The Inspiring and Challenging Generosity of John Wesley

I shared this story from the life of John Wesley in my sermon this past Sunday, “Radically Generous,” from Acts 4:32-5:11.

When I think of generosity, I am reminded of a notable figure in church history: John Wesley. In the 18^th century, Wesley was vibrantly involved with movements of revival in the United Kingdom and United States. One account says that Wesley traveled 5,000 miles per year and preached 15 times per week. The resulting Methodist movement eventually become the Methodist church. 

Wesley had a unique life of generosity that I find both inspiring and challenging. Charles Edward White tells us that: 

“While [teaching] at Oxford [University] an incident changed [Wesley’s] perspective on money. He had just finished paying for some pictures for his room when one of the chambermaids came to his door. It was a cold winter day, and he noticed that she had nothing to protect her except a thin linen gown. He reached into his pocket to give her some money to buy a coat but found he had too little left. Immediately the thought struck him that the Lord was not pleased with the way he had spent his money. He asked himself, Will thy Master say, ‘Well done, good and faithful steward’? Thou hast adorned thy walls with the money which might have screened this poor creature from the cold! O justice! O mercy! Are not these pictures the blood of this poor maid?

Perhaps as a result of this incident, in 1731 Wesley began to limit his expenses so that he would have more money to give to the poor. He records that one year his income was 30 pounds and his living expenses 28 pounds, so he had 2 pounds to give away. The next year his income doubled, but he still managed to live on 28 pounds, so he had 32 pounds to give to the poor. In the third year, his income jumped to 90 pounds. Instead of letting his expenses rise with his income, he kept them to 28 pounds and gave away 62 pounds. In the fourth year, he received 120 pounds. As before, his expenses were 28 pounds, so his giving rose to 92 pounds.

Wesley felt that the Christian should not merely tithe but give away all extra income once the family and creditors were taken care of. He believed that with increasing income, what should rise is not the Christian’s standard of living but the standard of giving.”^[1]

In one of his most well-known sermons on the use of money and topic of generosity, Wesley offers the following instruction: Gain all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can.^[2]

A generous God shapes generous people.

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^[1] Charles Edward White, “What Wesley Practiced and Preached About Money,” Leadership Journal, Winter 1987, https://www.christianitytoday.com/1987/01/what-wesley-practiced-and-preached-about-money/.

^[2] John Wesley, “The Use of Money,” Sermon 50, https://web.archive.org/web/20150402061915/http://www.umcmission.org/Find-Resources/John-Wesley-Sermons/Sermon-50-The-Use-of-Money.