After 17 years of ministry in Olney John Newton went to London as minister of St. Mary Woolnoth Church, which was located in the heart of London’s banking district. He remained there for 27 years. This former slave, who became a slave trader, came full circle to become a bond slave of Jesus Christ, sharing this Amazing Grace for 44 years in these two churches.
Never did he lose his bluff sailor ways, but his genial manner and straightforward preaching won him many friends and endeared him to the people to whom he ministered. Newton preached almost to the end of his 82 years.
When he was no longer able to read and was advised by his friends to give up preaching, he replied, “What, shall the old African blasphemer stop while he can still speak?”
On another occasion before his death he is quoted as saying, “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: That I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior!”
In a small cemetery of a parish churchyard in Olney, England, stands a granite tombstone with the following inscription written by Newton himself prior to his death, it describes aptly the unusual and colorful life of this man.
John Newton, Clerk, once an Infidel and Libertine, a Servant of Slavers in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the Faith he had long labored to destroy.
The first verse of Amazing Grace says: “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.” John Newton first had to come face to face with who he was without the Amazing Grace of God in his life, a slave to his own desires, a servant of self who needed to be forgiven and transformed by the Amazing Grace of God.
Once grace became a part of his life, it began to transform him in truly amazing ways as God by His indwelling Holy Spirit created His likeness in him. The change was personal and real, giving him a message to share with those in his life. I would love to share with you the change it has made in mine and how you can experience it changing yours.
Which brings me to a closing question that’s anything but trivial. What impact have you allowed this Amazing Grace of God to have on your life?
