Note: Due to icy weather conditions, worship services were cancelled at both churches.
Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:3-7; Psalm 25:8-11; Hebrews 11:1-3; Romans 8:5-8
First, the term “methodist” was never coined by either John or any other participant in the Holy Club of Oxford University, but rather by fellow students as a dig at the strict routine and lifestyle that the club’s members observed. Communion was celebrated every week, members fasted regularly, they refrained from frivolous entertainment and luxuries, and consistently and consciously visited the sick, the poor, and those who were in prison. They were very “methodical” in their worship, in their accountability toward each other, and in the ways they lived. Hence, the name of ridicule and explanation - “Methodist”.
Second, John Wesley never actually liked the term, but he accepted it as being descriptive of this new movement in faith. And as this new approach to true faith began to grow throughout both England and the British colonies, the tract would provide direction and focus for the new followers of Methodism. We also need to remember that membership in the societies did not imply a relationship with any formal denomination. The people were Anglicans, Presbyterians, Arminians, Calvinists, and probably a few who were non-denominational and even non-Christians.
In his tract, he made it very clear that being a Methodist had nothing to do with formal liturgy, or individual opinions and interpretations, or dedication to any denominational concept. Wesley wrote “We believe Christ to be the eternal supreme God, and herein are we distinguished from the Socinians and Arians. But as to all opinions which do not strike at the root of Christianity, we think and let think. So that whatsoever they are, whether right or wrong, they are no distinguishing marks of a methodist.”
It would seem that Methodism must go beyond anything that we know about “religion”, and center on all that Jesus taught us about the depth of faith and trust in Him.
And so, we begin to consider what it truly means to be a Methodist.
Read 1 Timothy 1:3-7
Paul had spent about three years in Ephesus, teaching, challenging, and growing the church, but now it was time for him to move on to the next place that the LORD had called him to. But he couldn’t just leave and let an inexperienced person lead the people - he was entrusting this church to the care of his trusted and beloved friend Timothy.
The Church of Ephesus had its own internal struggles, even while they had at least a measure of faith. They would be the first of seven churches mentioned in Revelation, where God tells them “You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” (Revelation2:4-5)
And it would be Timothy’s task to call them to account for their “fall”. Teachers in the church were deviating from the truth of the gospel, and it apparently wasn’t just a few misunderstandings! The problem was that they were proclaiming personal opinions and un-Christ like ideas, in place of the truth of Godly ways which come by faith in Jesus Christ. In verse 6, Paul writes that “Some have departed from these (true teachings) and have turned to meaningless talk.” Paul obviously believes that these teachers in Ephesus don’t know what they are talking about!
And, as a personal observation, this is where the United Methodist Church finds itself today, and what has brought about the significant movement toward separation. Methodism requires a commitment to the full truth of scripture and a dedication to trust in what Jesus taught, not in what humanity would like faith to mean.
Read Psalm 25:8-11
This Psalm is attributed to King David, who the LORD described as “a man after my own heart”. (Acts 13:21-22) David believed, as should we, that it is God’s words and guidance that we should trust for all of our learning and growing in faith, not in our own understanding or desires. While this Psalm, in its entirety, is a plea for help from Jehovah God, this passage is primarily a song of praise. Even the final verse is immersed in trust of the one and holy God!
So how strong should this trust be? Israel had always seen the sinner and the poverty stricken as unworthy of coming to the LORD, but here we see that the LORD reaches out to them! And who is God so “loving and faithful” toward? It’s the people who are faithful, loving and obedient to the call He places on their lives! And when the Psalmist freely confesses his sin, and asks that he be forgiven, he knows that his faithful God will be faithful toward him.
And so it will be for us, if we are also loving and faithful to all that the LORD has shown to us.
Read Hebrews 11:1-3
This passage challenges us through the definition of faith and what it should be for each of us, and, apparently, it has nothing to do with human understanding or our own desires. We like that it involves confidence and assurance, for that implies a conviction that comes through a decision that we can make for our lives – EXCEPT that this conviction is based, not in worldly truth or physical fact, but in a hope and the unseen things of God! It means that this confidence has little, if any, basis in our own understanding, but that it is solely in our trust that the fullness of God’s word and inspiration is always right!
How far will this trust take us? It takes us beyond the obvious, and into the richness, the abundance, of the LORD’s heart! And what does that mean? Consider the explanation of Micah 6:6-8, where the prophet reveals that it isn’t obedience to the strict command of law that is called for, but to the heart of it. He asks what does the LORD require of us? And the answer that he offers is “To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with [our] God.”
Note that to espouse justice, and to do merciful things, and to proclaim the way of the LORD isn’t enough – we need to love, and live, and appreciate, and strive to go beyond just the simple words of God, and immerse ourselves in the heart of God’s word.
Read Romans 8:5-8
When Paul wrote this passage and used the word “flesh”, he was cautioning us against a minimalistic form of faith, for this will never be the way of our God. Matthew 7:21-23 warns us that doing the things of God will never be sufficient – that we must do them in the way and love of God, too. A shallow faith, a surface face, a partial faith will never be the means of bringing glory to our LORD and Savior. Faith must always be full, and loving, and discerning, and submissive to the heart and will of our Almighty God.
This is what John Wesley was telling us when he wrote this tract to describe the true mark of a Methodist – that just getting by in this life will never be enough, that we can’t just depend on what the legalistic side would have us believe, that God’s love must be all inclusive in both His word and in His welcome, that we must never take the word of God for granted, and that those who claim the ridiculed and demeaned name of “Methodist” must also live and walk in the fullness of that precious name of Jesus.
“Take up your cross and follow me” (Mark 8:33-35) is far more than just a saying – it must be the heartfelt way of both a disciple and a Methodist.
