Who Is a Disciple of Jesus Christ?

I recently attended a gathering of United Methodist clergy. One of the topics of conversation was “Who is a disciple?”. We were invited to discuss the question in table groups. The small group conversation was followed by a plenary discussion lead by the bishop and director of connectional ministry. I must admit I was surprised by the lack of consensus that emerged. I was dismayed to learn that the words “disciple” and “discipleship” have become troublesome, even offensive, in many congregations.

The bishop addressed the collective discomfort with the word “disciple” by telling the gathering that John Wesley did not use the word, unless he was quoting Scripture. However, the bishop did not go on to discuss the terms Wesley did use. Nor did the bishop inform the assembly that they and their congregations would benefit by studying and teaching what Mr. Wesley has to say about discipleship and the people we today call “disciples.” I was left with the impression that if Wesley didn’t use the term “disciple” to describe disciplined followers of Jesus Christ then we needn’t worry about using it, or understanding it, either.

This experience reinforced my belief that we have a problem. By “we” I mean The United Methodist Church. The problem is that our stated mission is “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” If we can’t agree upon whom a disciple is how can we know if we are actually “making” disciples of Jesus Christ? If we are uncomfortable with the idea of discipleship how can we participate in the church’s mission? If we are not committed to the mission, how are we any different than a social club with a religious veneer? The unfortunate reality is that if we are not committed and focused upon disciple-making then we are little more than a “bless-me” club that exists for the personal benefit and blessing of individual members with little concern for Christ and his mission in the world.

It is true that John Wesley did not use the terms “disciple”, “discipleship”, or “disciple-making”. These terms entered the church’s vocabulary in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The synonymous terms used by Wesley are “Christian” and “Methodist.” He modified these terms with adjectives such as “almost” and “all together.”

The best Wesleyan description of a disciple and discipleship is “The Character of a Methodist,” a tract written by John Wesley in 1742. He wrote it to defend the new and growing movement of Methodist societies. Wesley wanted people to understand that Methodists were simply disciplined Christians seeking to be faithful to God and his mission in the world.

The following is a brief summary of Wesley’s “The Character of a Methodist.” To help us see more clearly a Wesleyan definition of whom a disciple is I have taken the liberty of substituting “disciple” for “Methodist.”

The Character of a Disciple of Jesus Christ according to Mr. John Wesley (condensed)

1. We indeed believe that “all Scripture is given by the inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16). We believe the written word of God is the only and sufficient rule both of Christian faith and practice. We believe Christ is the eternal, supreme God. But as for all beliefs that do not strike at the root of Christianity, we think and let think. So that whatever they are, whether right or wrong, they are not distinguishing marks of a Methodist.

2. We do not place our religion in any peculiar way of speaking or any quaint or uncommon set of expressions.

3. Our religion does not lie in doing what God has not prohibited or abstaining from what he has not forbidden.

4. By salvation a Methodist means holiness of heart and life. And this he affirms to spring from true faith alone.

5. Disciples are people who have “God’s love … poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5). Disciples “love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength” (Mark 12:30). God is the joy of our heart and the desire of our soul …

6. Disciples are therefore happy in God, indeed, always happy, as having “a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14), and overflowing their soul with peace and joy. “Perfect love” having now “cast out fear,” they “rejoice evermore” (1 John 4:18). They “rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4), even “in God their Savior;” and in the Father, “through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom they have now received reconciliation” (Romans 5:11).

7. Therefore, disciples cheerfully receives all from God saying, “Good is the will of the Lord.” Whether the Lord gives or takes away, they equally bless the Lord’s name. … Knowing that as “every good gift comes from above” (James 1:17), so nothing but good can come from the Lord of the Universe into whose hand they have wholly committed their bodies and souls as into the hands of a faithful Creator. They are therefore careful (anxiously or uneasy) for nothing.

8. Disciples “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Prayer is their way of life. Not that they are always in the house of prayer. However, they neglects no opportunity of being there. Neither are they always on their knees, although they often are, or on their face, before the Lord their God. … They continually walk with God, having the loving eye of their minds firmly fixed upon God, and everywhere “seeing Him that is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27).

9. And while disciples always exercises their love of God by unceasing prayer and rejoicing, and giving thanks in everything, this commandment is written in their hearts, “those who love God must love their brother and sister also” (1 John 4:21b). And they accordingly love their neighbor as themselves. They love every person as their own soul. Their hearts are full of love to all humankind, to every child of “the God of the spirits of all flesh” (Numbers 16:22).

10. For disciples are “pure in heart” (Matthew 5:8). The love of God has purified their hearts from all vengeful passions, envy, malice, wrath, and every unkind attitude or evil desire. It has cleansed them from pride and the arrogance of spirit that leads to contention. And they have “put on compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (Col. 3:12).

11. Agreeable to this their one desire, is the one pattern of a disciple’s life, namely, “not to do their own will, but the will of God that sent them” (John 6:38). Their one intention at all times and in all things is to please God whom their soul loves. They do not seek to please themselves.
12. Disciples keep God’s commandments because they love God. They keep not some, or most of them, but all; from the least to the greatest. … Whatever God has forbidden they avoid. Whatever God has commanded they do, whether it is small or great, hard or easy, joyous or causes suffering. They run the way of God’s commandments.

13. Accordingly, disciples keep all the commandments of God with all their might. For their obedience is in proportion to their love, the source from which it flows. Therefore, loving God with all their heart, they serve God with all their strength. Disciples consistently presents their souls and bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God (Romans 12:1).

14. Consequently, whatever disciples do, it is all to the glory of God. … Their one invariable rule is this, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father by him” (Colossians 3:17).

15. Nor do the customs of the world at all hinder disciples “running the race that is set before them” (Hebrews 12:1). … But “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable” (Philippians 4:8), they think, and speak, and do, “glorifying the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in all things” (Titus 2:10).

16. Lastly, as disciples have time, they “do good to all people” (Galatians 6:10). They serve neighbors and strangers, friends and enemies in every possible kind. They do good to their bodies by “feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and visiting those who are sick or in prison” (Matthew 25:37-40). But they don’t stop there. Disciples also work to do good to their souls, according to the ability that God gives.

By these marks, by these fruits of a living faith, we seek to distinguish ourselves from the unbelieving world and from all those whose minds or lives are not in accord with the Gospel of Christ. But we earnestly desire to not be distinguished at all from real Christians, of whatever denomination, nor from any who sincerely follow after what they know they have not yet attained. “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:50). And I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, that we be in no way divided among ourselves. Is your heart right as my heart is with yours? I ask no nothing more. If it is so, give me your hand. Let us not destroy the work of God for opinions or words. Do you love and serve God? It is enough. I give you the right hand of fellowship. If there is any consolation in Christ, any comfort of love, any fellowship of the Spirit, any compassion, let us strive together for the faith of the Gospel. Let us walk together as those who are worthy of the vocation to which we are called. “Let us live and serve with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, watching over one another in love. Seeking to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, we remember there is one body, and one Spirit, even as we are called with one hope of our calling. There is…one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all (Ephesians 4:2-6).”

General Conference & Disciple-making

The 2012 General Conference of The United Methodist Church has done its work. The quadrennial General Conference is an important event for United Methodists because it speaks for the denomination and produces the Book of Discipline that governs the church’s mission and ministry. We now begin to live with the changes and priorities it affirmed.

As important as General Conference is we need to remember that it does not make disciples of Jesus Christ. While it determines how the denomination is organized and funded, General Conference has never made a disciple of Jesus Christ. We need to remember that General Conference, Annual Conferences, General Agencies, and programs do not make disciples of Jesus Christ. Ideally, they provide the institutional supports that help disciples in local congregations and faith communities to make disciples.

The General Rule of Discipleship remains (¶ 1118.2a) unchanged. The paragraphs describing church membership were not touched. In particular ¶ 220

The Call to Ministry of All the Baptized – All members of Christ’s universal church are called to share in the ministry which is committed to the whole church of Jesus Christ. Therefore, each member of The United Methodist Church is to be a servant of Christ on mission in the local and worldwide community. This servanthood is performed in family life, daily work, recreation and social activities, responsible citizenship, the stewardship of property and accumulated resources, the issues of corporate life, and all attitudes toward other persons. Participation in disciplined groups is an expected part of personal mission involvement. …

When it comes to disciple-making, another important paragraph that is untouched is 256.1b. It provides important guidance to the Wesleyan way of Christian formation:

Accountable Discipleship—Historically class leaders provided lay pastoral leadership, and classes and class meetings were the basic structural means of Christian spiritual formation in the early Methodist societies.

Class leaders may be commissioned and classes may be organized within the local congregation for the purpose of forming persons as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ through mutual accountability and support for witnessing to him in the world and for following his teachings through acts of compassion, justice, worship, and devotion under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The best response we can make to the 2012 General Conference is for congregations and faith communities to focus on the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We need to always remember that from the beginning of the church described in the New Testament to today disciples are made by disciples. John Wesley knew this very well. His deep knowledge of the Scriptures, Christian tradition, and human nature led him to develop a network of communities focused on Jesus’ commission to “go and make disciples of all people” (Matthew 28:18-20). The muscle that moved the network of Methodist Societies was the small groups known as “class meetings” and the lay pastoral leaders known as “class leaders.”

Congregational and pastoral effectiveness will be greatly improved by re-traditioning the class meeting and the office of class leader for today.

Covenant Discipleship groups is a ministry supported by the General Board of Discipleship that is designed to foster the re-traditioning of the class meeting for today. Covenant Discipleship groups focus upon one aspect of the early class meeting that is most absent in the church today: mutual accountability for discipleship. These groups are designed to form leaders in discipleship who will help the church to participate with Christ in his mission for the world. Some CD group members will respond to God’s call and the church’s invitation to serve as class leaders (see The United Methodist Book of Worship, pages 602-604).

Class leaders for today are Covenant Discipleship group members who work in partnership with their pastor by “accepting basic pastoral responsibility for classes of church members. These classes are not the same as Sunday school classes, nor are they convened as class meetings. They are rather in the nature of pastoral groupings, consisting of fifteen to twenty persons who receive guidance and support from a class leader in living out their discipleship according to the General Rule of Discipleship” (from David Lowes Watson in Class Leaders: Recovering a Tradition, page 72).

Covenant Discipleship groups form disciples who make disciples. Some of these leaders in discipleship become Class Leaders. The class meeting and class leaders are important parts of the method of Methodism that help congregations and other faith communities live into the mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Another General Conference has come and gone. The church’s mission remains: to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We have the way (Christ and his grace) and the means (Covenant Discipleship, class leaders and class meetings) to carry out the mission. When we are focused on Jesus Christ and his mission, the vision of the church given by the apostle Paul will be realized:

The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love (Ephesians 4:11-16).

Advice from Mr. Wesley

As I think and pray about all my friends and colleagues working and worshiping at General Conference, the following passage from A Plain Account of Christian Perfection came to mind:

 Beware and pray constantly against pride. If God has cast it out, see that it does not return. It is every bit as dangerous as desire. When you think there is no danger, you may slide back into it without notice. …

Therefore, do not say to any who would advise or correct you, “You are blind. You cannot teach me.” Do not say, “This is your wisdom, your human reason.” But calmly discern the thing in the presence of God.

Always remember that much grace does not imply much light. These do not always go together. As there may be much light where there is but little love, so there may be much love where there is little light. The heart has more heat than the eye, and yet it cannot see. God has wisely assembled the members of the body together such that none may say to another, “I have no need of you.”

To imagine that none can teach you but those who are themselves saved from sin is a very great and dangerous mistake. …

… always be ready to own any mistake for which you are responsible. If you have at any time thought, spoken, or acted wrong, do not deny or dodge your responsibility. Never dream that such an admission will hurt the cause of God. Rather, it will further it. Therefore, be open and frank when you are accused of anything. Do not seek either to evade or disguise it. Let it appear just as it is, and you will not hinder but beautify the gospel.

… Do not neglect any opportunity for doing good of any kind. Be eager for good works. Do not intentionally omit any work of piety or mercy. Do all the good you possibly can to the bodies and souls of human beings. …

Be “slow to speak” and cautious in speaking. “When words are many, transgression is lacking.” Do not talk too much or for a long time. Few people can converse profitably for more than an hour. Keep a great distance from pious chitchat and religious gossiping.

Beware of desiring anything but God. Now you desire nothing else; every other desire is driven out. See that none enter again. “Keep yourself pure;” let your eye remain healthy, and “your whole body will be full of light.” …

Be patterns to all of denying yourselves and taking up your cross daily.

Beware of schism or causing separation within the church of Christ. Such internal division begins when sisters and brothers in Christ, the members of his body, no longer have love for one another. This is the beginning of conflict that ultimately leads to every outward separation. Beware of everything that contributes to discord.

Beware of a dividing spirit. Avoid whatever resembles it in any way. …

Beware of being impatient with those who contradict you. Do not condemn or think harshly of those who cannot see just as you see or who believe that they must contradict you, whether in a large matter or a small one. I feat that some of us have thought harshly of others merely because they contradicted what we affirmed. Such thoughts lead to division; and by doing things of this kind we are teaching them an evil lesson against ourselves.

Do not be thin-skinned, irritable, or combative. Refrain from arguing with those who do not implicitly accept my teachings or the teachings of other Methodist leaders.

Expect contradiction and opposition, together with crosses of various kinds. Consider the words of Saint Paul: “For he has graciously granted you the privilege,” for Christ’s sake, as a fruit of his death and intercession for you, “not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well (Phil. 1:29). It is given! God gives you this opposition or criticism. It is a fresh token of God’s love. Will you disown the Giver or reject the gift and consider it a misfortune? Will you not rather say, “Father, the hour is come that you should be glorified. Now you give your child to suffer something for you. Do with me according to your will”?

Beware of tempting others to separate from you. Commit no offense that can possibly be avoided. Make sure you practice what you preach, glorifying the doctrine of God our Savior. Be particularly careful in speaking of yourself. …

“Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8)

Disciples Who Make Disciples

Covenant Discipleship groups are designed to make disciples of Jesus Christ who make disciples. The General Rule of Discipleship and the process of weekly accountability for practicing a balanced, Christ-centered discipleship is aimed toward forming leaders in discipleship who help the congregation to live out its mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. In other words, the ultimate, long-term purpose of Covenant Discipleship is to equip and support women and men to serve the congregation in the historic ministry of the class leader.

Class leaders were lay men and women who were the assigned leaders of the weekly small group meetings that were required of all Methodists until the late 19^th century. They helped fellow Methodists to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in the world. Class leaders shared in the pastoral work that needed to be done when the appointed clergy “circuit rider” was absent. Class leaders worked as partners with the clergy in the pastoral ministry of the church. They were the disciples who made disciples.

The class meeting and class leaders are needed today. Kevin Watson, author of Blueprint for Discipleship: Wesley’s General Rules as a Guide for Christian Living, is doing important work re-introducing the class meeting to United Methodist leaders today. He has done some excellent writing on the topic at his blog, “Vital Piety.” Before moving to Seattle to teach at Seattle Pacific University, he was a member at Munger Place United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas. He and the pastor worked together to make a contemporary version of the Methodist class meeting a regular part of the ministry of Munger Place UMC (here’s a link to Kevin’s writings on class meetings). They call the groups “Kitchen Groups.” Read about what they are doing here: http://mungerplace.org.

Small groups are one of the marks of vitality listed in the recent “Call to Action” report. The class meeting is the model of small group that has the best track record of making disciples of Jesus Christ. United Methodist congregations would benefit greatly by a concerted effort to re-tradition this powerful and proven small group system.

It won’t take long to realize that mature, well trained lay women and men will be needed to lead the class meeting. Small groups that last and contribute to disciple-making require a partnership between a cadre of lay women and men and the appointed clergy. The historic office of Class Leader tells us that faithful pastoral ministry is always a shared ministry of laity and appointed clergy working together as a team with the common goal of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Covenant Discipleship groups are designed to develop the lay women and men who God will call to serve as class leaders. Certainly we cannot expect that everyone who participates in a CD group will become a class leader. But the weekly process of mutual support and accountability for discipleship will awaken in some the desire to serve as a leader in discipleship. These are the persons who pastors can partner with in the work of disciple-making. Covenant Discipleship groups provide the leaders needed for a disciple-making small group system based on the early Methodist class meeting.

How does your congregation encourage CD group members to serve as leaders in discipleship? How does your congregation form and equip disciples who make disciples? How does the congregation encourage shared pastoral leadership in a system of small groups?

The “Doldrums”

“a spell of listlessness or despondency”

“The catechesis of being accountable for aspects of discipleship which have been neglected or taken for granted, gives each group a wealth of insight and challenge during the first two months of meeting together. After three or four months, however, a sense of routine sets in. The questions seem to become mechanical. Answers lack spontaneity, and member begin to question the validity and usefulness of the whole exercise.

“It should be clearly stated to new groups that this time of ‘doldrums’ is to be expected, and for two reasons. The most immediate cause is the wish to turn to something new when the novelty of the groups has worn off. In part this is reflective of our culture’s preoccupation with self-fulfillment, and it should be firmly resisted. Indeed, withdrawing from religious ‘junk food’ is one of the most important functions of covenant discipleship groups.

“There is a deeper spiritual reason for the ‘doldrums,’ however, which can best be described as ‘getting a second wind.’ Most churchgoers today are out of practice when it comes to accountable discipleship. Many have allowed themselves to become spectators in church, watching and perhaps admiring those who seem to be committed to their faith, though not really wishing to join them in the work of Jesus Christ. Now that they are in a covenant discipleship group, there is no avoiding the challenge of discipleship. While this is exhilarating at first, there comes a time when the routine of the task begins to take hold, and when the daily grind requires stamina.

“As a group gets this second wind, it should be explained that this is exactly what covenant discipleship is all about. It is an agreement to watch over one another in love. We are in covenant, not merely to share the high points in our journey6, important though these are, but much more to sustain the support each other in the midst of the routine and the commonplace.

“If a group remains faithful to its covenant through these ‘doldrums,’ it is not long before the rough and tumble of living in the world brings the member to realize even more profoundly the value of this common bond. Such times of apparent aimlessness are no more than a test of the commitment they have made, a searching and tempering of discipleship, a moving away from self-serving interests to those which are Christ-serving. It is a form of spiritual growth well attested in the history of the Christian faith; but groups need to know about it at the outset, and to be ready for it.”

– David Lowes Watson, Covenant Discipleship: Christian Formation Through Mutual Accountability, pages 163-4. Used by permission.

Why Small Groups

“Thee, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Inexplicably One and Three,
As worshiped by the heavenly host,
Thy church on earth we worship Thee,
Three unconfounded Persons own,
One undivided God proclaim,
In essence, substance, nature One
Through all eternity the same.

(Charles Wesley in Hymns on the Trinity, #XLIV, page 125)

Why are small groups important? Why did John Wesley place so much confidence in them as dependable means of grace for developing faith and holiness? The answers to these questions begin with the subject of this Charles Wesley stanza from one of his hymns in praise of the Trinity.

This is important because human beings are created in the image of the Triune God,

Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; … So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:26a, 27).

The “image of God” means that human character is a reflection of God’s character. We are not exact replicas of God, but we are representations or likenesses of God. This means that human beings are relational creatures. God created us with the capacity to give and receive love. We are made for relationship with God, one another, and creation.

This doctrine tells us that God’s nature is revealed in the relationships within the Trinity: the Father loves the Son; the Son loves the Father; the Holy Spirit proceeds from the love of the Father and Son. Each person is unique in character and work. At the same time each person participates in the life and work of the others. The Three are One, united in and by love.

An excellent illustration of the relational nature of the image of God and its importance to human lives and communities is the southern African concept known as ubuntu that teaches:

I am because we are.

It means that I can only become fully me as long I am in relationship with you. Ubuntu is rooted in the belief that all people are created in the image of God and that fact determines our value, meaning, and potential. Ubuntu tells us that we cannot be fully human apart from community. We become fully the persons God created us to be only within the relationships made possible in community. Our relationship with God is shaped by our relationships with others whom God loves.

The relational nature human beings, and the gospel of Jesus Christ, is why the apostle Paul writes:

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. … But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:1-3, 15-17).

He likens the church to the “body of Christ” and the “household of God.” Paul believed that Christians are made for community. Our love for God grows and matures through relationships with other Christians. Each part of the body contributes to and is dependent upon the others. This is why Jesus says to his disciples, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:20) and “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

When Christians meet in small groups to pray, study Scripture, for accountability and fellowship, and to serve the poor they form relationships of love and trust. As Christians grow in love and trust with one another, they grow in holiness of heart and life. They become disciples who make disciples. Such relationships are not likely to happen in large public settings like Sunday morning worship. This is why small groups are essential to the church’s mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

“Repent and believe the gospel.”

This morning a fellow Christian dipped his thumb in a small dish containing palm ashes mixed with olive oil. He reached out and made the sign of the cross on my forehead with the ashes saying, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Repent and believe the gospel.” I will carry that ashes and oil cross-shaped smudge on my forehead throughout the day. It marks me as a sinner in need of forgiveness and redemption. It acknowledges to the world that I need to continually repent and believe the gospel because I live in a world that denies Christ and his authority over the powers and principalities. The world tells me that I am okay just as I am and I can be even better if I buy and consume the right products and services. The world also tells me that god exists to make me happy and content and that it really is all about me. The ashes that mark the beginning of Lent remind me once again who I really am and who God is. They remind me that God is God and I am not.

Ash Wednesday reminds Christians of the importance of repentance as God’s way of helping us to know who and whose we are. John Wesley provides some help in understanding the character of repentance in Sermon 7: “The Way to the Kingdom” …

And first, repent, that is, know yourselves. This is the first repentance, previous to faith, even conviction, or self-knowledge. Awake, then, thou that sleepest. Know thyself to be a sinner, and what manner of sinner thou art. Know that corruption of thy inmost nature, whereby thou are very far gone from original righteousness, whereby ‘the flesh lusteth’ always ‘contrary to the Spirit’, through that ‘carnal mind which is enmity against God’, which ‘is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be’. Know that thou art corrupted in every power, in every faculty of thy soul, that thou art totally corrupted in every one of these, all the foundations being out of course. The eyes of thine understanding are darkened, so that they cannot discern God or the things of God. The clouds of ignorance and error rest upon thee, and cover thee with the shadow of death. Thou knowest nothing yet as thou oughtest to know, neither God, nor the world, nor thyself. Thy will is no longer the will of God, but is utterly perverse and distorted, averse from all good, from all which God loves, and prone to all evil, to every abomination which God hateth. Thy affections are alienated from God, and scattered abroad over the earth. All thy passions, both thy desires and aversions, thy joys and sorrows, thy hopes and fears, are out of frame, are either undue in their degree, or placed on undue objects. So that there is no soundness in thy soul, but ‘from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot’ (to use the strong expression of the prophet) there are only ‘wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores’.

According to Wesley, prior to repentance a person is deluded into believing he or she is something that he or she is not. They are alienated from God and ignorant of the things of God. Their mind and heart are blind to their true condition of ignorance and self-centeredness. Without repentance a person cannot know themselves nor can they know God. Repentance is the beginning of knowing the true self, which is the beginning of holiness. It opens the mind and heart to the light of God that reveals the damage caused by sin. Repentance turns the heart and mind away from the self-deception of sin and towards the truth and life of God. Mindfulness begins when the heart and mind are turned away from self and turned towards God.

Repentance also opens the mind and heart to the truth and life of God revealed in Scripture and tradition. It enables persons to begin to know, understand, and live the doctrine and discipline of Christian faith. As they learn, practice, and grow in faith, hope, and love Christians become confident practitioners who are can humbly enter into conversation with their neighbors who practice other religions, or no religion at all.

Persons who lack repentance live in a world of illusion. This world is represented best in contemporary western culture which is deluded into believing sin does not exist. If something does not exist then it cannot be a problem. In a world that does not recognize sin as a real problem, evil is regarded as an anomaly. It occurs only in rare persons like terrorists and dictators. People in the west do not recognize sin in themselves because they are bombarded by messages in media, and the church, that people are essentially good. If people believe they are good then repentance becomes irrelevant.

This means many people who regard themselves to be Christian lack basic self-knowledge. They deny the reality of sin and their own sinfulness. Some years ago I was part of an adult Sunday School class in a typical United Methodist Congregation. During the course of conversation about the Scripture lesson for the day I made what I thought was a simple statement of truth: “We are all sinners.” I did not expect the class’ angry response. Everyone took personal offense. It did not help when I responded to the angry gazes directed at me by saying, “I’m including myself when I say that we are all sinners. No one is immune from the human condition that alienates us all from God.” Every person in the room agreed the doctrine of original sin was mistaken. They agreed that labeling people as “sinners” demeans them and damages their self-esteem. The consensus of the class was that sin is not really that big of a problem. They believed that sin was nothing more than bad habits that can be changed through a little will power. When I challenged their thinking by asking, “If sin is not really a problem then why did Jesus suffer the humiliation of death on a cross?” the room was silent.

Reflecting on my experiences as a pastor and, for the past twelve years, an active member of various United Methodist congregations, I am convinced the vast majority of church members are ill equipped to engage in real dialog with their neighbors, friends, and co-workers who practice other religions, or no religion. Without conviction of sin and earnest repentance they cannot know the God revealed in Scripture, the person and work of Jesus Christ and the witness of the early Church. We should not be surprised, therefore, when Moralistic, Therapeutic Deism is the dominant theology expressed by the majority of members in mainline denominations, such as The United Methodist Church.

The god of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (MTD) is like “a butler or therapist, someone who meets our needs when summoned or who listens nonjudgmentally and helps [people] feel good about themselves.” The job of a butler or therapist is to serve, not to be served. They are chosen by us according to our own criteria, which reflect our character. We could say this god is created in the image of the people. Therefore, sin is re-defined as flawed character traits and bad habits that can be overcome by a little self-discipline. The god of MTD does not ask for nor require repentance.

Repentance requires awareness of sin and sinfulness. Persons must first hear the gospel proclaimed and experience Christ in a community in which the gospel is taught and practiced. The Apostle Paul puts it this way:

But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’ But not all have obeyed the good news; for Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our message?’ So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ (Romans 10:14-17, NRSV).

This is why the church’s ministry of teaching, preaching, and practicing the gospel of Christ is essential to the formation of a culture of holiness. Christ must be at the center of the congregation. When Christ is the center discipleship follows. When Christ is supplanted by Moralistic Therapeutic Deism holiness is replaced by niceness. Repentance, and subsequent self-knowledge necessary for Christian witness, are short-circuited.

A Missional Manifesto for the People Called United Methodist

Rev. Jay Voorhees at his blog, Only Wonder Understands, has posted A Missional Manifesto for the People Called United Methodist. It is a fine document that is a must read for members of The United Methodist Church who believe it is time the denomination re-claim the missional DNA that has been dormant for many years.

What does “missional” mean?

“The missional church reorients our thinking about the church in regard to God’s activity in the world. The Triune God becomes the primary acting subject rather than the church. God has a mission in the world, what is usually referred to as the missio Dei, we find that God as a creating God also creates the church through the Spirit, who calls, gathers, and sends the church into the world to participate in God’s mission. … The Spirit-led, missional church is responsible to participate in this reconciling work by bearing witness to the redemptive reign of God in Christ as good news, and through inviting everyone everywhere to become reconciled to the living and true God” (Craig Van Gelder, The Ministry of the Missional Church: A Community Led By the Spirit, 18).

It’s important to recall that Methodism began as a missional movement. It’s mission was “to reform the nation, particularly the Church; and to spread Scriptural holiness over the land.” A Missional Manifesto for the People Called United Methodists is a good step toward helping the denomination re-claim its missional identity.

Valentine’s Day & Love Divine

Love Divine, All Loves Excelling

Charles Wesley, 1747

Love divine, all loves excelling,
Joy of heaven, to earth come down,
Fix in us thy humble dwelling,
All thy faithful mercies crown!
Jesu, thou art all compassion,
Pure, unbounded love thou art;
Visit us with thy salvation!
Enter every trembling heart.

Come, almighty to deliver,
Let us all thy grace receive;
Suddenly return, and never,
Never more thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
Serve thee as thy hosts above,
Pray, and praise thee without ceasing,
Glory in thy perfect love.

Finish then thy new creation,
Pure and spotless let us be;
Let us see thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in thee;
Changed from glory into glory,
Till in heaven we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before thee,
Lost in wonder, love, and praise.

In this great Wesley hymn we sing of the power of love. Wesley reminds us that God is the source of all love. There is no love apart from God. Any love we humans are capable of giving and receiving is pure diving gift, whether we realize it or not. Sin renders humans incapable of love. But love is more powerful than sin. God freely shares the gift with us because he loves all of us as his own children. We need to be reminded that the love we receive today has its source from God. How we respond, and what we do with this gift, is entirely up to us.

Love is the power of God that saves, liberates, heals, and makes all things new.

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgement, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us. Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also (1 John 4:16b-21).

A Proposal for Making Disciples in the Congregation

Christian Formation as Apprenticeship to Jesus

Discipleship is the human responses to God and his love for the world revealed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In baptism Christians are “initiated into Christ’s holy church” and “incorporated into God’s mighty acts of salvation.” They “confess Jesus Christ as Savior, put their whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as Lord, in union with the church.” Baptism marks a person’s entry into the community of disciples in which he or she apprentice themselves to Jesus. The congregation promises to do all in its power to help its members learn and live the way of Jesus so that they participate in his mission to prepare this world for the coming reign of God.

However, most United Methodist congregations have minimal expectation and structures in place to help with this task. The curriculum for Christian formation proposed here will create a system for Christian formation for the congregation that will help to build deeper relationship with Christ and form missional congregations.

A Curriculum for Christian Formation

United Methodist congregations need to develop an intentional process of Christian formation that teaches and equips members to learn and live as apprentices of Jesus. This can be accomplished by immersing people in foundational Christian practices: The sacraments (Baptism, the Lord’s Supper) and Christian spiritual disciplines that focus persons and the congregation in the way, mind, heart, work and spirit of Christ.

I propose a curriculum for disciple-making that uses several existing programs developed by the General Board of Discipleship. The course includes seven sections of 5 – 7 weeks. People may enter the process as their schedule permits, with encouragement to complete all sections.

Leaders must be identified and trained. As people complete the 39 nine week catechetical process, some will be prepared and willing to become leaders for future sessions. If enough teachers are trained, a congregation could run two or more sections simultaneously.

Each session begins with 30 minutes of accountability and support for practicing the General Rule of Discipleship:

 To witness to Jesus Christ in the world and to follow his teachings through acts of compassion, justice, worship, and devotion under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

This is followed by one hour of instruction, discussion, and theological reflection guided by the program curriculum.

This structure achieves two goals of this project: First, participants will learn about and be encouraged to apply to their daily lives an important part of United Methodist spirituality contained in the General Rule of Discipleship. They will learn that the Rule, which is a contemporary re-statement of the General Rules, is a rule of life that guides them in the way of Jesus, and shapes the congregation’s mission in the world. It is not a “law” intended for judgment or punishment. Rather, it is like a compass that helps us follow Jesus Christ in the world. Second, incorporating accountability for Christian practice assures that the sessions are not simply another study. Too often small groups offered in the church emphasize gaining information and neglect formation, or change in behavior Wesley called “forming holy tempers.” The thirty minutes of accountability and support for practicing the General Rule of Discipleship will help participants put into practice what they learn.

Class size should be limited to 12 students and up to two teachers.

The persons who complete the process should be encouraged to join a Covenant Discipleship group that will provide the ongoing support and accountability needed for continued growth in apprenticeship to Jesus and holiness of heart and life. They also develop leaders in discipleship who help the congregation participate faithfully in Christ’s mission in the world.

Resources

The course of learning and practicing the way of Jesus will use existing resources developed for the church by the General Board of Discipleship:

1. By Water and the Spirit                        6 sessions (1 section)
2. This Holy Mystery                                  7 sessions (1 section)
3. Companions in Christ                            26 sessions (5 sections)

Total: 39 weeks

Bibliography

Felton, Gayle Carlton. By Water and the Spirit: Making Connections for Identity & Ministry. (Nashville: Discipleship Resources, 1997).

________. This Holy Mystery: A United Methodist Understanding of Holy Communion. (Nashville: Discipleship Resources, 2005).

Dawson, Garrit Scott, et al. Companions in Christ: A Small-Group Experience in Spiritual Formation Participant’s Book. (Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2001).

________. Companions in Christ: A Small-Group Experience in
Spiritual Formation Leader’s Guide. (Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2001).