Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Reflection - Called to Journey - A Brand Plucked Out of the Burning

Source (book): "Making All Things New", 52 Reflections to Challenge the Way You Live, Chapter 2, "A Brand Plucked Out of the Burning", Page 18.
By Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012


 The 6-year-old boy was asleep with his young siblings on the second storey of their family home.
PHOTO: The 6-year-old boy was asleep with his young siblings on the second storey of their family home. It was a quiet night in the English village of Epworth. But the peaceful night unravelled into a noisy and traumatic nightmare. The people of the village were rudely awakened by urgent shouts of "fire! fire!".

The house was on fire. When the blaze started on the roof, it startled one of the children awake. The frightened child rushed to his parents. The father, who was the pastor in the village, woke his wife and children, and hurried them out of the burning house. He went to he room where the younger children were sleeping and gave quick instructions to the maid to get the children safely out of the inferno.

Soon the whole family was out in the street helplessly watching their house burn in the cold night air. Then the parents noticed to their horror that their 6-year-old son was still in the house. He was trapped in the upper floor as the hungry flames engulfed the whole house. The father's heart was broken as he gave up hope  and committed his little boy to the Lord. But some men acted swiftly and with a few nimble (agile) acrobatic actions plucked the boy out of the jaw of death. They said it was a miracle. That boy was John Wesley who grew up and lived till he was 88. He considered himself to be a "brand plucked out of the burning", a phrase that stuck with him throughout life. Those words can be found on his tombstone.

John Wesley was born on June 17, 1703 into a godly home, the fifteenth of 19 children. He was born at a time when the world of factories, commerce, transportation, and social relationships. It was the dawn of the Enlightenment and a new confidence in human powers. Memories of the divine were dimming in many places, including the church. The Church of England was suffering from spiritual lethargy (inactivity) and was losing sight of Christ, its Lord and Master. Christianity was a convenient social experience more than a life-changing spiritual journey. The fabric of English society was also tearing up in many places. Social ills were on the rise. Poverty, alcoholism, child labour, slavery, the erosion of values, and many other forms of social pathology (the study of disease) made life miserable for the majority.

It was into this kind of world that Wesley was born. Throughout his long and illustrious (extremely well known) life, he was convince that God had a purpose in saving him from the fire. From a young age, he had a strong sense of mission. When he was a student at Oxford University, he got together with a few fellow students to form a "Holy Club". They earnestly sought to live holy lives and practised a Christian discipline that was intense and focused, almost to the point of obsession. Wesley was a natural and highly spiritual leader in the group, who led by example. He was intensely introspective (spends considerable time examining his own thoughts and feelings), examining his thoughts, words, and actions several times daily, and driving himself to be a disciple of Christ. There was a deep hunger in his heart to be holy.

So serious and disciplined were Wesley and his friends that others made fun of them, calling them "Methodists", because of their methodical way of practising the disciplines of the Christian life. The young Wesley was not deterred. He and his younger brother Charles were ordained as clergy in the Church of England and went to America as missionaries. There, Wesley realised that his faith was deficient and longed for a deep experience of holiness. It was on May 24, 1738 that God, who saved Wesley from the fire that kills, answered his prayer by sending into the man's heart the fire that purifies. Wesley had a deep experience of God's saving presence and assurance.

After this, Wesley sought to bring renewal in the church and began preaching everywhere. He laboured to form Methodist societies, not to form a new denomination but to strengthen the church. He appointed preachers to take care of the growing movement. He also sent preachers to America where the Methodist church expanded rapidly.

Wesley was a tireless and authoritarian leader. He preached 40,000 sermons and travelled a quarter of a million miles on horseback as an itinerant (travelling) preacher and overseer of the Methodist movement. In addition to the thousands of hymns written by his brother Charles, he wrote books and tracts to teach, instruct, and preserve the fruits of the movement. He organised the Methodists into small groups to ensure discipline and to promote Christian growth and mission. He saw holiness as both personal and social and therefore began significant ministries among the needy and disadvantaged in society. He started schools, ran clinics, organised prison ministries, and fought against social evils such as slavery and alcoholism.

He read his Bible as a scholar and devotee of Christ. He led a very disciplined life, waking up every day at 4:00 a.m, to read and to pray. A holistic view of life shaped his thinking and writing. He wrote a book on medical cures and experimented on the therapeutic uses of electricity. He kept himself fit and even had an "exercise machine" that simulated horseback riding - as if he did not have enough of that!

By the time Wesley died in 1791, there were about 70,000 Methodists in Britain and 45,000 more in the United States, and about 500 preachers in the movement. The man who intensely sought holiness discovered a loving God who was always before him. Wesley defined a Methodist as one who loved God with all his heart and one who loved his neighbour as himself. This scriptural holiness is rooted in a holy and loving God who has revealed himself through Jesus Christ. Wesley's hunger for perfection and holiness brought him into the loving arms of God and he discovered the perfection of divine love. He became a lover of God and found himself to be one beloved of God.

What can God accomplish through one man? The history of God's people is full of examples who prove that we worship an incredible God who blesses and uses individual like Wesley to leave lasting legacies. God plucked the brand from the fire and turned him truly into a firebrand of the Lord. That same God is at work in us today.
Picture posted by Abebooks - Plucked From The Fire
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVnzgptPDqaJF_DlJ6601ia6FZCsSQWIOAvcoUUdfG3jQG97kRquqEDH0CnY8BxKiFI5xxbJ1kh4xjyx7qxALtOFL3HudJo3DmObreJERboB31r4QaOyRfASUjFXvoEBXQ2g3IiIaZXVMkskvNPmj5oLhnco6LOk0DMyGmlz_tlezpm1Oyh_KHHxVBnfM/s1000/9780805999594-us-664x1000_1.png
https://pictures.abebooks.com/isbn/9780805999594-us.jpg
https://www.abebooks.com/Plucked-Fire-William-Hennessey-Rosedog-2004-08-27/30716996436/bd


The 6-year-old boy was asleep with his young siblings on the second storey of their family home. It was a quiet night in the English village of Epworth. But the peaceful night unravelled into a noisy and traumatic nightmare. The people of the village were rudely awakened by urgent shouts of "fire! fire!".

The house was on fire. When the blaze started on the roof, it startled one of the children awake. The frightened child rushed to his parents. The father, who was the pastor in the village, woke his wife and children, and hurried them out of the burning house. He went to he room where the younger children were sleeping and gave quick instructions to the maid to get the children safely out of the inferno.


 The 6-year-old boy was asleep with his young siblings on the second storey of their family home.
PHOTO: The 6-year-old boy was asleep with his young siblings on the second storey of their family home. It was a quiet night in the English village of Epworth. But the peaceful night unravelled into a noisy and traumatic nightmare. The people of the village were rudely awakened by urgent shouts of "fire! fire!".
Picture posted by Antiche Curiosita. - The Birth-Place, 1840 ca.(of Rev. John Wesley)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCfB1_JAXz9TtzKyzwVSCnU8ZWEn22RKci-DdLKYwp8W7Vps7zBh77bykUOFtVNmaDgByj_TOKAZU2GPCCNk_SU4cRv4Mi1ULDQVEWhEP0L_fhApqEY-y-EULNuHkCuLqIKYorafBUhGAjEBoXf1mm8HCLmwtPFTeJ-HUPgi8MmtRHEFKcJ0SInFYv4DA/s1226/pinocchio-5-5-scaled_11.png
https://antichecuriosita.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/pinocchio-5-5-scaled.jpeg
https://antichecuriosita.co.uk/product/antique-engraving-print-the-birth-place-1840-ca/


Soon the whole family was out in the street helplessly watching their house burn in the cold night air. Then the parents noticed to their horror that their 6-year-old son was still in the house. He was trapped in the upper floor as the hungry flames engulfed the whole house. The father's heart was broken as he gave up hope  and committed his little boy to the Lord. But some men acted swiftly and with a few nimble (agile) acrobatic actions plucked the boy out of the jaw of death. They said it was a miracle. That boy was John Wesley who grew up and lived till he was 88. He considered himself to be a "brand plucked out of the burning", a phrase that stuck with him throughout life. Those words can be found on his tombstone.


 Some men acted swiftly and with a few nimble (agile) acrobatic actions plucked the boy out of the jaw of death.
PHOTO: Some men acted swiftly and with a few nimble (agile) acrobatic actions plucked the boy out of the jaw of death. They said it was a miracle. That boy was John Wesley who grew up and lived till he was 88. He considered himself to be a "brand plucked out of the burning", a phrase that stuck with him throughout life.
Picture posted by Rev Dr Malcolm Tan on 24 May 2020 - A Brand Plucked from the Burning Sermon note by Anita Fam
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPq34loYvnQUMQOWW4oyozWH7RTjIb4_0GS1-CDOhI5-ozNBy2mVUf201d1oUke9ai_mVEekk-IJxN7Q2C6dhCH26rKtt5IDva-dORxFDDw480BBMdQPkg0ZoKp_6II4bc7r012SNhNcdwX3A8Zg5QBZhkBv58mswfoNXED5aYy1gqmqA0F7Rty4Xh1y0/s1480/6deef3_4d2fe490ea734fc9ab6ef159542d0544~mv2-1480x906.jpg
https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6deef3_4d2fe490ea734fc9ab6ef159542d0544~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_740,h_453,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/6deef3_4d2fe490ea734fc9ab6ef159542d0544~mv2.jpg
https://www.ccmc.sg/post/a-brand-plucked-from-the-burning


John Wesley was born on June 17, 1703 into a godly home, the fifteenth of 19 children. He was born at a time when the world of factories, commerce, transportation, and social relationships. It was the dawn of the Enlightenment and a new confidence in human powers. Memories of the divine were dimming in many places, including the church. The Church of England was suffering from spiritual lethargy (inactivity) and was losing sight of Christ, its Lord and Master. Christianity was a convenient social experience more than a life-changing spiritual journey. The fabric of English society was also tearing up in many places. Social ills were on the rise. Poverty, alcoholism, child labour, slavery, the erosion of values, and many other forms of social pathology (the study of disease) made life miserable for the majority.
 

 John Wesley was born on June 17, 1703 into a godly home, the fifteenth of 19 children.
PHOTO: John Wesley was born on June 17, 1703 into a godly home, the fifteenth of 19 children. He was born at a time when the world of factories, commerce, transportation, and social relationships. It was the dawn of the Enlightenment and a new confidence in human powers. Memories of the divine were dimming in many places, including the church.
Picture posted by Artware fineart - John Wesley 1703 - 1791 founder of Methodism
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRsDypVxl6c6xeWQCPFKBjh88oMevoow3p8kKgjAyfq_ASYhp8v0sixlX4BpifYAixh1bveaXZx_dH8Q94efcMnuwjet0Cjht1xtguo-sPP1R60eJ_JxjmLKDVB30Wb_JHPKhJKOs_EDu6nbVvhdOu-3hWTTwep2-M51XAO56a8WO2f0T8HzGigoutZ5U/s1310/Portrait%20of%20John%20Wesley%201703%20-%201791%20founder%20of%20Methodism.jpg
https://www.artwarefineart.com/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/portraits/Portrait%20of%20John%20Wesley%20%201703%20-%201791%20founder%20of%20Methodism.jpg?itok=SGtdyW3y
https://www.artwarefineart.com/gallery/portrait-john-wesley-1703-1791-founder-methodism


It was into this kind of world that Wesley was born. Throughout his long and illustrious (extremely well known) life, he was convince that God had a purpose in saving him from the fire. From a young age, he had a strong sense of mission. When he was a student at Oxford University, he got together with a few fellow students to form a "Holy Club". They earnestly sought to live holy lives and practised a Christian discipline that was intense and focused, almost to the point of obsession. Wesley was a natural and highly spiritual leader in the group, who led by example. He was intensely introspective (spends considerable time examining his own thoughts and feelings), examining his thoughts, words, and actions several times daily, and driving himself to be a disciple of Christ. There was a deep hunger in his heart to be holy.

So serious and disciplined were Wesley and his friends that others made fun of them, calling them "Methodists", because of their methodical way of practising the disciplines of the Christian life. The young Wesley was not deterred. He and his younger brother Charles were ordained as clergy in the Church of England and went to America as missionaries. There, Wesley realised that his faith was deficient and longed for a deep experience of holiness. It was on May 24, 1738 that God, who saved Wesley from the fire that kills, answered his prayer by sending into the man's heart the fire that purifies. Wesley had a deep experience of God's saving presence and assurance.


 Throughout his long and illustrious (extremely well known) life, he was convince that God had a purpose in saving him from the fire.
PHOTO: Throughout his long and illustrious (extremely well known) life, he was convince that God had a purpose in saving him from the fire. From a young age, he had a strong sense of mission. When he was a student at Oxford University, he got together with a few fellow students to form a "Holy Club".
Picture posted by Wesleys Oxford - Sharing stories from the birthplace of Methodism
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikngha33p-_CcnlkE0f8L2RHRy-EGq-kFWYTMeA8-Bu7zO7oCqQeo-m0resq72mWFBtly-5XXMW9_JudSctBC8EhUeHgYmNwMtQQaQGPplY15FcZNfLsmkSr0-GbJLVsz6NNjZzIkUo_ZK8blC71fg_c7Zwlt8Jblo-kZzTOUSdehlQLJE0M2ss1q4J84/s3178/holy-club-wesley-oxford.jpg
https://www.wesleysoxford.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/holy-club-wesley-oxford.jpg
https://www.wesleysoxford.org.uk/people/holy-club/what-was-the-holy-club


After this, Wesley sought to bring renewal in the church and began preaching everywhere. He laboured to form Methodist societies, not to form a new denomination but to strengthen the church. He appointed preachers to take care of the growing movement. He also sent preachers to America where the Methodist church expanded rapidly.

Wesley was a tireless and authoritarian leader. He preached 40,000 sermons and travelled a quarter of a million miles on horseback as an itinerant (travelling) preacher and overseer of the Methodist movement. In addition to the thousands of hymns written by his brother Charles, he wrote books and tracts to teach, instruct, and preserve the fruits of the movement. He organised the Methodists into small groups to ensure discipline and to promote Christian growth and mission. He saw holiness as both personal and social and therefore began significant ministries among the needy and disadvantaged in society. He started schools, ran clinics, organised prison ministries, and fought against social evils such as slavery and alcoholism.


 Wesley was a tireless and authoritarian leader.
PHOTO: Wesley was a tireless and authoritarian leader. He preached 40,000 sermons and travelled a quarter of a million miles on horseback as an itinerant (travelling) preacher and overseer of the Methodist movement.
Picture posted by Asbury Seminary - John Wesley Preaching at a Market Cross
https://place.asburyseminary.edu/richardouglas/12/


He read his Bible as a scholar and devotee of Christ. He led a very disciplined life, waking up every day at 4:00 a.m, to read and to pray. A holistic view of life shaped his thinking and writing. He wrote a book on medical cures and experimented on the therapeutic uses of electricity. He kept himself fit and even had an "exercise machine" that simulated horseback riding - as if he did not have enough of that!

By the time Wesley died in 1791, there were about 70,000 Methodists in Britain and 45,000 more in the United States, and about 500 preachers in the movement. The man who intensely sought holiness discovered a loving God who was always before him. Wesley defined a Methodist as one who loved God with all his heart and one who loved his neighbour as himself. This scriptural holiness is rooted in a holy and loving God who has revealed himself through Jesus Christ. Wesley's hunger for perfection and holiness brought him into the loving arms of God and he discovered the perfection of divine love. He became a lover of God and found himself to be one beloved of God.


 Wesley defined a Methodist as one who loved God with all his heart and one who loved his neighbour as himself.
PHOTO: Wesley defined a Methodist as one who loved God with all his heart and one who loved his neighbour as himself. Wesley's hunger for perfection and holiness brought him into the loving arms of God and he discovered the perfection of divine love. He became a lover of God and found himself to be one beloved of God.
Picture posted by christian hall of fame - John Wesley (1703 – 1791)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZHDzJJX-NM7BNK5RDmrgA4xqUHClshqRtFDFS8CCkWRzlsNCnaSUOxCX1O4FeB3XtnY9u7YhIHxP6vC3Ho91Ofx1uDDLYfpxnqXfsaQ2TFEzZ0Z54zmI-XkjLm7oVJ9VTGn4qcfD6_lqCjhqEGAKevLFbCz0lhVdeYCsXQ_Xhn0o-tkjNj_jOsOV9BI/s2560/John-Wesley-scaled.jpg
https://christianhof.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/John-Wesley-scaled.jpg
https://christianhof.org/wesley/


What can God accomplish through one man? The history of God's people is full of examples who prove that we worship an incredible God who blesses and uses individual like Wesley to leave lasting legacies. God plucked the brand from the fire and turned him truly into a firebrand of the Lord. That same God is at work in us today.


 Dear Lord
PHOTO: Dear Lord, we pray that we may learn from Wesley who intensely sought holiness discovered a loving God who was always before him.
May we too, hunger for perfection and holiness that bring us into the loving arms of God and discover the perfection of divine love.
We pray that God continue to work in us today, to become a certain brand plucked out of the uncertain world.
May we become lover of God and find ourselves to be those beloved of God.
Through Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
Picture posted by Christ Fine Art - Little One
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO0ZQyB4l0ts5IUbRWKugoEGZAx0CGYxgJBOWyL9tAMVpp68d94akJDfADcJY2EVO_bGOO0HdwC1mswelH8TEgQv2PL_nS0VVBeMysqJ05BQL2KZl6vPciKWfRbeFuJs0UzvWOKAV2vsiWV7K3avN-3lMa4HV1OIcIVsazGIh6QU4LKMEbc9a1arrv82I/s1200/YK1010258_2000x.png
https://christfineart.com/cdn/shop/products/YK1010258_2000x.jpg?v=1697816244
https://christfineart.com/products/little-one-by-yongsung-kim?variant=37967192424622

Reflection - Called to Journey - A Brand Plucked Out of the Burning
Source (book): "Making All Things New", 52 Reflections to Challenge the Way You Live, Chapter 2, "A Brand Plucked Out of the Burning", Page 18.
By Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012



"Faithful to the end", A Preacher's Exposition of 2 Timothy, @ 2014 by Robert M. Solomon

'Faithful to the end', A Preacher's Exposition of 2 Timothy, @ 2014 by Robert M. Solomon<br>
Reflection - Faithful to the end (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2017/06/reflection-faithful-to-end-links.html


"Finding rest for the soul" Responding to Jesus' Invitation in Matthew 11:28-29, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Finding rest for the soul (Links)
Reflection - Finding rest for the soul (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/10/reflection-finding-rest-for-soul-links.html


"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

'Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART I-III, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART I-III, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-i.html


"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

'Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART IV, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART IV, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-iv.html 


"Songs of Christmas", The Stories and Significance of 20 Well-Loved Carols, © 2018 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Songs of Christmas (Links), posted on Friday, 24 April 2020
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https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/04/reflection-songs-of-christmas-links.html
 

"Growing Old Gracefully", Following Jesus to the End, © 2019 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part I - III (Links), posted on Wednesday, 09 December 2020
Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part I - III (Links), posted on Wednesday, 09 December 2020
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/12/reflection-growing-old-gracefully-part.html
 

Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part IV - V (Links), posted on Thursday, 22 April 2021
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https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/12/reflection-growing-old-gracefully-part_9.html
 

"Teach Us to Number Our Days", © 2008 by David Roper

Reflection - Number Our Days, Chapter 1 - 40 (Links), posted on Tuesday, 16 November 2021
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https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/11/reflection-number-our-days-chapter-1-40.html
 
 
Reflection - Number Our Days, Chapter 41 - 64 (Links), posted on Wednesday, 16 March 2022
Reflection - Number Our Days, Chapter 41 - 64 (Links), posted on Wednesday, 16 March 2022
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/03/reflection-number-our-days-chapter-41.html
 
 
"He Walks with Me - Devotions for Your Caregiving Journey with God",  © 2018 by Our Daily Bread Ministries, Shelly Beach

 Reflection - He Walks with Me (Links), posted on Tuesday, 16 August 2022Reflection - He Walks with Me (Links), posted on Tuesday, 16 August 2022
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/08/reflection-he-walks-with-me-links.html
 

"Classic Gem: Timeless Devotions from Our Daily Bread Authors", Copyright © 2021 by Our Daily Bread Ministries

Reflection - Classic Gem, Chapter 1 - 45 (Links), posted on 03 April 2023
Reflection - Classic Gem, Chapter 1 - 45 (Links), posted on 03 April 2023
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2023/04/reflection-classic-gem-chapter-1-45.html

 
"Classic Gem: Timeless Devotions from Our Daily Bread Authors", Copyright © 2021 by Our Daily Bread Ministries

Reflection - Classic Gem, Chapter 46 - 90 (Links), posted on
Reflection - Classic Gem, Chapter 46 - 90 (Links), posted on Tuesday, 24 October 2023
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2023/10/reflection-classic-gem-chapter-46-90.html
 


Reference
[1] From "Making All Things New", 52 Reflections to Challenge the Way You Live, Copyright @ 2022 by Robert M. Solomon, Chapter 2, "A Brand Plucked Out of the Burning", Page 18.

Links


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