Scripture: John 17:20-23, 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27, James 1:22-26. Romans 12:2
In the introduction to John Wesley’s “TheCharacter of a Methodist”, we read “The distinguishing marks of a
methodist are not his opinions of any sort. His assenting to this or that
scheme of religion, his embracing any particular set of notions, his espousing
the judgment of one man or of another, are all quite wide of the point. …. We
believe indeed, that all scripture is given by inspiration of God; …”
And you may also remember
these words – “But as to all
opinions which do not strike at the root of Christianity, we think and let
think.”
Wesley believed in freedom
of thought and speech, as along as it didn’t go against the fullness of the
word of God. And as this is Palm Sunday,
we need to ask the question – what would Jesus think about this form of
freedom?
I believe that He would
agree! The LORD wanted us to grow in
understanding and love of God, and anything else was up to the individual! When He rode into Jerusalem on that day so
long ago, and heard all of the accolades and the shouts of “Hosanna to the
Son of David”, I expect that His only thought was “If they want my
salvation, and if they truly believe that I am the Son of David, with all that
that implies, why don’t they believe that I am and I can?” (Matthew21:1-11)
Jesus never focused on the
glory that the people of earth offered to Him (John 5:41), He only wanted them to
discover the glory that the Father would show to them when they believed
in His One and Only Son and accepted Him as their Savior! During these past 3 months, John Wesley’s
thoughts have been leading us toward that same conclusion – that when we give
Jesus our allegiance, obedience and love, the full blessing of heaven will
begin to rest fully upon the life we live.
True and enduring faith is
not only the mark of a Christian, but it should also be that of a Methodist.
Read John 17:20-23
Jesus offers this prayer following His final Passover
meal, and just moments before He leaves for Gethsemane. These 4 chapters in John’s gospel (John14-17) are His last moments of teaching and encouragement for those who had
been closest to Him during His ministry.
His prayer is primarily focused on others, and even when He includes
Himself in it, it is that the time He spent here would result in bringing glory
to His Father. And the prayers He offers
for His disciples, as well as that for all who would, one day, come to His way,
are essentially for unity and truth in faith.
The last verse in this chapter is, I believe, Christ’s
greatest desire for us – that those who come to Him in faith will know the
Father and will love and live within the Savior. But this isn’t where faith ends! It must grow and continue to spread this
knowledge and love of God through the lives that we live (2 Corinthians9:13-14)! And when we live the life
that God has laid out for us, we will carry the mark of a Christian, as well as
that of a Methodist.
Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27
Preceding this passage, Paul writes about the gifts of
the Spirit, and then includes these words to warn the reader that no one gift
is greater than any other, but that each one is given, or withheld, for the
benefit of all believers! The Body of
Christ, which is the Church as a whole, depends on the participation of all the
faithful. If one is missing, then the
Body won’t be as effective as it might otherwise be. We work together dependently – on God, on
others, and on our own faithful participation.
Consider the functioning of the human body, and how
many different parts work together to accomplish the most simple and routine of
tasks. Here is some homework for each of
us later today – imagine that the phone rings, and a friend on the other end of
the call asks you to pass along a prayer request. Count the number of parts of your body that have
to work together to accomplish this.
Here are just a few – ear, mouth, tongue, hand, fingers, arm, eyes,
lungs, brain, legs, and the list goes on. Make your own list, and add to it as other
parts of your body assist in responding to the request.
The Church is no different – we have to work together
- with the same purpose, and the same goal, with the same attitude, but with
completely different abilities and gifts!
And if we don’t, our mission and ministry is going to fall flat, and God
will never receive the glory that He so richly deserves.
Read James 1:22-26
Working together in the Church, holding the same goals
and standards, is hard enough, but when we lose track of what our life together
is all about, nothing good can ever come from it. And what is it that holds us together, what
is it that establishes our unity? The
word of God and trust in all that Jesus has taught us.
James also tells us that unity will never come if we only
read the Bible, or even memorize it, but never live it. This is what is meant by the phrase “faith in
action” – In James 2:14-26 we read that works without faith are
meaningless, and that faith without works is, for all practical purposes, dead. If the Church is to truly be the Body of
Christ, we need a faith that is more than a smattering of information, more
than a head-knowledge of the word, but rather that which accepts the teachings
of Jesus Christ, loves the way of God, and obeys the guidance of the Holy
Spirit. We need to be Micah 6:8
kinds of Christians - “8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to
walk humbly with your God.”
The prophet Micah tells us that a good attitude is insufficient,
just as good works are worthless without the other – we need both – to act
justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly, and the list could go
on. “Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourself. Do what it says.”
Read Romans 12:2
Paul’s letter to the Romans
is about the hope that comes when your heart and life is changed to come into alignment
with the life of Jesus. The truth is,
though, that the “transformation” that Paul is calling for is a life-long
process. The baptism that John the Baptist
offered was only a start of commitment, as is the baptism that each one
of us receives. Baptism is the act that James
was talking about – without a living faith, baptism isn’t worth even as much as
the few drops of water that fall on our body.
And that comparison is just
as applicable to membership in a particular denomination. In the United Methodist Church, the question for
membership that is asked is this - “As a member of this congregation, will
you faithfully participate in its ministries by your prayers, your presence,
your gifts, your service, and your witness?” And your answer was “I will.”
Baptism and church
membership isn’t a suggestion for living a new way, it isn’t a nice
time like a birthday party, it isn’t something that you do because family
expects it – it is a covenant, an unbreakable promise, that you are receiving
and accepting from the Holy Spirit.
Wesley wrote in the conclusion to his tract
– “By these marks, by these fruits of a living faith do we labour to
distinguish ourselves from the unbelieving world, from all those whose minds or
lives are not according to the gospel of Christ. But from real Christians of
whatsoever denomination they be, we earnestly desire not to be distinguished at
all: Not from any, who sincerely follow after what they know they have not yet
attained.”
Unity and obedience to all
that Christ taught and did is what each and every follower of His way commits
to. It is not differentiated by
denomination, it is not subject to individual interpretation or desire, it is
not diminished by liturgy, worship styles, or church rules. The sole issue that binds us together is faith
in Jesus Christ, without questioning purpose or intent, without doubting the truth
of His words, and in participation in His ministry and mission.
As Jesus rode through the
crowd that day, He knew what He was headed for.
There was no disillusion that the words He was hearing were true praise,
there was no false hope that His appointment with the Roman cross would,
somehow, be unnecessary and cancelled, there was no expectation that at least
the 12 would be faithful and would stay by Him through the coming ordeal. His only desire was that a few men and women would
eventually find the courage and faith to share His story with others, and that
the hope and promise that He brought to this place would spread and that many
would, one day, come to His way of unity and life.
May the true and complete word
of God continue to spread throughout the world, may each one of us be part of
that great mission, and may the mark of a Methodist be exactly the same as the
mark that Jesus would have us wear.
Amen!
