A friend who knows me well tells me I need another way of phrasing what I wrote this morning. The friend agrees in substance but not in medium; my friend says tothink before I nail my 95 theses to the wall and not alienate the very people who have to make the decisions about our future.

So let me be clear: I include myself in the leadership of the church, the leadership that has to make hard choices about how to handle our crisis of finances and relevancy. It is hard to face the issues squarely and make a proactive decision. So I don't want to insult anyone with what I wrote, as if the blame falls on leadership. We have hard work ahead that is going to demand hard choices that none of us want to make.

If I were to say it differently: the church as it exists today will not be here in 15 years. There will be radical changes in structure and finance. I wish we would make the decisions to change now.

Let me also repeat that I am optimistic. The Methodist church has the message. I am bummed that I don't think I will get to be too much a part of the changes. They are going to be exciting. Painful and weird at first, but exciting and spirit driven.


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Perfection Tuesday! Guest Post From Chad Brooks

“What do you mean...? Are you trying to say that it is possible to not sin?”

I remember that night well. I wrote down my account of it in my journal and refer back to it several times a year. I was at a Bible study on Romans at the Wesley Foundation at Louisiana Tech University. Surrounded by a bunch of quasi-baptists reading through the book one of the guys mentioned how it wasn’t really worth it to fight sin. The director then said “You don’t have to sin”. The response in the quote above is a summary of the confusion and amazement that we all had. For a group of 200 college misfits that spent approximately 75% of their time trying to not get drunk, smoke pot or chase the opposite sex around it was pretty mind blowing.

That was my first introduction to Christian Perfection. It changed my life. At that moment I understood what it really meant to be a Christian, or more precisely to understand the power that had been given to me at justification that enabled me to be a Christian. By the grace of God alone, I am now empowered to strive further and further after him.

When we look at what really moved the original Methodist movement, Christian Perfection is on the top of the list. Every organizational move was designed to better facilitate perfection. It was a huge message, most commonly directed at the hell raisers of the day, those that thought their sins were so great not even God could forgive them. When the establishment attacked Wesley and said he was attempting to break up the Church of England he always reinforced how Anglican he was and how he encouraged the societies to remain active in their local parish. After this formal answer he usually finished up by reminding his accusers that many in the societies weren’t ever in church before and completely belonged to the Devil. Perfection was truly changing not just these people, but the social and cultural landscape of Great Britain.

And it wasn’t something that was just passing in Wesley’s mind. He really thought about the role sin had in the believer. He broke away from his Moravian friends, his spiritual mentors, because they thought sin was completely abolished in the heart at the moment of justification. Wesley understood that for sanctification to really be a process of holiness, sin was only abolished at the moment of heavenly glorification. Humans are creatures of a free will, and the nature of free will will never leave us. It is a blessing and a curse. Because of free will, we make the decision to accept the grace of God and therefore adopted into his family. But because of free will we can leave this family. Because of free will, it is possible for us to be free from enslavement to sin and instead grafted into the kingdom actions of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Wesley formed his entire theology around Christian Perfection. Many of these pieces seem life changing to us now, probably because they were to John, Charles and friends in the 18th century. They taught lives of complete dedication, and what it meant to be an “almost Christian” (read that sermon if you want to be convicted). As John put it in “A Plain Account of Christian Perfection” there is no medium between serving God and serving the Devil. Perfection is the path for all those desiring to truly know the truth as it is in Jesus Christ.

It is funny to think of battling sin to be a point of evangelism, but for that group that night it was. I can think of many people whose lives were changed because of that impromptu lesson on Christian Perfection, mine included. Perhaps we should allow perfection to enter our preaching and teaching schedules as often as we talk about popular culture. What would our churches look like then?`

Thomas Hanby, Methodist Preacher

Hanby grew up in straitened circumstances due to his father's alcoholism and early death. But Hanby was a hard worker and he could provide adequately for his needs and then some.

At the age of thirteen, he heard that the Bishop would be coming to confirm the children, and he thought he should learn the catechism. He did so and was confirmed. But the same day that he was confirmed, he ran out playing with other kids and heard a vocie say that since he had broken the Sabbath, he had undone whatever had been done at Confirmation. He began to read and repeat many prayers, hoping some ritual could fix things.

He met Joseph Cheesebrough, a shoemaker and Methodist, who showed him the true way to salvation by grace and invited him to attend the Methodist Society (small group meeting). Although he was a little leery of the Methodists (mobs had threatened to disrupt their meetings), he went and was finding grace and truth. But the local Anglican clergyman took exception to the Methodist work and convinced Hanby that they were Puritans, and could not be trusted. The clergy man said if they would leave off and form a proper religious society, he himself would occasionally come.

"In a little time we had a larger society than the Methodists, of people who had an outward show of religion, who could play cards, and do whatever they liked, and conform to the world in almost everything."

Hanby wanted none of that and so rejoined the Methodists, He recounts that many Methodist preachers came through town, "who often preached to us while the blood ran down their faces, by the blows and pointed arrows thrown at them while they were preaching."

Hanby grew under the Methodist preaching and doctrine, and while he was prospering in his business, he heard a call to preach, but wrote it off to temptation. He could not tell if his uneasiness about preaching was from God or the devil. While in this confusion and prayer, he heard of a woman who was on the point of death, but was very glad of it! He had heard of the "happy deaths" reported among the Methodists; he wanted to see for himself. So he went to the home, but stayed off in a corner as he was a stranger. He listened to Brother Shent (a famous Methodist preacher) pray for her. He left with Brother Shent and begged him to go to Hanby's hometown to preach. he went back into the house and heard that the sick woman had asked for him. He was shocked, as he was unknown to her. He went to her side, and relates that she said to him, "God has called you to preach the Gospel; you have long rejected the call, but He will make you go. Obey the call, obey the call."

He decided he would give it a try. At his first sermon, two people found forgiveness of sins [such fruit was one of the criteria of being a Methodist preacher]. He found more success and was very aggressive in moving into the places where there had been no Methodist preaching.

But Hanby had uncommon struggles with the mobs that opposed Methodist work. This mob broke into a private residence to seize Hanby, but the congregation fought to keep from him. He kept coming back to that town because some remained faithful in spite of the violence. Once when he returned, the inn-keeper barely got him out alive.

In a new town, where there had been no Methodist work, a mob attacked, with a local man swearing that he would have the preacher's liver! Hanby had to run upstairs, sneak downstairs and hide in the barn, but he was found by one of the mob. As they were about to kill him, one had a change of heart and helped Hanby escape. The man was the best boxer in town, so as Hanby ran, this man fought the mob, and helped Hanby over walls and hedges, until he could escape and hide in the fields throughout the night.

He had other encounters with violent mobs in other towns, but credited Providence with saving his life. And then in 1755, he became an official Methodist preacher! What an ordination process!

Hanby was well-respected as a Methodist pastor. He was President of the Conference in 1794. I want to record an account of his last Sunday on earth. He was 63, and this was his work: at 6 a.m., he preached on Luke 2; in the afternoon on Isaiah 9:6, "His name shalle be called Wonderful Counselor;" and in the evening, from I Timothy 3:16, "Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great." He also met four or five classes that day.

My Methodist brothers and sisters! Are we this zealous? We do not have the trials here in America that Hanby had in England. But the fields are white for the harvest! Will we work with their fervor?

Guest Post: Jeff Rudy on Zeal

"Without zeal it is impossible either to make any considerable progress in religion ourselves, or to do any considerable service to our neighbor, whether in temporal or spiritual things. And yet nothing has done more disservice to religion, or more mischief to mankind, than a sort of zeal which has for several ages prevailed, both in pagan, Mahometan, and Christian nations. Insomuch that it may truly be said: pride, covetousness, ambition, revenge, have in all parts of the world slain their thousands, but zeal its ten thousands.” This is how John Wesley began his sermon, ‘On Zeal.’ Now ponder along which lines you associate zeal? Is it about the former (progress and service to our neighbors) or the latter (stamping out anything and anyone unlike me/us)?



Undoubtedly, the latter description is what creeps into the minds of most people upon hearing about “zeal” or any of its cognates. How lamentable! Wesley contends that this is not true zeal, but is fueled by something other than true religion. Even so, it is possible to distinguish right zeal from wrong, “but it is difficult…so skilfully do the passions justify themselves.” The standard against which to measure actions and attitudes that can be described as “zealous” and whether or not they are right or wrong is to determine the aim and what rules the zeal. Wesley notes that he had come across the notion that something could only be properly called religious or Christian zeal “if it is joined with charity.” Then he notes that another author takes it a step further and says that love (or charity) must be the “chief ingredient” of zeal if it is to be considered Christian. Wesley takes it to the ultimate: “May we not say that true zeal is not mostly charitable, but wholly so? That is, if we take charity in St. Paul’s sense, for love – the love of God and our neighbor…True Christian zeal is no other than the flame of love.”



The chief properties of this love are humility, meekness and patience. How many of your actions and attitudes that you would consider to be “zealous” would fall in line with these properties? “Love” can easily be twisted if we don’t talk about what qualifies “love” as righteous or holy. That’s why bringing up humility, meekness, and patience is significant.



Upon establishing these qualities, Wesley establishes a hierarchy, of sorts, to help guide the Christian into rightly placing zeal. The metaphor perhaps most appropriate is a target, with the thing closest to the center being the most important. Beginning on the outermost circle, then, he indicates that we should have zeal for the Church, in particular that branch (or denomination, including our local congregation) of which we are a part. Then a little more important than this are “works of piety,” which include the commonly referred to “means of grace” (hearing, reading, and meditating on the Scriptures; public and private prayer; the Lord’s Supper; fasting). Closer still to the center are “works of mercy” – relieving the “distress of our neighbour, whether in body or soul.” Even more important than this is being zealous for “holy tempers,” which are the motives behind all works of mercy and piety. But above all it is love that “sits upon the throne...and reigns without a rival.”



This was the type of zeal to which Wesley was calling the early Methodists…and the zeal that we would do well to pursue. Imagine if our zeal was guided according to that “target.” The world may have different things to say about “zealotry” than what we currently hear. Having the “flame of love” means we are humble, not proud. That is true zeal. Having the “flame of love” means we are meek, not easily angered nor driven by anger. That is true zeal. Having the “flame of love” means we are patient, not quick to act rashly. That is true zeal. Having the “flame of love” in our hearts means that we are not filled with hatred, bitterness, prejudice, jealousy, and a whole host of other “evil tempers.” “It is utter folly and impertinence for any to talk of zeal for God while he is doing the works of the devil.”


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You Dont Know What Youre Talking About When You Whine About Christians Being Judgmental

Do not judge... ok, I had thought I would work my way to this passage, going thru the sermon on the Mount as Wesley exposited it. But, this passage of Scripture is so wildly abused, that even though I think there is a lot to be said for following the progression of Wesley laying out the Sermon on the Mount, the time has come to deal decisively with the sad interpretations of this passage of Scripture.

The popular mind's gloss on this Scripture is a teenage paradise or a rapper's delight.

"No one can judge me."

"Only God can judge me."

"Christians aren't supposed to judge."

"Don't judge."

And the list goes on and on.

Can you judge someone for judging? Because that's what you're doing if you start whining that someone called out sin (see my post on Methodist Backbonehere

At the end of the day, the misuse of this Scripture is difficult to deal with because the bad interpretations present themselves as being deep and "spiritual." Deep and spiritual apparently means "dispensing with common sense and everything else Scripture has to say about this."

This is from Sermon 30, the tenth discourse on the Sermon on The Mount. And may I remind everybody, this constitutes Methodist doctrine. I know many want to think that being Methodist means we pick and choose from an awesome buffet, but no. You must eat your vegetables.

Wesley begins by telling us that in the fifth chapter of Matthew, our blessed Lord has carefully guarded true religion from the "glosses of men," [that is, those interpretations that make the Word of no effect], and has given us a picture of the interior formation the Holy Spirit does in us. In the sixth chapter, the Lord shows that the simplest things we can be made holy if we have a holy intention-- that is, when the heart is right [interior formation] the actions can be right. In the first part of chapter 7 He "points out the most fatal and common hindrances to this holiness."

The first caution is against judging.

"There is no station of life, nor any period of time, from the hour of our first repenting and believing the Gospel, till we are made perfect in love, wherein this caution is not needful for the child of God." There are just so many times we are tempted to judge, and we usually feel so justified. [let me intrude here: at least, I feel that I am usually justified! Judging and anger are such self-justifying sins!]

Here's where Wesley gets interesting. It seems that God has designed this command not so much for the children of God, but for the children of the world, for those who do not know God. If we were to go back and look at the interior formation explained in the first part of the Sermon on the Mount, we could see that indeed, if we were being blessed in meekness, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, etc., then this command to "judge not" is almost superfluous. But the children of the world who feel themselves convicted by the life of the serious Christian spend their time looking for the hypocrisy or faults of the ones seeking after God, in order to make excuses for themselves. It is to such a mindset that the Lord says they see the speck in another's eye, but not the log that is in their own. Wesley says the meaning is something like this: "You do not consider the damnable impenitence, the Satanic pride, the accursed self-will, the idolatrous love of the world, which are in you, and which make your whole life an abomination to the Lord." So what can such a person really have to say to the one he considers too zealous for God, who has gone to extremes of self-denial [fasting], and spends too much time in prayer or in hearing preaching?

Wesley then moves on to examining what judging means, what is the judging that is prohibited. He says it is not simply evil speaking, which is relating evil about an absent person. It's not simply thinking evil thoughts. But--and here is where we really need to pay attention-- Wesley says not all evil thinking is condemned. If you see someone commit robbery or murder, or hear them blaspheme the name of God, you can't help but thinking of evil of such a person. There is no sin in that. If it prompts you to warn them about the consequences of sin [what we most commonly resent when we start hollering about judging], it is in fact a compassionate thing to do.


To sum up:

we have to see clearly what do not judge means

It is nothing like what the world means by "not judging;" if people sin, we must speak up and condemn the acts and warn the sinner of the consequences. One day we'll post on a difficult sermon on a difficult scripture, "On the Duty of Reproving One's Neighbor."

Wesley has a lot more to say on this topic in this sermon; we'll get to that as we progress through the Sermon on The Mount. I wanted to post on this because as often as we hear stupid things like, "You can't judge me," we need to see what the Scriptures say.

Guest Post from Teddy Ray on Unity and Holiness

“Unity and holiness are the two things I want among Methodists,” wrote John Wesley in February 1766. At a time when the Methodist movement was rapidly expanding, Wesley’s chief desire and purpose was not greater growth, more money to accomplish the work, more influence in the world, or any of the many other strivings that can so easily distract. Unity and holiness were the two things he wanted.

The emphasis on holiness continued for early American Methodists, as a letter written by the Methodist Bishops in 1824 reveals. Aaron has posted this letter twice before, but it hits the point and is foundational. Its strong admonitions make it worth quoting at length:
“If Methodists give up the doctrine of entire sanctification, or suffer it to become a dead letter, we are a fallen people... If the Methodists lose sight of this, they fall by their own weight. Their success in gaining numbers will be the cause of their dissolution. Holiness is the main cord that binds us together. Relax this and you loosen the whole system. This will appear more evident if we call to mind the original design of Methodism. It was to raise up and preserve a holy people. This was the principal object which Mr. Wesley […] had in view. To this all doctrines preached in Methodism tend. Whoever supposed, or who that is acquainted with the case can suppose, that it was designed in any of its parts to secure the applause or popularity of the world, or a numerical increase of worldly or impenitent men?”

Such strong statements should force the Church today to ask, Have unity and holiness continued to be our greatest goals? Or have we somewhere along the way supposed that Methodism was designed to secure applause, popularity, or a numerical increase of worldly or impenitent men?

A recent USA Today article, “Methodists see clues for growth in thriving churches,” is far from encouraging. The article discusses a survey conducted by the UMC “to find out what its growing memberships are doing to keep congregations thriving.” The survey identified four “key factors of vitality” that had to do with (1) the kind of programs churches have, (2) their involvement of people in leadership, (3) how inspirational their pastors are and how long their tenure has been, and (4) what styles of worship the churches have. The article talks about providing opportunities for worshipers to worship casually, with coffee and donuts. It quotes a pastor who compares worship to “going to a mall,” where “some people like specialty shops [and] some like department stores.” The co-chair of the survey’s steering committee says, “[the survey] gives us great hope” because “there are clearly drivers that are absolutely understandable and actionable.” Nowhere does the article mention, or even allude to, unity, holiness, repentance, faith, or even Christ. It is hard to discern how the survey would look different if it were conducted by Kiwanis or Rotary.

Does this survey reflect who the Methodists have become? How often has our great hope been an understandable and actionable business strategy rather than Christ and Christ alone? How often have we depended on donuts and coffee rather than an honest call to repentance? How often have we banked on an inspirational preacher rather than a legitimate call to faith and holiness for God’s people? Or let people off the hook for their lack of holiness for fear of offending? Have we become so focused on offering the world traditional, contemporary, emergent, and eclectic worship services, that we have lost a focus on offering them Christ?

If we follow Wesley and the early Methodists in anything, I hope that we might follow them in seeking unity and holiness above all else. If we desire anything for the Church, if we work toward any goal, I hope that it will be these two things above all else. May holiness, that great grace given to us by God, be the main cord that binds us together.


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First Guest Post: Jonathan Powers!!

When I started Weekly Wesley, I had in mind, among other things, that there would be guest posts. I did not do any work towards that until yesterday... I just threw the idea out to four friends, and got two posts already. Jonathan Powers' submission came in first, so here it is. Teddy Ray will post here Thursday, let's hope this continues, and we can crank out some good content. And no matter what, guest posts will bring some class to this place.

I should have asked Jonathan for a bio... he is a student at Asbury Theological Seminary and leads worship for Offerings, a service at First United Methodist Church in Lexington, KY. He has a great blog here

He thinks and lives a lot about worship. I hope you are edified, challenged, and encouraged by his post on Charles Wesley's recasting of Scripture in Methodist hymnody.

Sola Scriptura

When considering key figures in early Methodism, immediately almost everyone thinks of John Wesley. Certainly, the Methodist movement was mainly due to the efforts of John Wesley. However, the contributions of John’s brother Charles should not be overlooked. Though Charles Wesley is mainly remembered in Methodist history as a writer of over 9,000 hymns, it is important to know that by vocation he was a pastor and not a songwriter. Charles had a deep compassion for people, especially the poor and desolate. While serving a parish in London, Charles would often spend time ministering to prisoners at the Newgate prison. Like his brother, John, he was a great evangelist, though he preferred to stay closer to his family and did not travel as often or as far as his brother.
Like his older brother John, Charles disciplined himself daily through rigorous Scriptural study, reading the church fathers, and prayer. For Charles, much like the early church Fathers he studied, the Bible was not seen primarily as a history book but rather as a testimony to an ongoing saving reality. He was so saturated in Biblical knowledge that a thorough study of his hymns hardly finds a line that is not somehow tied to a passage of Scripture. He spoke the Bible so fluently, moving through Scriptural images, vocabulary, and references, it felt as if his tongue knew no other way to speak. In fact, Charles could not see his own experience of Christ outside of the scriptures, seeing allegorical connections of Biblical events to those in his own life. This is perhaps most evident in, “Wrestling Jacob” (read it here: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/c/o/comeotho.htm).
Though his hymns are deeply embedded with theology, Charles was not a theologian, at least in the contemporary sense that a theologian is one who critiques and develops systematic theologies. Yet, it could easily be claimed that the fullness of Methodist theology was composed through Charles Wesley’s hymns. Charles found the hymn form as a way to communicate his pastoral concerns. His hymns became a method of theological reflection through praise, prayer, and study. They were as much devotional as they were worshipful. Simply knowing or remembering right doctrine and theology, however, was not Charles’ reasoning for including such theological reflection in his hymns. A large part of his role as a songwriter was to keep theology related to both service and worship of God.
It was upon the experience of Christ in the life of the believer that Charles Wesley began to find a specific message in his songwriting. Lyrical expression was more than a cathartic experience for his soul. Instead, Charles deeply felt the importance of communicating the theme of God’s universal invitation to salvation. This led to his and John’s development of a hymn collection that would trace the journey of an individual through faith, resulting in A Collection of Hymns for the use of People Called Methodists. Remembering that Charles was devoted to the Anglican Church, the Methodist societies met initially as supplementary meetings to Anglican worship services. It was in this context the hymnbook was used to help focus spiritual growth from the time of conversion to the incorporation with the fellowship of believers. The hymnbook gave the believers a guide through song to experience the life of Christ, the seasons of the church, and the sacraments. Since these hymns were so deeply embedded with scripture, the hymnbook served also as a guide to show how the Bible speaks into every action of worship and moment of life. Hence it was for Charles Wesley that the inner experience of salvation was manifest through Scriptural testimony in lyrical praise of God.
It cannot be overlooked that these hymns were also written for worship. Understanding that holiness was a central focus in early Methodism, it is important to recognize that the hymnbook prepared a holy people to enter into holy worship. Everything from the preaching to the singing reflected holiness. This holiness was grounded in such a deep knowledge of Scripture that it provided a particular grammar. Scripture was the language on the tongues of the Methodist people, whether spoken or sung. The entirety of the spiritual life was found in and encompassed by the Scriptures. The Scriptures then provided a language in which praise could return to God in worship.
Unfortunately, Scripture often is not the language spoken in the church today. Church leaders often do not have a grammar of Scripture, and the congregation frequently does not reflect it in worship.
Holiness requires discipline. It requires taking the time to know the Scriptures. It requires the care of learning a new language to the point of speaking it fluently. It requires the humility of allowing it to speak into every season and action of life. It requires using the voice of Scripture in praising and proclaiming Christ.
Just as we need to be a people of one book, so also we need to be a people of one language – Scripture. What does the lack of Scriptural language in our churches say about how we view the experience of Christ’s salvation in our lives? Does the pursuit of holiness die when the Scriptural testimony of our lives ceases to speak? Does our worship tend to be less holy?
Let us work together to reclaim holy living and holy worship by committing ourselves to this powerful language.

Duncan Wright, Soldier, Methodist Preacher

Walsh was born in Scotland, 1736. He was set on a career in the army, which he joined in 1754. He believed that there was no way to be a soldier and a Christian, and was astonished at the soldiers who preached-- mostly because he knew the general wickedness that prevailed in the army.

An older soldier introduced Duncan to some Christian literature, and the young soldier began to fear for his immortal soul. Luckily, in Limerick where he was stationed, there was a society of Methodists, and after overcoming his fear (because everyone derided the Methodists), he met with them and was saved in April of 1756, he was saved from his sins by the grace of God.

For the next two years, Wright found himself greatly comforted by the acquaintances he made in the Methodist societies, including the chances to hear John Wesley and Thomas Walsh preach.

Walsh became a Methodist preacher under serious circumstances. The army in Ireland had decided to execute a deserter in every city, in order to scare people into remaining in the army after they had been kidnapped into the service. The lot fell on a 22-year old man, Joseph Newton. Wright made tentative efforts to bring Christian comfort to the young man's soul. He grew bolder as the hour of execution approached, and Wright notes, "everyone who saw him go to the place where he was shot could not but admire the serene joy that appeared in his countenance."

But Wright has an interesting note: from 1758-65 he was very depressed. He includes that note to remark that you dont have to be happy to preach! rather you must simply trust that in God alone is peace and joy "and refuse every other comfort."

Wright got out of the army because a superior officer thought it was a disgrace to have a preacher in his midst. And so Wright was "thrown out into the harvest."

Wesley began to be concerned for the Highland Scots who came from the mountains seeking work, but had no care for their souls because they did not speak English. He sent Wright, encouraging him to relearn Gaelic!
he started reading a Gaelic New Testament and began services for the Highlanders.

I am glad that such a spirit is still alive today!

Perfect Love

One of the difficulties for me after coming to Christ was that even though I had repented of my sins as far as I could tell, there were still places where the old man kept creeping back in.

I could not believe that Jesus died on the Cross for me to remain the same as I was, to be who I was. I could not believe that He had died, I had trusted His death and Resurrection to save me and redeem me, and then somehow Jesus was just going to look the other way when I kept sinning

But that's not real theology, to say, "I just can't believe this or that."

But I had this gut feeling that the answer i did not want was some kind of response that said, "Well, we just keep sinning, but thank God we're forgiven."

So I was very happy to read Romans 8, that I did not need to live according to the sinful nature, but could live according to the Spirit, to have my mind on life not death, to find my heart set on righteousness not iniquity. And I was further strengthened to know that this would come from the Holy Spirit, not from me.

This mystery that Methodists call Christian Perfection challenges us. First, we think we don't like the word "perfect." Look it up in a reputable dictionary (i.e. American Heritage, 2nd ed.) "Flawless" is not the main definition. "Finished" is.

Second, we think that Christ's work was finished on the Cross. If that is the case, we have some splainin' to do, both from the New Testament witness and our own lives.

There is this moment, perhaps even more powerful than our initial feeling of our need for Christ, when we realize that while we are saved, we still find that God's love is not in us as deeply as it ought to be. Do you have that moment?

It is beyond a sort of enthusiasm that says "I shall love my neighbor more."

It is beyond a euphoria of thanksgiving for all the Lord has done for us.

It is a hearing of God's constant wooing of our hearts to open us so that we might know His love as completely--as perfectly--as possible.

Ponder for a moment what it would mean to receive such a gift from the Holy Spirit. What if God's love for your neighbor were yours? What if the love that flows within the Trinity were yours for God?

Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted For Righteousness' Sake

It strikes me that since my real goal is to get you to consider Wesley, I need not only provide my own synopsis, but a link to this sermon, from which you can get to all sermons. So, to get to this particular sermon, click here

And then, to get to a convenient access to all of Wesley's Sermons, click here

Wesley points out, again, that there is a development of character, some interior formation happening in the first few beatitudes. And then we move into how the interior formation starts working itself out in action. You'd assume that someone who is meek, devoted to God, and seeking to good to all as is in his or her power, such a person would be "the darling of mankind."

But we find that is not often the case. Can Jesus be serious, that after all the interior formation the Holy Spirit does in us through the Word that we will be persecuted? Wesley's caricature of the "worldly-minded person's perceptions of how Christians live out the beatitudes is worth quoting at length:

"They are persecuted, because they are poor in spirit; that is, say the world, “poor-spirited, mean, dastardly souls, good for nothing, not fit to live in the world:” — because they mourn: “They are such dull, heavy, lumpish creatures, enough to sink anyone’s spirits that sees them! They are mere death-heads; they kill innocent mirth, and spoil company wherever they come:” — Because they are meek: “Tame, passive fools, just fit to be trampled upon:” — Because they hunger and thirst after righteousness: “A parcel of hot-brained enthusiasts, gaping after they know not what, not content with rational religion, but running mad after raptures and inward feelings:” — Because they are merciful, lovers of all, lovers of the evil and unthankful: “Encouraging all manner of wickedness; nay, tempting people to do mischief by impunity: and men who, it is to be feared, have their own religion still to seek; very loose in their principles:” — Because they are pure in heart: “Uncharitable creatures, that damn all the world, but those that are of their own sort! Blasphemous wretches, that pretend to make God a liar, to live without sin!” — Above all, because they are peace-makers; because they take all opportunities of doing good to all men. This is the grand reason why they have been persecuted in all ages, and will be till the restitution of all things: “If they would but keep their religion to themselves, it would be tolerable: But it is this spreading their errors, this infecting so many others, which is not to be endured. They do so much mischief in the world, that they ought to be tolerated no longer. It is true, the men do some things well enough; they relieve some of the poor: But this, too, is only done to gain the more to their party; and so, in effect, to do the more mischief!” Thus the men of the world sincerely think and speak. And the more the kingdom of God prevails, the more the peace-makers are enabled to propagate lowliness, meekness, and all other divine tempers, the more mischief is done, in their account: Consequently, the more are they enraged against the authors of this, and the more vehemently will they persecute them."

[Please remember the Biblical defintions of meekness and poverty of spirit that Wesley works with! meek, hunger/thirst, merciful, pure in heart, and peacemakers

In many places in the world, Christians are seriously and heavily persecuted. These words of comfort from Jesus are most especially given to them. We in America are blessed that the "persecution" that comes our way is largely one of apathy--which has its own dangers, not fully seen yet. What can such words mean to us, beyond the generalized sense that, indeed, there are times where if you make a stand on Scripture, and it is unpopular in some quarters, you may be ridiculed or lose friends?

One thing I wonder: do people think too highly of us? I've mentioned before, I was not ordained to be a "nice guy," (and some of you say Amen, I know). Are we concerned about a good article in the newspaper? Do we avoid talking about certain things if it means some in the congregation may get upset? Leave? Quit giving? Are we institutionally capable of being persecuted, even in the small ways that happen in the U.S?

Mather on Perfection

When Brother Wesley had read Alexander Mather's account of his life and ministry, he wrote back to Mather that he had "wholly omitted one considerable branch of his experience, touching what is properly termed 'the great salvation.'" So Mather added a bit more to his testimony concerning what Methodists call "entire sanctification," "the second blessing," or "Christian perfection."

Mather says:

"What I had experienced in my own soul was an instantaneous deliverance from all those wrong tempers and affections which I had long endured under, an entire disengagement from every creature with an entire devotedness to God: and from that moment I found an unspeakable pleasure in doing the will of God in all things. I had also a power to do it, and the constant approbation both of my own conscience and of God. I had simplicity of heart and a single eye to God at all times and in all places, with a such a fervent zeal for the glory of God and the good of souls as swallowed up every other care and consideration."

"as to the manner wherein this work was wrought: 1. After I was clearly justified, I was soon made sensible of my want of it [perfection] 2 My conviction of the need of a farther change was abundantly increased by the searching preaching of Mr Walsh, of blessed memory. This kept my conscience very tender, even to the degree of scrupulosity, and helped me to be much in private prayer [old Methodists would call this "praying through;' that is, praying through and past temptations. It works even for heroin addiction.]

After reading Mather's experience, Wesley added this note:

"I earnestly desire that all our preachers would seriously consider the preceding account. And let them not be content never to speak against the great salvation, either in public or private, and never to discourage any that think they have attained it--no, prudently encourage them to 'hold fast whereunto they have attained,' and strongly exhort all believers to go on to perfection; yea to expect full salvation from sin every moment, by mere grace, through simple faith."

Mather also related something that seems a small thing, but shows the invasive practicality of entire sanctification:

"while I was following hard after God, I had frequent temptations to resume my Latin, and learn the other languages, especially when I observed some of my brethren who had made some progress therein, though they had not the same advantages as me. but the comfort I found in spending all my time [in prayer and evangelism], and the thought that however this might recommend them to some hearers, yet they were not thereby more instrumental than before, either in awakening or converting or building up souls. This I have considered as the only business and particular glory of a Methodist preacher."

source: Wesley's Veterans, vol. 2

Alexander Mather, Methodist Preacher

I know, I know, I have neglected you over here at Weekly Wesley.

Alexander Mather was born in the north of Britain in 1733. His parents brought him up in the religion of the Church of England. The young boy was very eager to learn all that could be learned about religion. (There is a theme here for Methodists-- the movement arose because of "religion" h die that you can intellectually believe certain points and be righteous.)

Mather, for all his piety, made a bad decision. He threw in his lot with rebels against the king (I think maybe it was the rumored French-supported rebellion from Scotland?). It never came to anything, but the rebels were being hunted down, and Mather had nowhere to go. His family was afraid they would come under suspicion if he were to stay with them.

A formative experience during his being on the run was that he was miraculously saved from drowning. He felt God had saved him for a purpose

When he was finally pardoned, his father reluctantly let him come home, but would not support him in school. So Mather joined his father in their business of baking.

Mather's ministry was effective, including the building of churches and powerful preaching on Christian perfection. He gives us an interesting account of the struggles of being called to preach, and what it meant to be a Methodist preacher.

He told John Wesley that he felt called to preach, and Mr. Wesley tied to give him the straight dope: "to be a Methodist preacher is not the way to ease, honor, pleasure, or profit. It is a life of much labour and reproach. They often fare hard, are often in want. They are liable to be stoned, beaten, and abused in various ways. Consider this before you engage in so uncomfortable a way of life."

Mather, when describing the prerequisites of a Methodist preacher, said, he must:
Have a knowledge of God as having pardoned all his sins
A life and conversation suitable thereto
A clear conviction that he was called of God to the work
Fruit in his ministry, convincing and converting sinners.

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