Scripture: Mark 7:20-23, Luke 8:11-13 , Deuteronomy 11:12-14, Joel 2:12-13, Romans 5:5
In his tract “The
Character of a Methodist”, John Wesley hypothesized this question from someone
who may have been unfamiliar with the methodist movement - “What then is the
mark of a methodist? Who is a methodist
according to your own account?” This
is obviously opening the way to offer his own definition of a methodist, and
not that of his detractors. As we have
previously seen, the differences between the two would be dramatically different,
and Wesley didn’t want us to have any misgivings as to how he saw the call that
was upon those “people called methodists”!
So the response that he gives to his own question is multifaceted and very specific, and in general, includes the following:
- first, a methodist is one who has the full love of God in his heart,
- second, it is one who loves the LORD his God with all his heart, his soul, his mind, and strength.
- third, it is one who sees God as the joy of his heart, and the desire of his soul
- and lastly, a methodist is one who constantly cries out that
God is their one and only desire, in heaven and on earth, and that He is their
all in all forever.
At first glance, this list may seem fairly self-explanatory, but today, we will look at what the depth of these “marks” are truly calling us to be as methodists, as well as what we should NOT be. As so we begin.
Read Mark 7:20-23
In verse 8 of this chapter, Jesus tells a group of Pharisees “8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”, and He goes on to tell all who are within hearing distance, Pharisees and people alike, what this mistaken loyalty will do to them. He makes the point that it isn’t the things that can be seen that condemn us, but that it is all that is in our heart and mind that is our downfall.
He tells the Pharisees that they are the ones who are corrupting the faith of the masses, by putting human understanding and traditions ahead of the ways of their Almighty God. Jesus never was very subtle when it came to denouncing the trend of putting human tradition ahead of faith in God! And this is the basis for the first answer that Wesley gives to the question regarding methodist understanding – that we need to give our love of God the first place within our heart, and not the ways of earth!
Jesus gives us a very detailed list of those heart-felt beliefs that convict us. His lesson for us is that if we never gave these issues intentional and deliberate consideration in our lives, they will never emerge through our voice, our hands, or in any other way of the flesh. Jesus and Wesley are telling us that keeping the ways of earth out of our hearts, and the love of God within, this is what will distinguish us from the rest of humanity.
Read Luke 8:11-13
This passage is the conclusion of Jesus’ Parable of The Seeds. You will remember that it tells of a famer who sowed his seeds on 4 different kinds of soil, but only one, the good soil, could produce a crop that was so abundant that 100 times more would be harvested than what was sown.
And what do the various items represent? The seed is God’s word, the poor soil and the weeds and birds that prevent the seed from taking hold in our lives are those things of Satan that keep us from hearing and accepting Jesus and the word that He brought to us, and the good soil that produces such a great harvest is the faithfulness that grows and thrives within all who believe and follow Jesus.
The parable is about the heart, mind and soul that exists within us, and whether we listen and love the ways of the LORD or not. In Deuteronomy6:4-9, in the words of the passage known as the Shema - a commandment that every Jew is encouraged to remember and live out, even today - we are told to love the LORD our God with every ounce of our being.
Each one of us is called to be the good soil that God can use to advance and enrich His kingdom right here on earth.
Read Deuteronomy 11:12-14
When we are faithful, God will care for our lives and efforts as well as anyone should care for their own creation and plans. He will see to it that we are nourished, and enabled, and strengthened, and blessed in ways that far exceed anything that we deserve or understand, and we will be able to bring in a harvest of souls that will both honor and praise the LORD who has already given us so much.
God’s great gifts are intended to bring power to our works of faith, but they will only come to us when we love and honor the Giver of those gifts. They will never be intended to strengthen us in our worldly life, and they must never be used to bring us advantages in our life’s dealings. Each gift that comes from God is intended to nourish and grow us in our relationship with Jesus and all that He has taught us. And when they are used as God has intended them to be used, they will fill us with a joy that overwhelms even the gift itself.
There is a contemporary song that I especially like and one that expresses this very image – it’s called “Spring Up, O Well”, and speaks of the immeasurable joy that comes to us when we follow the word and way of our LORD and set the ways of earth far behind. And I believe that this is what John Wesley intended when he wrote in his tract that we will be overjoyed in the LORD “as having in him a well of water, springing up into everlasting life, and overflowing his soul with peace and joy.”
Read Joel 2:12-13,
The LORD is telling us through the prophet that even though we may have lived a life that was totally outside of the divine way, there is still a chance that we might come to know the joy and love that God is so well known for. And what does it take on our part? Our return to God - humble, repentant, and seeking.
For ancient Israel, the rending of a person’s clothing was a sign of a deep emotion for God during an especially difficult time of trial, but Joel reminds us that in the end, it isn’t our actions that reveal our need for divine love in our life, but rather the rending of our heart. This is the change that God is calling us to make on His behalf– and it will be one of change in our heart’s desires and a shift in the focus of our soul’s vision.
The word repentance actually implies a turning around, or turning back to the true source of joy. Wesley wrote “Having found redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of his sins, he cannot but rejoice whenever he looks back on the horrible pit out of which he is delivered”. That is the joy that all will know when we “Return to the LORD our God, …[His] graciousness and compassion, His abounding love”, and our freedom from the calamity of our sin.
Read Romans 5:5
I’m sure that we all are familiar with the picture depicting Jesus knocking on the door of our life. The inspiration comes from Revelation 3:20, where we read these words - “20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”
Image! Christ, the Son of God, wants to be with us, and to have us be in Him so badly, that He will never let anything stand in the way of our salvation - if we hear and accept His word, and if we invite Him into our life, He will, without hesitation, enter into our life with forgiveness, and fellowship, and service, and overwhelming love, and blessings beyond measure - and the best of all, eternal life with Him, and the Father, and the Holy Spirit.
And what is required on our part to receive God and all that He is prepared to provide for us? To listen to the fullness of His words, to repent of our sin, to love Him with the very depth of our heart, and to invite Him into our life for ever more! Can it get any easier than that?
Is this “mark of a methodist” upon you? Can others see it in you? Is the “well” of Christ springing up in you? Is it flooding the world with the love of God?
If you have never welcomed the LORD into your life, will you do it today, and take the "mark" of Christ for your own?
