In the 1700s in England, there was a custom that preaching should happen only inside churches. But one day, the churches closed their doors to John Wesley because he preached the Gospel with great intensity.
At that time, his friend George Whitefield suggested something unusual:
“If people are not coming to the church, then we should go to the people.”
At first, this was very difficult for Wesley. In those days, preaching outdoors was considered improper and disrespectful. Wesley later wrote:
“Preaching outside was against all my habits.”
But eventually, he decided to try.
He went to a place in England called Kingswood, where many coal miners worked. These workers never went to church.
Wesley stood on a small hill and began to preach. Thousands of miners gathered to listen. Their faces were completely black with coal dust. But as he spoke about the love of Jesus, many of them began to cry.
Later Wesley wrote a line that became very famous:
“Though their faces were black with coal, where their tears flowed you could see white lines.”
That day Wesley made an important decision. He said:
“The world is my parish.”
That one decision later turned into a great revival movement. Thousands of people were transformed.
Sometimes God closes certain doors because He is about to open a much bigger one. ✨