Who Was D.L. Moody?

Who was D.L. Moody and why is it important that we know this godly man?

D.L. Moody

Dwight Lyman “D.L.” Moody (February 1837-December 1899) was one of the greatest evangelists of all time and founder of Moody Church but to him, more importantly, he was also one of the greatest soulwinners for Christ. Early in his life, this would have been the last thing one would have expected. He never attended school beyond the fifth grade which meant his grammar and spelling were atrocious and even though this would hinder him in his Bible reading and he would never be a minister, it would not stop him from becoming one of Christianity’s greatest men. His father, Edwin Moody, died at a relatively young age of 41 when Moody was only 4 years old. Since Moody’s mother had to care for six children, she grudgingly had to send some of the older boys out for work so that they could survive. After Moody turned 17, he moved to Boston to work for his uncle’s shoe shop, however his uncle made Moody’s employment conditional upon attending the Congregational Church of Mount Vernon in 1855, Moody put his trust in Christ.

Moody’s Writings

D.L. Moody, the great American evangelist of the 19th century, was an evangelist but also a publisher late in life. He was associated with the Holiness Movement in the 1800’s and was the founder of Moody Church and several schools, but most of all, Moody Bible Institute which became and is still among the most rock-solid theological seminaries in the world. Late one night, D.L. Moody was found in an old abandoned salon reading (with difficulty) the Bible to a young African-American boy the parable of the Prodigal Son, showing his propensity and passion for bringing people to Christ. This account so left an impression on president-elect Abraham Lincoln that he visited and talked with Moody during a Sunday school meeting on November 25, 1860. When the Civil War broke out, he could not go to war because of his conscientious objection to killing, describing himself much like the Quakers who were non-conformists and non-resistant. Shortly after Moody Church was established, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 burned down Moody’s building but Moody’s chapel was rebuilt within three months as the Chicago Avenue Church.

Moody’s Soulwinning

D.L. Moody once made a vow to God and to himself that he would never let one day go by without witnessing to at least one person and so it was that one late winter night about ten o’clock, he realized that he had not witnessed to anyone so he went out, late at night, and found a man standing under a lamppost, apparently drunk. When Moody asked the man if he was a Christian, the man flew into a violent rage and started cussing and swearing at Moody. The next day, the man stormed into the church elder’s office and said that this man is “doing more harm than good.” The elder tried to talk Moody out of what he was doing but Moody was not going to stop his street evangelism. Three months passed after this event when late one night he heard a knock on the door, and there he was, the same man that had cussed him out but the man had apparently been changed. He apologized to Moody for the way he treated him. The man then asked about the state of his soul. That man was saved that very night and later, became one of the church’s greatest Sunday school teachers.

Conclusion

It was because D.L. Moody was unafraid to share the gospel, even if it made someone mad, that he became a potent “fisher of men.” If you can’t seem to find it in yourself to share the gospel with someone every day, try to do it at least once per week. That’ll mean you would have witnessed for Christ 52 times in one year! If D.L. Moody were still here, he would ask you and me, “How often have you shared the gospel with the lost?” The vast majority of believers have never led more than one person to saving faith in Christ in the entire lives. I pray you will be inspired by this great evangelist. He was so humble and contrite. He never thought too highly of himself. He admitted his mistakes and never considered himself above anyone else. This is the very reason that God used him mightily for the Kingdom. How about you and I? Do we have that desire to be a soulwinner?

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.