The General Conference of the United Methodist Church is still in session as we go to print and the future of the church is still in the balance. A large part of the difficulties is the lack of identity, doctrinal, historical and spiritual in the rank and file and in our leadership. This cannot be easily fixed, but if there is any hope in the decisive months to come, the church must return to the things that made it powerful in God’s kingdom.
The words of Jesus in the Gospel of John present us the realistic vision of the church in a fallen world – Obey me, bear fruit and be hated by the world. If the Master wanted to present an inviting call to his potential disciples, this wasn’t it; unless it was the truth and there was power in this statement. The message of the whole salvation in Jesus Christ runs counter to the wisdom of human nature because, through faith in Him, the unseen power of God is credibly at work in the lives and hearts of sinful people, turning them into children of God. Moreover, this truth, as spelled out in the Bible, upsets and contradicts the philosophies and emotions of this day. But, in order to be disciples of the Nazarene, we must go and bring the redemption of Christ to people where they are and then disciple them to be fellow Christians. The world will not like you if you do this. But will you do it?
The Lay Witness Mission of the 1960s was a blast of fresh air for the Methodist Church at the time with its services of songs, testimonials of Jesus, prayers, small groups and Hallelujah moments! It should not surprise us that this happened since God had resuscitated the elements of the early church as He has done throughout history. Obedient disciples with a clear identity have confronted hostility and borne fruit many times, as the early English Methodists did. The time has come for us to seek that clear identity again!
See you in church . . . . .
May 27, 2016