25th Anniversary Celebration

Loving One Another

From Christian Perfection — John Wesley

6. The Danger of Schism 

Beware of schism, of making a tear in the Church of Christ. Ceasing to have a reciprocal love ​“for one another” (1 Cor. 12:25), is inner disunity which is at the very root of all outward separation. Beware of everything which leads to this separation. Beware of a dividing spirit. 

Therefore, do not say, ​“I am of Paul,” or ​“I am of Apollos.” This is the very thing which caused the schism at Corinth. Do not say, ​“This is my preacher, the best preacher in England. Give me him and you can have all the rest.” All this tends to breed division, to disunite those whom God has joined. 

Do not despise or run down any preacher. Do not exalt anyone above the rest lest you hurt both him and the cause of God. Do not bear hard upon any preacher because of some inconsistency or inaccuracy of expression; no, not even for some mistake, even if you are right. 

Do not even give a single thought of separating from your brethren, whether their opinions agree with yours or not. Just because someone does not agree with everything you say does not mean that they are sinning. Nor is this or that opinion essential to the work of God. Be patient with those who disagree with you. Do not condemn those who do not see things just as you do, or who think it is their duty to contradict you, whether in a great thing or a small. 

O, beware of touchiness, of testiness, of an unwillingness to be corrected. Beware of being provoked to anger at the least criticism, and avoiding those who do not accept your word.

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"Endure"-- Pastor Brown

Loving One Another

From Christian Perfection — John Wesley

5. The Danger of Desiring Anything but God 

Also, beware of desiring anything other than God. Jesus said, ​“If your eye remains single your whole body shall be full of light.” Do not allow the desire for tasteful food or any other pleasure of the senses, the desire of pleasing the eye or the imagination, the desire for money or praise or power, to rule you. While you have the ability to feel these desires, you are not compelled to feel them. Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made you free! 

Be an example to all of denying yourself and taking up your cross daily. Let others see that you are not interested in any pleasure that does not bring you nearer to God, nor regard any pain which does. Let them see that you simply aim at pleasing God in everything. Let the language of your heart sing out with regard to pleasure or pain, riches or poverty, honor or dishonor, ​“All’s alike to me, so I in my Lord may live and die!”

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"Seek His Face"-- Pastor Brown

Loving One Another

From Christian Perfection — John Wesley

4. The Danger of Sins of Omission 

Sins of omission are avoiding to do good of any kind when we have the opportunity. We must beware of these sins and, instead, be zealous of good works. Do all the good you possibly can to the bodies and souls of your neighbors. Be active. Give no place to laziness. Be always busy, losing no shred of time. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. 

Also, be slow to speak. It is said, ​“In a multitude of words sin abounds.” Try not to talk too much, or for a long period of time. Not many people can converse profitably beyond an hour’s time. Especially avoid pious ​“chit-chat” or religious gossip. 

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“An Opportune Time"-- Pastor Brown

Loving One Another

From Christian Perfection — John Wesley

3. The Danger of Antinomianism, or Lawlessness 

Third, I caution you to beware of antinomianism, which is the belief that there is no need for laws in the life of the believer. That great truth that ​“Christ is the end of the law” may betray us into this belief if we do not consider that Christ himself adopted every point of the moral law! Beware of thinking, ​“Because I have the love of God I do not need holiness,” or ​“Since I pray all the time I have no need for set times of private prayer,” or ​“Because I am spiritual I have no need for self-examination.” 

Instead, let this be our thought: ​“I prize thy commandments above gold or precious stones. O, what love I have found in your laws! All the day long I will study in it.” We must beware of self-indulgence, or of mocking self-denial, fasting, or abstinence. We cannot cry out, ​“Only believe, believe!” and call others ​“legalists” who are trying to live as Scripture teaches. We must remember that ​“by works our faith is made perfect.” 

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“Metamorphosis"-- Pastor Brown

Loving One Another

From Christian Perfection — John Wesley

2. The Danger of Enthusiasm 

Also, beware of the daughter of pride: enthusiasm. By enthusiasm I mean the tendency to hastily ascribe everything to God, supposing dreams and voices and visions to be special revelations that God has given to you. While they may be from God, they may also be from the devil. Therefore, ​“believe not every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they be of God.” Test all things by the written word of God, and let all bow down before it. 

You are in danger of enthusiasm every time you depart even a little from the Scriptures. We must never depart from the plain meaning of Scripture, and we must always take it in the context in which it was written. But keep in mind that we must not despise reason, knowledge, or human learning, every one of which is a gift of God and was given to serve a purpose. 

One general inlet to enthusiasm is expecting the end without the means: expecting knowledge, for instance, without searching the Scriptures and consulting with the people of God, or expecting spiritual strength without constant prayer and steady watchfulness, or expecting God to bless you without hearing the word of God at every opportunity. 

Another inlet to enthusiasm may be the very desire to ​“grow in grace.” For some people this will continually lead them to seek ​“new” grace and thereby lead us to seek something other than new degrees of loving God and our neighbor. Some will think they have come upon a new grace when they have discovered what it means to be ​“one with Christ” or to ​“die with Christ.” When we take a fresh teaching from the Scriptures to heart, we must not conclude that it is a ​“new” gift. We have all of these things when we are justified; all that remains is that we experience them in higher degrees. 

We should always remember that love is the highest gift of God. All of our revelations and gifts are little things compared to love. There is nothing higher in religion. If you are looking for anything else, you are looking wide of the mark. Settle in your heart that from this moment on you will aim at nothing more than that love described in the thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians. You can go no higher than this.

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“What Goes Around"-- Pastor Brown

Loving One Another

From Christian Perfection — John Wesley

1. The Danger of Pride

  • The first advice I would give to those who have been saved from sin by grace is to watch and pray continually against pride. For it is pride not only to ascribe what we have to ourselves, but also to think we have what we do not. One man, for instance, ascribed his knowledge to God and was therefore humble. But then he thought he had more than everyone else which is dangerous pride.

    We often think that we have no need of anyone else’s advice or reproof. Always remember, much grace does not imply much enlightenment. We may be wise but have little love, or we may have love with little wisdom. God has wisely joined us all together as the parts of a body so that we cannot say to another, ​“I have no need of you.”

    Even to imagine that those who are not saved cannot teach you is a very great and serious mistake. Dominion is not found in grace. Not observing this has led some into many mistakes and certainly into pride. Beware even the appearance of pride! Let there be in you that lowly mind which was in Christ Jesus. Be clothed with humility. Let modesty appear in all your words and actions.

    One way we do this is to own any fault we have. If you have at any time thought, spoken, or acted wrong, do not refrain from acknowledging it. Never dream that this will hurt the cause of God — in fact, it will further it. Be open and honest when you are rebuked and do not seek to evade it or disguise it. Rather, let it appear just as it is and you will thereby not hinder but adorn the gospel.

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“Some Be Attitudes"-- Pastor Brown

Drawing people into the life of the church

Here are several ideas for taking things a step further and helping the person get to know other people in the church besides you.

  • Now that you are learning a little about the person, introduce them to someone else in the church. Bring them over before or after the service. “Hey! I thought you might like to meet Dawn and Bill.” Perhaps introduce them to someone they share something in common with. If they are a empty nest couple, bring over another empty nest couple and introduce them. If the person’s occupation is a nurse, introduce them to another nurse who attends the church. Etc.

  • Give them a personal invite to a church activity. Offer to save a seat for them, or meet them at the door when they arrive for the activity, or even pick them up. (It can be intimidating to show up for an activity when you don’t know anyone!)

  • Invite them to your house for dinner or invite them to meet you for coffee at a local coffee house. You could do this one-on-one with them, but inviting another person/couple/family along can be a good idea as well. Of course, let them know you are inviting someone else so they are not surprised. This can be an ideal way for them to get to know you and another person/family from the church too. In the casual atmosphere of your home or meeting for coffee, it is easier to get to know someone. And the next Sunday at church, they will hopefully feel more at ease because they will recognize some people in the service instead of feeling so isolated.

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“Catching Any?" -- Pastor Brown

Drawing people into the life of the church

Practical ways to reach out to others within the church walls.

  • Pray for perception. Pray for spiritual eyesight to notice the people on the sidelines, the lonely, or those not “plugged in” to the life of the church for whatever reasons. Pray for the heart of a shepherd.

  • At church on Sunday, instead of making a beeline for your friends and remaining in a huddle talking with them – make an effort to look around the sanctuary. Be observant. If you’ve never done this, you may want to “observe” for 2 or 3 weeks. You’d be surprised at how much you can notice simply through observation! Not only will you begin to notice people who sit all alone or just look nervous, you’ll also notice how cliquey the sanctuary can appear – lots of people in groups talking.

  • Take some action. Approach some of the people that you’ve noticed on the sidelines. Just sit down next to them and say something like: “Hi! I don’t think we’ve met. My name is Laura. What is your name?”. You could do this on your own or with your spouse. Hopefully this will naturally get a conversation going. Make an effort to remember their name and any other details you learn about them. Yes, I know, remembering names can be hard! It is okay to write things down. After your conversation when you are back at your seat, jot down their name and any other details on a piece of paper.

  • Now…Be on the lookout for them the following week! Approach them again and address them by name, and ask them about something you’d learned about them the week before. “How’s your college class going?” or “Did you get through your tough week at work?” Etc.

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“Just a Hometown Boy"-- Pastor Brown

Methodist Prayer

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Sovereign God, our light and our salvation, to you be glory and praise forever. You gave your Christ as a light to the nations, and through the anointing of the Spirit you established us as a royal priesthood. As you call us into your marvelous light, may our lives bear witness to your truth and our lips never cease to proclaim your praise.

Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Blessed be God forever.

That this evening may be holy, good and peaceful, let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept. As our evening prayer rises before you, O God, so may your mercy come down upon us to cleanse our hearts and set us free to sing your praise now and forever.

Amen.

Image taken by Lee Kibler

Image taken by Lee Kibler

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""Goodness and Mercy" with testimony from Debbie Higgins"-- Pastor Brown

What are Methodists, Anyway? -- Craig L. Adams

Following in the tradition of John Wesley, the Methodist outlook on theology is thoroughly based on scripture, but also enlivened through tradition, experience, and reason.

Methodists believe that “all Scripture is given by the inspiration of God.” They believe that the written Word of God is the only and sufficient rule both of Christian faith and practice in life.

Methodists live in a vital faith relationship with God. They turn from sin, and turn to Christ in faith. It is faith in Christ alone that can reconcile us to God.

Methodists are people who have the love of God in their hearts. This is the gift of God’s Holy Spirit; and the same Spirit causes Methodists to love God with all their heart, with all their soul, with all their mind, and with all their strength. Methodists believe that the power of God is greater than the power of human sin.

Methodists do good to all, neighbors, strangers, friends, and enemies. This includes every kind of good. Methodists provide food for the hungry and clothing for the naked. They visit people who are sick and in prison. Even more important, Methodists labor for the enrichment of the souls of all people.

Methodists believe that Christian faith relates to our social life in this world. They believe in the betterment of social conditions for all people. Methodists seek to deepen their faith by opening their hearts and minds to all the means of grace, including scripture, prayer, worship, the sacraments, and works of service.

Actually, Methodists are nothing more than Christians and do not wish to be distinguished from any other genuine believers who are living the life of faith and hope and love.

Image Courtesy of J.Martin

Image taken by Joannah Martin

Image taken by Joannah Martin

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"How About Lunch"-- Pastor Brown

John Wesley’s Sermon “The Means of Grace” -- Kevin M. Watson

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

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"The Valley of the Shadow"-- Pastor Brown

God in a Box -- Melanie DeSimone

Not that I am (I think) in much danger of ceasing to believe in God. The real danger is of coming to believe such dreadful things about Him. The conclusion I dread is not ‘So there’s no God after all,’ but ‘So this is what God’s really like. Deceive yourself no longer.”

C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

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"Adopted"-- Pastor Brown

A pathway for apprenticeship to Jesus Explore Resources

“Spiritual formation in the North American church is often truncated to this three-part formula: 

  1. Go to church.

  2. Read your Bible and pray.

  3. Give.” 

He writes that many people, doing these (very good and needed!) things, never experience the transformation that is possible in Christ, and the fallout in the Western church results in:

  • Churches full of people who are Christians but not apprentices of Jesus

  • A widespread cancer of hypocrisy that has infected the church, where the gap between Jesus' teachings and people's day-to-day lives (including those of many pastors) is too great to be explained away graciously

  • A generation of people disillusioned with the faith

  • Many who quietly ache for more of God and his transformation but feel stuck in their spiritual journeys and blocked in their growth.

John Mark Comer — excerpt from https://firebrandmag.com/articles/a-new-wesley-on-the-west-coast-john-mark-comers-call-to-become-apprentices-of-jesus

 

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"Moving on in the Name of Jesus"-- Pastor Brown

A pathway for apprenticeship to Jesus Explore Resources

“Spiritual formation in the North American church is often truncated to this three-part formula: 

  1. Go to church.

  2. Read your Bible and pray.

  3. Give.” 

He writes that many people, doing these (very good and needed!) things, never experience the transformation that is possible in Christ, and the fallout in the Western church results in:

  • Churches full of people who are Christians but not apprentices of Jesus

  • A widespread cancer of hypocrisy that has infected the church, where the gap between Jesus' teachings and people's day-to-day lives (including those of many pastors) is too great to be explained away graciously

  • A generation of people disillusioned with the faith

  • Many who quietly ache for more of God and his transformation but feel stuck in their spiritual journeys and blocked in their growth.

John Mark Comer — excerpt from https://firebrandmag.com/articles/a-new-wesley-on-the-west-coast-john-mark-comers-call-to-become-apprentices-of-jesus

 

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"Magnificat" -- Pastor Brown and Christmas Eve Bulletin

The Prayer Of Mary

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, 
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. 
From this day all generations will call me blessed: 
the Almighty has done great things for me, 
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation. 
He has shown the strength of his arm, 
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, 
and has lifted up the lowly. 
He has filled the hungry with good things, 
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy, 
the promise he made to our fathers, 
to Abraham and his children forever.

(Lk 1: 46-55)

Rise of the Messiah: Matthew 1-4 | Free Online Bible Study Course

Dr. Tim Mackie

Experience the beginning of Jesus’ ministry as Matthew illuminates how Jesus fulfills God’s promise of a chosen one to rescue his people.

bibleproject.com

 

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"Rejoice" -- Pastor Brown

“Grace is the source, faith the condition, of salvation.” — John Wesley

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Rise of the Messiah: Matthew 1-4 | Free Online Bible Study Course

Dr. Tim Mackie

Experience the beginning of Jesus’ ministry as Matthew illuminates how Jesus fulfills God’s promise of a chosen one to rescue his people.

bibleproject.com

 

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"Coming and Going" -- Pastor Brown

“O Lamb of God, was ever pain, was ever love like thine? Look steadily upon him, till he looks on thee, and breaks thy hard heart.” — John Wesley

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ADVENT CALENDAR: The Amazing Prophecies Fulfilled by the Birth of Jesus Christ

Explore biblical prophecies and their fulfillment in the coming of Jesus the Messiah. This C.S. Lewis Institute advent devotional features daily reflections on passages from the Hebrew Bible and New Testament as well as insights from archaeology and biblical history.

Sign up to receive a daily devotional during Advent emailed to your inbox.

The 2024 digital devotional features...
-audio message featuring worship music
-a daily reflection on key passages from both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament
-insights from archaeology and biblical history

Starting on November 28th and going through Christmas Day, you’ll be encouraged and strengthened in your faith with the good news of Christmas.

 

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"Something Wonderful Is Happening" -- Pastor Brown

“Press on, in the peace and joy of faith, to the renewal of thy whole soul in the image of Him that created thee!” — John Wesley

“[Pagans] could make an alternative to Christmas; they could not make a substitute for Thanksgiving Day. For half of them are pessimists who say they have nothing to be thankful for; and the other half are atheists who have nobody to thank.” G. K. Chesterton — Broadcast to the US, Dec 25, 1931

ADVENT CALENDAR: The Amazing Prophecies Fulfilled by the Birth of Jesus Christ

Explore biblical prophecies and their fulfillment in the coming of Jesus the Messiah. This C.S. Lewis Institute advent devotional features daily reflections on passages from the Hebrew Bible and New Testament as well as insights from archaeology and biblical history.

Sign up to receive a daily devotional during Advent emailed to your inbox.

The 2024 digital devotional features...
-audio message featuring worship music
-a daily reflection on key passages from both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament
-insights from archaeology and biblical history

Starting on November 28th and going through Christmas Day, you’ll be encouraged and strengthened in your faith with the good news of Christmas.

 

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"Thank Who?" -- Pastor Brown

“Hoping does not mean doing nothing. It is not fatalistic resignation. It means going about our assigned tasks, confident that God will provide the meaning and the conclusions.” — Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

How To Be Conformed to the World

Conclusion of Article:

Worldliness is like gravity, always there, always pushing down on you, always exerting its influence on you. As a Christian you are charged with resisting it day by day. You must and you can. You must because your spiritual life and health depend on it. You can because you are indwelled by the Holy Spirit whose joy is to transform you by the Word of God into the image of the Son of God. Do not be conformed to this world!

 

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