Aug 31, 2014
Experiencing God
Living life as a follower of Christ is not easy. That may be as Richard Foster writes because, "Often the present moment is not a sacrament, but a burden to be endured." There are many pains and tribulations that intersect our lives, but Thomas Kelly notes that "Within the Now is the dwelling place of God Himself." In the noise, commotion, distraction, disruption, and interruption of our lives, grace gives the Now more room. A sacrament is an action in and through which God's grace is conveyed to people. The "church" has long used the concept of sacraments - outward signs of inward grace - to name the spaces where God meets us in an especially present way.
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- Aug 31, 2014Experiencing God
Aug 31, 2014Experiencing GodLiving life as a follower of Christ is not easy. That may be as Richard Foster writes because, "Often the present moment is not a sacrament, but a burden to be endured." There are many pains and tribulations that intersect our lives, but Thomas Kelly notes that "Within the Now is the dwelling place of God Himself." In the noise, commotion, distraction, disruption, and interruption of our lives, grace gives the Now more room. A sacrament is an action in and through which God's grace is conveyed to people. The "church" has long used the concept of sacraments - outward signs of inward grace - to name the spaces where God meets us in an especially present way.
- Aug 24, 2014Reading The Bible
Aug 24, 2014Reading The BibleJohn Wesley's sermons are saturated with Scripture. His summary sermon on salvation is titled "The Scripture Way of Salvation." Wesley was "a man of one book", meaning that for doctrine, devotion, and especially preaching, the Bible played an indispensable role. The Bible offers a faithful revelation of God in Christ. For John Wesley, the scriptural way was the only way to experience the saving faith we can have in Christ. This meant a number of things, including his understanding of justification by faith, assurance, and sanctification, but what it reveals primarily is that the Bible was the book by which he measured his life.
- Aug 17, 2014Service Isn’t What It Used To Be
Aug 17, 2014Service Isn’t What It Used To BeMost simply defined, "works of mercy" are "doing good." John Wesley preached that Christians must do both works of piety and works of mercy in order to move on toward Christian perfection. Wesley taught that people must be Christians in both works and deed, which were to express the love of God. He believed that Christians must grow in God's grace, which first prepares us for belief, then accepts us when we respond to God in faith, and sustains us as we do good works and participate in God's mission. Today we will look at how "works of mercy" may look in our lives.
- Aug 10, 2014Do We Have a Prayer?
Aug 10, 2014Do We Have a Prayer?Today we look at a Spiritual Discipline we may know pretty well - prayer. What is prayer and what can prayer be? Do we pray as we "should" or can we pray better?
