George Whitefield, an Englishman born to a humble inn keeping family, grew up to be a widely known and loved Calvinist priest. Having first been an unmotivated student, the Word of God captivated him and ignited a fire in his bones; a fire that could only be fed and tamed by proclaiming salvation by faith alone all across England and the New World. Yet, every proclaimer of the faith has faced opposition whether it be in the form of renunciation or becoming a martyr. It is a known fact that since much is given to us from the Lord that much is also required. Christians endure much hostility, from all kinds of fronts. When Jesus chose his disciples, they all had some kind of worldly trouble; from which Whitefield was not excluded. Jesus has never called the qualified, but instead qualified the called. Born in Gloucester, England, Whitefield was the son of a wine merchant and innkeeper. His father passed on, leaving his sorrowful mother behind to provide for the family. His mother did end up remarrying, but it was not a happy union. Whitefield went to school until age 15, then he began to work at the inn to help make ends meet. He did not believe that he would ever make much use of his education, thus his reasoning for quitting school.
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The young man secretly desired to be a preacher so he would stay awake into the early hours of the morning reading the Word of God. His other joys included participating in the theatre, his love and talent for the fine arts only grew as he entered his later years. Having been out of school for a year, George met an Oxford student who encouraged him to pursue a degree. He followed suit, and finished his grammar schooling to enroll in Pembroke College at Oxford. Whitefield did not see the Lord’s work on his life at this time, but all of these events and hardships he faced led him to meet the Wesley brothers, John and Charles. The group, including Whitefield, who called themselves the “Holy Club” greatly attributed to George’s conversion to Calvinism in 1735. George admits his adoration for the Holy Club experience in the following quote: “I know the place… Whenever I go to Oxford, I cannot help running to the spot where Jesus Christ first revealed himself to me and gave me the new birth.” Fasting for weeks on end combined with constant illnesses led to George being forced to return home for nine months of recuperation. During this time he did not take the advice of many to rest in bed, instead he was committed to furthering his faith and relationship with the Lord and he set his desires on becoming a missionary to his surrounding area and to newly founded America. He greatly desired to travel across the Atlantic Ocean and to the new colony of Georgia, but his physical state hindered his dream from becoming reality at this time. All of his activities caught the attention of a bishop in Whitefield’s hometown, who agreed to ordain him as a deacon, later also as a priest. It can be observed that Whitefield is an extreme man, doing anything and everything for the sake of Christ. He did not look at himself or consider his needs first, but instead he put the hope of the Lord first resorting everything else to be secondary. After the nine month period had
The young man secretly desired to be a preacher so he would stay awake into the early hours of the morning reading the Word of God. His other joys included participating in the theatre, his love and talent for the fine arts only grew as he entered his later years. Having been out of school for a year, George met an Oxford student who encouraged him to pursue a degree. He followed suit, and finished his grammar schooling to enroll in Pembroke College at Oxford. Whitefield did not see the Lord’s work on his life at this time, but all of these events and hardships he faced led him to meet the Wesley brothers, John and Charles. The group, including Whitefield, who called themselves the “Holy Club” greatly attributed to George’s conversion to Calvinism in 1735. George admits his adoration for the Holy Club experience in the following quote: “I know the place… Whenever I go to Oxford, I cannot help running to the spot where Jesus Christ first revealed himself to me and gave me the new birth.” Fasting for weeks on end combined with constant illnesses led to George being forced to return home for nine months of recuperation. During this time he did not take the advice of many to rest in bed, instead he was committed to furthering his faith and relationship with the Lord and he set his desires on becoming a missionary to his surrounding area and to newly founded America. He greatly desired to travel across the Atlantic Ocean and to the new colony of Georgia, but his physical state hindered his dream from becoming reality at this time. All of his activities caught the attention of a bishop in Whitefield’s hometown, who agreed to ordain him as a deacon, later also as a priest. It can be observed that Whitefield is an extreme man, doing anything and everything for the sake of Christ. He did not look at himself or consider his needs first, but instead he put the hope of the Lord first resorting everything else to be secondary. After the nine month period had