For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Hebrews 4:12
He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance. Revelation 1:16
It is commonly thought that, in a
ministry spanning more than 60 years, John Wesley rode over 250,000 miles,
preaching some 40,000 sermons. One of
the formative influences on that ministry was The Holy Club. In 1729 young John Wesley began attending
Oxford University, meeting together with several likeminded students (including
his brother Charles). The “Holy Club”
was a name given to mock the group by students who viewed their efforts at holy
living with less than admiration.
Nonetheless, the name remains after nearly 300 years, identifying the
goal of inviting God to direct every step of seriously God-minded people.
The published sermons of John Wesley
testify to the fruit of such devotion. I
have read a fair number of those sermons, and the one undeniable mark of that
fruit is how the sermons are constantly laced with full quotations of
Scripture, and even more, bits and pieces of Scriptural reference piled high in
evidence of the theses of the sermons.
Wesley’s high view of Scripture cannot be missed; here is his testimony
of that indisputable fact from his own pen:
I want to know one thing,—the way to heaven; how to land safe on that happy shore. God
himself has condescended to teach me the way. For this very end, He came from
heaven. He hath written it down in a book. O, give me that book! At any price, give me the book of God! I have it: here is knowledge enough for me.
Let me be homo unius libri[1].
Here then I am, far from the busy ways of men. I sit down alone; only God is here. In His presence I open, I read His book; for
this end, to find the way to heaven. – John Wesley “Sermons,” 1746[2]
The mandate of
the Holy Club was for those who inhabit the space to hang out with those who believe
and behave because God’s Word is true.
If the members
of that first club achieved that goal to any measure, it stands as a model for
“Methodists” (or Christians of any ilk) to remember that often, and strive for
the matching of living with what the Word of God proclaims.
It isn’t the
objective of God to get Christians to a church building once a week, or even 10
times a week, to hear the Word, study the Word, and then go have lunch and a
nap. The whole purpose of studying and
learning is doing.
So, let’s let
Jesus’ brother James have the last word on this:
But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. James 1:22
You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have
a blessed day in God’s light!
Title image: Bing Images W Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
For other posts on Christ’s Second Coming see: The Lord is King and When the Thief Arrives
[1]
Latin translation: the man of one
book
[2]
Asbury UMC website article: John
Wesley – A Man of One Book: How John Wesley Used the Bible
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