John Wesley and John Calvin - Their Commonalities

I found this excellent article on the Commonalities between John Wesley and John Calvin.

Both, of course, were profoundly Augustinian in their view of grace and the sacraments. So in some ways, modern heirs of Wesley would find Wesley's own theology objectionable if they understood it! Come to think of it, Wesley is probably more "reformed" than many Presbyterian evangelicals if you really questioned them!

Wesley did not believe in "aribirtrary predestination" the author rights... but then again, neither does any Calvinist who believes that God is supremely loving and holy. Nothing God does is "arbitrary". I don't believe in Random Acts of kindness as displaying God's kindness either for that matter - kindness at random is too often "feel good slumming" in the fetid neighborhoods of sin. It doesn't display the covenant faithfulness and intentionality of God and usually is worthless for little more than feel good session for our self-righteousness.
Here's an excerpt.

Also Wesley wasn't "Arminian" in the sense that he believed one could be saved "at any time." God had to draw first and all prevenient grace is associated with some proximity to the means of grace, i.e. preaching (or at least the Bible) and the sacraments.

For more on the Wesley the Calvinist, read on.

For example, John Wesley does not believe people have an inherent power as the result of prevenient grace to exercise saving faith at any given moment, to decide when and where they will commit their lives to Christ, as is implied often in contemporary Wesleyan circles. Likewise, John Wesley is not a Semi-Pelegian—someone who believes human beings retain vestiges of the moral image of God and thus are only partially destitute spiritually (as is often assumed by Calvinists). The fact is there is so much common ground between John Wesley and John Calvin that Wesley himself claimed his position was within a “hair’s breadth” of Calvinism (at least on Justification, though not perhaps on sanctification)[Letter to John Newton, 14 May, 1765].

If human beings are totally dependent upon God’s grace for “saving faith” the question must be asked, “How does God communicate His grace to people?” Again, Wesley answers with Calvin and Luther that God communicates his grace through the “means of grace.” Primarily the means of grace are delineated in the Protestant marks of the Church – the preaching of the “pure word of God, the due administration of the sacraments, and the community rightly ordered.” While Wesley did not believe these were the only means of grace, these were the primary means by which God communicates grace to individuals and communities. As people are exposed to the means of grace or as they place themselves in the flow of the means of grace (as they hear the Gospel, partake in baptism and Holy Communion, and participate in the Body of Christ), grace capable of creating saving faith is made available.

However, in contrast to the Roman Catholic tradition (which teaches that grace is always communicated to the recipients of the means of grace) John Wesley along with the Reformers did not believe that participation in the means of grace always guarantees the transmission of grace to each participant. More specifically, the means of grace were seen as the most likely places for God to transmit His grace but there is no assurance that grace will be given. Therefore, not every time the Gospel is preached, the sacraments duly administered, and the community rightly ordered is grace communicated. There are times when the Gospel is preached, when “little” or “nothing” happens, while there are other times when God is working to draw, convict, and convince a person or people through the means of grace. John Wesley agrees essentially with Luther and Calvin on the means of grace.

[I]n today’s theological world Wesley can seem to be closer to the Reformed tradition than the very theological tradition that bears his name!

Wesley’s position is:

Because of the extent of original sin, human beings are completely dependent upon God for the work of salvation – in conviction, repentance, and faith.

A person can not be saved at any moment the person chooses, but only in those moments in which grace is being offered capable of creating saving faith.

The only part a person plays in the work of salvation is to place themselves in the means of grace and then when that grace that can create saving faith comes choose to cooperate with it.

However, even this work of human cooperation is in itself a gift of prevenient grace.


*Written by Professor Keith Drury of Indiana Wesleyan University

Deliberate People(tm) Daily Prayer Guide

The Daily Audio Bible has reached 2.5 million downloads on iTunes.

They also sell a helpful Bible Reading, Prayer Guide and Journal "in one" called the Deliberate People(tm) Daily Devotion Journal.

This prayer guide is excertpted from their free downloadable Bible Reading Guide to let you see what's in it.

The Bible Reading portions are simpliar to those found in "One Year Bibles" with daily readings from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. This is a good plan though what I plan to use in 2007 Lord willing is the M'Cheyne Bible Reading Plan except I'll drop M'Cheyne's Psalm readings (giving me only 3 chapters to read some days) because I aim to read the pslams morning and evening anyway. You can find it online here or as an RSS feed in your favorite translation (hopefully) here.

Daily Prayer Guide

Praying the way Jesus taught - Matthew 6:9-13
1. Worship the person of God (Praise, Thanksgiving, Singing)

A. “Our Father in Heaven” (Affirming our identity as
children of God)

B. “Hallowed be Your Name” (Praise God for who He
is and what He has done)

2. Pursuing the Purpose of God

A. “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth
as it is in heaven”

1. My life (Daily surrender of every area, asking for
fresh filling of the Holy Spirit)
2. My family (family members, friends)
3. My church (Pastors, leaders, events)
4. My world (Body of Christ, spiritual and political
leaders, city, state, nation, world, revival, awakening,
harvest)

B. “Give us this day our daily bread” (Pray dependently,
consistently, specifi cally and expectantly for physical,
emotional and spiritual needs)

C. “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”

1. Receiving God’s forgiveness for ourselves (Confession
and cleansing)
2. Releasing God’s forgiveness to others (canceling
their debt)

D. “Do not lead us (allow us to be lead) into temptation
but deliver us from the evil one”
(Take particular areas of temptation before the Lord,
surrendering to God’s strength and protection, as well as
taking authority over the enemy, committing to resisting
his attacks)

E. “Yours is the kingdom and power and glory forever”

1. The Kingdom – Resting in the knowledge that God’s
rule and dominion is working in us and around us.
2. The Power – Relying on the dynamic, abundant,
mighty, miracle-working, creative power of God.
3. The Glory – Refl ecting God’s excellence, honor,
beauty, majesty and splendor to the world.

How Do You Respond To The Good News Ee-Taow

How do you respond to the Good News of Jesus? Is it so "old hat" to you that you really need to get your kicks some other way?

Is the message of Jesus - to your way of thinking - just for "Sunday School kids"?

When was the last time that the message of your sin and mine laid on Jesus brought tears to your eyes?

When was the last time that the message of Christ's righteousness reckoned to you lead you to outrageous rejoicing?

If the time frame for either answer is "not recently", you need to watch Ee-Taow the story of the reaction of the Mouk people of Papua New Guinea as they hear the Good News about Jesus Christ for the first time.

You'll be amazed to see the story of the Zook family as they leave an idyllic lifestyle many idolize in the Amish country of the US (though they themselves were not Amish) to take the gospel to people who had never heard about Jesus and who lived in fear and self-degredation.

In true incarnational fashion, the Zook family (after overcoming their own hurdles to get to the mission field) did what all missionaries do when coming to people who have no written language...they learned, listened, and befriended until they could understand the people and convey their love. Then they began translating the key stories of the Bible into the Mouk language. It took quite some time.

They taught through the key stories of the Old Testament for over 2 months without ever mentioning Jesus using words, pictures and drama.

They recorded the stories and the Mouk listened to them again and again on hand powered cassette recorders.

Then when it came time to finally tell the story of Jesus, the Mouk sat and listened 2 hours per session, twice per day for 2 weeks.

Their response to the Gospel was amazing and convicting.

I strongly suggest getting this 2 part DVD for jaded Western Christians for whom the story of Jesus seems too "mundane". Why do we assume our people even "know" as much about Jesus as they do now? Most haven't taken the time to learn as much as they have.

May God use it to awaken them to the truth and the joyous good news of Jesus.


P.S. Don't we have to do the same thing as the Zook's even if we speak the "same language"?

Comfortable Christianity Depresses Me - Baroness Cox

The TimesOnline (UK) writes about Baroness Cox's work articulating the plight of the world's persecuted Christians. Her latest book is Cox’s Book of Modern Saints and Martyrs. They write:

It is not an easy read. We hear of walking 12 miles of scorched earth littered with corpses of women and children in Sudan; of beheaded teenage girls in Indonesia; and religious persecution in the shape of rape, torture and murder elsewhere.

But we also hear the story of 15,000 people fleeing violence in East Timor, who are fed for a week from one bag of rice by Sister Maria Lourdes; and remarkable instances of courage, such as when Lady Cox sat beside the Rev Rinaldy Damanik in an Indonesian court and heard him choose the scaffold over renouncing his faith (he was later released after serving a prison sentence, during which time he handed out to injured Muslim inmates plasters that contained verses from the Bible).

Growing A Church With Love - Rose Sims

Rose Sims tells some of her experiences revitalizing small, country churches.

It's a thrilling story of how she and her husband (until his death) spent their ministry revitalizing churches that denominational officials were about to close as "dead".

I found a copy of her book (used - they all seem out of print) called "The Dream Lives On" at Amazon and hopefully it will be here soon.

You really need to read the whole article if you're interested in revitalizing small churches. For a taste though, I'll share the story of her latest church revitalization project - Trilby (Florida) United Methodist Church.

I became the pastor of Trilby United Methodist Church. Six years later, those eight in attendance had grown to 350 members with debt-free buildings and a ministry that the Board of Global Ministries evaluated at a replacement cost of nearly a million dollars. Best of all, those buildings had been built and paid for without a fundraiser or a single negative vote. Jesus had been lifted up, and broken lives were mended. The Trilby Mission was packed with the African Americans, Anglos, and Hispanics who came for food, clothes, and our clinic. Our programs became wide-open doors and windows leading many of them to accept Christ. Teenagers and children who had accepted Christ shared their testimonies in a drama group week after week, leading many in attendance to Christ. A petition to the county brought a free health clinic and park. Singles, drama groups, country gospel nights, adult education, literacy programs, AA, a dinner theater group, etc., opened windows of opportunity. I performed 20 weddings for couples from our singles group. After they found Christ, they found new beginnings.

What was her method? Perhaps this paragraph sums it up best:

We programmed to the purpose, budgeted to the purpose, trained to the purpose, and evaluated by the purpose. Of each program we asked, "Is it winning the lost and growing disciples, or are we only doing what some good atheist is probably already doing better?" It was hard work but as one of the local saints remarked, "If we want this church to grow, we shouldn't itch for anything we aren't willing to scratch for." It meant getting involved to the point of inconvenience.

Parenting Skills, Common Sense, and Outreach

I went to a meeting sponsored by our local county school board. They are seeking the help of churches, businesses, and community clubs to promote better parenting in hopes of preventing a Columbine style situation here.

I'm all for that and I was struck by the speaker's story about interviewing a young man who is in prison without benefit of parole until he's 109. Aged 27 now, he killed 2 people in a nearby school shooting in 1995.

The trigger?

He was afraid he'd lose his driver's license.

Life wasn't worth living so he decided to kill some people in revenge and assumed he'd die in a hail of gunfire.

He didn't.

His hopelessness was inspired by years of abuse by an alcoholic father.

Now the young man is sane and seeking to help others avoid this tragedy.

Why?

He became a Christian. Someone visited him in jail and told him about Jesus Christ and forgiveness.

The boy forgave his father and now the whole family are united in a way they never were before the tragedy... as a family and as followers of Jesus Christ.

Then the meeting took an odd turn.

Instead of asking us to evangelize better and reach out to these kids, we were introduced to a new plan to promote better parenting in the county.

And we were invited as churches to teach it to our congregations.

They've even offered a curriculum... one that is secular and supposedly "research based".

It might be great, but there were no copies available for any one to review.

Those who've reviewed the curriculum say "It's just common sense".

That's a loaded term for me. In some societies, if a female family member is seen in public without a veil, the dishonor to the family is worthy of death. That's called an "honor killing".

When you inquire about the propriety of it, you're greeted with a statement like "It's common sense! What are you, a barbarian?"

"Common sense" really is totally dependent on one's presuppositions and worldview. Only when two people share a common worldview can there be "common sense".

Even when something allegedly "doesn't promote a particular faith", it promotes a particular faith and worldview. That's why you can have Christian teachers in public schools facilitate the production of secular kids because topics are taught without reference to God. Humanity is the measure of everything. And because the measure is flawed, the results always turn out warped.

I've taught these secular parenting seminars to persons getting a divorce. When they have minor children, they're required to take the classes.

The people coming into the classes will be no better afterward than their presuppositions when entering the class.

The basic problem is that unless there is true humility and repentance to care for the child's needs above one's own pursuit of revenge, all the advice in the world won't help. Good idea - sinful hearts.

I'll do everything I can to help this initiative, but I'll keep pointing them back to the story they started with. That's what the church needs to be focusing on, the parenting instruction can fall into place on fertile soil.

Francis Schaeffer On The "Separated Movement"

This quote is derived from one of the letters of the late Francis Schaeffer to a friend about how his thinking had gradually changed. His fundamental beliefs and worldview had not changed, but how he sought to live in light of them changed as his views of God's grandeur had broadened. He refused

When I first found Christ through my Bible reading he was very real to me, and I yet remember the loving wonder of His closeness. And then came the struggle against the Old {Presbyterian} Church machine, and then against Westminster, and then against the N.A.E. {National Association of Evangelicals}, and gradually "the {separatist} movement" loomed larger and larger. Do not misunderstand me: my experiences here have convinced me more than ever that each of these struggles was needed and right; but the correct perspective got mislaid in the process. And I tell you frankly, that though I realize I may be wrong, it seems to me that I was not alone in my mistake - that many are as deeply involved, or even more, than I have been. The "movement" grew in our thinking like the great bay tree until for me that wonderful closeness which I have felt to Him in previous days was lost. I wonder if that is not what happened to the Church of Ephesus in Revelation 2?

God willing, I will push and politick no more.The mountains are too high, history is too long, and eternity is longer. God is too great, man is too small, there are many of God's dear children, and all around there are men going to Hell. And if one man and a small group of men do not approve of where I am and what I do, does it prove I've missed success? No; only one thing will determine that - whether this day I'm where the Lord of lords and King of kings wants me to be. To win as many as I can, to help strengthen the hands of those who fight unbelief in the historical setting in which they are placed, to know the reality of "the Lord is my song," and to be committed to the Holy Spirit - that is what I wish I could know to be the reality of each day as it closes.