doing these things, 14:48 so that we can have the same revival that Wesley 14:51 had several hundred years ago, 14:53 and God can use those methods again today in our lives. 15:54 In the year 1800, a 16 year old Welsh girl 15:58 longed to own her own Bible. 16:00 She had been saving up a pennies from the age of 10, 16:03 and finally she had enough to buy her own Bible. 16:07 Mary was from a poor family 16:08 and there were many other things 16:10 she could have spent her money on, 16:11 such as a pair of shoes, 16:13 but she really wanted a Bible in her own language. 16:16 The problem was, though, 16:17 the nearest one was 28 miles away, 16:20 and undeterred by the distance and her lack of shoes, 16:24 she set off from her home right here 16:26 and walked through the valleys to the town of Bala. 16:37 Arriving here in the town of Bala, 16:40 she went to the home of Reverend Thomas Charles. 16:42 Today his home stands on the High Street 16:45 and has now been converted into a bank. 16:47 He was so inspired by her story 16:50 that he sold her three Bibles for the price of one. 16:53 One of those today 16:54 is in the National Library in Wales 16:56 and another one 16:57 is at Cambridge University's library. 17:04 The story of Mary Jones inspired many others. 17:08 Reverend Joseph Hughes asked the daring question 17:11 of church leaders soon after, 17:13 "If for Wales, why not for the kingdom 17:16 and if for the kingdom why not for the world?" 17:18 That question posed at a meeting 17:20 of the Religious Tract Society on the 7th of December, 1802 17:25 would reverberate around Wales and ultimately the world. 17:33 Captured by the vision of the Bible 17:36 being readily available in the language of the people, 17:39 William Wilberforce and other members 17:41 of the Clapham sect sprang into action. 17:44 They made this vision part of their campaign 17:46 to make goodness fashionable in the hope that 17:49 people would fall in love with the Bible 17:51 and a biblically inspired way of life. 17:54 At a meeting on the 7th of March, 1804, 17:58 of around 300 people in the London tavern 18:01 which used to stand near here on Bishopsgate, 18:04 William Wilberforce and the campaigning groups 18:06 he was a part of formed the British 18:09 and foreign Bible Society, now known as the Bible Society. 18:14 In the last 200 years they have gone into 18:17 over 200 different countries with God's Word. 18:21 Soon after this society was formed, 18:23 in 1816 the American Bible Society 18:27 was formed in New York City. 18:35 Later in the 19th century, inspired by Hudson Taylor 18:38 and the China Inland Mission, 18:40 seven students at Cambridge University, 18:43 later known as the Cambridge Seven, 18:45 gave up promising careers 18:47 and sailed to China to be missionaries. 18:49 Their influence inspired many others, 18:52 causing the number of missionaries in China 18:54 to swell from 165 in 1885 18:58 to 800 just 15 years later, 19:01 approximately one third 19:02 of the Protestant missionary force. 19:10 The Keswick Convention 19:11 also had a profound impact on mission service, 19:15 inspiring many people to devote their lives 19:18 to the service of God in faraway lands. 19:29 As the dark ages came to a close 19:31 and the light of God's Word was beginning to shine, 19:34 Daniel 12:4 was being fulfilled. 19:38 The 1260 year prophecy which came to a close 19:41 in 1798 coincided with the words of Daniel 19:45 who said that "Many shall run to and fro 19:48 and knowledge shall increase." 19:50 This referred to knowledge of the Bible 19:53 which would only increase as people had access to it, 19:56 a cause that countless missionaries 19:59 devoted their lives to. 20:07 Today mission service may not be as cutting edge 20:11 as it was back then, or the Bible as new, 20:14 but the need for both is still vital, 20:16 the Great Commission still applies today. 20:19 There are countless people 20:20 who have never heard of the Bible 20:22 and have no idea what Christianity is. 20:25 Maybe God is calling you to be a missionary, 20:28 to leave your home, your place of comfort, 20:30 and fly away to a different land 20:32 and be a missionary for God there 20:34 where people have not heard of Him yet. 20:36 May we treasure God's Word as did Mary Jones, 20:39 and may we go wherever God calls us. 21:42 Our spiritual lineage is a rich one, 21:44 with many illustrious names 21:46 stretching back to the earliest centuries. 21:49 We started this journey tracing our spiritual lineage 21:53 with the Celtic Church in Britain. 21:55 We saw that as early as the 5th and 6th centuries, 21:58 and lasting to the 12th century, 22:00 there were Christians 22:01 who were trying to maintain a faith 22:03 based on their understanding of God's Word. 22:06 The Waldensians of northern Italy 22:08 were another such group 22:09 who could trace their origins centuries back. 22:12 The faith and belief of groups such as these stood in conflict 22:17 with the claims from Rome, 22:18 that they were the mother church, 22:20 and so they sought to either convert 22:22 or destroy them. 22:30 In an era of immense darkness, 22:32 John Wycliffe arose the Morning Star. 22:35 Whilst he did not start a new church, 22:37 by translating the Bible and through his teachings, 22:40 he was able to peel back the layers of night 22:43 that had descended during the dark ages. 22:46 John Wycliffe was followed 22:47 by Hus and Jerome, two brave men in Prague. 22:51 A century later, Martin Luther arose in Germany, 22:55 Zwingli in Switzerland, 22:57 Farel and Calvin in France and then Switzerland, 23:00 all great men who went against the grain 23:03 and remained true to their convictions. 23:14 In Britain, William Tyndale would produce 23:16 a beautiful translation of the Bible, 23:19 something that would cost him his life. 23:22 It was not an easy time to be a believer, 23:25 but slowly and surely 23:26 the light was beginning to shine. 23:29 Proverbs 4:18 says that 23:31 "The path of the just is as a shining light 23:34 that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day," 23:37 meaning that when God reveals truth to us, 23:40 whether individually or collectively, 23:42 He does it bit by bit. 23:44 The sun does not just appear in the morning 23:47 but it comes over the horizon gradually, 23:49 and so God gives us truth in bite-size pieces. 23:52 And so with the church, 23:54 each reformer built 23:55 on the steps of those who had come before them. 24:08 The truth of justification, sanctification, baptism, 24:12 Christian charity, freedom, and the second coming, 24:15 all came back gradually. 24:17 Each of the reformers 24:19 did not always agree with each other, 24:21 but God used each one. 24:23 As the dark ages ended in 1798 24:27 with the close of the 1260 year prophecy, 24:30 and as the world entered a time period 24:32 known as the Time of the End, 24:34 the prophecy said that "Knowledge would increase." 24:38 This is not to be interpreted as knowledge of science 24:41 or technology, 24:42 but knowledge of the books of the Bible, 24:44 in particular Daniel and Revelation 24:47 would be unveiled as we neared the end. 24:54 Despite the huge gains that had taken place 24:57 during the Reformation, 24:58 Revelation 12 points out that after the woman, 25:01 or the church would come out of persecution 25:04 at the end of the 1260 years prophecy, 25:08 that God would have a remnant at the end of time. 25:11 A remnant who as Revelation 12:17 points out, 25:15 "Would keep the commandments of God 25:17 and have the testimony of Jesus." 25:19 But who would this be? 25:21 And how would God lead His people in the 19th, 20th, 25:25 and 21st centuries? 25:27 Join us next season as we continue this journey 25:31 and explore our spiritual lineage 25:33 through time. |
Revised 2020-05-14