No Half Measures

As the final hurdle to accreditation approaches, I have been studying John Wesley's Sermons.  The one thing that really strikes you when you read his sermons is that there are no half measures. You either belong to God, or you don't.  You are either a disciple of Christ or you're not, there are no half measures, no picking out the best bits and ignoring the rest.

It is a thought provoking challenge even to Methodists today, how guilty are we of trying to dilute down our response to God in an effort to reach a compromise between living in a secular world and living according to the Spirit.  Is there a compromise, or are we guilty of diluting out the very thing that sets us apart and makes us a people who radiate God's love?

As Methodism published its Statistics for Mission, a gloom filled many hearts, for they made sombre reading.  Has God really finished with British Methodism?  I think not, for he continues to call a new generation into ministry and into local preaching.  There is a new generation picking up the challenge of mission in the 21st century, they are generation who are well equipped to meet the people of today where they are and take the gospel of Christ to the nation.

Let us not be discouraged by statistics, but empowered to do something about it.  Let us be bold in our witness and earnest in our discipleship.  Let us not be afraid to stand up and declare we belong to Christ.  Let us do all we can for the Gospel's sake, and when we do, our statistics will be very different.

A Special Journey

For almost three years now, I've been training to be a Methodist Local Preacher.  The journey to accreditation is almost complete.  On 1st July, I will have my final interview and accreditation should follow soon after on 20th July at Bush Hill Park Methodist Church.

It's  been a demanding journey, working my way through 17 units of Faith and Worship, the training course for local preachers.  Soon, my long evenings of study will be finished and I can contemplate the next stage in my journey.  Answering the call to preach was to be a truly amazing experience, and I'm pleased to report that I am confident of my calling.  When I lead worship, I know I'm exactly where God wants me to be and it has been truly blessed.  It hasn't been a lesson in sermon preparation, but rather a lesson in listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

I hesitate to call it a journey's end, for my journey as a local preacher is only just beginning, that chapter of my life has just begun.  It will be just as special a journey as my training has been, but it will be different and will build on what has gone before.  It will be energised and inspired by more ongoing study, through fellowship and through prayer.

I go forward empowered by the words of 2 Timothy chapter 4:

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage —with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.