2 weeks ago we started talking about our second vow of Confirmation-
"Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?"
What are some of the things that you remember from our discussion?
-We talked about freedom and what that means
-How freedom without rules or discipline can be chaotic or may even limit your freedom
-That Christ set us free from sin and death
-What the law was powerless to do, Christ's sacrifice was able to do - Romans 8: 1-5
Today let's discuss what power is. Not only does God give us the freedom to resist evil, injustice and oppression, but God also gives us the power we need to make faithful choices. Acts 1:8- "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth." So what is this power? The Holy Spirit.
In this scripture, Luke is telling how Jesus told the Disciples that John baptized with water, but they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Turn to 1 Thessolonians 5: 16-19. What instruction is Paul giving in this letter to the church in Thessolonica? He tells them to practice their faith by always praying, being happy/joyful, and being thankful, but also reminds them that they shouldn't put out the power-- the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit living in us gives us the power to resist evil, injustice, and oppression.
What does it mean to resist something? Is it a passive act? To resist means that one is withstanding some sort of force or pressure so it's an action. Resisting is something we train ourselves to do. Through our arm wrestling demonstration you can see that each participant is not only using their strength to push another participant's arm down but also resisting that person's strength to keep their arm from being forced down. If you train and practice arm wrestling, you can get better at it. So just like accepting freedom means accepting discipline, resisting evil, injustice and oppression takes practice and discipline. As members of the body of Christ, we vow to resist evil, injustice and oppression. Being faithful to this vow requires regular exercises or spiritual discipline like... reading our Bible, going to Bible study and small group, praying, coming to church, and participating in communion.
Discussion questions in Table Groups:
1. What are some forms of evil, injustice and oppression?
2. How do these examples of evil, injustice and oppression put pressure on you or tempt you?
3. What are some ways that you can resist this pressure?
**Before going into small groups, we discussed different forms of evil as a group. One student said that Human Trafficking was an injustice. We then started discussing how we resist this injustice of human trafficking, what steps can we take. In this discussion I pointed out that one thing that can lead to the bigger problem of human trafficking is supporting the industry of pornography and that to help the bigger problem of human trafficking, specifically sex trafficking, we can take the small steps of resisting the urge to engage in the act of looking at pornography. Students have easier access to pornography with the advances in our technology, and younger and younger students are seeking it out. Looking at pornography can become a very addictive behavior and lead to other inappropriate behaviors, behaviors that we should resist. For statistics on how the pornography industry and sex trafficking are linked, please email me.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Accept - March 3, 2013
"Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?"
What thoughts, feelings or images come to mind when you hear the word FREEDOM?
Let's play a game that you never played before. I know that you haven't played it before because it hasn't been created yet. I'm giving you a few minutes to design a game using a ball. There is one stipulation... your game may not have any rules. It must be a freestyle game, because this session is about freedom.
What did you think or feel when I told you no rules?
What was it like to design a game with no rules?
Consider the game of football. What are some of the rules of the game? Could you play football without rules?
What are some of the rules you have to follow at home? at school? among your friends?
Why are rules helpful and important in life?
We're talking about freedom because it is part of the second confirmation vow. "Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?"
Freedom is a gift from God. Our free will allows us to use this freedom to accept God's grace or resist it. But as we could see from our game experiment, freedom without rules or discipline is a disaster.
What things are you free to do but will not be able to do if you aren't disciplined? Examples might be that you are free to become musicians, athletes, surgeons, etc. but you will not achieve these skills without extraordinary discipline. Lack of discipline can place limits on what we can do and actually makes us less free. Too often we think of discipline as something that constrains or limits us; it usually not something that we think of when we think of freedom. But discipline is more like training. As Christians who accept God's gift of freedom, we need to understand that the more disciplined we are, the better equipped we are to do the work that God calls us to do and to live the abundant life that God desires for us. Using one's free will without training, practice, and accountability that come from spiritual disciplines and a Christian community, often results in self-centered pursuits that do not bear fruit. Accepting God's freedom also means accepting Christian discipline and accountability.
Romans 8: 1-5 - What is this scripture telling us? Christ sets us free from sin and death, and what the law was powerless to do, Christ's sacrifice was able to do. If we let the Spirit live in us, and yield to life in the Spirit, you obey His law. The law becomes easier to follow when we are living with the Spirit.
What thoughts, feelings or images come to mind when you hear the word FREEDOM?
Let's play a game that you never played before. I know that you haven't played it before because it hasn't been created yet. I'm giving you a few minutes to design a game using a ball. There is one stipulation... your game may not have any rules. It must be a freestyle game, because this session is about freedom.
What did you think or feel when I told you no rules?
What was it like to design a game with no rules?
Consider the game of football. What are some of the rules of the game? Could you play football without rules?
What are some of the rules you have to follow at home? at school? among your friends?
Why are rules helpful and important in life?
We're talking about freedom because it is part of the second confirmation vow. "Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?"
Freedom is a gift from God. Our free will allows us to use this freedom to accept God's grace or resist it. But as we could see from our game experiment, freedom without rules or discipline is a disaster.
What things are you free to do but will not be able to do if you aren't disciplined? Examples might be that you are free to become musicians, athletes, surgeons, etc. but you will not achieve these skills without extraordinary discipline. Lack of discipline can place limits on what we can do and actually makes us less free. Too often we think of discipline as something that constrains or limits us; it usually not something that we think of when we think of freedom. But discipline is more like training. As Christians who accept God's gift of freedom, we need to understand that the more disciplined we are, the better equipped we are to do the work that God calls us to do and to live the abundant life that God desires for us. Using one's free will without training, practice, and accountability that come from spiritual disciplines and a Christian community, often results in self-centered pursuits that do not bear fruit. Accepting God's freedom also means accepting Christian discipline and accountability.
Romans 8: 1-5 - What is this scripture telling us? Christ sets us free from sin and death, and what the law was powerless to do, Christ's sacrifice was able to do. If we let the Spirit live in us, and yield to life in the Spirit, you obey His law. The law becomes easier to follow when we are living with the Spirit.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Renounce, Reject, Repent - Feb. 24, 2013
What is a vow? A promise one makes. In confirmation we make a vow to enter into a new relationship with the church in the presence of God and the church family.
On page 34 of The United Methodist Hymnal are the Confirmation vows. The first vow is this:
On behalf of the whole church, I ask you:
Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of your sin?
We talk about these vows so that the confirmation students know what it is they are promising to do when they get confirmed.
What is wickedness and evil? What actions or events come to mind when you hear these words? What makes something wicked or evil? Have you ever seen or heard of wickedness or evil in your community or school?
~Christians affirm that evil and wickedness are present in the world. But Christians also believe that God is always present and active and is more powerful than evil.
~Evil is the result of sin. Because all people are sinful, we create situations that bring evil into the world. Rejecting evil involves both resisting the temptation to do evil and resisting the temptation to encourage or participate in evil. We should strive to eliminate sin in our lives and we should be careful not to support groups that are responsible for evil.
~We are not God and some of the evil in this world seems massive (like terrorism, poverty, abuse and murder). Sometimes we feel powerless to address evil in our home and schools.
What does it mean to renounce? Webster's dictionary defines it as: to give up, refuse, or resign usually by formal declaration. To refuse to follow. So when we "renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness", we refuse to follow wickedness.
What does it mean to reject? Webster's dictionary defines reject as: to refuse to accept, consider, submit to, take for some purpose, or use. So when we "reject the evil powers of this world", we refuse to accept the evil powers of the world.
What does it mean to repent? Webster's defines it as: to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's life; to change one's mind. So when we repent from sin, we turn away from sin and change our life.
When you vow to renounce wickedness and reject evil, you are promising to stand up against and resist any thing that is opposed to God's will. Some forces of evil may seem too big for us to take on, but God calls us (individually and corporately as a church) to stand up and take action against evil and wickedness. As Paul affirms in Philippians 4:13 - "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."
To follow Christ and to call Christ our Lord we must consistently turn from sin. Sin disrupts our relationships with God and others and keeps us from doing what God calls us to do. When we repent of sin, we turn away from the evil in our lives and turn toward Christ and Christ's love and saving grace.
The United Methodist Hymnal
Webster's Dictionary
Credo Confirmation Curriculum
Holy Bible (NIV)
On page 34 of The United Methodist Hymnal are the Confirmation vows. The first vow is this:
On behalf of the whole church, I ask you:
Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of your sin?
We talk about these vows so that the confirmation students know what it is they are promising to do when they get confirmed.
What is wickedness and evil? What actions or events come to mind when you hear these words? What makes something wicked or evil? Have you ever seen or heard of wickedness or evil in your community or school?
~Christians affirm that evil and wickedness are present in the world. But Christians also believe that God is always present and active and is more powerful than evil.
~Evil is the result of sin. Because all people are sinful, we create situations that bring evil into the world. Rejecting evil involves both resisting the temptation to do evil and resisting the temptation to encourage or participate in evil. We should strive to eliminate sin in our lives and we should be careful not to support groups that are responsible for evil.
~We are not God and some of the evil in this world seems massive (like terrorism, poverty, abuse and murder). Sometimes we feel powerless to address evil in our home and schools.
What does it mean to renounce? Webster's dictionary defines it as: to give up, refuse, or resign usually by formal declaration. To refuse to follow. So when we "renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness", we refuse to follow wickedness.
What does it mean to reject? Webster's dictionary defines reject as: to refuse to accept, consider, submit to, take for some purpose, or use. So when we "reject the evil powers of this world", we refuse to accept the evil powers of the world.
What does it mean to repent? Webster's defines it as: to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's life; to change one's mind. So when we repent from sin, we turn away from sin and change our life.
When you vow to renounce wickedness and reject evil, you are promising to stand up against and resist any thing that is opposed to God's will. Some forces of evil may seem too big for us to take on, but God calls us (individually and corporately as a church) to stand up and take action against evil and wickedness. As Paul affirms in Philippians 4:13 - "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."
To follow Christ and to call Christ our Lord we must consistently turn from sin. Sin disrupts our relationships with God and others and keeps us from doing what God calls us to do. When we repent of sin, we turn away from the evil in our lives and turn toward Christ and Christ's love and saving grace.
The United Methodist Hymnal
Webster's Dictionary
Credo Confirmation Curriculum
Holy Bible (NIV)
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Living a Holy Life, Part 2- Feb. 10, 2013
In reflection of last week's lesson, I didn't stress enough that in small groups you not only hold each other to a higher standard, but you also love and encourage one another. In fact everything we do, even when it's calling someone out or holding them to a higher standard, we do out of love for that person. We should never be "judging" someone as better or worse than ourselves. Concern should be expressed as caring loving concern not in a judgemental way with a "better-than-though" attitude. In Philippians 2:3-5 Paul says, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." And what is Christ's attitude? Read Philippians 2: 6-8
In Ephesians 4, Paul talks specifics about how we should live as children of the Light. Ephesians 4: 25-32 are his instructions to the people of the church in Ephesus and still apply to how we should lead a Holy life especially the last verse..."forgiving each other just as in Christ god forgave you."
John Wesley gave the early Methodists 3 general rules as a guide for living a Holy life. These rules still apply today.
1. Do no harm.
2. Do good.
3. Attend to the ordinances of God.
Table Group assignment:
In small group each of you need to take a notecard on your table and number 1-3 down the notecard. Each number represents Wesley's general rules. I want you to write a statement of something that you are going to do this week to commit to following these 3 general rules. For example: #1 is: Do no harm so I might say that "this week I will not say unkind words about my co-workers." Under #2 I might say, "I will spend time with my elderly neighbor." And under #3 I might say, "I will pray before I go to work every morning." When you have completed all of your statements, I want you to share them with your group if you feel comfortable and I want you to ask your prayer partner from last week to hold you accountable to doing these things. Make sure you phone or text your accountability partner this week to see how they are doing with their commitments.
In Ephesians 4, Paul talks specifics about how we should live as children of the Light. Ephesians 4: 25-32 are his instructions to the people of the church in Ephesus and still apply to how we should lead a Holy life especially the last verse..."forgiving each other just as in Christ god forgave you."
John Wesley gave the early Methodists 3 general rules as a guide for living a Holy life. These rules still apply today.
1. Do no harm.
2. Do good.
3. Attend to the ordinances of God.
Table Group assignment:
In small group each of you need to take a notecard on your table and number 1-3 down the notecard. Each number represents Wesley's general rules. I want you to write a statement of something that you are going to do this week to commit to following these 3 general rules. For example: #1 is: Do no harm so I might say that "this week I will not say unkind words about my co-workers." Under #2 I might say, "I will spend time with my elderly neighbor." And under #3 I might say, "I will pray before I go to work every morning." When you have completed all of your statements, I want you to share them with your group if you feel comfortable and I want you to ask your prayer partner from last week to hold you accountable to doing these things. Make sure you phone or text your accountability partner this week to see how they are doing with their commitments.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Living a Holy Life - Feb. 3, 2013
Where do chickens come from?
Where do eggs come from?
So which came first... the chicken or the egg?
This question is a common way to describe two things or events that completely rely on each other. In the church, the chicken and egg question applies to faith and works. You can't have one without the other. James 2: 14-26 In Genesis 22: 1-9 we read the story of Abraham being asked by God to sacrifice Isaac, the son Abraham never thought he would have. And in Joshua 2 we read the story of a prostitute Rahab that risked her life to hide some men that she knew were sent by God. In both stories we see examples of faith accompanied by actions that show dedication to God and his purpose.
We've talked about John Wesley and his part in forming the Methodist Church. John Wesley traved to Georgia from England to minister to the Native Americans and he struggled with this task. When he returned to England, he felt like a failure and questioned his faith. He met a man named Peter Bohler, a Moravian, after he got back to England and Bohler gave Wesley this advice: "Preach faith until you have it, and then because you have it, preach faith." What did Bohler mean? Simply this: When we act on our faith, even when our faith feels weak or when we have doubts, our faith will grow stronger. What are those ways we act on our faith? Go to worship, celebrate Holy Communion, pray daily, read and study scripture, do acts of mercy and service, meet in small groups. All these things help us become more holy but only with God's help. Practicing these acts of faith provides the opportunity for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. The more we practice, the more and more chance God has to come into our lives.
Some of these acts of faith we can do on our own, but the one way God offers help is through the support and witness of other Christians. The first Methodists in England met in small groups called classes. They would gather to pray and read and study scripture. They made a covenant with one another to avoid sinful behavior, to perform acts of charity, to participate in worship and to grow in God's grace; and they held one another accountable to this covenant. Those who did not hold up to these things were expected to repent and with the help of their small group members, continue striving for perfection in their faith. Matthew 18: 15-20; 1 Thessalonians 5: 10-11
So on Sunday, Feb. 10th we will start a new evening gathering time called DIG (Deeper in God). This will be a time spent in fellowship, devotional, and small group. Small group time will be like your present table time in confirmation class but on a little different scale. It will be a start of the small group that you will have from now until the end of high school. This is a group that will help you grow in your faith and maturity as a Christ follower. Hopefully, the other members of the group will hold you to a higher standard. They will celebrate with you when something good happens, pray with you when you suffer, and call you out and guide you when you've messed up.
Table time:
Students were asked to write their name and phone number and a few prayer requests on pieces of paper and then those names were drawn from a hat so that the students formed prayer partners. Students were then instructed to pray for their prayer partner throughout the week and to also contact them during the week to see how their week is going and to encourage them to come to class and church this Sunday.
Students are also reminded to memorize their verses: John 15: 5; John 13: 34-35
Where do eggs come from?
So which came first... the chicken or the egg?
This question is a common way to describe two things or events that completely rely on each other. In the church, the chicken and egg question applies to faith and works. You can't have one without the other. James 2: 14-26 In Genesis 22: 1-9 we read the story of Abraham being asked by God to sacrifice Isaac, the son Abraham never thought he would have. And in Joshua 2 we read the story of a prostitute Rahab that risked her life to hide some men that she knew were sent by God. In both stories we see examples of faith accompanied by actions that show dedication to God and his purpose.
We've talked about John Wesley and his part in forming the Methodist Church. John Wesley traved to Georgia from England to minister to the Native Americans and he struggled with this task. When he returned to England, he felt like a failure and questioned his faith. He met a man named Peter Bohler, a Moravian, after he got back to England and Bohler gave Wesley this advice: "Preach faith until you have it, and then because you have it, preach faith." What did Bohler mean? Simply this: When we act on our faith, even when our faith feels weak or when we have doubts, our faith will grow stronger. What are those ways we act on our faith? Go to worship, celebrate Holy Communion, pray daily, read and study scripture, do acts of mercy and service, meet in small groups. All these things help us become more holy but only with God's help. Practicing these acts of faith provides the opportunity for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. The more we practice, the more and more chance God has to come into our lives.
Some of these acts of faith we can do on our own, but the one way God offers help is through the support and witness of other Christians. The first Methodists in England met in small groups called classes. They would gather to pray and read and study scripture. They made a covenant with one another to avoid sinful behavior, to perform acts of charity, to participate in worship and to grow in God's grace; and they held one another accountable to this covenant. Those who did not hold up to these things were expected to repent and with the help of their small group members, continue striving for perfection in their faith. Matthew 18: 15-20; 1 Thessalonians 5: 10-11
So on Sunday, Feb. 10th we will start a new evening gathering time called DIG (Deeper in God). This will be a time spent in fellowship, devotional, and small group. Small group time will be like your present table time in confirmation class but on a little different scale. It will be a start of the small group that you will have from now until the end of high school. This is a group that will help you grow in your faith and maturity as a Christ follower. Hopefully, the other members of the group will hold you to a higher standard. They will celebrate with you when something good happens, pray with you when you suffer, and call you out and guide you when you've messed up.
Table time:
Students were asked to write their name and phone number and a few prayer requests on pieces of paper and then those names were drawn from a hat so that the students formed prayer partners. Students were then instructed to pray for their prayer partner throughout the week and to also contact them during the week to see how their week is going and to encourage them to come to class and church this Sunday.
Students are also reminded to memorize their verses: John 15: 5; John 13: 34-35
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Sacraments- Jan. 20, 2013
Pastor Matt Stone presented the lesson on Sunday on "Sacraments". In the United Methodist Church, two acts of worship are considered to be sacraments-- Baptism and Communion. What makes these sacraments? These two acts are ordained by Jesus himself. Jesus was baptized by John (Mark 1:9) and told his followers to go and baptize people "in the name of the Father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). Jesus instituted the sacrament of Holy Communion, instructing his disciples to partake of his body and blood- the bread and the cup- "in remembrance" of him (1Corinthians 11: 23-26). Since these two acts are outlined in Scripture as practices that Jesus commands us to do, the United Methodist doctrine defines these as sacraments.
Baptism- In the United Methodist Church we baptize people of all ages. We believe in infant/small children baptism as an affirmation of God's prevenient grace-- the grace that goes before. Parents take the vows on their child's behalf. In our church, we affirm that "children are born into the brokenness of the world and should receive the cleansing and renewing forgiveness of God...." ("By Water and the Spirit: A United Methodist Understanding of Baptism"). Baptism is a sign of God's grace and that God's grace is at work in a person's life even before that person responds to God's grace by professing his or her faith. Not only do parents accept the vows of baptism for their child but the entire congregation does too. We also believe that a person only needs to be baptized once. Since we believe that God does the work in baptism, we also believe that God does it perfectly and therefore there is no need to baptize a person more than once. There are 3 ways to baptize: sprinkling, pouring and immersion. At KUMC we traditionally do baptisms by pouring or sprinkling. The reason being more about convenience, we don't have a baptismal pool, rather than any other reason. In an immersion baptism, the dunking in the water is very symbolic-- dying to your old self when you go under the water and being raised to a new life in Christ when you are brought out of the water. Not all Christian denominations baptize infants. Some practice believer's baptism meaning that a person can be baptized only when he or she is old enough to make a profession of faith. In the United Methodist Church, we call this time Confirmation. Confirmation is a time when a person is old enough to accept for himself the vows of their baptism. They don't get re-baptized but they confirm that they are now ready to accept God's love and grace and the responsibility of seeking a life in Christ.
Communion- Christians may and should partake in the sacrament of Holy Communion frequently. Through Communion, we are nourished by God's saving grace and reminded of the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross. Communion is done most of the time in community. Celebrating communion not only draws us closer to God, but also draws us closer to one another. In the United Methodist Church, all are invited to receive the bread and cup. This is called an "open table". In the UMC Communion litergy, the invitation is to "all who love Christ and earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another." Other denominations who practice closed Communion believe that being worthy to take Holy Communion means being in a right relationship with the church and/or sharing the church's understanding of Holy Communion.
The sacraments are more than just rituals. They are practices ordained by Jesus himself as ways for us to more fully experience God's forgiving love and grace. They are ways in which we live out our faith and come to know God better.
(Notes taken from: Credo Confirmation Curriculum)
Baptism- In the United Methodist Church we baptize people of all ages. We believe in infant/small children baptism as an affirmation of God's prevenient grace-- the grace that goes before. Parents take the vows on their child's behalf. In our church, we affirm that "children are born into the brokenness of the world and should receive the cleansing and renewing forgiveness of God...." ("By Water and the Spirit: A United Methodist Understanding of Baptism"). Baptism is a sign of God's grace and that God's grace is at work in a person's life even before that person responds to God's grace by professing his or her faith. Not only do parents accept the vows of baptism for their child but the entire congregation does too. We also believe that a person only needs to be baptized once. Since we believe that God does the work in baptism, we also believe that God does it perfectly and therefore there is no need to baptize a person more than once. There are 3 ways to baptize: sprinkling, pouring and immersion. At KUMC we traditionally do baptisms by pouring or sprinkling. The reason being more about convenience, we don't have a baptismal pool, rather than any other reason. In an immersion baptism, the dunking in the water is very symbolic-- dying to your old self when you go under the water and being raised to a new life in Christ when you are brought out of the water. Not all Christian denominations baptize infants. Some practice believer's baptism meaning that a person can be baptized only when he or she is old enough to make a profession of faith. In the United Methodist Church, we call this time Confirmation. Confirmation is a time when a person is old enough to accept for himself the vows of their baptism. They don't get re-baptized but they confirm that they are now ready to accept God's love and grace and the responsibility of seeking a life in Christ.
Communion- Christians may and should partake in the sacrament of Holy Communion frequently. Through Communion, we are nourished by God's saving grace and reminded of the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross. Communion is done most of the time in community. Celebrating communion not only draws us closer to God, but also draws us closer to one another. In the United Methodist Church, all are invited to receive the bread and cup. This is called an "open table". In the UMC Communion litergy, the invitation is to "all who love Christ and earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another." Other denominations who practice closed Communion believe that being worthy to take Holy Communion means being in a right relationship with the church and/or sharing the church's understanding of Holy Communion.
The sacraments are more than just rituals. They are practices ordained by Jesus himself as ways for us to more fully experience God's forgiving love and grace. They are ways in which we live out our faith and come to know God better.
(Notes taken from: Credo Confirmation Curriculum)
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Moving on to Perfection- Jan. 13, 2013
Several weeks ago Rev. Welch talked to us about "Way of Salvation" and he mentioned Wesley's 3 general rules: 1. Do no harm; 2. Do good, and 3. Attend to the ordainances of God or in other words, love God. He also mentioned that we should strive or move on to perfection which is a belief that Wesley emphasized in his sermons. John Wesley believed that we move toward a perfect faith, a perfect love. Wesley insisted that "a believer daily grows in grace, comes nearer and nearer to perfection, and that we ought to be continually pressing after it and to exhort (encourage) all others so to do." In Philippians 3:12 Paul writes, "Not that I have already obtained all this or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that which Christ Jesus took hold of me."
So how do we do this? How do we move on to perfection, or a perfect love. The way to consistent Christian living and true holiness has remained the same (Ellsworth Kalas, Being United Methodist): Wesley's 3rd general rule-- attending to the ordainances of God-- prayer, worship, studying the Bible, celebrating communion, and serving others.
But doing these things are hard, right? Why? Besides being something we have to make time for or something we have to remember to do, Kalas says that he would argue that the hardest part about attending to the ordainances of God is doing it in the right spirit. Doing these because we want to advance ourselves is the wrong way and we'll miss the mark. Doing them to please and glorify God and to bless others is doing them in the right spirit. If we can think of praying, studying the Bible and praising God daily because He loves us and calls us to be in relationship with Him, doing these things would somehow be easier to do. Starting each day by renewing our day for the Lord would help us to do those things to be in relationship with Him.
True Holiness = Pure Love (love of God and love of others)
Matthew 5: 43-48 describes God's perfect love-- loving the good and the evil, sending rain and sun for both, and asking what is the reward to love those who love you? Verse 48 says: "be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." Loving those that aren't nice to us, who are different than us, who you may think look weird or act weird is not easy. But it's what Christ describes as "pure perfect love" and it's the love that He wants us to have and show. Everyday we need a new commitment to a Godly life and renewed love for God and others. Everyday you have to "put on love". 1 John 4: 18-21 says that there is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear... the one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because He first loved us. If anyone says , "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. In Ephesians 5:1-2 Paul tells us, " Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Philippians 3:12-- we're not perfect yet, but we should take hold of that which Christ has taken hold of us and keeps pursing us daily. Who wants to be imperfect, when Christ's goal is for us to be perfect? Remember our new verse (the one you should memorize): John 13: 34-35- "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
So how do we do this? How do we move on to perfection, or a perfect love. The way to consistent Christian living and true holiness has remained the same (Ellsworth Kalas, Being United Methodist): Wesley's 3rd general rule-- attending to the ordainances of God-- prayer, worship, studying the Bible, celebrating communion, and serving others.
But doing these things are hard, right? Why? Besides being something we have to make time for or something we have to remember to do, Kalas says that he would argue that the hardest part about attending to the ordainances of God is doing it in the right spirit. Doing these because we want to advance ourselves is the wrong way and we'll miss the mark. Doing them to please and glorify God and to bless others is doing them in the right spirit. If we can think of praying, studying the Bible and praising God daily because He loves us and calls us to be in relationship with Him, doing these things would somehow be easier to do. Starting each day by renewing our day for the Lord would help us to do those things to be in relationship with Him.
True Holiness = Pure Love (love of God and love of others)
Matthew 5: 43-48 describes God's perfect love-- loving the good and the evil, sending rain and sun for both, and asking what is the reward to love those who love you? Verse 48 says: "be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." Loving those that aren't nice to us, who are different than us, who you may think look weird or act weird is not easy. But it's what Christ describes as "pure perfect love" and it's the love that He wants us to have and show. Everyday we need a new commitment to a Godly life and renewed love for God and others. Everyday you have to "put on love". 1 John 4: 18-21 says that there is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear... the one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because He first loved us. If anyone says , "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. In Ephesians 5:1-2 Paul tells us, " Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Philippians 3:12-- we're not perfect yet, but we should take hold of that which Christ has taken hold of us and keeps pursing us daily. Who wants to be imperfect, when Christ's goal is for us to be perfect? Remember our new verse (the one you should memorize): John 13: 34-35- "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
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