A Christian Cruise

About thirty years ago a new phenomenon began to appear in Christian circles. It was called the “Christian cruise” and it was a trip upon a cruise ship that was set up as a Christian get away. This recreational opulence knows no bounderies and it is offered by liberal and orthodox, Calvinist and Arminian, Jew and Gentile, Warren and MacArthur, and is populated by all levels of the American social strata except...uh...oh yea, the poor. It usually costs thousands of dollars for each person and it includes speakers and singers and sometimes entertainment such as plays or comedians and in some cases dancing and “moderate“ drinking. The food of course is extravagant and the ship itself is colossal. Most times a famous preacher heads it up which is also a drawing card and he and his wife go for free while regular passengers pay. Books, tapes, and cds are for sale during the cruise which means that the preachers and singers not only went for free, but they made money on the trip not to mention the preacher still received his wonderful salary back home. And the gluttony that is accepted on the trip shows how little we think of God’s Word.

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Now I will humbly attempt to describe what a Christian cruise used to be like.

On Tuesday, October 14, 1735 John Wesley, then 33 years old, set sail from England headed for the colony of Georgia. His mission, along with most of the passengers, was to preach the gospel to the new world settlers. Almost four months later On February 5, 1736 the ship arrived in Georgia. I have read several times the personal journals of John Wesley that he kept on this journey and I would like to present a condensed form in order to give you a Spiritual as well as practical flavor of what these missionaries did while on their Christian cruise.

Accompanying John Wesley on this cruise was his brother Charles, many Christian friends from England, some assorted sailors, and 26 Moravians from Germany. Upon meeting the Moravians Charles began to learn German so he could communicate with them as well as a few of the Moravians began to learn English. Wesley says in his journal that what they had in view on this trip was “not to avoid want (God having given them plenty of temporal blessings), nor to gain riches or honor, but singly this: to save their own souls, to live wholly to the glory of God“. It is strange, but significant of the state of Wesley's mind at this time, that he does not here give prominence to—does not even mention—the purpose of being useful to the colonials in the new settlement of Georgia, or to the Indians beyond it. His heart was on God’s will alone and to preach the gospel in the new world. The friendship with the Moravians would change Wesley’s life for he was profoundly impacted by their faith, fervor, and their fearless pursuit of souls.

On the first Sunday at sea Wesley held the morning service on the ship’s deck and he observed the Lord’s Supper with all the believers. Wesley and the Moravians believed that self denial gained the favor of God and further sanctified them to His service. He would refuse meat during the trip and ate mostly vegetables, rice, and biscuits. Their cabins were little more than closets devoid of any comforts and their daily schedules were dedicated to the preparation of the mission.

A typical day was described by Wesley:

From 4 AM to 5 AM they would give themselves to private prayer.
From 5 AM to 7 AM they read the Scriptures out loud together, carefully, said Wesley, also reading the ancient teachings so they might avoid straying to their own understandings.
From 7 AM to 8 AM they ate breakfast.
From 8 AM to 9 AM they prayed together out loud.
From 9 AM to 12 AM he learned German with the Moravians. During this time Charles Wesley taught the children (That’s right, children)
From 12 AM to 1 PM they fellowshipped together about what God had done in their lives.
From 1 PM to 2 PM they ate dinner.
From 1 PM to 4 PM they discipled the one that had been put under their care.
From 4 PM to 5 PM they prayed.
From 5 PM to 6 PM they continued in prayer while the children were taught the general catechism. (Bring up a child...)
From 6 PM to 7 PM Wesley read to a gathering of the English passengers.
From 7 PM to 8 PM was the evening service.
From 8 PM to 9 PM was a time of exhortation and Spiritual encouragement.

And then Wesley writes “Between nine and ten we went to bed, where neither the roaring of the sea nor the motion of the ship could take away the refreshing sleep which God gave us”.

Now that was typical day in the life of Wesley’s Christian cruise. Where were the lobster trays? Where were the comedians? What about the professional singers? Golf platforms? Shuffleboard? Dancing?

The Wesley brothers and the other two men who were going with them to Georgia wrote this pact during the trip:

"In the name of God, Amen! We, whose names are underwritten, being fully convinced that it is impossible, either to promote the work of God among. The heathen, without an entire union among ourselves, Or that such a union should subsist, unless each one will give up his single judgment to that of the majority, do agree, by the help of God :—first, that none of us will undertake anything of importance without first proposing it to the other three;— secondly, that whenever our judgments differ, any one shall give up his single judgment or inclination to the others ;— thirdly, that in case of an equality, after begging God’s direction, the matter shall be decided by lot".
John Wesley
Charles Wesley
Benjamin Ingham
Charles Delamotte

As they neared North America they were caught in a great storm in the Bay of Biscay. The waves crashed upon the deck of the ship with such force that most on the people began to fear for their very lives as shipwrecks were common in those days. Wesley remarks that he fell asleep at 11 PM not sure he would wake up alive. Now during the trip John Wesley had been much impressed with the overall Christlikeness of the Moravian missionaries. They were very meek, always serving the needs of the other passengers, and patient even when provoked. In the morning the entire ship held a service while the storm continued to rage and as they sang a Psalm a huge wave broke over the entire ship and the mainsail split into pieces covering the deck. Water began to seep into the lower rooms as if the ship was sinking. The entire English congregation began to scream and cry loudly but the Moravians continued to calmly and joyfully sing praises unto God.

After several hours of repairing what they could on the ship, Wesley approached the Moravians and asked them if they had been afraid. They replied they were not afraid for their trust was in the Lord. Wesley asked whether their women and children had been afraid and the Moravians told him that neither the women nor the children were afraid to die. That incident deeply impressed Wesley and bore fruit in his life from that time forward.

So on February 5, 1736 they sailed into the Savannah River and set foot on a small uninhabited island prepared for the preaching of God’s Word. That my friends was a real Christian cruise. Get the brochure, there are plenty of cabins still available.

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So now I humbly ask you, who were these people? They were either legalistic and unenlightened travelers who wasted much time in archaic religious observances and self discipline - or - they were Spirit-filled messengers of the most High God who served their Lord and Savior and cared for nothing, not even their own lives.
So now I humbly ask you, who are we? We are either educated and enlightened believers who have shuffled off the bondages of sanctification, sacrificial commitment, and material moderation and we are traveling much closer to God’s will than Wesley and his ilk - or - (I guess I don’t even need to fill in this blank, do I?)
God help us, we need it…