Dwight L. Moody

Dwight L. Moody

For one who was to become the world’s foremost evangelist of his generation, Dwight Moody’s first attempts at testifying concerning his newfound Christian faith were inauspicious indeed. About a month after his Christian conversion at age eighteen, he applied for membership in the Mount Vernon Congregational Church of Boston. When he appeared before the examination committee, he was doubtless intimidated and, consequently, could not think and express himself clearly. Edward Kimball, the Sunday School teacher who had led Moody to faith in Christ, provided a colorful description of what transpired on that occasion:

He could not tell what it was to be a Christian; had no idea of what Christ had done for him. And with the utmost encouragement … he could answer but haltingly, chiefly in monosyllables, and then only when the question was the simplest, and its answer was obvious. I remember the chief question and its answer—the longest answer he gave:

“Mr. Moody, what has Christ done for us all—for you—which entitles Him to our love?”

“I don’t know. I think Christ has done a good deal for us. But I don’t think of anything in particular, as I know of.”

In all, I think the committee … seldom met an applicant … who seemed more unlikely ever to become a Christian of clear and decided views of gospel truth, still less to fill any sphere of public or extended usefulness.

As a result, the committee deferred recommending Moody for membership on that occasion. Instead, three committee members were appointed to follow-up with him by explaining to him more clearly the way of God. About ten months later Moody met with the committee again and, having given a more satisfactory representation of his personal Christian beliefs and understanding, was approved for church membership.

When Moody made his first attempts as a young believer at testifying or exhorting at church prayer meetings, his spiritual understanding was so limited and his grammar so poor that his fellow believers discouraged him from sharing further. One deacon tersely told him, “Young man, you can serve the Lord better by keeping still.”

When Moody continued right on with his testifying, the church’s pastor, Dr. Edward Kirk, took him aside after a prayer meeting. Moody saw the minister blush and knew he had something difficult to communicate to him. The good doctor hesitated then hung his head. “Say on,” the young man prodded straightforwardly.

“I have no doubt but that the Lord has converted you,” the pastor began, then uncharacteristically stammered, “but ah, ah, ah, don’t you think you could serve the Lord by keeping silent?”

Dwight Moody with Sunday School Hoodlums

Dwight L. Moody (bearded man wearing a shorter hat) with Sunday school “hoodlums.”

A few months later, in the fall of 1856, Moody moved to Chicago. There he joined the Plymouth Congregational Church and at once hired a pew which he determined to fill with visitors every Sunday. He invited young men from their boarding-houses, off street corners or even out of saloons to attend church with him. Soon he was renting and filling four pews each Sunday with his guests.

He soon discovered a little mission on North Wells Street that had an afternoon Sunday School work. When he announced to the superintendent his desire to teach a class he was told they already had sixteen teachers but only twelve students. Moody persisted and was informed his services would be welcome if he could provide his own class. The following Sunday he arrived with a train of eighteen dirty, ragged and barefooted little “hoodlums.”

“That was the happiest Sunday I have ever known,” he afterward testified. “I had found out what my mission was.”

Moody soon started a Sunday School of his own, and within a few short years 1,500 children per week were attending! He directed the vibrant outreach ministries of the Chicago YMCA and started a thriving, evangelistic church in the city. Eventually he went on to become the world’s most prominent evangelist of that day, holding major evangelistic crusades in cities throughout America and Britain. Millions attended his crusades and untold thousands were brought to faith in Christ through his ministry.

Dwight Moody Evangelistic Crusdae

Dwight Moody Evangelistic Crusdae

Moody serves as an outstanding reminder that some of the least-promising servants of Christ go on to develop into some of His most devoted and fruitful human instruments. Rather than quickly writing off not-so-promising individuals, we should encourage them to discover how God has gifted them and to cultivate their full potential in serving Him. If we ourselves have encountered some discouraging feedback to our initial efforts to serve Jesus, we shouldn’t give up. Rather, we should continue prayerfully seeking the Lord’s guidance as to how He would have us to serve Him. As we faithfully, actively do so, He will lead us into avenues of service where He can significantly use us.

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This true story about Dwight Moody and a number of other narratives that help encourage and guide us in our service of Christ can be found in my book Timeless Stories, God’s Incredible Work in the Lives of Inspiring Christians.

Copyright 2014 by Vance E. Christie

Envy the Green Eyed MonsterEnvy is a very common, powerful and destructive vice. We can be tempted with it in all areas of life including our work, education, finances, hobbies and ministries. It easily creeps in when contemplating the possessions, privileges, opportunities and accomplishments of others. Jealousy shrivels our souls, harms interpersonal relationships, damages our Christian testimony, displeases the Lord, and begrudges the blessings He has seen fit to grant to others. Even mature Christians who understand how inappropriate and damaging envy can be still wrestle with it.

Recently I was encouraged and instructed by the positive example of Moses in avoiding jealousy as recorded in Numbers 11. In order to help Moses with the weighty responsibility of leading the often-cantankerous Israelite people in the wilderness, God placed His Spirit on seventy elders who could then help guide the people. Sixty-eight of the elders received God’s Spirit and started prophesying while meeting with the Lord outside the Israelite camp. But two of the elders received those blessings while still in the camp, thus revealing to the people that other leaders now had privileges which only Moses had enjoyed up to that point.

When Joshua, Moses’ loyal aide, heard what was going on in the camp he asked Moses to put a stop to it. Joshua was jealously protective of the status that Moses alone had enjoyed till then. But Moses responded, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit on them!”

Henry Varley

Henry Varley

Avoiding jealousy and envy is easier said than done. An incident involving Henry Varley is instructive in showing how to deal with this temptation:

Varley is best known as the man who stated to Dwight Moody, “The world has yet to see what God will do with a man who is fully committed to Him.” Moody sought to be that man and went on to become the world’s most prominent evangelist of his day.

What is not so well known about Varley is that he was himself a powerful evangelist and pastor. But he faced a pitch battle with jealousy when another preacher in his neighborhood began having great success and started drawing some of Varley’s members. Varley felt deep resentment toward the other minister and later divulged:

Dwight Moody

Dwight Moody

“I shall never forget the sense of guilt and sin that possessed me over that business. I was miserable. Was I practically saying to the Lord Jesus, ‘Unless the prosperity of Thy church and people comes in this neighborhood by me, success had better not come’? Was I really showing inability to rejoice in another worker’s service? I felt that it was a sin of a very hateful character. I never asked the Lord to take away my life either before or since, but I did then, unless His grace would give me victory over this foul image of jealousy.”

Varley realized that jealousy was such a hideous sin and found it to be so awful to live with that he would rather die than continue to be ruled by it! When we view envy that seriously and seek God’s help that earnestly in overcoming it, the Lord will certainly give us victory over it.

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This example of Varley was originally recorded in Ralph Turnbull’s biography of him, Henry Varley’s Life Story, and also appears in Robert J. Morgan, Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations and Quotes (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2000), p. 272.

Copyright 2014 by Vance E. Christie