Methodism Uncovered: Outward Focus, 01/31/16

January 31 outward focus

Why I Am A United Methodist Part 4

Series...Why I Am A United Methodist; Part 4
Part 1 - warm hearted faith
Part 2 - beliefs
Part 3 - everyone is welcome
Part 4 - Methodists live outside of themselves

Luke4:14-21  14Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15He taught in their synagogues, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good new to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. 20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

Jesus lived outside of himself
Jesus: Our scripture today, Jesus begins his ministry he makes it clear he is present to be engaged in works of mercy.

What happens next?  They want to kill him.

·        Because he is indicating that he is like God

·        Because he is suggesting that their religion is shallow

He leaves out the phrase “day of vengeance of our God” isaiah 34

Jesus will deliver grace.  He will be engaged in mercy.
This is illustrated not just in this scripture where be begins ministry, but in story after story.
The good Samaritan
The sheep and the goats...you did it unto the least of these

He leave the 99 to find the one

Others

In fact, while we believe in salvation thru faith, many bible stories seem to be saying that salvation is also connected to how you live out your life.

James sums it all up this way. James 2:14-18
¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶ If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds

John Wesley lived outside himself
Wesley was active in works of kindness and mercy and he expected his follower to be as well.  He lived modestly and gave all he could to help people who were poor

over a four year span his income increased...thirty pounds a year. He lived on twenty-eight and gave away two. The next year receiving sixty pounds he still lived on twenty-eight, and gave away two-and thirty. The third year he received ninety pounds, and gave away sixty-two. The fourth year he received a hundred and twenty pounds. Still he lived as before on twenty-eight; and gave to the poor ninety-two…...He taught that Every pound you put in the earthly bank is sunk: it brings no interest above. But every pound you give to the poor is put into the bank of heaven. and it will bring glorious interest; yea, and such as will be accumulating to all eternity.

He lived modestly and gave all he could to help people who were poor

He visited people in prison and provided spiritual guidance, food, and clothing to them

He spoke out against slavery and forbade it in Methodism

He founded schools at the Foundry in London, Bristol, and Newcastle

He published books, pamphlets, and magazines for the education and spiritual edification of people

He taught and wrote about good health practices and even dispensed medicine from his chapels

In Wesley's day, the church was powerless
The church neglected the needy
The church was turned in, inwardly focused
The church was satisfied with itself--Wesley rejected such religion
---not just because this was wrong

---wesley knew that such churches that were turned inward would die

---your attitudes about church.  Do they = life or death

---if everyone did what you did, would the place flourish or close?

Wesley rejected the faith that required only that the believer attend church, sit in the pew act religiously. He rejected preaching that did not challenge the hearer to change

Before aldersgate, he focused on works righteouness....being good enough. After his heart warming experience, he focused on the idea that a living faith in Christ naturally found expression in doing acts of charity. He taught that works were not the means of salvation, but the fruit of it.
Men are not to change their minds only, but their hearts as well.

To Mary Bishop [17]---London, October 18, 1778
I find more profit in sermons on either good temper or good works than in what are vulgarly called gospel sermons. That term is now become a mere cant word. I wish none of our Society would use it. It has no determinate meaning. Let but a pert, self-sufficient animal, that has neither sense nor grace, bawl out something about Christ and His blood or justification by faith, and his hearers cry out, 'What a fine gospel sermon!' Surely the Methodists have not so learnt Christ. We know no gospel without salvation from sin.

He did not want a gospel where everyone hung around and said, nice sermon. He believed that the good news of Jesus Christ called people to change, to live a life outside themselves.
We like to think of sin as this behavior or that, but
The core of sin is when we are smug, self righteous, satisfied
When we live our lives with ourselves at the center

Jesus lived outside of himself
Wesley lived outside himself

Human beings in and of themselves are consumed with self
But we are called to live outside of ourselves

Lots of people run around struggling for their purpose

The one with the most toys at the end wins!!
When you are living a self centered life, there is an emptiness
Do you want to find your purpose? Be changed for the cause of Christ
Give yourself away

We celebrate every program in our church that invites, grows, teaches and cares.
But these things are not ends in and of themselves...everything that we do is designed to change us
Everything points to action

We do not simply learn
We learn so that our hearts can burn, so our world can turn

Wesley said, "Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn.

some say - I am not being fed. I want to hear things that will fill me.
Are you feeding others?
We are more inspired when we give ourselves away than when we sit in church and listen
When we give ourselves away we are putting legs onto what we hear on Sunday morning
some years ago I was sick and Raegene King brought me chicken soup

She was not satisfied with belief.  She wanted to act

Someone asked me this week, what was the most joyful part of being a pastor here...not buildings, not gobs of people, but it is when what one person says, I am listening, my life is changing, the Christian faith is making a difference in my life.

Wesley said, "Do all the good you can, In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can, At all the times you can,
To all the people you can, As long as ever you can."

Do you wish to better yourself? Do you wish to better the world?

Then rise from these pews, rise from your complacency, put legs on your faith and reach out to those around you.
Release the captives, give sight to the blind, set the prisoners free,
Embrace the lonely, lift up the fallen, become a better you

and so we are United Methodists.  We do not just believe but we follow in the footsteps of Jesus

Lets pray