Persistence Personified: Hebrews 11
This post is from a sermon I preached back in 2007. Over the last few days I’ve had tons of hits on a sermon I preached along with the lectionary for August 1st. This inspired me to post one of my old sermons from the lectionary. In this one, I try to introduce the congregations I served not only to the message of Hebrews 11, but also to the life of John Wesley.
Living the life of faith is not always easy. In case you don’t believe me, let me tell you a little about the ministry of John Wesley. Wesley felt God’s call to inspire and challenge the Church of England, and eventually the Methodist Church developed out of that great passion for renewal, mission, and ministry. Over the years, Wesley preached all over England and kept a meticulous journal of his activities – which we still have today. Some of the entries might just surprise you. Here are a few entries from his journal that were written in the early years of the Methodist movement:
Sunday, May 7th: I preached at St. Lawrence’s in the morning, and afterward at St. Katherine Cree’s Church. I was enabled to speak strong words at both; and was therefore the less surprised at being informed that I was not to preach any more in either of those churches.
Sunday, May 14th: I preached in the morning at St. Ann’s, Aldersgate; and in the afternoon at the Savoy Chapel, free salvation by faith in the blood of Christ. I was quickly apprised that at St. Ann’s, likewise, I am to preach no more.
Friday, May 19th: I preached at St. John’s, Wapping at three and at St. Bennett’s, Paul’s Wharf, in the evening. At these churches, likewise, I am to preach no more.
Friday, November 3rd: I preached at St. Antholin’s;
Sunday, 5, in the morning, at St. Botolph’s, Bishopsgate; in the afternoon, at Islington; and in the evening, to such a congregation as I never saw before, at St. Clement’s, in the Strand. As this was the first time of my preaching here, I suppose it is to be the last.
To be honest, I think I might just give up after I was kicked out of the third or fourth church, if not sooner! There can be no denying that Wesley’s faced more than his fair share of challenges, and I have no doubt that it would have been easy for him to give up and quit.
The earliest Christians were in the same boat. They faced threats on every side because of their newfound commitment to Jesus. On one hand, they faced threats from the Imperial Government in Rome. When fires swept across Rome in 64 AD, the Emperor Nero blamed Christians for setting the blaze, and ordered their mass arrest and execution across the city. On the other hand they faced persecution from local authorities. Throughout the first three hundred years of the Church, many people felt that Christians were pagans because they only worshiped one God. In fact early Christians were often called atheists because they refused to worship the numerous gods who were worshiped. They were feared so much that many people believed having Christians in their towns would upset their gods! Tertullian, one of early Christians who observed these persecutions wrote, “if the Tiber rises to the walls, if the Nile does not rise to the fields; if the sky stands still, if the earth moves, if there is famine, if there is pestilence, the cry goes up, ‘Christians to the lion.’” There are countless stories of Christians appearing before their accusers, who asked them to deny and renounce their faith!
That’s the kind of environment in which the letter of Hebrews was written. The early Christians who first read Hebrews were sorely tempted to turn their back on the faith and escape the torture, imprisonment, and execution they could easily be facing. They needed encouragement to persevere, and they needed resources that would allow them to stick with their faith even in the face of incredible odds. I believe that’s why the book of Hebrews gives one of the clearest descriptions of the kind of perseverance and endurance we’re called to have as Christians, even in the face of insurmountable challenges.
This passage from Hebrews provided those Christians with the kind of encouragement they needed to stand their ground. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for – the conviction of things not seen.” Abraham is then described as a living example of this incredible definition of faith. God called Abraham and his family to leave their home across the desert in order to travel to a land they had never seen. Even though he’d never seen this land, he trusted God in faith. It was Abraham’s faith that convinced him to move his family somewhere they had never seen. Later on, God promised he would create a great nation of people out of Abraham’s descendents, even though he and Sarah were too old for children. It was Abraham’s strong faith that convinced him of this thing that seemed impossible. It was his great faith that continually convinced him of things that he couldn’t see. Over and over again, Abraham’s faith was the only thing that gave him the confidence and assurance to keep pressing on in faith. Even though he couldn’t see the outcome, Abraham knew that God’s promises are more real than anything else in this world. His faith in God was what gave him the strength to press on, to keep the faith, to persevere.
When I was little, there were times that I would get sick and tired of something I started. I remember specifically one summer when I got tired of Little League Baseball, and I was ready to quit. My dad wouldn’t have it! He wouldn’t let me quit, and let me know in no uncertain terms that we Judkins were not quitters. This was a man who worked over forty years at the same job, so I knew not to argue! Little did I know that what my dad was trying to instill in me back then was one of the greatest resources we have in our faith. Sometimes things don’t go the way we expect in our lives, and we think it would just be easier to give up. Sometimes, we’re tossed to and fro by storms in our lives and we think it might just be easier to quit. But the message of Hebrews reminds us that faith means never giving up. Faith is what allows us to press forward even though things don’t seem to look so good. Faith is trusting God who enables us to keep pressing on in faith even when things get rough! Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen.
Wesley’s story began with him being kicked out of almost as many Churches as he preached in and it had to challenge his faith. Yet, because he had faith in the invisible God, because he trusted in God’s promises, because he trusted in Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit, the things that happened in the beginning of his life did not end up being the final word. As he neared his 85th birthday, on Saturday, August 22nd, Wesley wrote in his journal as he had continued doing throughout his life:
I crossed over to Redruth and at six preached to a huge multitude, as usual, from the steps of the market house. The Word seemed to sink deep into every heart. I know not that ever I spent such a week in Cornwall before. Sunday, August 23.–I preached there again in the morning and in the evening at the amphitheater, I suppose, for the last time. My voice cannot now command the still increasing multitude. It was supposed they were now more than [five and?] twenty thousand.
Because of the power of Jesus Christ and the reality of the resurrection (the ultimate promise of faith), Wesley was able to press on in his faith, preaching a message of forgiveness and God’s power to change lives. He persevered like the great saints of old, like Abraham and Sarah. Because of his faith, Wesley never stopped proclaiming the good news. And so we find him, in the 85th year of his life, sharing the message of faith with more than 20,000 people. That is what faith is all about – it’s the reminder that God’s promises and God’s power more real than anything else in the world. When we feel like we can’t go on, when life seems so rough, we need to persevere and continue trusting in the one whose promises never fail and never end – no matter what.
In Defense of the Megachurch
Lately, I’ve heard and read several conversations wondering about the megachurch. Some question its authenticity, others question its methodology, while some just question whether big is good. As these questions bounce around in my head, I’m serving on staff at the largest United Methodist congregation in Oklahoma City. Needless to say, I’ve got a little different take on the megachurch than some of the voices you hear.
Just this week we started Vacation Bible School. Yesterday, those of us here in OKC were just about washed away in a torrent of rain, and we ended up having to cancel the first day of VBS. As a result, several of our members who were volunteering quickly found themselves as volunteers without a cause. In the end this was a real blessing, because I was able to have some great conversations with the folks who waited inside to avoid going home in the hardest rain.
As I was speaking to one of our volunteers, we began to talk about her children. As we talked she mentioned a friend of her children who has experienced some hard times, but is facing those difficulties with the help of an amazing community surrounding them. As she described the beauty of this caring community, she gestured around at our building and the people gathered there and said, “You know, this is that community for our kids, and it has been since they were little.”
In that moment, I realized something. This family has specifically chosen to raise their kids in an intentional way, surrounded by incredible men and women of faith, and it just so happens to be here in a megachurch. When I look at this family, I can say the same thing for myself. I want my kids to grow up in a community of faith like the one I’m appointed to serve.
Although megachurches are bigger than the churches many of you attend or pastor, they are no less communities of faith and discipleship. In fact, they aren’t even necessarily big for the sake of bigness. In a very large urban or suburban area, the megachurch actually shrinks the city and becomes a smaller community of faith and discipleship within that setting. We aren’t the big box store selling religious experiences or goods; we are a community of people, albeit a large community, who’ve said, “This is where I want my family to grow and be shaped in their faith. This is the place where I want to live out my faith, both inside and outside the walls. This is the place where I want to nurture Christian friendships and live out my commitment to Jesus Christ.”
Are we bigger than some of the small towns in Oklahoma? Sure we are. But just as people who live in those towns are shaped by the life of those communities, people here at Servant are shaped and formed into the image of Jesus Christ because of the living, breathing, faithful men and women who come here to celebrate the goodness and grace of Jesus.
Who is Your Tribe?
Michael Hyatt’s excellent blog has a guest post by Mary DeMuth that explores how she discovered her tribe (a la Seth Godin‘s, Tribes). This post got me thinking about the ways we find our tribe. How do we figure out the group where we have the most potential for impact and influence? DeMuth has a few suggestions.
- Ask others, “What is my one thing?” My friend Alex has often said everyone has a “one thing.” This is the theme of your life and ministry – the well you find yourself continually returning to when you feel dry. If someone asked you to communicate one message (verbally or through actions) and one message only, what would that be? DeMuth suggests sending a wide variety of people you know an email asking them to help you define you and your ministry (or calling). I may do this.
- Seek Professional Help. As an author, DeMuth had the ability to consult with a variety of experts to help her whittle down to the core of what she lives to communicate.
- Finally, so some soul-searching. Here, I’ll quote DeMuth in full, “Frederick Buechner says that the place that you ought to serve is “where your greatest joy meets the world’s greatest need.” So define that. In your opinion, what is the world’s greatest need? (Everyone’s will be different). What is your greatest joy? How do they intersect in your life right now? How would you like them to? Another exercise: List your three favorite movies. (Don’t think about it; just list them.) Now look over your list. What is the common thread in all three? That common thread is typically your passion colliding with the world’s greatest need.”
I’d take the movie thing with a grain of salt, because I’m not quite sure what gritty westerns (Tombstone, Unforgiven, etc.) and stupid comedies (Talladega Nights, Dumb & Dumber, etc.) have to do with my passion colliding with the world’s greatest need, so take the movie thing with a grain of salt.
However, it could definitely be a good exercise to spend some time thinking about your greatest joy, your understanding of the world’s greatest need, and how you see those intersecting in your life. If you’ve identified your tribe, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
A Few Things
I’ve noticed several of our friends writing more personal blog posts, and man, I’ve really enjoyed reading that stuff. This made something click in my mind. Hey, maybe some of you wouldn’t mind reading that kind of stuff from me. So, I think I’m going to start write more than what I’ve stuck to for the last few months, especially since that hasn’t been coming with any regularity!
So here are a few new things in the life of the Judkins of Creek Heights Drive. Nanci and I have really been looking forward to our trip to Madison, NJ for the Drew University graduation ceremony. I’ve been working on a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree in Congregational Development for the last three years, and I’m finally finished! So, we’re going to take a weekend off and head out so I can walk across the stage for the LAST time. One of my goals has always been to get a doctoral degree, so I can finally check this off my list.
Life in Oklahoma City is good, and things are going well at Church of the Servant UMC. We will be welcoming a new Associate Minister in June, the Rev., soon to be Rev. Dr., Robyn Goggs (we’re both graduating with our Dr. degrees within a week or two of one another). Everyone is excited about her arrival, and we are looking forward to welcoming her and her family to the Servant family. After Robyn arrives, my role will shift to an area that we’ve been planning and dreaming about ever since I arrived at Servant as I will be charged with developing a new worshipping community. It’s still in the developmental stages, but I can’t wait to tell you more about it!
In the meantime the kids are growing quickly with Emma (7), Caleb (4), and Blake (1), growing and changing every single day. Emma is so ready for Summer vacation, and I think Nanci is too. Then, they can all sleep in instead of getting up and ready for school every day. We’re all rooting on the Thunder and loving the fact we get to be in OKC for their first playoff experience. Even though we’re fifteen minutes from downtown, I think we can hear the cheers from the Ford Center at our house!
OK, that’s it for now. I’m going to need to get back in the swing of writing, so I’ll need to work back up to longer postings. In the meantime, I’m going back to studying Psalm 51 for this Sunday’s Servant Walk lesson.
Mainline or Methodist (Part 6)
Today we reach the final chapter in Dr. Scott Kisker’s book, Mainline or Methodist. Thank you to everyone who has been reading along with this series. In the final chapter, Kisker admits that he is a historian and not someone who easily makes suggestions about directions to take in the future. However, as a committed United Methodist, he uses this chapter to propose several ways forward.
More than anything, he hopes to recover Methodism within United Methodism. While this may seem like a strange comment to people outside of the UMC, Kisker reminds us of something very important.
Methodism was always most church (defined, as Wesley did, as “a company of faithful” people) when it was a movement…Methodists became more “churchy,” and we gradually ceased to be “one” through schisms, we ceased to be “holy” through lax discipline and compromise, we ceased to be “catholic” through denominational prejudice, and we ceased to be “apostolic” (that is, a “sent people”) through sloth.
Kisker imagines that Methodism might be recovered by once again becoming a movement rather than a church, and could mean that someone could be Methodist (in discipline and practice) as part of any denomination whatsoever. More than that, this suggests being United Methodist doesn’t necessarily make you a Methodist! He goes on to say that this movement toward recovering Methodism could begin with groups of individuals starting class meetings on their own, or even having Sunday school classes reframe their purpose in ways that modeled the class meeting. This kind of small group life would involve asking seriously, “How does your soul prosper,” or in today’s language, “How are you doing spiritually?” No vague comment about spirituality will suffice to grow as disciples. We need to regain the practice of reporting to fellow Christians how we are doing in the traditional means of grace: prayer, scripture reading, study, etc.
This means that we would have to take the character of our tradition seriously. Kisker even suggests that our official vision statement, “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world,” is too vague. Although it is certainly Christian, it doesn’t really suggest who we are. He proposes returning to Wesley’s call, “to spread scriptural holiness over these lands.” Imagine that!
We United Methodists have been playing church for a long time without being a Christian society. We have [as Wesley feared] been “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” (1 Timothy 3:5, KJV)
To quit playing church and begin being the church, we need a renewed commitment to salvation,
A renewed commitment to holiness necessitates a renewed commitment to salvation, since holiness is the purpose of salvation.
After many other helpful suggestions and dreams, Kisker closes with helpful words,
Methodism began as a means of grace and a system of accountability. It was an order within the larger church for the renewal of the Church. If we are to recover that usefulness to the kingdom of God in the world, we need what we once had: a missional focus, clear simple rules, and a clear simple and flexible structure.
Can this be done within the United Methodist Church? I personally think it can. However, we will need strength and resolve to continue spreading scriptural holiness over the land, because this vision isn’t shared by everyone. And like other phrases, “scriptural holiness” can be shaped and defined by whoever is using it. My prayer is that we will continue to move closer in line with the work of God’s Holy Spirit and capture the passionate desire for salvation that the early Methodists had. Then, we will see true renewal and revitalization.
Mainline or Methodist (Part 5)
In chapter 5, Kisker turns his attention to conferencing in the Methodist tradition. His description of the way annual and general conferences function is not much different than my experience with them over the past five years. We meet as an Annual Conference every year. We ordain a new group of Deacons and Elders, we honor those who cease active service, we remember those who have died in the previous year. We also get to spend time in worship and in reviewing legislation that comes from various committees across the conference. Additionally we get to reconnect with sisters and brothers in Christ that we haven’t seen much in the prior year.
Kisker believes the majority of United Methodists would be surprised that none of these activities are the reason conferencing was established within Methodism by John Wesley. That, instead, grew out of Wesley’s oversight of the Methodist movement. It is describes beautifully here,
In 1738, a high church Anglican, Oxford academic met Jesus for real and began acting very contrary to character. He lowered himself to preach outside of a church and to focus his attentions not on the promising young men in the university, but on the working class men and women struggling along in early industrial England.
As a result, Wesley incorporated lay leadership and lay preaching in the leadership of the early Methodist groups. The first conference, then, was designed to gather the spiritual leaders of these Methodist groups, those in particular who were open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, to think, talk, and pray together as they sought God’s direction. All of their questions reflected these general questions,
- What to teach;
- How to teach;
- What to do; that is, how to regulate our doctrine, discipline, and practice
The early Methodists didn’t gather to discuss legislation that made little difference in the lives of the people they served. Instead of meeting and using the same tactics and practices as congress, we are called to confer for only one reason,
We confer for one reason and one reason only. Because we are called to play a part in a movement of God’s Spirit. And that movement is big…United Methodism matters only if it is connected to, a part of, that movement. If not, it is worthless, and might as well cease to exist. To make sure we are continuing to be part of that movement requires discernment. And discerning the Spirit of God requires a seeking community.
I agree wholeheartedly with Kisker’s read on the situation at this point. Not only our churches, but any of our institutions cease to matter if they are disconnected from the movement of God’s Spirit.
After a discussion of the steps it would take to truly conference in our world today, Kisker closes with a segment that provides hope for what could be,
It might amaze people to find out that at one time conference was a place of expectation – where revival might break out – where people might get converted to God…Conference was a place where ordinary people might find something extraordinary to pledge their lives to – a movement of God’s Spirit sweeping this world… Many a newcomer gets converted at annual conference, but I fear it is generally not to Jesus.
I actually think this (conversion) could happen at our annual conference, if only based on the strength of our Bishop’s preaching. He effectively offers the gospel in ways that call people to repentance and conversion. I can picture women and men giving their lives to the extraordinary call of Christ in response to the worship that we sometimes encounter at conference – if you were at last year’s ordination service, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
However, I also sense the frustration that Kisker describes. Sometimes we spend thirty minutes to an hour working on a piece of legislation that is basically passing a proclamation about something or another that apparently goes in a file that never impacts anything. I still remember a piece of legislation that proposed the highest paid employee of a church couldn’t make more than a certain percentage more than the lowest paid employee. It was poorly thought out and didn’t factor in a consideration of rural churches whatsoever, but we spent forever talking about this inane piece of legislation. That’s the kind of thing conference can devolve into.
All in all, I think Kisker’s hope for conferencing probably won’t happen in my lifetime, and it is probably the weakest chapter in an excellent book. In the next (and final!) installment, we’ll look at his thoughts for a way forward.
Mainline or Methodist (Part 4)
In Chapter 4 of Dr. Scott Kisker’s work, Mainline or Methodist? Recovering our Evangelistic Mission, Kisker begins to discuss the “method” behind Methodism. This chapter opens with a critique of what passes for evangelism and discipleship within the UMC today. Kisker doesn’t hold back when he says most of what passes for evangelism in our denomination today,
[is] at best, a bankrupt vision of God’s purposes for creation and a truncated understanding of salvation. At worst, we find practices that are little more than thinly veiled attempts to manipulate others through politics or marketing techniques.
Our challenge is to reclaim the strong theological grounding of the early practices of the Methodist movement. Rather than trying anything to see if it works, or allowing our theology and practice to be grounded only in our personal preference or politics, we should follow Wesley’s practice of grounding our understanding of both evangelism and discipleship in the way, “God’s grace is active, working to save God’s beloved creatures.”
Kisker’s read of these practices follow Wesley’s admonition to preach Christ in all of his offices: prophet, priest, and king. The corresponding practices, are field preaching, class membership, and band membership. These also correspond to convincing (what we often call prevenient), justifying, and sanctifying grace. His summary at the end of the chapter is helpful,
With those asleep in sin, Methodism’s missional task is to minister in Christ’s prophetic office – publicly, in the open air, at the market cross – to convince people of their need for God. With those already convinced of their need for God, Methodism’s missional task is to introduce them to the one who can meet that need – to their great high priest. With those who know God’s forgiving love, Methodism’s missional task is to work to save them from the power of sin – bring every part of their lives into the love of Christ the king.
These theological and missional tasks were expressed in practices that many United Methodist congregations (and affiliated organizations) have given up: open air preaching, class meetings, and band meetings. Here is a basic description of those practices.
Open-air preaching: Wesley found places where real people gathered as part of their daily lives and introduced them to the message of God’s salvation. He preached outside the walls of the Church, many times as often as twice a day. He hoped to see people awakened to the, “hollowness of their search for happiness” in anything outside of God. Kisker challenges us to find the modern-day equivalent of the market square. In my D.Min. paper, I explore whether or not this is the virtual world of social media (Facebook, twitter, etc.), but we’ll leave that for another day. After being awakened by God’s grace through open-air preaching, people were gathered in the class meeting.
Class meeting: here, people were given opportunities for further response. People were invited to talk in smaller groups about their spiritual state and were expected to live as followers of Jesus. These groups were limited to twelve members where people experienced authentic Christian fellowship, often for the first time. Kisker cites Tom Albin’s research which showed, “the majority of experiences of the new birth happened after membership in the class meeting, at times in the meeting.” In a sense, people most often belonged before they believed. Kisker writes,
Perhaps it is not possible to recover the class meeting as it was for our present day. But if our ministry is to be effective in the present age, we must recover what they provided: small, disciplined, hospitable, caring fellowships for non-Christians and Christians alike.
In our day, I wonder if traditional Sunday school groups can fulfill this role. Kisker doesn’t seem to think so, but I think it’s possible.
Band meetings: finally, after being awakened by field preaching, incorporated into caring groups of discipline and community, early Methodists were joined in the band meeting. Band meetings were sepearted by gender and were more confessional in nature.
To be a part of a band meant being willing to shuck pretense, to be humble before a brother or sister in Christ. It meant acting as a priest one to another, acting in love toward another whose sin you know. It meant allowing someone, who knows your sin, to act in love toward you. It meant humility. It meant Christlikeness. It meant holiness.
People who participated in this methodical process often experienced “full salvation,” as they were empowered to experience healing, forgiveness, and participation in the work and ministry of Christ. At the church I serve, this can best happen through our COS group ministry. In fact, I’ve experienced this very thing with a small group of three other men that I meet with weekly. Through their encouragement, support, and accountability, I see how I’m growing in grace and loving God and neighbor more than I have in a very long time.
Together these practices, rooted in a strong Wesleyan theology, prevent us from being just a charity organization or a political rally that uses the Church and scripture to validate our own biases and preferences. They are a means God will use to form us as more passionate and dedicated followers of Jesus. In part 5, I’ll look at Kisker’s thoughts on where this conversation might lead in the United Methodist Church today.
Mainline or Methodist (Part 3)
More and more, I hear from young doctrine hungry Christians who turn to the young Reformed pastors in order to understand doctrine and theology. Unfortunately, many United Methodists seem to have abandoned the practice of teaching and preaching theology in compelling ways. Scott Kisker gives people from a Wesleyan background a strong place to begin recovering the practice of teaching a uniquely Methodist doctrine of salvation in Chapter 3.
In Kisker’s opening brief summary of the best Methodist preaching, he describes the content as “full salvation and the message of grace.” Our Wesleyan heritage, “offers us a model of salvation that is more than simply being born again, or being forgiven.” A Wesleyan approach agrees that forgiveness and being born again are essential parts of salvation. However, in the same way that there is more to marriage than the wedding (ht Kevin Watson), Wesleyans recognize there is more to salvation than the first moment of being reconciled to God.
Using the story of the prodigal son from Luke 15, Kisker details a Methodist understanding of God’s character and grace. For Kisker, the abundant love of the father in this story is key to understanding the love of God. Unlike the Reformed position that places God’s sovereignty as his primary attribute, Wesleyans have always understood God’s love as primary. This doesn’t deny God’s sovereignty, but suggests that God’s sovereignty is conditioned by God’s love.
Wesley puts it this way,
For what end did God create man? [The Westminster Assembly's] answer is, ‘To glorify and enjoy him forever.’ …Do the generality of common people understand that expression, ‘to glorify God?’ No, no more than they understand Greek…’He made you; and he made you to be happy in him; and nothing else can make you happy.’
Kisker then describes a position, not completely different than the Reformed position,
God created us to know, desire, and choose what will make us happy. And yet we don’t make the choice. There is something radically wrong with us. Wesley has no trouble talking about the ‘entire depravity’ of human beings in our ‘natural state.’ Left to our own devices we are completely hopeless, looking for love, looking for happiness, but only in the wrong places.
God’s grace is his loving response to this condition,
Without the assistance of God, we will never use our liberty in such a way that it leads us to real happiness, we will never understand or desire or choose what will make us happy. That assistance comes in the form of God’s love, which is grace.
Finally, Kisker does a terrific job describing preventing (his distinction between Wesley’s language of preventing and Outler’s language of prevenient is really helpful), convincing, justifying, and sanctifying grace. Preventing (or prevenient) grace allows us to respond to God in the first place, convicting and justifying grace are what are often described as being saved or being made right with God. Essential as these experiences are, there is an abundant life of grace after we receive grace and actively respond to God. This is sanctifying grace.
…the unmerited love of God desires not simply that we be welcomed back into the familiy, but that we be healed of all that led us into misery in the first place. [Salvation in a Wesleyan context] is the complete restoration of who we have been created to be, here and now, in this life.
Further,
It sanctifies us, makes us into saints, leads us into real, substantial happiness, not based on the externals of our circumstances, but on the unmerited love of God in Christ Jesus.
Perhaps the closing quote from John Wesley sums it up best,
Thus it is by manifesting himself, he destroys the works of the devil, restoring the guilty outcast from God to his favour, to pardon and peace; the sinner in whom dwelleth no good thing, to love and holiness; the burdened miserable sinner, to joy and unspeakable, to real, substantial happiness.
Methodism, at its best, also provided tools to engage people with God and help them experience this salvation. In chapter 4, Kisker will turn his attention to that subject.
Methodist Must Read
If you are a United Methodist, you really need to read this article by Dr. Donald W. Haynes. (h/t Andrew Thompson)
