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.

Talking about God

We're shy about talking to others about God.  We'd more readily recommend our local Indian restaurant than a personal relationship with a risen Saviour.  Our world is screaming out for a hefty helping of real hope and it seems all we offer is the usual comfort food.

I went to a service at a different church yesterday to do my Reflection on a Service for Section D of my local preacher's course.  It was a wonderful service and the guest speaker, a Pentecostal Pastor was brilliant.  He preached a message that really struck a chord with where I'm at.  I came away feeling empowered to engage in more God talk.  He told the story of a chance encounter that led to a young man finding his faith and coming into a new and wonderful experience.  It's heart-warming to hear testimony like that.  It's encouraging to hear that people are still finding God through chance encounters with his people.

The chorus of the final hymn really reached somewhere deep - Hymn 662 from 'Singing the Faith', the new Methodist hymnbook.

‘We will walk the path that will cost us much and embrace the pain and sorrow.  We will trust in One who entrusts to us the disciples of tomorrow’.

What are you doing to help the disciples of tomorrow?  It's a path that will cost us much, we may have to endure pain and sorrow along the way, but we owe it to God.  The same God who loved each of us so much that he sent Jesus to win for us the salvation we could never win for ourselves....go talk about God and help others find the faith we hold so dear.