Was George a man of fire, or was it just the time and place that he preached that folks were hungry and thirsty to hear his preaching? Then again, was it George’s preaching or what he preached? Church historians said the English countryside and later America – from Georgia to New England – owed a great awakening to George and other men of God, such as Jonathan Edwards in Massachusetts. He preached, ‘Sinner in the Hands of an Angry God,’ which caused quite a stir
Now, I’m not a historian… an academic, but I do have those spiritual ‘spidey’ senses about me. I know what it means to become impassioned and loom large around folks. I have a physical presence – 6 foot tall, two hundred plus pounds – my face reddens when I get wound up. I’ve been told I appear menacing to some. Now, what fires me up? Today? I get wound up talking about Jesus. That wasn’t true yesterday. I got fired up debating doctrine… you know pre-destination… end times predictions… dunking or sprinkling… Oh, right! Do you know what I heard? I heard that the Baptists once owned Dunkin’ Donuts and then sold a share to the Presbyterians… and that’s how they got sprinkles on their donuts.
Yes, we should laugh. God does. He laughs at our folly, and that leads me back to where I started out: George. The story is that he was preaching (I don’t know whether it was indoors or outdoors… all he wanted was for folks to open the doors of their hearts to Jesus who was standing and knocking.) Anyway, mid-stream in his sermon, a fellow in the crowd shouted out a question about John Wesley. “Do you think you’ll see John Wesley in heaven?” George – who no doubt had the presence of Christ in his soul – probably stood for moment, being caught mid-stream as he was with the question about Wesley. Was he being set up as the Pharisees went to set up Jesus when they asked him about paying taxes to Caesar? Do you know how contentious that question was in the presence of his audience? John Wesley? He was Arminian! He was a free-willer… the Wesley’s believed that men chose to believe in Jesus or not… men were given choice!
After a moment, George answered, “No, I don’t think he will be there.” No doubt, the crowd gasped – the Wesley’s were perceived mighty men of God in their preaching and hymn writing. No doubt it was a set up. If not intentional – God is, not the devil, in the details – and George had a response along the same lines when “Jesus said to them, ‘I will ask you a question; answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men? Answer Me”’ Jesus knew the fracas their answer would create among the people, so the Pharisees didn’t answer. However, in George’s answer? His answer was to bring the people together: George then leaned in a must’ve said with a grin: “By that, I mean I won’t see him—Wesley’s so far ahead in the front ranks of the saints, glorifying God with that voice of his!” Well – wow! No doubt, the questioner and those in the audience were flabbergasted.
Of course, how do we bottom line a statement like that? No doubt George was sincere… he wasn’t dodging the question. Such fire and yet humility… fire and ice. As far as a bottom line? Doctrine don’t save. Jesus saves.
