What Does a Youth Pastor Do?

Poet John Newton, (July 24, 1725-December 21, 1807), English minister. Previously engaged in the slave trade on the Atlantic, after converting to Christianity and giving up his business, he wrote the famous hymn "Amazing Grace".

Newton

(British minister and poet John Newton)

John Newton was born on July 24, 1725

English text: Amazing grace! How sweet the sound! That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now I am found, Was blind but now I see. Was grace that taught my heart to fear And grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed! Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come; This grace has brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home. The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be, As long as life endures. Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease; I shall possess, within the vail, A life of joy and peace. The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, The sun forbear to shine; But God, who called me here below, Will be forever mine.

A translation:

"Sweet grace, how sweet, my sins have been forgiven;

Before I was lost, I am found today, and I am blind to see this.

Such grace makes me awe, and my heart is comforted;

How precious was the grace when I first believed!

Many dangers, trials and snares, I have passed safely;

Relying on the grace of the Lord, I am not afraid of safety and lead me back home.

In the jubilee of the future, the saints will gather together, and grace will be love for thousands of years;

Joy and praise, in front of the Father, hope that day will soon come. "

The above song "

Newton's twisted childhood

His mother died when he was seven years old, but the devout mother prayed for his salvation during his lifetime, hoping that he could become a pastor, and finally saw the results after thirty years. He sailed with his father at an early age, caught the sailor's bad habits, ate, gambled, and did everything. He was later recruited, escaped and was recovered. In the future, I used sea shipping to engage in the slave trade. I did not expect that because of the trouble, I became a slave in Africa, and suffered a lot. Fortunately, my father knew that he was sent to rescue him. During his boat trip, he was suddenly hit by a big storm, and the ship almost sank. He knew that he had forsaken God in his life, so he confessed and repented and was able to return to his country safely. After the rebirth, life has changed wonderfully, devoting his life to his life.

Newton's Rare Youth

Since he was too illiterate and read only two years of books, he was not qualified to be an ordained minister, but he was not discouraged and still worked hard to teach himself. In addition to studying theology, he studied Greek and Hebrew. After 16 years of hard work, he was ordained as a priest by the Anglican Church and sent to work in Olney. Because of his rebirth experience, being humble, loving, holy and self-sufficient, and continually pursuing his spiritual life, he was very capable of preaching, and many people received help from him. After seeing great results there, he was invited to work in London and published a book of sermons called "Messiah", which was very popular.

Newton 's Prosperity of Reform

He strives to preach the gospel and lead people to believe in the Lord Jesus for salvation, unlike some churches that emphasize rituals (some rules in the church, such as the pastor cannot visit them automatically unless requested by a member). In addition to advocating the abolition of slavery, he also promoted the familyization of the church and brought the gospel to everyone's home. No matter how busy he is at work, he is willing to talk to others individually to help others on special issues. His preaching also affected many pastors, making some people enthusiastic and trying to preach the gospel overseas. Newton's spiritual son, Thomas Thomas, was the first secretary of the "Church Mission" organized by Newton and others. The father of overseas missionaries, William Clarke, was deeply influenced by his preaching.

Newton 's Middle Age

At that time, the well-known British MP Wilberforce, struggling with the issue of faith, wrote to Newton. After the interview, he benefited greatly from his conversation, so they became friends. Newton did not advise him to relinquish his position, but only encouraged him to perform his duties with loyalty, and at the same time strengthened his faith, so that in his interaction with God, he felt that God had entrusted him with the responsibility to rectify the social atmosphere, and as a result, decadence The society has changed. Influenced by this trend, a group of "high men" in London also made the Gospel Movement flourish.

Newton learns from old age

The two characteristics of his speech are: one is to pay attention to the conversation style; the other is to care about the needs of the audience and explain his preaching with living examples. Perhaps because of his own experience of sin and salvation, he could tell everything as someone who came. His life experience was very rich. Until the age of 80, his eyes were blind and he could not read the scriptures, but he still preached by mouth.

Newton's heroic life

Before he died at the age of eighty-three, he wrote his epitaph: "Newton ^[2] · John, grew up in England, departed from apostasy, sin fell, exiled Africa, was blessed by the Lord, blessed by the Lord, The priesthood, eighty-three years old, dies and rests. "