PERFECT INFORMATIONS: Prophetic banners

The prophet Isaiah was commanded to raise a banner and exalt his voice Isaiah . Habakkuk received a similar order to write a vision upon tables that could be read by one who runs past it Habakkuk . Today banners are used to communicate the testimony of Jesus Christ by evangelists and public ministers engaged in Open Air Preaching.Open air preaching or street preaching is the act of publicly proclaiming a religious message to crowds of people in open places. It is an ancient method of communicating a religious or social message and has been used by many cultures and religious traditions but today is usually associated with Christian fundamentalism or evangelicalism.The famous early Methodist preachers John Wesley and George Whitefield preached in the open air which allowed them to attract crowds larger than most buildings could accommodate.Biblical examples also include that of the prophet Jonah who reluctantly obeys the command of God to go to the city of Nineveh and preach Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown! Jonah KJV Others include the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew and Pauls speech to the Athenians in Acts .John Wesley IPA 'wsl June O.S. June – March was an Anglican minister and Christian theologian who was an early leader in the Methodist movement. Methodism had three rises the first at Oxford University with the founding of the Holy Club the second while Wesley was parish priest in Savannah Georgia and the third in London after Wesleys return to England. The movement took form from its third rise in the early s with Wesley along with others itinerant field preaching and the subsequent founding of religious societies for the formation of believers. This was the first widely successful evangelical movement in the United Kingdom. Wesleys Methodist connection included societies throughout England Scotland Wales and Ireland before spreading to other parts of the Englishspeaking world and beyond. He divided his religious societies further into classes and bands for intensive accountability and religious instruction. Methodists under Wesleys direction became leaders in many social justice issues of the day including prison reform and abolitionism movements. Wesleys strength as a theologian lay in his ability to combine seemingly opposing theological stances. His greatest theological achievement was his promotion of what he termed Christian perfection or holiness of heart and life.

Wesley insisted that in this life the Christian could come to a state where the love of God or perfect love reigned supreme in ones heart. His evangelical theology especially his understanding of Christian perfection was firmly grounded in his sacramental theology. He continually insisted on the general use of the means of grace prayer Scripture meditation Holy Communion etc. as the means by which God transformed the believer. Throughout his life Wesley remained within the Church of England and insisted that his movement was well within the bounds of the Anglican Church. His maverick use of church policy put him at odds with many within the Church of England though toward the end of his life he was widely respected.married Susanna Annesley twentyfourth child of Dr. Samuel Annesley. Both Samuel and Susanna had been raised in Dissenting homes before becoming members of the Established Church early in adulthood. Susanna herself became a mother of nineteen children. In Samuel Wesley was appointed rector of Epworth where John the fifteenth child was born.At the age of five John was rescued from the burning rectory. This escape made a deep impression on his mind and he regarded himself as providentially set apart as a brand plucked from the burning.The Wesley childrens early education was given by their parents in the Epworth rectory. Each child including the girls was taught to read as soon as they could walk and talk. In John was admitted to the Charterhouse School London where he lived the studious methodical and for a while religious life in which he had been trained at home.During his early years John Wesley had enjoyed a deep religious experience. His biographer Tyerman says that he went to Charterhouse a saint but he became negligent of his religious duties and left a sinner.