[AkhirZaman.org] Saat Tuhan menutup pintu, begitu kata seseorang, kadang – kadang ia membuka jendela. Dalam kasus Whitefield, banyak pintu yang tertutup, tetapi Tuhan membuka dunia.
George Whitefield masuk kristen saat menghadiri Oxford pada tahun 1735. Dengan segera ia mulai berkhotbah, mendapati kerumunan orang banyak setiap kali ia naik ke mimbar. Pada hari Rabu, 10 Januari 1739, setelah berkhotbah malam sebelumnya, iapun meninggalkan Oxford agar dikelola oleh pelayanan anglikan. Dalam buku hariannya tertulis “ Tidur kurang lebih tiga jam , bangun pukul lima, berangkat pukul sepuluh, dan tiba di Oxford pukul lima sore. Saat saya memasuki kota, saya mengenang kembali belas kasih yang telah saya terima sejak saya meninggalkannya. Semuanya itu lebih dari yang bisa saya ungkapkan. Oh, bahwa hati saya mungkin luluh merasakannya.
Ia berharap pintu – pintu gereja terbuka menyusul penobatannya, tetapi yang terjadi malah yang sebaliknya. Banyak hamba Tuhan iri dengan kesuksesannya. Sebagian tidak mempercayai asosiasinya dengan aliran metodis, Moravia, dan nonformis lainnya. Dan Whitefield mengasingkan orang lain dengan kadang – kadang berbicara terlalu keras.
Seorang penginjil Wales, Howell Harris, menciptakan badai topan dengan berkhotbah di lapangan, dan Whitefield bertanya – tanya apakah ia juga harus mengikukti jejaknya. Diluar Bristol di antara para pekerja tambang, Whitefield berkhotbah diluar lapangan untuk yang pertama kalinya pada tanggal 17 Februari. Kurang lebih 200 orang mendengarkan khotbahnya. Tidak lama kemudian 10.000 orang muncul, dan itu adalah khotbah sekali seumur hidup dari batu nisan, bonggol pohon, dan mimbar sementara.
Khotbah – khotbah Whitefield sangat hidup. Imajinasinya yang jelas, kenangan yang luar biasa, suaranya yang kuat, dan ketulusannya yang sungguh – sungguh memukau para pendengarnya. Ia bisa didengar dari jarak satu setengah kilometer, dan suaranya begitu kaya, sehingga aktor David Garrick mengatakan “ Saya akan membayar 10/100 guinea jika saya bisa mengucapkan ‘O’ seperti Tn. Whitefied.”
Tahun itu juga, Whitefield 25 tahun, mengadakan tur di koloni – kloni Amerika, mencetuskan Kebangunan besar, dan membawa orang banyak kepada Kristus. Khotbah terakhirnya di Boston menarik orang banyak terbesar yang pernah berkumpul di Amerika — 23.000 orang, lebih dari populasi seluruh Boston. Ia disebut peginjil terbesar sepanjang sejarah, sesudah Paulus.
Firman Tuhan datang datang kepadaku, bunyinya : “… Aku telah menetapkan engaku menjadi nabi bagi bangsa – bangsa.” Maka aku menjawab : “ Ah, Tuhan Allah! Sesungguhnya aku tidak pandai berbicara, sebab aku ini masih muda.” Tetapi Tuhan berfirman kepadaku : “ Janganlah katakan : Aku ini masih muda, tetapi kepada siapapun engkau Kuutus, haruslah engkau pergi” ( Yeremia 1 : 4 – 7a ).
Robert J. Morgan
365 Kisah Dan Inspirasi Yang Menakjubkan Tentang Orang-Orang Kudus, Martir, Dan Pahlawan
Generally I find the content on similar topics frustrating in specific ways and this post avoided all of them, and a look at trumpetsixth continued that frustration free experience, content that sidesteps the standard failure modes of its genre is content with editorial awareness and this site has clearly studied what fails elsewhere consistently.
If I had to summarise the editorial sensibility of this site in a few words it would be careful and human, and a look at artistnexus extended that summary feeling, capturing the essence of a sites approach in brief is hard but this site has a clear enough identity that the summary comes naturally enough.
Now considering the post as evidence that careful blog writing is still possible, and a look at socialflare extended that evidence, the broader question of whether the modern web can sustain quality writing has obvious empirical answers in sites like this one and seeing them is reassuring even when they remain a minority overall today.
Easy to recommend, the content speaks for itself without needing additional praise from me, and a stop at ideaswithoutnoise only adds more reasons to send people this way, the kind of generous resource that benefits its readers without demanding anything in return is increasingly rare and worth recognising clearly today across the broader open internet.
Now saved this in a way that I will actually find again rather than the casual bookmark approach, and a stop at ideasneedexecutionnow earned the same careful saving, organising my reading bookmarks so that high quality sources rise to the top is something I should do more of and this site triggered that organisation today.
Thanks for sharing this with the open internet rather than locking it behind a paywall like so many sites do now, and a stop at claritybeforevelocity kept the same vibe going, generous helpful and clearly written by someone who actually wants people to learn from it rather than just charge them.
Came in skeptical of the angle and left mostly persuaded, and a stop at ideasneedmomentum pushed me a bit further in the same direction, content that can move a critical reader by argument rather than rhetoric is rare and worth pointing out because it indicates real substance underneath the surface presentation here.
Now appreciating the small but real way this post improved my afternoon, and a stop at momentumbychoice extended that small improvement effect, content that produces measurable positive impact on the texture of a reading day is content with real value and this site is producing those small positive impacts at a sustainable rate apparently.
Really like that there are no exclamation marks or all caps shouting throughout the post, and a quick visit to wisdommentor maintained the same calm voice, restraint in punctuation signals confidence in the content and this site clearly trusts its substance to do the persuading rather than relying on typographic emphasis.
A small thing but the line spacing and font choices made reading this physically pleasant, and a look at ideapathfinder maintained the same careful design, technical choices about typography are part of what makes online reading actually comfortable and this site has clearly invested in the design layer alongside the content layer carefully.
Worth recognising that this site does not chase the daily news cycle, and a stop at studyharbor confirmed the longer publication arc, sites that resist the pressure to comment on every passing event are sites with genuine editorial discipline and this one has clearly chosen depth over volume which I respect deeply.
Started thinking about my own writing differently after reading, and a look at progresswithintent continued that reflective effect, content that influences how I work rather than just informing what I know is content with the highest kind of impact and this site has triggered some of that reflective influence today on me.
Skipped lunch to finish reading, which says something, and a stop at growtharchitected kept me at my desk longer than planned, when content beats the lunch impulse the writer has done something genuinely impressive in an attention environment full of immediately satisfying alternatives competing for the same finite block of reader time.
Adding to the bookmarks now before I forget, that is how good this is, and a look at progressoveractivity confirmed the rest of the site is worth saving too, this is one of those rare finds that justifies the time spent searching the web for once which is a relief in the current environment.
Reading this slowly in the morning before opening email, and a stop at focusdrivesexecution extended that protected attention, content that earns the prime morning reading slot before the daily distractions begin is content with elevated status and this site has earned that prime slot consistently in my recent reading habits clearly.
A particular kind of restraint shows up in the writing, and a look at strategyprogression maintained the same restraint across pages, knowing what not to say is just as important as knowing what to say and this site has clearly developed strong instincts on both sides of that editorial line throughout pieces I have read.