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."
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