A meditation on the Church.

I was looking at some videos about the Methodist Church in the United States, and it was depressing to find it has departed from the foundational beliefs and intentions, of the two men who created a great evangelical Church in the 18^th century, as the Methodist Church in the United Kingdom has done likewise.

John Wesley and his brother Charles were the two outstanding men of England, who led the only revival in the history of this country, and whose spiritual gifts led the Methodist Church to circle the world. Whilst many of John’s sermons have now been left to history in this modern world culture, many of the six thousand hymns written by Charles still thrill Christian Churches with inspiration and encouragement.

John was a brilliant preacher who took his message of salvation by the grace of God, and visited the country widely on horseback, holding meetings in public places to win many people to follow Christ. If he was alive to-day and did the same, he would be arrested for alleged hate crime, as he would fearlessly point out the parlous state of corruption and immorality that runs right across society.

Charles was one who wrote as he thought, and he saw the importance of conversion and a personal relationship to Jesus Christ.   He became vividly convinced of the message of salvation, and saw clearer than ever before how faith in Jesus Christ could change a person’s life.  This was the message he would take to as many people as he could, particularly to the poorer classes.  He preached that the value of a person’s life was to be measured by their faith.

How betrayed ashamed they would feel, if they could be aware of the cavalier manner in which the current Church has abandoned and cast aside much of what they taught and believed in; to see the demise of evangelicalism to be replaced in many of their Churches, with the adoption of modern secularism and appeasement, to activists promoting anti-biblical way of life.  God’s Word having been contradicted by Conferences and committees, when individual members had previously expressed their preferred traditional views.

In the United States the United Methodist Church has commendably permitted videos to be made available on the internet, revealing that separatism was being made, to accommodate the traditional Church beliefs. Consequently, like the Methodist Church in the United Kingdom, is falling apart leaving members to seek Independent evangelical Churches, or just leaving the faith. Like in all mainline denominations, the Bible has been made to be acceptable to the prevailing culture of the day. The printed gospel has become replaced by a popular one.

We have the asinine preaching, allowing people to believe and practice what you want to believe, and God will automatically forgive you, ignoring that we worship a Holy God in the name of a Holy Savior.  This leaves people who are seeking to follow Christ to be confused as to what is correct, and we have pluralistic doctrines.

A retired Methodist Minister sent me an offensive email after a service I had taken, in which he claimed I was a bigot because I hadn’t given an alternative explanation of the Resurrection and biblical teaching of morality.  This apparently offended him so much he had to walk out of the service. He did not have the courage to approach me at the Church, nor when I replied to his email did he respond to tell me what other alternatives there were.  I thought it was a bit rich to call me a bigot, especially as I would , and had never walked out of a service.

God ordained that Ministers would be called out from among their fellow men, being sinners just like the people they would lead to God in repentance seeking God’s forgiveness. Unfortunately a lot of preachers are confused, as training colleges seem to be teaching a rather different gospel to that which Jesus preached.

The essential problem is  a lack of authoritative leadership. Another problem is that leaders do not accept the authority of the Bible; bishops and other Church leaders are openly promoting what is unequivocally condemned in Scripture, and calling for it to be abandoned. There is lack of spiritual discipline and accountability, and no one at present appears to be able to exercise discipline.

The Bible states clearly any house or Kingdom which is divided among itself is laid waste. The sole purpose of the Church is to preach he Word and command all Jesus taught, to make disciples of all nations.  There is one God, one faith, one baptism. Yet within the Church we hear ‘all roads lead to the one God’ which is an affront to other religions.  Christians worship the God of Israel, a Jewish Saviour, teach from a holy book written by Jewish men, which no Muslim would countenance.

One baptism for the forgiveness of sin, yet the Church of England bishops have created a special second baptism service, for people who have changed their gender, also in contrast to God’s Word.  In this country of free speech and belief (?)people have the right to do and believe what they will, but the Church has absolutely no right to approve the contradiction of what God has clearly and without equivocation laid down  in the Bible.

In the Methodist Worship book on page 367 it is stated, a marriage ceremony is a formal occasion when a solemn, legal contract is made between a man and a woman. In a Christian context, it is also an act of worship and is celebrated  as a gift of God, and the joy of the couple is shared and their commitment to each other is witnessed by family and friends.  The Marriage Service’s themes of love, hope, faithfulness, sacrifice and trust are at the heart of Christian gospel.. Nothing there to create  argument, as clear as it could be put. Man, woman, no divorce. That which God has put together let no man put asunder.

On page 303, Ministers declare their commitment to accept the Holy Scriptures as revealing all things necessary for salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. (This was a vital part of John Wesley’s message in his open praise ministry which led many people to the Lord.)

A Minister also declares commitment to believe the doctrines of the Christian faith as this Church has received them. To accept our discipline, and work together with your sisters and brothers in the Church and will be faithful in worship, in prayer, in the reading of the Holy scriptures, and in those studies  which will equip you for your ministry.

All these words are so clear to an intelligent man or woman, so why is there any disagreement and need for separation. How can any man or woman who have accepted these word willingly, for they are need to be ordained, how can have any conscience, or even look at themselves in a mirror without a clear sense of guilt and betrayal, and knowledge they have offended God in the process of making such declarations in His Church.

I Cannot understand how the Church has fallen from such grace, other than the refusal to honor vows made.  Sorry I cannot answer what many will wonder.

I have concentrated largely on the Methodist Church, although they are not alone. I began by ministry in the Methodist Church, and for the last eleven years returned.  I had many friends there, really good people, and was extremely happy doing so. I only ceased because I could not accept their disregard for the Bible, and it has been a big loss. I wish them every blessing, and pray there will be return to that which John and Charles sought so faithfully and strongly, and made a commitment.