Foundations: Heroes of the Faith - Day 56

William Seymour (1870-1922)

READ: Acts 2:1-21

William Seymour’s ardent pursual of the Spirit ignited a fire that continues to blaze throughout the worldwide church. His desperation for the Holy Spirit and subsequent gifts opened the door for Pentecostalism and invited the Holy Spirit back into the Christian body.

The son of slaves, Seymour was a first-generation freed African American who had to attend Bible studies in the hallway because he wasn’t allowed in the classroom. He learned from Charles Parham about the baptism of the Spirit and the gift of tongues. Seymour wasn’t a gifted speaker nor did he have exceptional social skills. He had never received the gift of tongues, but began to preach that it should be a part of every believer’s experience.

Seymour and a group of like-minded individuals began to meet regularly, praying to be filled with the Spirit and to receive the gift of tongues. Soon it began to happen. People in the group were receiving the gift, praying and singing in tongues they had never known. The group moved to a building on Azusa Street, Los Angeles, and the Azusa Street Revival was born. News spread and people came from all around to pray and receive. Within five months, 13,000 had come through the doors of the mission. There was very little structure to the meetings; they were loud and energetic “as the Spirit moved.” Over the next few years, people would continue to come from all over to experience what was happening at Azusa, and from there, Pentecostalism spread out across the world.

The movement was not without its problems. Many churches disassociated themselves from what was happening at Azusa. Rifts were formed, accusations put forth, some even called the whole thing “demonic.” Nevertheless, God started something at Azusa Street. For so long, the Holy Spirit and His gifts had been pushed out of the church. April 9, 1906 (the start of the revival) marked a new beginning and an opening of hearts to the power of God’s Spirit. 

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?

2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?

3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.

Foundations: Heroes of the Faith - Day 55

Amy Carmichael (1867-1951)

READ: Isaiah 49

As a young woman, Amy Carmichael felt a strong rebuke from the Lord that would set the stage for her life as a missionary. She and her brother were helping an old beggar woman walk down the street when Amy was overcome with embarrassment that she was being seen with such a woman. Amy heard a voice say: “Gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay and straw – the fire will test what sort of work each has done. If the foundation survives, he will receive the reward.” Later she found these words in her Bible. Knowing her heart had been wrong while helping the old woman, she repented before the Lord and promised to follow His leading in her life. This began God’s call on Amy’s life.

Amy began to help the poor and needy, living among them while she ministered. But she soon felt a strong calling to go somewhere as a missionary. She didn’t know where, but through circumstances, God eventually directed her to India. There, like Hudson Taylor in China, Amy Carmichael donned an Indian sari and even stained her skin with dark coffee in hopes of better fitting in with the local people.

It was common for unwanted little girls to be given to the Hindu temples where they would spend their lives as temple prostitutes. The girls were considered “married to the gods” and thus had no rights. Abuse was common and sexual exploitation was their very purpose. When Amy met Preena, a temple runaway seeking protection, she knew why God had called her to India. She began to take in girls like Preena, providing a place of sanctuary for them in the little village of Dohnavur. She would travel miles on foot for the possibility of saving just one child. At Dohnavur, a community of love and protection developed that still exists today.

Despite lifelong health problems, Amy Carmichael worked fervently for the Lord. She understood how to take up her cross. In fact, a young woman considering the mission field once sent Amy a letter asking “What is missionary life like?” Amy’s reply was simple, yet profound: “Missionary life is simply a chance to die.”

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?

2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?

3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.

Foundations: Heroes of the Faith - Day 54

D. L. Moody (1837-1899)

READ: John 15:1-17

God can do extraordinary things out of ordinary people. Dwight Lyman Moody’s life was a testament to that. As one of 9 children being raised by a widowed mother, Moody never received more than a 5^th grade education, and was never encouraged to read his Bible. He never went to college or seminary or joined the clergy. Still, he had high hopes and sought to make lots of money when he grew up. But after becoming a Christian at age 18, Moody realized there was more to life than wealth. He was known to be optimistic, outgoing, confident and energetic, and probably could have become a wealthy businessman! But God had a different calling for D. L. Moody. God led him to get involved with the poor immigrants of Chicago, and so Moody entered the inner city mission field. He worked with the YMCA and eventually started his own church. But the Chicago fire would change everything. Both his church and the YMCA succumbed to the flames.

Moody felt led to begin revival campaigns, and travelled through different cities and towns preaching the gospel. God had gotten a hold of him in a new way: though social work was well and good, it was the gospel people needed and evangelism was Moody’s calling. He led many crusades and pioneered new techniques for evangelism. He would also go on to establish seminaries for boys and girls which would provide Bible-centred education. Eventually one of these seminaries in Chicago would come to be known as the Moody Bible Institute, which continues to educate students in the Word of God.

Not only was Moody a dynamic speaker and a passionate evangelist, but he was a good man and a great father. He was a man busy with the Lord’s work, and wasn’t ashamed if the Lord’s work meant a weekend with the family. He loved to spend time with his wife and three children, pretending with them and pulling pranks together. D. L. Moody was an ordinary man who was willing to do the work God called him to do with energy and joy. If we are faithful in the little things, like this man, God will give us greater responsibility. He can do the extraordinary.

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?

2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?

3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.

Foundations: Heroes of the Faith - Day 53

Hudson Taylor (1832-1905)

READ: Matthew 6

Today the underground church movement in China is the fastest growing church movement in history. Hudson Taylor was the man largely responsible for bringing the gospel message to the Chinese people.

Taylor accepted Christ as a teenager and very soon felt called to be a missionary in China. He studied medicine, sought to learn Mandarin, and trained himself to rely on the providence of God. At age 21 he set sail for China.

Hudson Taylor forged a new trail for missionaries. Unlike other missionary organizations, it was never his goal to westernize the Chinese by forcing them to trade their Chinese heritage for the gospel. Rather, he was burdened for the hearts of the Chinese people and longed for them to know Christ. His approach was radical. Immediately upon his arrival, Hudson abandoned his English attire and dressed himself like the Chinese. He wanted to learn the language, embrace the culture and tell the people about the good news of Jesus. Eventually he would establish the China Inland Mission with the goal to bring the gospel where it had never been before. He and his missionaries left the comfort of the cities and journeyed inland to bring the gospel to every province of China.

Taylor was a strict leader. He had learned early on that God would provide all he needed, and so anyone who wanted to volunteer with China Inland Mission could not expect to be paid a salary; the missionary would rely on God for support. Like Hudson, the missionaries were also required to dress as the Chinese people. Hudson was innovative in that he allowed women – single or married – to join his mission, something that he was criticized for. But the need was so great! Hudson Taylor worked endlessly and expected the same of his missionaries. He wanted people who were willing to leave the comforts of western society for the discomfort of the mission field.

When Hudson Taylor had a need, he asked God for it. When he asked for 24 missionaries to take the gospel inland, God provided. When in 1881 he asked for 70 missionaries by the end of 1884, God provided 76. When he asked for 100 by 1887, he had 102! God used Hudson Taylor and China Inland Mission to get the good news of Christ to the people of China, an accomplishment that has had colossal effect on the worldwide church.

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?

2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?

3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.

Foundations: Heroes of the Faith - Day 52

William Booth (1829-1912) and Catherine Booth (1829-1890)

READ: Isaiah 61

William and Catherine Booth were a dynamic duo for the Lord. While William was born into poverty, Catherine was born into a comfortable Christian home. Both came to develop strong personal relationships with the Lord and sought to see others experience the same. They met and married in expectation of a life of ministry.

Catharine advocated strongly for women in ministry. She was bold in her beliefs that the Apostle Paul’s words about women had been too long taken out of context. She believed that women had the ability and the heavenly right to preach the Word of God. William supported her, and when Catharine finally did get a chance to preach, her listeners were mesmerized. She was blazing a new trail for women on the pastoral frontier.

England’s lower class society was in disarray; neither the Church of England nor the Methodists had a strategy to bring the gospel to the poor. The homeless and the hoodlum had no one offering them the Bread of life. William and Catherine had a heart for the downtrodden, and together they lived among the poor, reaching out to those caught in drunkenness, violence, prostitution and homelessness. They met the people’s needs and preached the gospel of Christ. Eventually they would establish the famous Salvation Army. Through this mission, they continued to reach out to the needs of the demoralized while incorporating military organization like uniforms, officers and marching bands. The Salvation Army officers paraded through the streets, singing, preaching and drawing people into the mission where they could experience the love of God.

Many knew and were impacted by William and Catherine Booth. When William died in 1912, 40,000 attended his funeral. Even the queen was there. He and Catherine had spent their lives for the gospel, and went on to receive their reward. 

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?

2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?

3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.

Foundations: Heroes of the Faith - Day 51

Horatio Spafford (1828-1888)

READ: Psalm 46

The Spafford’s story is one of God’s sovereignty and goodness amid grave trial. Horatio Spafford and his wife Anna were God-fearing people with the gift of hospitality. With a successful Chicago law practice and a fair amount of real estate investments, they were fairly well-off and lived comfortably with their 5 children. They loved the Lord and used their resources and influence to aid social reform activists and evangelists in their city.

But hard times were in store for the Spaffords, who would receive a test of faith like that of Job. When their only son was just four years old he died of scarlet fever. The following year, in 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed much of Horatio Spafford’s real estate. But as people whose treasure was stored up in heaven, they reached out in love and care to help those who had lost much more than them; the fire had left 90,000 homeless.

When Anna Spafford’s health began to fail in 1873, the couple decided to take their four daughters and spend some time in Europe where D. L. Moody was conducting an evangelical campaign. Last minute business, however, required Horatio to stay home, and so he sent his wife and daughters ahead of him to Europe. Horatio Spafford would not see his daughters again. Tragically, their steamer was struck by a sailing ship, sinking in only 12 minutes and taking his four daughters with it. The telegram Spafford received from Anna read: “saved alone.” While sailing abroad to collect his wife, the captain informed him when they were near the place where his daughters drowned. After seeing it, Spafford returned to his cabin to compose his response to this tragedy. It would become one of the best-loved and heartfelt hymns of all time. The words of this hymn resound as a testament to the faith of Horatio Spafford.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
(refrain)

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
(refrain)

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?

2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?

3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.

Foundations: Heroes of the Faith - Day 50

Fanny Crosby (1820-1915)

READ: Psalm 1

At age 8, Fanny penned the following verse:

Oh, what a happy soul I am,
Though I cannot see!
I am resolved that in this world
Contented I will be.

How many blessings I enjoy
That other people don't,
To weep and sigh because I'm blind
I cannot, and I won't!

From a young age Fanny Crosby put her trust fully in her Lord Jesus. She was blinded at six weeks old due to a maltreatment given by a quack pretending to be a certified doctor. But the injustice never deterred her and she was known to be glad and contented in her blindness. When anyone showed pity at her situation, she declared the joy she felt in knowing that the first face she would ever behold would be that of her Saviour.

Fanny was a gifted writer and spent much time writing poetry. She also worked avidly to memorize Scripture and as a child could recite from memory the Pentateuch, the Gospels, Proverbs, Song of Solomon and many of the Psalms. She loved God and His Word and her greatest joy was to write hymns, setting her words to music, be it her own compositions or the music of others. Over the course of her life, Fanny wrote over 9000 hymns! She wrote so many that she used a variety of pen names so that hymnals would not be full of “Fanny Crosby” hymns.

Fanny’s life was not without troubles. She and her husband lost their only child at infancy, and, though they were always friends, the couple lived much of their married life in separation. Still, Fanny was a woman who found joy in the Lord. Though she made enough money to live in comfort, she chose to live in the slums of the Lower East Side of Manhattan. She had a heart for the poor and spent much time working with rescue missions.

Fanny Crosby left a great legacy through the written word. Her hymns have drawn countless of people to the foot of the cross and to the feet of Jesus.

All the way my Savior leads me;
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my guide?

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?

2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?

3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.

Foundations: Heroes of the Faith - Day 49

Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896)

READ: Psalm 9

Harriet Beecher was born the seventh of eight children who were expected to do something significant in the world. Her brothers were all ministers, some of the most famous of their time. One sister was a pioneer for women’s education and another founded the National Women's Suffrage Association. Harriet had the gift of writing and felt it was her place to write books.

As a devout Christian and a woman of patriotism, Harriet felt deep sorrow over slavery in the United States. This was increased when she married Calvin Stowe, an avid abolitionist of the slave trade. Together they were involved with the Underground Railroad – a network of people willing to house slaves who were escaping to freedom. When the Fugitive Slave Law was enacted in 1850, making it illegal to help slaves on the run, Harriet could not keep quiet. Bound to her commitment to Christ and certain of the judgement of God, she wrote what would become one of the most influential pieces of literature of all time. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published in 1852, a story illustrating the life of African-American slaves. The little novel spread across the nation, awakening many to the injustice of slavery and causing uproar in the south where slavery was rampant. The Civil War soon began and when she met President Abraham Lincoln shortly after, he greeted her saying, “so you are the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war.” 

Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote books because she loved to write, and she had the gift. It was her career and her passion. She wrote as ideas came, but when she saw the injustice of slavery so commonplace in society, she knew she was called to write something of intent. When describing why she wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin, she said: “I wrote what I did because as a woman, as a mother, I was oppressed and broken-hearted with the sorrows and injustice I saw, because as a Christian I felt the dishonor to Christianity - because as a lover of my county, I trembled at the coming day of wrath.” Harriet possessed a deep fear of the Lord, knowing that God would judge her nation for its injustices to the oppressed. She recognized her Christian duty, that feeling bad was not enough, and she used her pen to speak for those who had no voice. Her impact was astronomical.

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?

2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?

3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.

Foundations: Heroes of the Faith - Day 48

George Mueller (1805-1898)

READ: Philippians 4:4-20

Back in England, George Mueller was another social activist working hard towards societal change, particularly among the orphaned children of London. Throughout his lifetime he would help over 10,000 orphans, and through his legacy would come to be known as a man of great faith. But faith-filled and Christ-like were not always words to describe George Mueller. As a young Bible school student, he loved to gamble, swear and drink, and enjoyed a pastime of mocking Christians. However, after attending a Bible study where he saw people who genuinely loved Jesus, George Mueller gave his life to the Lord.

Mueller is well known as a man of faith, a quality that characterized him immediately upon his commitment to Christ. Of course, faith is a requirement for salvation and a relationship with the Lord – “for you have been saved by grace through faith” and “without faith it is impossible to please God” – but George Mueller’s faith was like that of the heroes of Scripture; he held an unyielding trust in the Lord which enabled him to walk a life of obedience and accomplishment in God’s kingdom. 

George was put to the test right away. When hearing that his son wanted to go into the ministry, George’s father refused to pay for the remainder of his schooling. George, confident that he was obeying God and that God could provide, presented his need to the Lord in prayer. Not an hour later there was a knock at the door and George had a job offer that would pay his way through college! Later, when George was offered a preaching position, he refused to take a salary, trusting God to meet his needs and that of his family. Experiences like this these became the norm in George’s life. When he had a need, he presented it to His heavenly Father, and his Father always provided enough.

Eventually God opened George Mueller’s eyes to the cry of the orphans in London. George saw the children in the street and knew the Lord was calling him to start an orphanage. Like always, he prayed for his needs: a building, furniture, workers and overseers, food and clothing, and like always, God provided. George never knew how God would step in, and there were many times when he had to step out in faith and obedience trusting God to come through. There are stories told of 300 children waiting in the dining room for their breakfast in an orphanage of empty cupboards. But they sat there waiting in expectation because George Mueller knew that God would provide food for His children. And it just so happened that a baker and a milkman showed up at the door with breakfast!

When George Mueller’s orphans were old enough to leave his orphanage, it is said that he placed a Bible in the child’s right hand, and a coin in the left. George would tell him that if he held on to what was in his right hand, God would always make sure there would be something in his left. In our busy, materialistic and wealth-oriented society, there is so much we can learn from this great man of faith.

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?

2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?

3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.

Foundations: Heroes of the Faith - Day 47

Charles Finney (1792-1875)

READ: Mark 11:20-26; John 14:9-14

As a result of the American Revolution, the thirteen British colonies had become the new United States of America. As settlers spread across the country, immorality was on the rise and Christianity on the decline. The country was again in need of spiritual revival. The 1790s-1840s saw great outpourings of the Holy Spirit as spiritual revival spread across the new nation – a Second Great Awakening.

Charles Finney was one of the movers and shakers of this awakening, earning himself the title as the “Father of American Revivalism”. Finney was a lawyer who left his trade and moved his legal logic and courtroom skill to the pulpit, with compelling and persuasive sermons. He wasn’t in favour of theatrical emotion, but sought to bring people to a place of excitement knowing it was only then that they would act on what they had heard.

Charles Finney sought to bring God’s Word to the common man and to include the common man in his ministry. This was American revivalism – everyone included in the evangelism and discipleship of the saved. Finney enacted “new measures” which made his revivals very successful: he held all-night prayer meetings, allowed women to pray publically, allowed emotional responses in his meetings, and designated an “anxious bench” where any sinner could come to receive prayer during a revival meeting.

Finney came on the evangelical scene with a new approach. He advocated that God has given all man the opportunity and ability to choose for himself if he will follow God or reject Him. This brought a new sense of responsibility and passion to people of America as they sought to actually do something about their sin.

Charles Finney was also known as a man of great faith – a faith that allowed him to pray with power. Not prosperity driven, name-it-and-claim-it prayers of “faith,” but bold prayers aligned to God’s will through His promised Word. A story is told of a drought in Finney’s residence of Oberlin, Ohio. One Sunday, Finney awoke and felt the urge to pray for rain before his congregation. (Some say he even brought an umbrella to church that morning!) In front of his congregation, he humbly but boldly asked the Lord to send rain before the end of the service. Within the hour, the rumble of thunder was heard and soon there was an outpouring of rain that the land had not received in months! Charles Finney was a man immersed in Scripture and diligent in prayer, listening to God and seeking His will. He loved the Lord and sought to obey God’s command. Because of these things, he could pray and preach in faith and much fruit was seen in his life and ministry as a result. 

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?

2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?

3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.

Foundations: Heroes of the Faith - Day 46

Elizabeth Fry (1780-1845)

READ: Proverbs 31

The chapter in Proverbs describes well some of the women in 18^th and 19^th C England, one in particular being Elizabeth Fry. As a young woman, Elizabeth read the works of Enlightenment writers and political philosophers and identified herself as having no religion. However, when she met a certain Quaker man, she had a great sense of God’s presence and returned to her Quaker roots, becoming serious in her faith.

The prisons at this time were overflowing. Many people were there for the simple “crimes” of poverty and debt. Even women and children filled the prisons, with those who stole a loaf of bread in a cell alongside hardened criminals. Prisons were there to punish, not reform, and conditions were horrible. Elizabeth Fry, with her newfound faith, was eager to bring the compassion of Christ to the imprisoned. She married at age 20 and would go on to bear 11 children. But like the woman of Proverbs 31, she balanced shrewdly her home and ministry, mothering her children, taking care of her home, and working hard to improve prison conditions in Newgate Prison. By 1817, Elizabeth had formed a team of women who would go into the prisons and minister to the women there, reading the Bible to them, educating them about hygiene, and teaching them practical tasks like sewing that would later help them to earn a living. Through Elizabeth’s advocacy men and women were housed separately, inmates were given pay for work, women were guarded by female guards, and prisoners were housed according to their crimes. Elizabeth fought for reform within prisons and as result, Newgate became a model prison throughout Britain. Elizabeth’s testimony also helped to pass the Prison Reform Act of 1823. She was a trailblazer for organizations who would come after her, characterizing prisoner reform through social work and evangelism.

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?

2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?

3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.

Foundations: Heroes of the Faith - Day 45

William Wilberforce (1759-1833)

READ: James 2:14-26

William Wilberforce was a true marketplace leader. It was John Newton, the redeemed slave trader, who, after William became a Christian at age 25, encouraged him to stay in politics. Newton believed William could be used for God’s purposes in parliament.

William Wilberforce’s conversion changed him. He joined a group of Christians called the Clapham Sect and became quite concerned with societal reform. It was the late 18^th C and society was in dire need of improvement. The upper class was small but rich while the poor were getting poorer. Orphans filled the streets and the factories, alcoholism was rampant, and many were starving and in debt. Blasphemy, profanity and immoral conduct were the norm and William Wilberforce sought to eradicate such behaviour.

But William’s main focus was the abolition of slavery, and he used his position in parliament to this end. This was no small feat! The economy of 18^th C Europe was largely dependent upon the slave trade and most people thought it would be impossible to abolish slavery if only for that reason. William Wilberforce was one of the few who were willing to fight for what was right, regardless of its economical affect. William fought for the justice of slaves for 20 years, and though he and his bill received incredible opposition, in 1807 Britain saw the abolition of the slave trade when his bill finally passed in parliament. Though this bill brought an end to trafficking, those in slavery were still bound to their masters. William continued to fight for the freedom of all slaves in Britain, even after he retired from Parliament. William Wilberforce died in July of 1833 without seeing the fruit of his labour. But it was only one month later that the House of Commons voted to free all slaves and eradicate slavery for good!

William Wilberforce is a striking example to Christians today of how to stand boldly for truth even when it is lonely. Like the men and women of Hebrews 11, he walked in faithful obedience even though it seemed his work was in vain, and even though he never saw the outcome he longed for. He joins the great cloud of witnesses spurring us on from heaven to stand boldly for the name of Christ.  

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?

2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?

3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.

Foundations: Heroes of the Faith - Day 44

John Newton (1725-1807)

READ: Romans 6

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind but now I see.”

The one who penned these words did so with humble thanksgiving. John Newton was that wretch. He spent years running from the God whom his mother had loved, only to take her from him at age 7. He was a man of arrogance and rebellion, immoral to the core. He sought to sin and to bring others into perdition with him. He defied authority, and neither lashing nor imprisonment could curb his wickedness. He was forced to join the royal navy, which he hated, and finally convinced his superiors to discharge him to a slave ship.

Over the course of time, John came to captain is own slaver. He was a blasphemous man, and known for it. But the sovereign Lord had greater purpose for John Newton. During one voyage, such a storm hit the ship, that all were certain they were destined for a watery grave. In the height of the storm, however, Newton called out “Lord, have mercy on us!” and the storm miraculously subsided. Upon reflection in his cabin, Newton saw clearly the hand of God on the ship and finally surrendered his will to the Lord right then and there.

It took a few years, but John did come to realize the sinfulness of the slave trade and abandoned it immediately. He lived forever with regret for those years, and painfully shared his experiences with William Wilberforce in hopes of helping him in his mission to abolish slavery.

Because of the grace he had received, John Newton was willing to sell himself to the Lord. He died to sin and was made alive in righteousness. So many have been impacted by his life and the famous hymn he penned. God gave sight to the blind eyes of John Newton, and through Newton’s song and testimony, the Spirit has cured the blindness of countless men and women. John Newton’s life is testimony to the sweet redemption of Jesus, that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?

2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?

3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.

Foundations: Heroes of the Faith - Day 43

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)

READ: 1 John 4

Like the Wesleys and George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards was a vital part of the First Great Awakening, and the only key leader born and raised in America. As a young boy, Edwards was captivated by the sovereignty of God – it was meditating on this quality that brought him to fully commit to Christ. Edwards was serious and studious. He longed to see vibrant Christian community – people of real faith and of unity of heart and mind. He was neither theatrical nor emotional, but preached with inward intensity and delivered convincing arguments, spellbinding crowds in his own way. Also unlike Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards was not a travelling preacher; rather he was committed to shepherding one church body. 

Though he was a sound preacher, Jonathan Edwards is known for his study and writings, which earned him the name “America’s Greatest Theologian”. He wrote much on theology and on the sovereignty of God. The church throughout the years has benefited greatly from his paper: “Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God”. Edwards had witnessed a fair bit of revival in his day, but also witnessed many of those “revived” falling back into old habits shortly thereafter. So he sought to discover how to tell if revival had indeed taken place, information which has been a great source to revivalists over the years. Over the course of his life, Edwards wrote a total of 1200 sermons and he was responsible for 50,000 being awakened to faith in Christianity.

Jonathan Edwards was a man of integrity – a quality that requires great faith. He was a loving husband, a committed father, and a faithful missionary for the work of the Lord.

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?

2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?

3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.

Foundations: Heroes of the Faith - Day 42

John Wesley (1703-1791) & Charles Wesley (1707-1788)

READ: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

The early 18^th C to the late 19^th C spanned a period of spiritual revival known as the Great Awakenings. Through the preaching of godly men and women, the Spirit moved, bringing heartfelt revival across America. John and his brother Charles were key players in the First Great Awakening of the 1730s and 40s, though their impact would come from afar. The brothers were born and raised in England, and aside from a few months on missions in British America, remained there throughout their lives. However they greatly influenced the movement through their teaching and development of Methodism.

While attending Oxford, both boys got serious in their faith and started a “Holy Club” – a small group providing encouragement and accountability for those who sought to live a holy life. Their methods to holy living (fasting, abstaining from amusements, weekly communion, small groups, etc.) gained them the name “Methodists” by those who ridiculed them. Holiness was the focus of their teaching.  Both had an intense desire for spiritual perfection, and so they sought to do good works as the Bible commanded and to experience the sanctification spoken of in the scriptures. The Wesleys were radical because they took their responsibility as Christians very seriously in a time when the church was full of apathy and immorality. Their focus on personal holiness, repentance, the possibility of sanctification, and evangelism paved the way for revival – and a great revival it would be! Psalm 45:7 seems a fitting verse in memory of these men: “You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”

George Whitefield (1714-1770)

READ: Romans 12

George Whitefield was America’s first cultural hero. By 1750, virtually every man woman and child in America had heard him speak, and other than royalty, he was perhaps the only name that all colonial Americans would have recognized.

Whitefield was born and raised in England and met John and Charles Wesley while attending Oxford. He quickly joined their Holy Club and even took on leadership when the brothers went to America. George was an unparalleled communicator who knew how to get beyond the head and touch the heart. He loved the stage and knew how to captivate any audience, bringing passion to his messages through tears, body language and emotion. Whitefield had a lasting impression on American religion. He felt called to New England and came over on a number of preaching tours throughout his life, traveling from place to place, and captivating crowds with his passionate preaching. He was not a man to waste time. He arose at four each morning and lay down at ten. He travelled constantly and preached multiple times a day, sometimes up to 60 hours in a week, and is said to have taught 30,000 sermons by the time he died.

Whitefield wasn’t perfect – his ministry lacked a method of discipleship, leaving some of his hearers floundering after he moved on. His marriage also lacked intimacy and care. He was afraid of marriage and when he did finally marry, he spent most of his time away from his wife, leaving her feeling lonely and rejected. Nonetheless, George Whitfield had a lasting impression on American religion. Though he was deemed a Methodist preacher, his message was non-denominational – anyone and everyone came to hear him speak and be impacted. The vitality and emotion that he brought to the pulpit set the stage for centuries of evangelists, pastors and youth pastors who would seek to minister in his footsteps. Whitefield embodied Romans 12:11 “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?

2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?

3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.

Foundations: Heroes of the Faith - Day 41

John Bunyan (1628-1688)

READ: 1 Timothy 1:12-17

Not to be confused with the man with the big blue ox (Paul Bunyan), John Bunyan was the author of one of the most significant works of religious English literature. A poor man, he married an equally poor woman who came into the marriage with nothing but two religious books. These books would have a powerful impact on John who eventually came to repent of his sin and accept Christ, even becoming a minister. But when Charles II restored England to Anglicism in 1660, John was no longer legally allowed to preach. He did, and spent 12 years in prison as a result. He would have been released had he promised not to preach, but he would do no such thing. Instead he preached to his fellow inmates.

John wrote at least nine books during those years, spending the last four on his greatest work, The Pilgrim’s Progress. The story is an allegory of the Christian life, and was a picture of Bunyan’s own conversion to the Lord. John struggled with the guilt of his sin in his early Christian life, thus the journey of the book’s main character, Christian, was dear to John’s heart. He understood well the words he penned: “He that lives in sin, and looks for happiness hereafter, is like him that soweth cockle and thinks to fill his barn with wheat or barley.” John Bunyan was a man of deep convictions and immeasurable talent, spurred by the grace he had received from the Father. 

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

READ: Psalm 98

Across the centuries, many have judged the arts (music, theatre, film) as a type of “Satan’s playground”. The art world is indeed an interesting place and is sadly one where the sacred is often desecrated. Much is done in the name of “art” that would be deemed “public indecency” anywhere else. Yet creativity is a blessed wonder sprung from our Lord who Himself is the very Source of creativity. “And God said…” begins the mystery of our universe. And so it is no wonder that throughout history, He has placed gifted and godly men and women in positions of artistic influence.

George Frideric Handel was once such individual. Beginning music lessons at age 9, he wrote his first composition by age 12. He loved to write operas, which was unfortunate, since they were going out of style. By 1737 his opera company was bankrupt and he was dealing with health problems. It was at this time that he developed a love for oratorios. Unlike operas, oratorios were Biblical stories and were performed without the flamboyance of costume and scenery.  Ironically, the church was outraged with Handel, revolted at the idea of common people performing God’s Word, and in a theatre no less! But Handel continued with his compositions, though depressed and frustrated by the kickback he received. Handel loved the Lord and found great pleasure in working with two of God’s creations – Scripture and music. He loved to set the Word of God to rhythm and sound. In 1741, Handel was asked by a friend to compose the music to a libretto the friend had written – a combination of Biblical and religious texts outlining the work of Christ. Handel worked feverishly, completing the composition – 260 pages – in only 24 days! The result was what has become one of the best-known musical works of the western world: Handel’s Messiah. The oratorio poignantly examines the life of Christ, from the prophecies of Isaiah, to the resurrection. To quote the most well-loved portion: “Hallelujah: for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. (Re 19:6) The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever. (Re 11:15) King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. (Re 19:16) Hallelujah!”

Handel was an artist. He did what he loved, and God used Him to create a musical masterpiece that illustrated the masterpiece of Scripture – the redemption of mankind through Jesus Christ. It is only through men and women like this that we will gain back ground that the enemy has stolen in the realm of creativity.

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?

2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?

3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.

Foundations: Heroes of the Faith - Day 40

Galileo (1564-1642)

READ: Psalm 19; 2 Timothy 2:15

Galileo was neither a missionary, nor a monk, nor a martyr. He was an astronomer. Galileo was a sky-studying scientist and a Catholic. Today, Christians in science look to his example as they stand firmly for the existence of God and the accuracy of the Bible in an increasingly hostile environment. So many today try to disprove God and the created world through scientific reasoning. But when we go back to the founding fathers of science, we see many individuals who loved science and Scripture, and who sought to glorify God through their studies.

Ironically, however, Galileo was not esteemed by the church in his day. In fact, the church put him under house arrest for the last nine years of his life. Galileo’s study of the sky had confirmed Copernicus’s theory that the earth revolved around the sun – up until this time, the accepted view was that the earth was the centre of the universe and that all the other celestial bodies revolved around her. The Catholic Church took Galileo’s views as a threat to the Scriptures, which they believed affirmed that the earth was fixed in the sky.

Galileo was not without his faults. He fathered three children out of wedlock with a woman whom he never married. But Galileo was a staunch believer in the inerrancy of Scripture – he believed the Bible to be the absolute, true word of God. Though he knew the Bible to be a book about salvation and theology and not a scientific textbook, He knew God as Creator and therefore knew there could be nothing scientifically inaccurate in the Scriptures. This sets him and many other fathers of modern science apart from those in later years. Charles Darwin, for example (the father of the evolutionary theory), was taught that the Bible was good for moral principles but was wrong on matters of science. This infiltrated his worldview so that he looked at the world apart from the God of the Bible. Galileo knew that the Bible and nature, both finding their source in God, could not contradict each other. With this worldview, he used his God-given mind and genius to discover the mysteries of the universe. In some of the last words he penned, we see him as a man of faith who used well what God had given him: “To the Lord; whom I worship and thank; that governs the heavens with His eyelid to Him I return tired, but full of living.”

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?

2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?

3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.

Foundations: Heroes of the Faith - Day 39

Menno Simons (1496-1561)

READ: 1 Corinthians 3:10-17

One group that came out of the Reformation were the Anabaptists. Considered too radical by many, including Martin Luther, the Anabaptists sought further reform in the Catholic Church. They desired to see the church return to the body described in the early years of Christianity – a group united under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Anabaptists spoke out against Catholic doctrines and practices like transubstantiation (the belief that, when taken, the communion bread and wine become the literal body and blood of Christ) and infant baptism, declaring these things unscriptural. The group of “fanatics” experienced much persecution for their stance.

Menno Simons was a Catholic priest who was ordained for two years before finally opening his Bible. What he found disturbed him. Though he taught the doctrine of transubstantiation, he did not sense it to be true, and when he finally read his Bible, did not find it to be supported by Scripture. The same was the case with infant baptism. He became very committed to the Word, and though he grew in wariness towards Catholic doctrine, continued in his position as a priest. Though he was inwardly starting to agree with the Anabaptists, he opted for the comfort of Catholicism. Finally he could take it no longer. He repented of his double-mindedness and taught Anabaptist doctrine from his pulpit for nine months before finally leaving the church and joining the Anabaptist movement.

Menno Simons became one of the key leaders of the movement, and his name eventually came to represent the Anabaptist people: Mennonites. Simons took the Bible very literally and proclaimed his views boldly, claiming the words of Paul: “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” He and his family lived in constant danger as they devoted themselves to the circulation of Anabaptist beliefs. 

Romans 14:23 says that “everything that does not come from faith is sin.” Menno Simons could not continue in his profession as a Catholic priest, no matter the comfort it offered. He knew the Spirit was convicting him to step out in faith and he followed in obedience, leaving the safety of Catholicism to join with those who were scorned for their beliefs. He joyfully embraced his Christian calling to suffer for Christ.

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?

2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?

3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.

Foundations: Heroes of the Faith - Day 38

Martin Luther (1483-1546)

READ: Romans 5

God calls His people to stand up boldly for truth. Martin Luther rose to the call. Luther is perhaps the most well-known figure of Christian history, being the recognized instigator of the Reformation. The Reformation was a time in history when many men and women stepped up in order to initiate change, particularly in the Catholic Church. Corruption in the Church was rampant – one particular perversion was the selling of indulgences, basically church leaders selling the forgiveness of sins. As in Wycliffe’s day, the Bible was still illegal for the common layperson to read. The church was on a quest for wealth and power and was hurting many ignorant people in its wake. This and many other things disturbed Luther who compiled a list of 95 corrections that needed to be made in the church and nailed it to the door of the church in Wittenberg. His actions were not well-received. He was eventually deemed a heretic and excommunicated from the Catholic Church.

Martin Luther was not a perfect man. While his theology was very scriptural on some points, he was very off on others, such as his hatred towards the Jews. He experienced much demonic opposition and struggled under the weight of his own sin and weaknesses. But God spoke to him, rekindling the good news that man is saved by grace, through faith and not by works. This was a remarkable truth next to the indoctrination of the Catholic Church which taught people to buy forgiveness! In his courage to stand up for the truth of salvation, Martin Luther set off the first domino in a line that has continued through the ages. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:9)

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?

2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?

3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.

Foundations: Heroes of the Faith - Day 37

John Wycliffe (1328-1384)

READ: Psalm 119

Wycliffe was a forerunner of the Reformation that would officially begin 133 years after his death. He saw clearly some of the corruption that existed in the Roman Catholic Church at the time. His studies of the Scriptures lead him to firm opinions on the matters of the church’s wealth and power, the sale of indulgences, the worship of saints and the authority of the pope – and Wycliffe was not afraid to share these opinions. This freedom of speech got him into trouble and in 1377 his writings were banned.

Above all, John Wycliffe was a man who loved God’s Word. It was by it that he came to his theological conclusions, and it was by it that he proclaimed that the pope and the church were second in authority – the first authority was Scripture itself. John also believed strongly that God’s Word should be available to all people. Moses received the Law in his own tongue and the disciples heard it in theirs, and he believed that the men and women of his day should have the same privilege. At the time, the Scriptures were in Latin, making it virtually impossible for anyone other than the clergy or highly learned to study them. And so Wycliffe began the very first English translation of the Bible. He died before it was finished, but a friend took up his work, and his supporters illegally distributed it throughout the country. 31 years after his death, Wycliffe was officially excommunicated from the church, his bones dug up and burned. Though they tried to dishonour his memory, he will be honoured in the Kingdom of heaven. 

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?

2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?

3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.

Foundations: Heroes of the Faith - Day 36

Francis of Assisi (1182-1226)

READ: Matthew 10:9-10; Matthew 25:31-46

When Francis of Assisi read the verses in Matthew 10, he knew God’s specific calling for his life and devoted himself to a life of poverty. As the son of a wealthy cloth merchant, Francis came from affluence and was all set up for a rich future. After a year spent as a prisoner of war, Francis abandoned the recklessness of his youth and began to question the true value of the wealth he was destined for. He became a Christian and responded to God’s calling on his life by abandoning his wealth. This decision would forever estrange him from his father who could not understand Francis’s actions.

Francis was a man of peace and compassion – a Medieval mother Theresa. He despised wealth and denied himself everyday comforts like sleep and rich food. He formed a monastic order – a precise way of living for others who desired to renounce their wealth. He and his followers sought to emulate the life and suffering of Christ. Unlike many monks, they were active in their communities, preaching to the people and ministering to the down-and-out.

Francis responded in faith to what God asked of him. He trusted in the Lord as his provider, also recognizing that there was not much in life that he needed. A story is told of Francis when he came across a leper. Lepers were disgusting to him, but when he saw this leper, he saw the face of Jesus and knew that the Lord was asking him to touch this man. Francis kissed him and gave him the money he had. Francis was able to take steps of faith in both the small and the big. Surely his life is a testament to these words: “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” (Matthew 19:29-30)

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?

2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?

3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.

Foundations: Heroes of the Faith - Day 35

Saint Patrick (c. 387-460)

READ: John 1:1-18; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18

Before Patrick, Ireland was a pagan nation, spiritually controlled by the Druids. Little is known about the Druid practices, though they did include sorcery and human sacrifice. They had quite a high level of control in the country, being exempt from taxes and holding the power to deem people as social outcasts through excommunication. It was into this dark land that God called Patrick, though unwillingly at first. At sixteen the Britain-born Patrick was captured by the Irish and sold to be a herdsman. It was here where his parents’ faith became his own. Later he would recognize his captivity as God’s merciful hand on his life, giving him an opportunity to commit himself to Christ. After six years, Patrick had a dream in which he was told that his ship would soon be ready. Escaping his master, he made his way to the sea and got a job on a ship. The next few years of Patrick’s life are not known for certain, but he did eventually return to his homeland. It was here where he had another dream – this time he saw a man carrying a bag of letters. As he read them, it was as if Patrick heard all of the voices of Ireland pleading with him to come back to their land. The Lord was calling him to bring the gospel to those who had enslaved him. In faith, Patrick made the trip back, this time as a slave to Christ. His years as a slave in the country had prepared him, for he knew how to work with the people. Patrick is accredited to the Christianization of Ireland in the years that followed, bringing the truth of Christ throughout the nation, starting hundreds of churches and baptising thousands into the faith. Jesus is the light of the world. In proclaiming Christ to the Irish people, Patrick brought the light of Christ into the darkness of Ireland – and because of His faith and obedience, an entire nation came to its knees.

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?

2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?

3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.

Foundations: Heroes of the Faith - Day 34

Polycarp (martyred for the Lord c. 156 AD)

READ: 1 Samuel 15:22; Philippians 1:20-21

Polycarp was the Bishop of Smyrna – a church leader who, tradition says, studied under the Apostle John. That left Polycarp the last living link to Jesus’ disciples. Thus he served the Lord during a very transitional time between first- and second-generation Christians. Polycarp was a man of faith who, like the martyrs before him, held unswervingly to Jesus in suffering – he could not not stand firm for the Lord!

At the time, the Romans deified the Emperor. They believed he was divine. The Christians were seen as “atheists” because they refused to acknowledge the Emperor’s divinity, nor would they perform pagan sacrifices, offer incense or join in the Roman festivals. So when 86-year old Polycarp was dragged into the arena on the day of his martyrdom, the pagan crowd was thirsty for his blood. The proconsul wanted to show him mercy and encouraged him to renounce his Christianity and swear by Caesar. But Polycarp knew the words of Jesus: “whoever denies Me before men, I also will deny before My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:33) His response was simple, yet profound: “Eighty-six years have I served Him, and He never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my king who has saved me?” When it was determined that Polycarp would not renounce his faith, he was burned at the stake. But tradition tells us something miraculous: Polycarp’s body would not burn! Rather it was as though he was gold being refined in a fire, and the smell was not of burning flesh, but of spices. Finally the executioner ran him through with a sword and the blood poured so much that it quenched the fire. Polycarp was happy to die for the One who had died for him.

JOURNALING AND PRAYER

1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?

2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?

3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.