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 In Methodism's early days, John Wesley had a hard time explaining to suspicious outsiders who the Methodists were. He was suspected of leading a radical, even dangerous, group of sectarians. Opponents called him an "enthusiast," which was not a
compliment in eighteenth-century England.
So Mr. Wesley wrote a pamphlet called "The Character of a Methodist" in 1742 to explain the new movement.
Confronted by the question, "What is a Methodist?", Wesley responded, "I answer: a Methodist is one who has 'the love of God shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost given unto him'; one who 'loves the Lord his God with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his mind, and with all his strength.'"
"Big deal!" you might say. "That could describe any Christian, not just a Methodist!"
And that's exactly Wesley's point. Later on in the pamphlet, he says, "'Is thy heart right, as my heart is with thine?' I ask no farther question. 'If it be, give me thy hand.'"
This statement is often used to show the "catholic spirit" that Wesley embodied in his life and ministry. And it is true that he wanted Christians of whatever background to find a unity in the actual practice of their faith.
But Wesley was absolutely insistent on that one key idea: the actual practice of faith. And for him, the distinguishing mark of Methodists was that they actually practiced the faith they claimed to hold.
He wrote, "By these marks, by these fruits of a living faith, do we labour to distinguish ourselves from the unbelieving world, from all those whose minds or lives are not according to the gospel of Christ. But from real Christians, of whatsoever denomination they be, we earnestly desire not to be distinguished at all."
Claiming to love God and love neighbor is one thing; putting those tenets of faith into daily practice is another. And this is the very reason why Covenant Discipleship is such an important tool for our faith today. If our whole faith is just made up of attending worship on Sundays, we can go through our entire Christian lives on autopilot. But in Covenant Discipleship, we are confronted with the necessity of making that faith a daily practice through acts of worship, devotion, compassion, and justice.
Making the greater commitment that Covenant Discipleship entails is not always easy. In my own experience with CD Groups, I have had experiences of embarrassment when I have had to go to my group meeting and report a less-than-stellar week of discipleship. But those are also occasions when the Holy Spirit has been present to me through my fellow brothers and sisters in the covenant. They have gently, but firmly, encouraged me in the areas where I have
needed to work harder.
Wesley wanted his Methodists to be "inwardly and outwardly conformed to the will of God." That's a wonderful phrase, and it speaks to the goal of the practice of our discipleship. But it doesn't happen automatically! We experience it only as we are willing to engage in concrete practice, day by day, together.
Read more from Andrew at his blog, GenX Rising, www.genxrising.com/index.html.
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