Using My Gifts

Reflect on how God can use your gifts to reach those that you have identified as needing Jesus. I think one of my major gifts is the gift of service. I find that often times, the area where I find myself working in ministry is behind the scenes in acts of service and compassion. I love working with those who have needs, and I enjoy being the hands and feet of Jesus that work to meet those needs. I find that when I am meeting the personal and physical needs of people, I am more apt and able to meet their spiritual needs as well. When I can show love and compassion, that is when I am best able to reach those that need Jesus.

My Attitude towards Evangelism

Reflect on how your attitude or motivation is changing as a result of this class. I think this class has given me an appreciation for how easy and difficult it can be to witness your faith. It is easy, because God gives us all the gifts and talents we need to live our lives the way he wants us to live, but it is also difficult, because there are so many unknowns when it comes to sharing your faith: "Will I be rejected or made fun of? Will they get mad?". There are so many personal inhibitions that could come up and prevent a person from sharing their faith, but if we rely on God, he gives us the strength to tell the Good News in both our words and our actions.

God's Call

How firmly or tentatively have you embraced God’s call to make disciples of others? I think I have firmly embraced God's call to make disciples. There was a point in my life when I was hesitant to follow the call towards discipleship, or even full-time ministry as a career. Yet in this season of my life, God has shown to me time and time again that he has set out something for me to do, and it is my job to simply respond to his call and follow him. I may not be perfect at making disciples, but with his help, I can strive to work towards that end.

Prayer for the Unsaved

This week, I wrote a paper regarding some individuals that need to know the saving power of Jesus Christ. This is the prayer that I wrote for them: Father God, I pray that these individuals I have discussed would come to a place where they can know you personally. Lord, wherever they are at in their own life, I pray that you would bring them to a place where they can know you on a deeper level today. I pray that your Spirit will continue to work in their hearts to bring them to a place where they can be reconciled with you. I pray that you will place the right people in their lives to witness and minister to them, and that my interactions and encounters with them would bring evidence and glory to your power and your saving grace. In Jesus name, Amen.

Values that compete with Jesus

Reflect on the values you hold that might compete with your love for Jesus. As I think about this prompt, I am drawn to Jesus' strong words regarding this topic: Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple." I think anything that comes between myself and Jesus needs to be addressed, even things that are not intrinsically sinful or evil. The good stuff in life can come between myself and Jesus just as quickly as the bad stuff. I think sometimes the good stuff can be even more of a barrier, because it doesn't often come with guilt. I think any time something comes between my focus and commitment to Jesus, it has to be analyzed. Nothing is exempt when it comes to Christ.

Declaring the Gospel of God

Here it is, another class, and another journal begins. Technically, this class doesn't start for a couple more months, but I am getting a head start because that is how I roll. Here is the first prompt:

Write in your journal. Confess some of the obstacles in your thinking which have kept you from being an eager witness. Write a prayer asking God for His power and grace to break through the barriers to evangelism.

I think the biggest obstacle that keeps people from being an eager witness is the fact that we care a lot about what other people think of us. It is a natural inclination for a human being to feel needed and to belong. A lot of times, our beliefs about Jesus Christ can alienate us from people that we want to be accepted by. All too often our fear of rejection takes precedence over our desire to see the work of Christ done in the hearts of those we care about.

Lord,

I pray that you will help me to overcome any barrier that might keep me from spreading the truth of your word to this world. I pray that you would use me as a witness to your power working in the lives of humanity, and I pray that you will use my life and my testimony to bring those around me closer to you.

Amen

Wesley's Via Media: Concluding Remarks

"Reflect on the wisdom and strength of Wesley’s via media."

As I have gone through the course work required for this module, I have to admit that I am impressed with the flexibility that Wesley's theology grants to all believers. I love that Wesley stays true to the essential tenets of the faith, namely that Jesus Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost. As for the non-essential stuff like the end times, age of the earth, even issues of polity and church structure, these he allows to be left up to personal opinion. I think we can truly achieve unity when we don't have to stand behind lines drawn in the sand. Wesley's via media allows us to be united under the Salvation of Jesus Christ even though we might share differences in opinion on a variety of matters. Such unity strengthens us as joint-heirs with Jesus Christ.

Setting the tone for Conversion

"Between five and six I called on all who were present (about three thousand) at Stanley, on a little green near the town, to accept of Christ as their only “wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.” I was strengthened to speak as I never did before; and continued speaking nearly two hours: the darkness of the night and a little lightning not lessening the number, but increasing the seriousness, of the hearers. I concluded the day by expounding part of our Lord's Sermon on the Mount to a small, serious company at Ebly."

I love this segment of Wesley preaching in Stanley because he was not hindered by the elements to conclude his preaching. Wesley, feeling moved by the spirit, continued to preach in spite of the dwindling amount of daylight. Wesley charges that the darkness did not hinder his message nor the amount of individuals to hear it, but brought the crowd deeper into the importance of the message being conveyed. In theater, many times you notice the music or the acting as the main message being conveyed, but the subtleties like light and background can truly set the tone for what is trying to be communicated to the audience. During this event, Wesley had the Master Theater Director setting the tone, adjusting the light for Wesley message of salvation. And it was effective!

Called By Conviction

“If you ask on what principle I acted, it was this: ‘A desire to be a Christian; and a conviction that whatever I judge conducive thereto that I am bound to do; wherever I judge I can best answer this end, thither it is my duty to go.’ On this principle I set out for America; on this I visited the Moravian church; and on the same am I ready now (God being my helper) to go to Abyssinia or China, or whithersoever it shall please God, by this conviction, to call me."

It is neat to read about Wesley's willingness to follow God wherever he might choose for him to go. I actually had to Google Search where Abyssinia was; turns out it is modern day Ethiopia. I love the strength of his conviction; Wesley understood that it was not a choice for him to follow the Cross of Christ where ever it led him; he was "bound" to do what ever was conducive to his calling as a Christian, he had a "duty" to follow God's will for his life. I think a lot of times people encounter Jesus and they want to fit him in to everything else they have going on in their life. They don't feel like they it is their duty to follow Christ's way, that they are bound to his will for their life. Our desire to follow Christ should come with this type of conviction, this type of willingness to see the Kingdom of God built.

To see versus to hear

"Several ladies following me into Mr. Merchant’s house, the servant told me there were some wanted to speak to me. I went to them and said, “I believe, ladies, the maid mistook: you wanted only to look at me.” I added, “I do not expect that the rich and great should want either to speak with me or to hear me; for I speak the plain truth—a thing you hear little of and do not desire to hear.” A few more words passed between us, and I retired."

I love the somewhat cutting words of Wesley in this encounter. Here were these ladies of pomp and circumstance, who wanted to see this John Wesley, this street preacher gaining prominence and notoriety. They were more interested in the personal association with someone of prominence, not so that they could hear what Wesley had to say, but only to add that to their list of social encounters and stories. I find Wesley's words cutting, but I think that doesn't make them any less true. Those who are wealthy, or who live in a prosperous land, often determine to make truth for themselves instead of allowing the truth of God to overflow their lives. How difficult it is for the rich to get into heaven indeed!

Wesley's Redemption Stories

“I will show you him that was a lion till then and is now a lamb; him that was a drunkard and is now exemplarily sober; the whoremonger that was who now abhors the very ‘garment spotted by the flesh.’ These are my living arguments for what I assert, namely, ‘that God does now, as aforetime, give remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Ghost even to us and to our children; yea, and that always suddenly as far as I have known, and often in dreams or in the visions of God.’ If it be not so, I am found a false witness before God. For these things I do, and by His grace, will testify.”

I love being able to read the redemption stories that Wesley experienced. It is my hope that as I continue to grow in my ministry that I can recall individuals that I have encountered who have similar stories happen in their lives. I want to be able to look back and give God the praise for the life-changing work he is doing through me in the lives of the young people that I am engaged in ministry with.

Investment and Risk

"I accordingly yielded to their advice, and calling all the feoffees together canceled (no man opposing) the instrument made before, and took the whole management into my own hands. Money, it is true, I had not, nor any human prospect or probability of procuring it; but I knew “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof,” and in His name set out, nothing doubting."

Wesley writes this passage in regard to financing the first Methodist building. Wesley puts it on himself to take the bulk of the investment risk, with no income nor any means of attaining the funding to manage the project. Yet, in faith, Wesley followed in doing what was called on his life to do. I think often times in our modern day we allow ourselves to get comfortable with life, especially in a prosperous land. We aren't often willing to take a risk with our money, our time, and our talents to see the kingdom of God built. Wesley's example shows us that we must be willing to step out in faith when we are called to do something.

Field Preaching

"I left London and in the evening expounded to a small company at Basingstoke, Saturday, 31. In the evening I reached Bristol and met Mr. Whitefield there. I could scarcely reconcile myself at first to this strange way of preaching in the fields, of which he set me an example on Sunday; I had been all my life (till very lately) so tenacious of every point relating to decency and order that I should have thought the saving of souls almost a sin if it had not been done in a church."

I find it interesting that we are called to go out and make disciples, yet Wesley points out that he was used to people coming to him to be made disciples. Who would have thought that what would be seen as a novel and new way of fulfilling the Great Commission would be the very way that Christ had intended it all along! In our days, I think we still suffer from this problem. We can fall prey to the assumption that the lost will come our way to our Church, and when they get there we can minister to them. The opposite is true; we are to go out and minister to them, to preach in the fields, if you will.

Wesley's Four Resolutions

"1. To use absolute openness and unreserve with all I should converse with.

2. To labor after continual seriousness, not willingly indulging myself in any the least levity of behavior, or in laughter; no, not for a moment.

3. To speak no word which does not tend to the glory of God; in particular, not to talk of worldly things. Others may, nay, must. But what is that to thee? And,

4. To take no pleasure which does not tend to the glory of God; thanking God every moment for all I do take, and therefore rejecting every sort and degree of it which I feel I cannot so thank Him in and for."

I think Wesley put forth these resolutions in response to the ridiculously horrible time he had in Georgia. He sets himself up to be a very straight, to the point type of man, one who will only take joy in seeing the work of Christ done. I especially like his point that he will not engage in laughter or talk of worldly things. I would argue that a man who resolves to live this way is not a very fun guy to be around, and he is not somebody that a non-believer would want to engage in conversation with.

A good summary of his American work

From Wesley:

"I went to America, to convert the Indians; but oh! who shall convert me? who, what is he that will deliver me from this evil heart of mischief? I have a fair summer religion. I can talk well; nay, and believe myself, while no danger is near; but let death look me in the face, and my spirit is troubled. Nor can I say, 'To die is gain!'

I think Wesley's words speak to a lot of individuals in this world. It is easy to be a fair weather Christian, to follow the teachings and principles of God when life is good and all is well. I think many fall astray when difficulties arise, but it is when life is difficult that we need to cling heavily to the Lord. Wesley left America after less than two years of ministry, and left behind a cloud of controversy and court allegations. I think its possible that Wesley needed an experience like Georgia to come to a place where he could fully engage in ministry the way God wanted him to.

Things Get Ugly In Georgia

Sunday, August 7.—I repelled Mrs. Williamson from the holy communion. and Monday, [July] 8, Mr. Recorder, of Savannah, issued out the warrant following:

“Georgia. Savannah ss.

“To all Constables, Tithingmen, and others, whom these may concern:

“You, and each of you, are hereby required to take the body of John Wesley, Clerk:

“And bring him before one of the Bailiffs of the said town to answer the complaint of William Williamson and Sophia, his wife, for defaming the said Sophia, and refusing to administer to her the sacrament of the Lord’s supper in a public congregation without cause; by which the said William Williamson is damaged one thousand pound sterling; and for so doing, this is your warrant, certifying what you are to do in the premises. Given under my hand and seal the 8th day of August, Anno. dom. 1737.

Tho. Christie.”

Tuesday, 9.—Mr. Jones, the constable, served the warrant, and carried me before Mr. Bailiff Parker and Mr. Recorder. My answer to them was that the giving or refusing the Lord’s supper being a matter purely ecclesiastical, I could not acknowledge their power to interrogate me upon it. Mr. Parker told me: “However, you must appear at the next Court, holden for Savannah.” Mr. Williamson, who stood by, said: “Gentlemen, I desire Mr. Wesley may give bail for his appearance.” But Mr. Parker immediately replied: “Sir, Mr. Wesley’s word is sufficient.”

Thursday, 11.—Mr. Causton came to my house and, among many other sharp words, said: “Make an end of this matter; thou hadst best. My niece to be used thus! I have drawn the sword and I will never sheath it till I have satisfaction.”

Soon after, he added: “Give the reasons of your repelling her before the whole congregation.” I answered: “Sir, if you insist upon it, I will; and so you may be pleased to tell her.” He said, “Write to her, and tell her so yourself.” I said, “I will”; and after he went I wrote as follows:

“To Mrs. Sophia Williamson

“At Mr. Causton’s request, I write once more. The rules whereby I proceed are these:

“’So many as intend to be partakers of the holy communion, shall signify their names to the curate, at least some time the day before.’ This you did not do.

“’And if any of these have done any wrong to his neighbors, by word or deed, so that the congregation be thereby offended, the curate shall advertise him that in any wise he presume not to come to the Lord’s table until he hath openly declared himself to have truly repented.’

“If you offer yourself at the Lord’s table on Sunday, I will advertise you (as I have done more than once) wherein you have done wrong. And when you have openly declared yourself to have truly repented, I will administer to you the mysteries of God. [1]

“John Wesley

“August 11, 1737”

Mr. Delamotte carrying this, Mr. Causton said, among many other warm sayings: “I am the person that is injured. The affront is offered to me; and I will espouse the cause of my niece. I am ill used, and I will have satisfaction, if it be to be had in the world.”

Which way this satisfaction was to be had, I did not yet conceive; but on Friday and Saturday it began to appear; Mr. Causton declared to many persons that “Mr. Wesley had repelled Sophy from the holy communion purely out of revenge, because he had made proposals of marriage to her which she rejected, and married Mr. Williamson.”

At this point, I would imagine Mr. Wesley to be very discouraged at his work in Georgia. So far, he has not been able to do anything he intended to set out to do, and now he finds himself in the middle of a drama fit for a daytime soap opera. I can imagine that he was very frustrated with the situation, and with his call to work in Georgia.

Conflict Amongst the Parishioners

"Sunday, July 3.—Immediately after the holy communion, I mentioned to Mrs. Williamson (Mr. Causton’s niece) some things which I thought reprovable in her behavior. At this she appeared extremely angry; said she did not expect such usage from me; and at the turn of the street, through which we were walking home, went abruptly away. The next day Mrs. Causton endeavored to excuse her; told me she was exceedingly grieved for what had passed the day before and desired me to tell her in writing what I disliked; which I accordingly did the day following."

I picked this passage because Wesley's account gives me the impression that he was incredibly out of touch with his people skills. To translate, Wesley basically comes out right after church and says, "Oh by the way, you need to quit acting like a heathen with your sinful ways." Not exactly people friendly. No wonder she went abruptly away. I take it at this point in his ministry, he had the "speak the truth" part down pat, but was not yet too keen on speaking that truth in love. A little tact and planning goes a long way when you are trying to confront someone.

Struggles at Sea

Monday, 26.—My brother and I set out for Charleston, in order to his embarking for England; but the wind being contrary, we did not reach Port Royal, forty miles from Savannah, till Wednesday evening. The next morning we left it. But the wind was so high in the afternoon, as we were crossing the neck of St. Helena’s sound, that our oldest sailor cried out, “Now everyone must take care of himself.” I told him, “God will take care for us all.” Almost as soon as the words were spoken, the mast fell. I kept on the edge of the boat, to be clear of her when she sank (which we expected every moment), though with little prospect of swimming ashore against such a wind and sea. But “How is it that thou hadst no faith?” The moment the mast fell, two men caught it and pulled it into the boat; the other three rowed with all their might, and “God gave command to the wind and seas”; so that in an hour we were safe on land.

I love the depiction of being saved at sea, and the parallels that Wesley places with the story of Jesus calming the storm. I love the Wesley was able to experience for himself and event similar to one of the most powerful moments in the ministry of Jesus Christ. I love his fearful response; Wesley has read the story of the storm, has seen how the disciples responded, knows what Jesus did, yet still falls under the block of "How is it that thou hadst no faith?" I think oftentimes when in the perils of nature, we are quick to forget the one that created and can control the very nature we are afraid of.

Wesley's Struggles

"Tuesday, 22.—Observing much coldness in M ----‘s behaviour, I asked him the reason of it. He answered, “I like nothing you do. All your sermons are satires upon particular persons, therefore I will never hear you more; and all the people are of my mind; for we won’t hear ourselves abused.

“Besides, they say, they are Protestants. But as for you, they cannot tell what religion you are of. They never heard of such a religion before. They do not know what to make of it. And then your private behaviour: all the quarrels that have been here since you came, have been ‘long of you. Indeed there is neither man nor woman in the town who minds a word you say. And so you may preach long enough; but nobody will come to hear you.”

He was too warm for hearing an answer. So I had nothing to do but to thank him for his openness and walk away."

It would appear that Wesley went to minister to a place where he wasn't gifted to minister to. I imagine that it was very discouraging for him to hear such scathing remarks in regard to his ability to clearly communicate the Gospel to these people. How hard must it have been to hear "And so you may preach long enough; but nobody will come to hear you".

It makes me wonder if this was a mistake Wesley made by impulsively embarking to Georgia without any prayerful consideration, or whether this was an event that God wanted Wesley to go on so that he could experience difficulty and be a better preacher because of it. Either way, in the broad scope of Wesley's life, it was probably a good endeavor to go on, being that it seems to bring him back down to Earth in regard to his viewpoints on salvation and ministering to others.

Wesley arrives in Georgia

"Saturday, 7.—Mr. Oglethorpe returned from Savannah with Mr. Spangenberg, one of the pastors of the Germans. I soon found what spirit he was of and asked his advice with regard to my own conduct. He said, “My brother, I must first ask you one or two questions. Have you the witness within yourself? Does the Spirit of God bear witness with your spirit that you are a child of God?” I was surprised, and knew not what to answer. He observed it and asked, “Do you know Jesus Christ?” I paused and said, “I know He is the Saviour of the world.” “True,” replied he; “but do you know He has saved you?” I answered, “I hope He has died to save me.” He only added, “Do you know yourself?” I said, “I do.” But I fear they were vain words."

In reading this passage from Wesley's journal, I find it amazing that Wesley has decided to embark on a treacherous journey across the sea to preach salvation to the heathens, yet he is uncertain about his own standing with Christ. It appears that he has an academic knowledge of Christ, a head knowledge of his salvation, yet he is uncertain whether he has any personal heart knowledge of his salvation. He seems to know a lot about God, but he doesn't seem to really know him personally.