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“Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either—but right through every human heart...” Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
"The greatest impediment to my own awakening is that I think I'm already awake."
- JD Walt
Now Peter & those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became FULLY AWAKE, they saw his glory - Luke 9:32 ESV
Lord, let me be fully awake. Wake me. Shake me.
Churches can no longer open their doors and expect that people will come in. Effective congregations go into the world to encounter those in need of the gospel. These 50 Ways provide tips on reaching beyond the walls of your church with worship, community events, ministries, and service.
Learn to regard your community as an extension of your congregation. A church’s mission field goes beyond its membership to include all the people God calls it to serve. You are connected to individuals who never set foot in your building.
Know that what’s happening within the church — preaching, worship, music, Bible study — is no longer enough to attract people in an age when church attendance is no longer a cultural expectation.
Don’t sit in your church building waiting for people to come. Be prepared to meet people where they are.
Acknowledge the synergy between the Great Commandment in Matthew 22 (love your neighbor as yourself) and the Great Commission in Matthew 28 (go and make disciples). Evangelistic outreach expresses our love of others.
Remember that Jesus primarily engaged people through everyday encounters, rather than in the Temple or synagogues. He fed people, met their everyday needs, and enjoyed the fellowship of others.
Express love and compassion for your community in big and small ways. Avoid judgmentalism.
Pray regularly for your neighbors and lift up community concerns.
Attend to the faith formation of existing members. Willingness to share faith and reach out to others develops as one grows in faith and discipleship.
Prepare spiritually for the transformation that creative, risk-taking outreach will bring.
Why Jesus Is Not Our Copilot?
By J.D. Walt
"We are broken in our inmost being from the beginning. We cannot educate ourselves out of this condition or we would have by now. I wish it were not so, and yet the gift of God is complete restoration, deep salvation, redemption, healing and not so much being taught to fly as being lifted up on eagles’ wings. By the Word of God we are given the perspective of faith and hope and love, endowed with the very Spirit of God and the mind of Christ, and come to bear the flourishing fruit of the kingdom. This is the stuff of attunement."
Congregations that have guests leave worship feeling like they have made significant connections make an intentional effort to have those guests greeted multiple times as they approach the worship space. The general rule is “7 touches,” which does not mean actual physical contact but some expression of welcome by multiple persons. For example:
Parking lot greeters
Front door greeters
Ushers
Hospitality hosts/hostesses
Greeting time
Connection cards
Pastor welcome
Hospitality Center with hosts/hostesses
Conversations initiated by regular participants
There are, of course, many other possible connection points!
Why Jesus Is Not Our Copilot?
By J.D. Walt
"We are broken in our inmost being from the beginning. We cannot educate ourselves out of this condition or we would have by now. I wish it were not so, and yet the gift of God is complete restoration, deep salvation, redemption, healing and not so much being taught to fly as being lifted up on eagles’ wings. By the Word of God we are given the perspective of faith and hope and love, endowed with the very Spirit of God and the mind of Christ, and come to bear the flourishing fruit of the kingdom. This is the stuff of attunement."
Will You Be Ready?
By Thomas A. Tarrants
"How do we make our own fresh start? Paul would tell us to start with prayer and sober self-examination. This is a crucial first step in being awakened to where we stand with God. From there, we can move into heartfelt repentance, confession of our sins, and return to God wherever we have strayed. That is, confessing any sins that God brings to our attention and asking His forgiveness, with a firm intention to forsake them, surrender ourselves fully to Him and walk in obedience to His will.
Paul would go on to remind us that when by God’s grace we were born of the Holy Spirit and united to Christ, the Spirit broke our enslavement to sin and freed us to obey God (Romans 6:1–11). “Never forget that,” he would say. “Reckon it true every day and live accordingly! You are no longer a slave to sin! You are able to obey God. Therefore . . .”
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:12–14)"
Won’t you trust Him? Step out of the vortex.
https://lightenough.wordpress.com/id-like-to-believe-but/
Questions are good. A thinking and analytical mind can keep us from falling for falsehood. A skeptical approach can keep our minds sharp and protect us from deception. Yet the pursuit of truth can end up being more about the pursuit, than the truth. We can get pulled into a vortex of a never-ending search for answers. Will any answers satisfy us? We doubt any answers or explanations that are provided. Or, if we do accept an answer we immediately follow it with another question.
We are always one question away from believing!
Are we really in the pursuit of truth, or do we just want to stay in a perpetual state of uncertainty?
At some point in life, we all must exercise faith. Faith isn’t limited only to the realm of the spiritual or religious. In many areas of life, we carefully consider the options and evidence, and then we step forward – not based on absolute certainty, but based on adequate and sufficient reasons to do so. We still have unanswered questions, but faith propels us forward.
Christianity is faith-based, and there is no way around that. At some point, we must be willing to jump out of the vortex! Christianity makes the most sense of the world around me and gives me valid reasons to believe, but yes, there are still puzzling concerns. This should not hinder belief, and we must step out of the vortex onto solid ground.
John Wesley— “ A Plain Account of Christian Perfection”
"Here is the sum of the perfect law, the circumcision of the heart. Let the spirit return to God that gave it, with the whole train of its affections. -- Other sacrifices from us he would not, but the living sacrifice of the heart hath he chosen. Let it be continually offered up to God through Christ, in flames of holy love. And let no creature be suffered to share with him; for he is a jealous God. His throne will he not divide with another; he will reign without a rival. Be no design, no desire admitted there, but what has Him for its ultimate object. This is the way wherein those children of God once walked, who being dead still speak to us: `Desire not to live but to praise his name; let all your thoughts, words, and works tend to his glory.' `Let your soul be filled with so entire a love to Him that you may love nothing but for his sake.' `Have a pure intention of heart, a steadfast regard to his glory in all you actions.' For then, and not till then, is that `mind in us, which was also in Christ Jesus,' when in every motion of our heart, in every word of our tongue, in every work of our hands, we `pursue nothing but in relation to him, and in subordination to his plea sure;' when we too neither think, nor speak, nor act, to fulfil `our own will, but the will of Him that sent us;' when, `whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do,' we do it all `to the glory of God."' (Ibid., p. 211.)
The Gift of Forgiveness — Lucy Amina Chaves
https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/testimony-a-story-of-forgiveness/
One day I reached out to my former friend in an attempt to reconcile. Things didn’t go as I hoped - I didn’t get an apology, but one thing was different, I felt the Lord lifting the burden from me.
Even though I was disappointed, it seemed like the anger was fading away. I felt stronger and more in control of my emotions. I walked away that day, not with what I wanted but with what I needed. My friend didn’t apologize until years later but that day I felt like healing had begun, I felt We’re encouraged to show this kind of unconditional love as we settle our wrong-doings or trespasses with our brothers, friends, fellow workers, and neighbors. As we forgive one another the kingdom of God comes in our midst.
John Wesley on Forgiveness
“As we forgive them that trespass against us.” In these words our Lord clearly declares both on what condition, and in what degree or manner, we may look to be forgiven of God. All our trespasses and sins are forgiven us, if we forgive, and as we forgive, others. First, God forgives us if we forgive others. This is a point of the utmost importance. And our blessed Lord is so jealous lest at any time we should let it slip out of our thoughts, that he not only inserts it in the body of his prayer, but presently after repeats it twice over. “If,” saith he, “ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matt. 6:14, 15.) Secondly, God forgives us as we forgive others. So that if any malice or bitterness, if any taint of unkindness or anger remains, if we do not clearly, fully, and from the heart, forgive all men their trespasses, we far cut short the forgiveness of our own: God cannot clearly and fully forgive us: He may show us some degree of mercy; but we will not suffer him to blot out all our sins, and forgive all our iniquities.
In the mean time, while we do not from our hearts forgive our neighbor his trespasses, what manner of prayer are we offering to God whenever we utter these words? We are indeed setting God at open defiance: we are daring him to do his worst. “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us!” That is, in plain terms, “Do not thou forgive us at all; we desire no favour at thy hands. We pray that thou wilt keep our sins in remembrance, and that thy wrath may abide upon us.” But can you seriously offer such a prayer to God? And hath he not yet cast you quick into hell? O tempt him no longer! Now, even now, by his grace, forgive as you would be forgiven! Now have compassion on thy fellow-servant, as God hath had and will have pity on thee!
—John Wesley’s “Thirteen Discourses on the Sermon on the Mount,”
As regards my own sins it is a safe bet (though not a certainty) that the excuses are not really so good as I think; as regards other men’s sins against me it is a safe bet (though not a certainty) that the excuses are better than I think. One must therefore begin by attending to everything which may show that the other man was not so much to blame as we thought. But even if he is absolutely fully to blame we still have to forgive him; and even if ninety-nine percent of his apparent guilt can be explained away by really good excuses, the problem of forgiveness begins with the one percent of guilt which is left over. To excuse what can really produce good excuses is not Christian charity; it is only fairness. To be Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. This is hard. It is perhaps not so hard to forgive a single great injury. But to forgive the incessant provocations of daily life—to keep on forgiving the bossy mother-in-law, the bullying husband, the nagging wife, the selfish daughter, the deceitful son—how can we do it? Only, I think, by remembering where we stand, by meaning our words when we say in our prayers each night “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us.” We are offered forgiveness on no other terms. To refuse it is to refuse God’s mercy for ourselves. There is no hint of exceptions and God means what He says.
— C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996), pp. 135-136.
John Wesley on Forgiveness
The grace of God herein confirms to us the pardon of our sins, and enables us to leave them. As our bodies are strengthened by bread and wine, so are our souls by these tokens of the body and blood of Christ [consumed at the Eucharist]. This is the food of our souls: This gives strength to perform our duty, and leads us on to perfection. If, therefore, we have any regard for the plain command of Christ, if we desire the pardon of our sins, if we wish for strength to believe, to love and obey God, then we should neglect no opportunity of receiving the Lord’s Supper; then we must never turn our backs on the feast which our Lord has prepared for us. This is the true rule: So often are we to receive [communion] as God gives us opportunity. Whoever, therefore, does not receive, but goes from the holy table, when all things are prepared, either does not understand his duty, or does not care for the divine command of his Saviour, the forgiveness of his sins, the strengthening of his soul, and the refreshing it with the hope of glory.
—Sermon 101, The Duty of Communion 7.148
We are all afraid of exposure. We don’t want that switch to get flicked and light to shine on all our mess. We much prefer to skulk around in dim light. After all, everything looks better in dim light. Any of you who have, perhaps in some past life, frequented clubs (you know who you are), know that there is a reason they keep the lights in those places low. It is so that nobody will notice how ordinary looking everybody actually is. Believe it or not, these are the same tired people trudging to work on Monday morning. Why are candlelight dinners so romantic? They are romantic because they allow us to imagine everything is more attractive than it really is—the food and, of course, ourselves.
Most of us spend our lives trying to search out the dimmest light. We want to be noticed, but not too clearly. We want to be thought of as better than we are. At work we try to hide our flaws to make people think we are better looking, smarter, more creative, more competent, more poised than we know in our hearts we actually are. There are whole courses on writing resumes to show ourselves in the best light. Of course, what the best light means is light dim enough not to shine on what we don’t want to be seen.
When there is the possibility that what we want to keep obscure might come to the light, we work hard. We do what it takes, out of fear of exposure (which is shame), to keep others in the dark about what we don’t want revealed of our inner reality. We create a false self, one better than we actually are. We then spend lots of energy managing our inward disorder to keep our orderly avatar (our impressive Facebook page self) front and center before the audience of the world. And like my day spent cleaning, keeping up this image is exhausting. We try to play that game in church, with brothers and sisters in Christ, and even with God.
Why Should We Believe that Christianity is True? Part 1 – The Trilemma
Neil Shenvi – Apologetics
If you had two minutes to provide a rational defense of Christianity, what would you say?
This is part one of a four-part series of essays attempting to answer that question. These essays will by no means exhaust the possible answers, but they will help to equip us as Christians to give “a reason for the hope that is in us” (1 Pet. 3:15). Below, I want to look at what I consider to be one of the most important arguments for the truth of Christianity. It was put forward in its most popular form by C.S. Lewis and is known as the ‘Lord, Liar, Lunatic’ argument, or the Trilemma.
Complete Complete article <<LINK>>
Key quote:
“The essence of the argument is that we cannot put Jesus off as a ‘good teacher.’ It calls us to actually, honestly engage with the person of Jesus that we find in the Bible and make a decision about his extraordinary claims. However, one major obstacle to any engagement with Jesus is skepticism about the biblical text. Lewis assumed that most of his hearers recognized the biblical texts as generally reliable. Unfortunately, this belief is not shared by many today.
In order to restore the argument’s usefulness, we must therefore make a case that the gospels provide a generally reliable portrait of the historical figure of Jesus of Nazareth. To do so, let’s focus on four major areas: reliability of transmission, non-Christian documentary evidence, archaeology, and internal evidence.”
First, all works of piety; such as public prayer, family prayer, and praying in our closet; receiving the supper of the Lord; searching the Scriptures, by hearing, reading, meditating; and using such a measure of fasting or abstinence as our bodily health allows.
Secondly, all works of mercy; whether they relate to the bodies or souls of men; such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, entertaining the stranger, visiting those that are in prison, or sick, or variously afflicted; such as the endeavouring to instruct the ignorant, to awaken the stupid sinner, to quicken the lukewarm, to confirm the wavering, to comfort the feeble-minded, to succour the tempted, or contribute in any manner to the saving of souls from death. This is the repentance, and these the ‘fruits meet for repentance,’ which are necessary to full sanctification. This is the way wherein God hath appointed his children to wait for complete salvation. (6)
Wesley’s sermon, The Scripture Way of Salvation
Collage by: Lee Kibler 9/24
Shirley Stallworth, better known as Miss Shirley, recently resigned her role as manager of the Morgan’s Chapel Food Ministry after 12 years. She has been involved since the very beginning when Rev. Dick Brooks was pastor at Morgan’s Chapel. Originally it was distribution of bread only and called the Bread Ministry. Under Pastor Brooks leadership and great volunteers such as Miss Shirley and her late husband Tommy, it soon evolved into a full -fledged distribution of groceries every Wednesday.
Miss Shirley has been a working volunteer- manager. She was willing to do whatever was needed for the success of the food ministry. She has trained volunteers, worked to establish policies, and to adapt the ministry to changing needs and circumstances. As of this week, a total of 106 families received a full box of groceries to help relieve their food needs. Many others, including Katie Aiken, have been and continue to be loyal volunteers. Approximately 25 volunteers serve each Wednesday and several others pick up donations six times weekly.
Katie Aiken said, “Shirley was always at the church on Wednesday and Monday and usually one other day during the week. She monitored and replenished all supplies. Her careful stewardship of funds, donated or allocated by the church, has been key to the ministry’s success. Above all, she has prayed daily for the food ministry. Many times, she has prayed specifically for something we were running short on only to have the very thing turn up in one of our six weekly donation pickups. Pray and work. That has been Shirley’s modus operandi!”
While battling various health issues, Miss Shirley has continued to serve faithfully in her capacity as a volunteer servant. During the past dozen years, she has established a great rapport with The Christian Service Center, grocery store managers, farmers’ market owners and anyone else that may be a prospect for donating to the great cause of combatting hunger in Bon Secour.
She initiated the idea of providing Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners to the food clients. These special dinners cost approximately $100 for the two meals. Each family receives a turkey on Thanksgiving with items for side dishes. It is repeated again at Christmas with a ham instead of turkey. She has already made plans for the 2024 holiday meals. The total estimated cost will be over $10,000. The church underwrites these costs through donations. The 2024 campaign to raise funds will begin October 1. Church members, community members and civic clubs will be invited to contribute to this important outreach.
Morgan’s Chapel says, “Thank you Miss Shirley for following Jesus’ command to feed my flock”.
If you want to support this Holiday Dinner Campaign, checks made to Morgan’s Chapel,earmarked “Holiday Dinners” will be appreciated. Perhaps you would like to donate in “Honor of Miss Shirley”. Checks may be mailed to P.O.Box 88, Bon Secour, Al 36511
written by: Mable Anderson 9/23/2024
‘Wesley Is Fire Now’ and Evangelicals Are Being Strangely Warmed
Clayton Sidenbender
Two decades after New Calvinism, some young Christians are turning to Methodist history for theological sustenance.
A student worshiping at the Asbury Revival with a bright light shining through a window near his heart.
Key quote:
“While all Christian traditions believe God transforms us to the image of his Son, Wesleyan-Arminian thought confronts the sin that holds us back and expects a victory,” said Shelton, Asbury University’s Wesley scholar in residence. “The sanctification offered by Wesleyan-Arminian thought is a hope that is offered with strength.”
John Wesley’s Sermon “The Means of Grace”: A Brief Summary — Kevin M. Watson
Key quote:
By ‘means of grace’ I understand outward signs, words, or actions ordained of God, and appointed for this end – to be the ordinary channels whereby he might convey to men preventing, justifying, and sanctifying grace….
The chief of these means are prayer, whether in secret or with the great congregation; searching the Scriptures (which implies reading, hearing, and meditating thereon) and receiving the Lord’s Supper, eating bread and drinking wine in remembrance of him; and these we believe to be ordained of God as the ordinary channels of conveying his grace to the souls of men. [II.1]
John Wesley and The Holy Club’s 22 Questions
1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
2. Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
3. Do I confidentially pass on to others what has been said to me in confidence?
4. Can I be trusted?
5. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work or habits?
6. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
7. Did the Bible live in me today?
8. Do I give the Bible time to speak to me every day?
9. Am I enjoying prayer?
10. When did I last speak to someone else of my faith?
11. Do I pray about the money I spend?
12. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
13. Do I disobey God in anything?
14. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
15. Am I defeated in any part of my life?
16. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful?
17. How do I spend my spare time?
18. Am I proud?
19. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?
20. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I doing about it?
21. Do I grumble or complain constantly?
22. Is Christ real to me?
Quote from: William Booth, the founder of The Salvation Army
“The chief danger that confronts the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and heaven without hell.”
Why does God have us in this place doing this thing during this season?
Why are we here?
Why has He called us to be present now?
The way that Wesley and those early Methodists answered that question would Define them and it would continue to define the Wesleyan Methodist movement when we're at our best to the present day!
Quote from: Mere Christianity
Written By: C. S. Lewis
"Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call ‘humble’ nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.
If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realise that one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed."
All need to be saved .
All can be saved.
All can know they are saved.
All can be saved to the uttermost.
Quote from: Mere Christianity
Written By: C. S. Lewis
"Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call ‘humble’ nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.
If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realise that one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed."
All need to be saved .
All can be saved.
All can know they are saved.
All can be saved to the uttermost.
Quote from: The Four Loves
Written By: C. S. Lewis
"There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, air-less—it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell."
All need to be saved .
All can be saved.
All can know they are saved.
All can be saved to the uttermost.
The Bacchanal and the Communion Table
Why look for life where there is no life at all?
Written By: David F. Watson
Link to the full Article
“Whenever we look upon the darkness of this world, we should sense again the urgency of evangelism. God calls us to invite people into this upside-down kingdom we inhabit. He calls us to lead them from the bacchanal to the communion table, to demonstrate the truth, goodness, and beauty of the Gospel. The bacchanal is undoubtedly fun for a time, but there is no life there. To paraphrase Augustine, it is part of the human condition to look for life in a land of death. But as Peter said to Jesus when many had left scandalized, “You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). So he does. And thus so do we.”
All need to be saved .
All can be saved.
All can know they are saved.
All can be saved to the uttermost.
The Sermons of John Wesley
— Awake, Thou That Sleepest
Sermon 3 — (excerpt)
II. 1. Wherefore, "awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead." God calleth thee now by my mouth; and bids thee know thyself, thou fallen spirit, thy true state and only concern below. "What meanest thou, O sleeper Arise! Call upon thy God, if so be thy God will think upon thee, that thou perish not." A mighty tempest is stirred up round about thee, and thou art sinking into the depths of perdition, the gulf of God's judgements. If thou wouldest escape them, cast thyself into them. "Judge thyself, and thou shalt not be judged of the Lord."
2. Awake, awake! Stand up this moment, lest thou "drink at the Lord's hand the cup of his fury." Stir up thyself to lay hold on the Lord, the Lord thy Righteousness, mighty to save! "Shake thyself from the dust." At least, let the earthquake of God's threatenings shake thee. Awake, and cry out with the trembling jailer, "What must I do to be saved" And never rest till thou believest on the Lord Jesus, with a faith which is his gift, by the operation of his Spirit.
3. If I speak to any one of you, more than to another, it is to thee, who thinkest thyself unconcerned in this exhortation. "I have a message from God unto thee." In his name, I warn thee "to flee from the wrath to come." Thou unholy soul, see thy picture in condemned Peter, lying in the dark dungeon, between the soldiers, bound with two chains, the keepers before the door keeping the prison. The night is far spent, the morning is at hand, when thou art to be brought forth to execution. And in these dreadful circumstances, thou art fast asleep; thou art fast asleep in the devil's arms, on the brink of the pit, in the jaws of everlasting destruction!
All need to be saved .
All can be saved.
All can know they are saved.
All can be saved to the uttermost.
Sermon 43 John Wesley
The Scripture Way of Salvation — (excerpt)
18— “But does God work this great work in the soul gradually or instantaneously?” Perhaps it may be gradually wrought in some; I mean in this sense, —they do not advert to the particular moment wherein sin ceases to be. But it us infinitely desirable, were it the will of God, that it should be done instantaneously; that the Lord should destroy sin “by the breath of His mouth,” in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. And so He generally does; a plain fact, of which there is evidence enough to satisfy any unprejudiced person. Thou therefore look for it every moment! Look for it in the way above described; in all those good works whereunto thou art “created anew in Christ Jesus.” There in then no danger: you can be no worse, if you are no better, for that expectation. For were you to be disappointed of your hope, still you lose nothing. But you shall not be disappointed of your hope: it will come, and will not tarry. Look for it then every day, every hour, every moment! Why not this hour, this moment? Certainly you may look for it now, if you believe it is by faith. And by this token you may surely know whether you seek it by faith or by works. If by works, you want something to be done first, before you are sanctified. You think, I must first be or do thus or thus. Then you are seeking it by works unto this day. If you seek it by faith, you may expect it as you are; and expect it now. It is of importance to observe, that there is an inseparable connexion between these three points, —expect it by faith; expect it as you are; and expect it now! To deny one of them, is to deny them all; to allow one, is to allow them all. Do you believe we are sanctified by faith? Be true then to your principle; and look for this blessing just as you are, neither better nor worse; as a poor sinner that has still nothing to pay, nothing to plead, but “Christ died.” And if you look for it as you are, then expect it now. Stay for nothing: why should you? Christ is ready; and He is all you want. He is waiting for you: He is at the door! Let your inmost soul cry out,
Come in, come in, thou heavenly Guest!
Nor hence again remove;
But sup with me, and let the feast
Be everlasting love.
All need to be saved .
All can be saved.
All can know they are saved.
All can be saved to the uttermost.
Bible Commentaries Genesis 4
Wesley's Explanatory Notes:
Verse 1
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
Adam and Eve had many sons and daughters, Genesis 5:4. But Cain and Abel seem to have been the two eldest. Cain signifies possession; for Eve when she bare him said with joy and thankfulness, and great expectation, I have gotten a man from the Lord.
Verse 2
And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
Abel signifies vanity. The name given to this son is put upon the whole race, Psalms 39:5. Every man is at his best estate vanity; Abel, vanity. He chose that employment which did most befriend contemplation and devotion, for that hath been looked upon as the advantage of a pastoral life. Moses and David kept sheep, and in their solitudes conversed with God.
Verse 3
And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
In process of time — At the end of days, either at the end of the year when they kept their feast of in-gathering, or at the end of the days of the week, the seventh day; at some set time Cain and Abel brought to Adam, as the priest of the family, each of them an offering to the Lord; for which we have reason to think there was a divine appointment given to Adam, as a token of God’s favour notwithstanding their apostacy.
Verse 4
And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
And the Lord God had respect to Abel and to his offering, and shewed his acceptance of it, probably by fire from heaven but to Cain and to his offering he had not respect. We are sure there was a good reason for this difference: that Governor of the world, though an absolute sovereign, doth not act arbitrarily in dispensing his smiles and frowns — 1. There was a difference in the characters of the persons offering: Cain was a wicked man, but Abel was a righteous man, Matthew 23:352. There was a difference in the offerings they brought. Abel’s was a more excellent sacrifice than Cain’s; Cain’s was only a sacrifice of acknowledgment offered to the Creator; the meat-offerings of the fruit of the ground were no more: but Abel brought a sacrifice of atonement, the blood whereof was shed in order to remission, thereby owning himself a sinner, deprecating God’s wrath, and imploring his favour in a Mediator. But the great difference was, Abel offered in faith, and Cain did not. Abel offered with an eye to God’s will as his rule, and in dependence upon the promise of a Redeemer. But Cain did not offer in faith, and so it turned into sin to him.
Verse 5
But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
And Cain was wroth, and his countenance fell - Not so much out of grief as malice and rage. His sullen churlish countenance, and down-look, betrayed his passionate resentment.
Verse 7
If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
If thou dost well, shalt thou not be accepted? — Either, 1. If thou hadst done well, as thy brother did, thou shouldest have been accepted as he was. God is no respecter of persons; so that if we come short of acceptance with him, the fault is wholly our own. This will justify God in the destruction of sinners, and will aggravate their ruin. There is not a damned sinner in hell, but if he had done well, as he might have done, had been a glorified saint in heaven. Every mouth will shortly be stopt with this. Or, 2. If now thou do well: if thou repent of thy sin, reform thy heart and life, and bring thy sacrifice in a better manner; thou shalt yet be accepted. See how early the gospel was preached, and the benefit of it here offered even to one of the chief of sinners. He sets before him death and a curse; but, if not well - Seeing thou didst not do well, not offer in faith, and in a right manner, sin lieth at the door - That is, sin only hinders thy acceptance. All this considered, Cain had no reason to he angry with his brother, but at himself only.
Unto thee shall be his desire — He shall continue in respect to thee as an elder brother, and thou, as the first-born, shall rule over him as much as ever. God’s acceptance of Abel’s offering did not transfer the birth-right to him, (which Cain was jealous of) nor put upon him that dignity, and power, which is said to belong to it, Genesis 49:3.
Verse 8
And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
And Cain talked with Abel his brother — The Chaldee paraphrast adds, that Cain, when they were in discourse, maintained there was no judgment to come, and that when Abel spoke in defence of the truth, Cain took that occasion to fall upon him. The scripture tells us the reason wherefore he slew him, because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous; so that herein he shewed himself to be a child of the devil, as being an enemy to all righteousness. Observe, the first that dies is a saint, the first that went to the grave, went to heaven. God would secure to himself the first fruits, the first born to the dead, that first opened the womb into another world.
All need to be saved .
All can be saved.
All can know they are saved.
All can be saved to the uttermost.
Morgan's Chapel Church