Wesleyan Life Application Topic - Mission

Mission

Jesus sends the disciples out on their own to proclaim and live the life Jesus lives in their presence. They are on their own because Jesus is not traveling with them. Or is he? He give them the command to proclaim, heal, and overcome evil but he also gives them authority. They are to go in his name, spirit, and power. Our mission may seem overwhelming until we remember that with mission comes authority. We are not in this ministry on our own, for every true call to Christian mission comes with authority as we go in the name, spirit, and power of God. -Wesley Study Bible pg 1216

Scrupture Nugget 10.14.2015

“The swineherds ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came to see what it was that had happened. They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the legion; and they were afraid. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed by demons begged him that he might be with him. But Jesus refused, and said to him, ‘Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you.’ And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.” Mark 5:14-20

“’Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you.’ And he went way and began to proclaim”………… Mark 5:20

Oh if only we all proclaimed Jesus to our friends and all who will listen………… Go and tell, go and make disciples………..

Scripture Nugget 10.13.2015

“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news (Mark 1:14-15) … In the morning while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, ‘Everyone is searching for you.’ He answered, ‘Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.’ And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.” Mark 1:35-39

Wesleyan Core Term - Kingdom of God

Kingdom of God

Wesley understood the kingdom of God as a condition of the soul rather than a political entity. In Sermon 7: “The Way to the Kingdom,” he acknowledges that outward forms of worship have limited value as “occasional helps to human weakness” (Para I.4). He opposes any attempt to substitute rituals for Christ-centered faith. In his days at Oxford, Wesley insisted that members of the Holy Club follow a stringent discipline of study, prayer and good works. The celebration of time-honored traditions and orthodoxy proved insufficient, however, to bring forth the kingdom of God. Serious contemplation on earlier reliance on forms led Wesley’s conviction that true religion is a matter of the heart. His famous public declaration that his heart was “strangely warmed” at Aldersgate witnesses to his personal experience of the kingdom of God. “True religion” is characterized by Spirit-inspired joy, holiness, and peace. These are incontrovertible marks of the kingdom of God. -Wesley Study Bible pg 1209

Scripture Nugget 10.12.2015

“Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age’”. Matthew 28:16-20

25+2+1=28

Wesleyan Life Aoolication Topic - Go and Tell

Go and Tell

What is needed for the world to believe the message of Jesus? Live it! Telling, in Matthew’s Gospel, is about our mission as the church. Without mission there is no Christianity. The mission of the church today, as it was for the early church, is to reconcile us to God. But first, Jesus tells us, we must be reconciled to our sisters and brothers. Reconciliation – healing the rifts created by violence, discrimination, and greed – that is the church’s mission. Reconciliation for the sake of the flourishing of all life is what being a disciple of Jesus is all about. -Wesley Study Bible pg 1205

25+2+1=28

Scripture Nugget 10.11.2015

“Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ …. ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25:34-36, 40b)

Wesleyan Core Term - Visiting Prisoners

Visiting Prisoners

The earliest Methodists, including John and Charles Wesley encouraged one another in the Christian faith. William Morgan, a friend of the Wesleys, began to visit prisoners as a part of his regular spiritual discipline. He soon invited the group to join him in vising Castle prison in Oxford. John and Charles were so moved by this initial experience, they committed to visit the prison weekly. The Wesleys continued to visit prisoners regularly throughout their ministries, which stretched to cities across the country, including Bristol and London. John would later describe visiting prisoners as a work of mercy alongside visiting the sick, feeding the hungry, and assisting strangers. According to John, works of mercy, with works of piety, such as prayer, fasting, and reading the Scriptures, are means of grace. These spiritual disciplines provide a means for God’s grace to pervade the lives of Christians as they participate in the Holy Spirit’s renewing work in them. -Wesley Study Bible pg 1199

Scripture Nugget 10.10.2015

“Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. Then many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because of the increase in lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:9-14) …. “Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you must also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” (Matthew 24:42-44)

Scripture Nugget 10.9.2015

“Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures:

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the

Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes”?

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God, will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.” Matthew 21:42-44