Turning Bad into Good!

Taking Advantage of Hidden Opportunities in Controversy

By Jennifer Armitage -Wesleyan Life Magazine Online| Released: Jun. 24, 2011 |

Did you know that Christians are not perfect? Okay, so maybe you didn’t fall over in shock, but it’s something Christians regularly have to have conversations about. There is regularly some controversy in the news about Christians, typically having to do with a pastor’s scandal, political lobbying, or the end of the world.

We are called to witness to non-Christians in our daily lives, but there aren't clear guidelines on how to handle those conversations.

With a group of people so broad and diverse in beliefs, theology, interpretations of the Bible, meaning of religion, and even what Jesus’s teachings mean, it’s understandable that there will be Christians with whom you will not agree.

So the question becomes, how do we deal with the public controversy?

We first need to look at it as an opportunity. When conversations about Christian controversy arise at the water cooler, family reunion, or at the bus stop, it’s an opening for you to tell the truth. One of the big problems is that there are a lot of false beliefs about Christians. Through these conversations, we can start to write these wrongs.

The key to utilizing these opportunities is to bring it back to your church and your beliefs. Instead of focusing on the negative, you can guide the conversation to the truth.

When Harold Camping set a date for when he thought the world would end, it caused quite a stir. Everyone was talking about the world ending. They were, in a round-about way, talking about the Bible. What an amazing opportunity this could be to inform them what the Bible does say!

If the conversation is about Christians hating a sinner, it’s an opportunity to explain what sin really is, that God hates the sin and not the sinner, that Christianity is so much about forgiveness, and that even Christians may sin. A big, secular misconception is that Christians don’t consider themselves sinners or struggle with issues of sin.

If the conversation is about another church’s negative actions, then bring it back to what your church does. Try something like, “I really like my church because they don’t do protests. It’s cool because every Saturday my church goes out and feeds the homeless.”

By moving the conversation to positive examples from your own church, you could change minds and hearts. At the very least, you are showing that not all Christians are alike, nor do they always agree with each other’s actions.

I do want to point out that Jesus calls us to be kind and loving . . . and that means to other Christians who are doing things with which we disagree. Bashing and attacking others is not what we are called to do. No matter how frustrated we get.

None of this means that you can’t have a sense of humor about ridiculous things other Christians are doing, or that you have to talk about your church all the time. I especially don’t want people to feel that they need to be “preachy.”

My point is, we don’t have to be scared when Christian controversy comes up. We can turn tough conversations into opportunities to do our job—to introduce people to Christ.

Sin & Believers-Dr. Ken Schenck

Sin and Believers

What Would the Apostle John Say?

By Kenneth Schenck | Released: Apr. 6, 2011

Christians today—including many Wesleyans—seem increasingly comfortable with sin. No doubt we could give many reasons for this alarming trend. One factor is the misinterpretation of Scripture, particularly passages from Paul and John’s writings.

Misuses of Scripture

How often have you heard people paraphrase John 8:7 as an argument for the acceptability of sin in a Christian’s life: “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone!” First John 1:8 is also popular: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” If the apostle John were to hear these uses of his writing, I suspect they would be real sore spots for him. The all-too-common ways Christians apply these verses go directly against what he actually taught!

The Background of John’s Writing

One of the problems we have when we read Scripture is incomplete information. Originally, John’s letters were written to real churches who knew the background of what he was saying. Of course the Spirit helps us to hear what we need to hear, even when we cannot be certain of what a passage meant originally.

However, 1 John gives us some good hints about the situation it first addressed. John’s community had undergone a “church split,” for example (compare 1 John 2:19). The departing group refused to believe Jesus had really become human and taken on flesh (for example,

1 John 4:2–3; compare John 1:14). These divisive individuals apparently were gnostic in belief, an early Christian heresy we know about from other sources. Before they left John’s community, they showed hatred toward their brothers and sisters in Christ (1 John 3:10–24; 4:7–21).

Perhaps more to the point, they saw no need for the blood of Christ (1 John 5:6). They, thus, did not see a need for a sacrifice to cleanse their sins. They did not believe they had sins for the blood of Christ to cleanse!

It is in this context that John wrote the verses that Christians use most often to argue for the normality of sin in the life of the believer. But we can see now how out of context these interpretations are. First John 1:10 says, “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar.” The departing group had made such claims. The tense John used in this verse implies that everyone has sinned in the past, with the result that everyone has a need for cleansing by Christ. In other words, John was basically saying the same thing as Romans 3:23: “all have sinned.”

Cleansing for Sin

First John 1:8 focuses on the fact that everyone needs the cleansing of Christ as a result of their past sins: “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (NASB). The verse does not say that we do sin continually in the present, as many presume. It says that everyone has sin as a result of past sins. The key is that John has in mind someone who claims that he or she has never sinned at all.

Anyone who thinks 1 John 1:8 justifies ongoing sin in the life of the believer will have difficulty dealing with 1 John 3:9, which gives John’s teaching on this subject. That verse reads, “Those who are born of God will not continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God” (TNIV). This verse puts to rest any doubt about what John really thought. To the Jews, “walking” was about living. To walk in the light, thus, meant to live the right lifestyle, a life in which sin was atypical (compare 1 John 1:7).

First John 2:1–2 leaves us with the bottom line on the issue of sin in the life of the believer. These verses capture the whole subject in a nutshell for me. “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Amen. •

Ken Schenck is an author, professor, and dean of Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University.

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Weekly & World News...

Gulf Coast Wesleyans Wait and See

Jul. 13, 2010

“Wait and see” seems to be a way of life in the Gulf Coast city of Irvington, Alabama. Roger Bowers, pastor of Irvington’s Bayou La Batre Wesleyan Church, reports that tar balls are coming ashore, but so far a massive surge of oil is not present. Attendance is down in the South Coastal District church since some of its members are working for British Petroleum, 12-hour shifts, seven days per week in the clean-up and prevention. But the pastor said that thanks to God’s supply and the faithfulness of the congregation, financial obligations are still being met.

Rev. Bowers says of the Gulf Coast residents whose lives are being affected by the spill, “We need to pray for these men and woman and their children.” He adds, “Of particular concern is prayer that “wind shears will blow” to deter storm effects common to the hurricane season.

Bayou La Batre’s Mayor Stan Wright has organized a program called “Vessels of Honor,” which utilizes shrimpers and oysterman in using their boats to watch over the oil booms and pick up blobs of oil in the shipyard near barges and oil containment devices. Another concern for the community is the use of outside boaters who are being employed in place of locals.

Pastor Roger says in spite of the threats to the Bayou La Batre Wesleyan family, they have nothing but praise to the Lord for His continuing faithfulness.

Go Fish!!!

By Mark Wilson -Wesleyan Life Magazine Online

The other day while casting a line, I began to think about how fishing and discovering opportunities are alike. If you want to "land" a few golden opportunities, you have to go fishing! Whether at home, work, church, or civic organization, you can catch a few golden opportunities if you apply certain laws of fishing.

1. Go where they are. Nobody has ever caught a fish in the bathtub or the backyard wading pool, and you won't catch opportunities by waiting around for them to come to you. The chances of catching a fish increase greatly when you go fishing. How much energy and time are you investing in future possibilities? How often do you look for the opportunities around you? Where do you want to go in life? Does the path you are currently following lead to that destination?

2. Keep your eyes open. Good fishermen are always watching for signs of a hungry fish. Often, a casual observer will not even notice, but an angler will see the slightest indication. When fishing for opportunities keep your eyes wide open! Some folks wouldn't recognize a good opportunity if it bit them on the toe! What opportunities are before you right now? What are you going to do about them?

3. Think possibility! Whenever I take my kids out fishing, we expect to catch something wonderful this time. We talk about the record muskies and the beautiful walleye we're anticipating. Even if we don't land any, it's fun to dream. When fishing for opportunities, you will maintain enthusiasm as you think about what could possibly be. Are you settling for small thoughts, or are you stretching your brain with big possibilities? Are you content with catching minnows when you could be landing muskies?

4. Keep casting. If you get skunked, keep casting. Many novice fishermen decide that fishing's just not for them because they don't catch anything right away. That happens with opportunities too. You have to keep plugging away. Keep looking for new, creative ideas. Keep your mind open and sooner or later the big one will sink the bobber. Are you discouraged? Tempted to quit? Don't give up! Keep casting!

5. You can't catch all the fish. Don't mope and pout about missed opportunities. Every great fisherman has stories of the "one that got away." Missing an opportunity should simply be motivation for catching the next one. Are you spending too much time bemoaning the opportunity that passed you by? Bait your hook, and go fishing again!

6. Use the right bait. Different kinds of opportunities require different approaches. What kind of opportunity are you trying to land? Are you going about it the best way possible? If you are not landing the right kind of opportunities perhaps you are going about it in the wrong way. Think again! Evaluate!

7. Take someone with you. Fishing with friends is a lot more fun than fishing alone. As you go after new opportunities, be sure you take others with you on the journey.

8. Timing is everything. The fish bite better at certain times than others and the same thing applies with potential opportunities. What are the natural "windows of opportunity" in your situation? How are you making the most of them?

9. Celebrate! Celebrate! Catching a wonderful fish is cause for great celebration and landing a great opportunity is too. Take a moment to rejoice and then toss out the line again!

Changing Society, One Person at a Time

By Ronald D. Kelly | Released: Jan. 1, 2010 | In: Magazine

Wesleyan Life Magazine

During election years, Christians often believe their votes will somehow change their society. It is true that the choice of candidates can make a difference in legislation, but politics will never make a country “Christian.” I once heard author and speaker Cal Thomas say, “There will not be a change in America until there is a change in Americans.”

John Wesley, founder of Methodism and great social reformer, believed that the biblical, radical transformation of individual lives was the result of the work of Christ. Because he introduced one person after another to the claims of Jesus, English society was changed in a positive way.

Wesley did not set out to change his society. He set out to see people experience the same heart-warming spiritual experience he had. But as people experienced God’s love in their hearts through salvation and holiness, they were transformed; and as a result their society was transformed. Here are some action steps on how you can affect your culture.

1. Live a Life that Mirrors Christ

Make it your purpose to live a life that mirrors how Christ would live in your circumstances. Bob Woodson of the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise said, “If you want people to come to Christ they have to see what He looks like.” Live a life that incorporates biblical principles. Ask God to make you aware of any blind spots that may hinder your witness and choose to deal with them immediately. Ask Him to help you through a difficult time so that people can see the difference. If you experience success in great ways, don’t change how you relate to those around you.

2. Take Responsibility for Others

Second, take responsibility for those around you. Talk about God in your routine conversations so that telling of His work in your life will seem as normal as talking about the weather. Be sensitive to opportunities for speaking a good word about Jesus. Cultivate relationships with non-Christian friends. Intentionally pray for the lost. Walk through your neighborhood, meet your neighbors and pray for them.

3. Offer Yourself for Service

Next, offer yourself for service to God. Often we are convinced that we have little ability to offer the Lord, but what He is looking for is our availability. My wife and I used to sing, “Little is Much When God is in It.” The song’s message conveys that God will bless what we give to Him in humble service.

4. Immerse Yourself in the Word

Then immerse yourself in the Word. Study God’s Word on a daily basis, praying for understanding and application. Ask your pastor for recommendations on what to read that will assist you in learning more about the Bible. Memorize simple verses that tell the gospel story. Continue to store the Word in your mind and heart so you can tell others about Christ.

5. Acquire Training

Finally, take training to equip yourself to be more effective in communicating your faith. A course in evangelism could help you increase your comfort level in communicating the gospel, help you stay on track while presenting the message, give clarity as to when to introduce Christ into a conversation, and give you opportunity to tell your own story. Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, defined successful witnessing as “taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God.”

I heard a young man tell how one of his business associates asked if he was sure he would go to heaven if he died suddenly. The young man had no assurance, and before he left his co-worker’s office he had asked Christ into his heart. On the same day I heard him tell his story he also announced plans to enroll in seminary. One person made a difference, and one life was changed. Society can be changed—one person at a time. •

Ronald D. Kelly is General Editor for The Wesleyan Church, Indianapolis, Ind.

Spring Life 2010: Every Soul Matters

Feb. 16, 2010

Every name has a soul.

The fourth annual SpringLife emphasis is approaching (March 7-May 2, 2010), and the connection between eternity and the soul takes on added importance.

SpringLife is the annual evangelism and discipleship emphasis for the entire Church. According to Jim Dunn, Department of Spiritual Formation General Director, each spring, Wesleyan churches use SpringLife materials to motivate congregations to do two things: share personal faith stories in Jesus with someone and commit to becoming a better follower of Jesus in the year ahead.

“SpringLife unifies the Church in being Christ’s witnesses along with becoming more like the Master Himself,” says Dunn. “Salvation and baptism serve as two key outcomes to SpringLife. All of it is to celebrate the resurrected life of Jesus in the heart of an individual believer as well as a congregation of sold-out followers of Christ.”

During those nine weeks, every Wesleyan is encouraged to verbally tell someone about his or her faith. One special initiative is the SpringLife “Week of Witness Challenge” (March 28-April 4), meant to encourage Christians to communicate their faith and invite others to Easter services during the week between Palm Sunday and Easter.

“SpringLife allows Wesleyans to give themselves wholeheartedly to something that matters deeply to the God we love and serve,” says Chris Conrad, of the Evangelism and Church Growth department. “In order for a church to be healthy and fit, it must involve itself in missional (evangelism) and discipleship activities.”

“It has helped take ‘fear’ out of evangelism,” a 2009 SpringLife participant said about the initiative. Another stated that “emphasizing to pray for others and making a commitment to pray every day develops great habitual lifestyles.” A representative from one Wesleyan church had this to say: “We are a very small church that has struggled for years, and it was great to have an [accessible] program that could be used by a small church. We always look forward to SpringLife.”

Resources are available for ministry to children, youth, and adults, including sermon series, small group and Sunday school lessons, event ideas, and evangelism training. Visit EverySoul.org for more information and resources and to interact with Christians around the globe by posting prayers, sharing ideas, and celebrating God’s work. Materials used are produced by both Spiritual Formation and Evangelism & Church Growth departments.

View the video of Cypress Wesleyan Church celebrating the transformation of lives.

Wesleyan General Board Rethinks Church...

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General Board Challenged to Rethink Church

July 6, 2009

Wesleyan Life Magazine

The 114th session of The Wesleyan Church General Board was characterized by a reflection on its rich heritage and an excitement about its promising future. Board of General Superintendents Chair, Dr. Jerry G. Pence, said following the May 5-6 meetings. "From personal testimonies of healing to accounts of dramatic church growth, from stories of baptisms to stirring examples of Christ-followers of all ages who are on the frontlines of Kingdom ministry, the Board rejoiced over evidence of lives being transformed by God's grace through Wesleyan ministries." A live video feed from Dr. Benji Kelley, senior pastor of NewHope Church in Durham, North Carolina, which has doubled in size since moving to its new facility, was typical of the reports.

The first session included a personal testimony by board member Rev. Patty Bray, followed by the State of the Church address by General Superintendent

Pence on behalf of the Board of General Superintendents: www.wesleyan.org/bgs. He called on the Church to ask itself three questions:

• Who are we?
• Where are we headed?
• How are we going to get there?

He also challenged the General Board to rethink the purpose and direction of The Wesleyan Church.

Afternoon sessions of the General Board included the meetings of the Church's Priority Functions Task Forces:

• Core Theology and Value
• Vision Alignment and Accountability
• Leadership and Ministerial Development
• Healthy Churches
• Internationalization

In other business, the General Board received reports from:

• General Treasurer
• Wesleyan Investment Foundation
• Wesleyan Publishing House
• Communications/General Secretary
• Education and the Ministry
• Evangelism and Church Growth
• Global Partners
• Spiritual Formation
• Wesleyan Pension Fund
• Wesleyan Women
• Wesleyan Medical Fellowship
• Hephzibah Ministries

Honored Dr. David S. Medders, who is resigning after 19 years as president of Bethany Bible College in New Brunswick, Canada.

Adopted the 2010 fiscal year budget (that is 7.4% less than the 2009 fiscal year budget and includes a wage and salary freeze for The Wesleyan Church World Headquarters employees).

Approved a restatement of the Articles of Incorporation.

Approved an Investment Committee Policy update.

Approved Rev. C.K. Chitty as new CEO/General Director for Hephzibah Ministries.

Elected members of a Faith and Public Life Think Tank:

• General Superintendent Jo Anne Lyon, Chair
• Charles Massey, professor of urban ministries, Houghton College
• Peter Gillotte, recent seminary graduate with concentration in social justice, in transition for urban ministry, and member of Spring Lake Wesleyan Church in West Michigan District
• Anthony Graham, pastor, Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Jon Wiest, church planter,

The Colony, TX

• Mike Fullingim, professor of global ministries, Oklahoma Wesleyan University
• Mindy Dunn, social worker, Indianapolis
• Chris Accornero, chair of religion department, Southern Wesleyan University, Urban Specialist

Elected college and university trustees:

• Rev. Robert MacCallum, Bethany Bible College (alumni representative)
• Mr. John Lee and Mr. John M. Lyon, Houghton College (representative-at-large)
• Dr. Steven DeNeff, Indiana Wesleyan University (General Board nomination), Mr. Donald Thomason, IWU (representative-at-large)
• Mr. John Powell, Southern Wesleyan University (district representative nomination), Mr. D. Ken Whitener (representative-at-large)

In a meeting with world headquarters employees following the Wednesday conclusion of General Board business sessions, General Superintendent Pence highlighted Board action and then reminded them that they are a "mission force that is spreading hope and holiness that transforms Christians, communities and cultures." •

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SWU Home to Big League Players

Aug. 4, 2009

Eleven teams from across the nation and around the world arrived at Southern Wesleyan University's campus on July 27, where they will be housed while the Big League World Series takes to the baseball diamonds at J.B. "Red" Owens Sports Complex in Easley, S.C., through Aug. 5. Members of the West team of Thousand Oaks, Calif., (pictured) head across the Southern Wesleyan University campus in Central, S.C., shortly after arriving for the Series.

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Your Local Church-A Pillar of Strength

By Alex McFarland

Wesleyan Life Magazine Online

A church congregation functioning at its best is a beautiful thing to experience. I was recently reminded of this while attending a funeral service. My heart was stirred as I watched fellow church members shower the bereaved family with love, prayers, and home-cooked meals. About a week after the funeral, one of the family members told me, "Our pastor has been so faithful, and we've really felt God's love through all of the members reaching out to us. We're gonna be OK."

Low-Tech but Loving

In this era of televangelism and celebrity preachers, the significance of the humble local church is easy to miss. I think we need to take a second look. Often low-tech but loving, the church is a place where members serve God by serving others. It's a golden rule of the Christian world: When some one is hurting, be there.

Of the more than 384,000 Christian congregations in America, most number less than 125 worshippers on any given Sunday morning. Most will never podcast their sermons, much less garner prime-time media coverage. Week after week, most churches quietly continue to go about their two-millenia-old mission.

A Pillar of Strength

I believe that America's churches are as important today as they were in 1835, when Alexis DeToquiville penned this famous observation: "Not until I went into America's churches and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her greatness and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ceases to be good, she will cease to be great."

Always Relevant

Some today would disagree with DeToqueville. Many would indicate a tacit agreement with the sentiment expressed in the title of Christopher Hitchen's book, God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. A 2008 poll of 18—29 year olds revealed that most nearly 80 percent of those surveyed had a negative view of organized churches. Nearly 90 percent agreed with the statement, "Someone may have a good relationship with God without being involved in a church."

But whenever I get concerned about the church's place in our society I remember that caring about people will always be relevant. I think about people I've met along my ecclesiological journeys throughout America: People like Ed, who voluntarily fitted his pickup truck with expensive devices that keep meals hot which he transports to area shut-ins each week. I think about Joel, a busy college student, but one who for two years now has organized fellow students from his Sunday school class to sing in rest homes each week just because. I think about Lynn. As a retired international airline stewardess, Lynn fluently speaks half a dozen languages. For years, she has led literacy courses for immigrants and taught ESL classes to hundredsthrough her local church.

Cradle-to-Grave Community

The church affirms life at every stage, provides fellowship, community, instruction, and care of the soul. Churches carry out their all-important function of teaching people about God, the Bible, Jesus, and salvation. Churches teach people of all ages how to worship and how to serve, how to live and how to die.

- Alex McFarland serves as president of Southern Evangelical Seminary and the Veritas Graduate School.

From EP News. Used by permission.

Ghana Church Grows Through Community Ministry

Jul. 20, 2009

Ghana, Africa, has been in the news since President Obama's recent visit, but for Wesleyans, the best news is about growth in the Kingdom through the ministry of pastors and lay leaders in the country.

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The Power of Connection
Leadership in the 21st Century

By Jo Anne Lyon/Wesleyan Life Magazine

General Superintendent/The Wesleyan Church

I joined Facebook a few months ago. I find it interesting that when I need to confirm a friend, the language is inviting and signed, “The Facebook Team.” One gets the feeling the team knows you and somehow derives happiness when you connect with your friend. I must admit, when I get a note from a friend that automatically transfers to my Blackberry my heart is warmed.

We live in a networked world.

At our recent General Conference, minute-by-minute reports were going throughout the world via text messaging. Pastors are blogging about their sermons and laypeople are connecting through Twitter.

Connection is the bottom line; technology is just one of the means by which we do so.

Together

Much of leadership has to do with being connected. Good leadership today revolves around community, collaboration, and self-organization that strives toward the common vision empowered by the Holy Spirit. Perhaps that is what the writer of Proverbs meant: “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed” (15:22). People in this century call for a flattened organization, which keeps the leaders near the grass roots. People don’t want distant managers; they want to be involved at a significant level. They want to be connected.

Biblical language for being networked would be Paul’s image of the “body of Christ.” Jesus’ words at the Last Supper certainly are connectors: “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). Another powerful image of people connected comes from the writer of Revelation: “Before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb…[crying] in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb’” (7:9–10).

Opportunity

We, in the 21st Century, with all our connecting tools, have the opportunity to create a global community. Yes, I mean us—The Wesleyan Church. Our theology, history, tradition, and flexibility are foundations for connectedness to bring healing to a broken people and our world.

The words of Samuel Chadwick, British Methodist pastor and author in the early 1900s, are still relevant to us today: “The Church has lost the note of authority, the secret of wisdom and the gift of power through its persistent and willful neglect of the Holy Spirit of God. Confusion and impotence are inevitable when the wisdom and resources of the world is substituted for the presence and power of the Spirit of God.” *

After Pearl Harbor it was the clergy who called the nation to prayer. After 9/11 it was Oprah Winfrey who called the nation to a type of muted prayer. Who’s calling the nation to prayer today?

Greater Things God

Chadwick’s words give me pause, but I am not wringing my hands in despair. I am encouraged by the desire I sense throughout The Wesleyan Church for a hunger to be holy and active in being part of the future Kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit is at work, and new gifts of leadership are evident around the world.

When I read the words of the prophet Joel, as repeated by Peter on the day of Pentecost, I am compelled to consider again what the Holy Spirit wants to do in each of us. The very Spirit of God—the third Person of the Trinity—promises to give guidance, comfort, power, wisdom, desire for God, heightened prayer, conviction, as well as the gifts and fruit of the Spirit. What more is needed to be effective leaders in this world?

In the 21st century, the measure of power is connectedness. While nations are measuring military strength and economies, the church has a clear advantage of leadership in connectedness. Solutions to issues and challenges are discovered through people with like passions. Rick Warren recently said, “The only thing big enough to solve the problems of spiritual emptiness, selfish leadership, poverty, disease, and ignorance is the network of millions of churches all around the world.” The Wesleyan Church has the opportunity to shape the 21st century through its global connectedness by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus’ words are always a challenge. “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12 NIV).

— Jo Anne Lyon, General Superintendent, The Wesleyan Church

* Samuel Chadwick, The Way to Pentecost, (Fort Washington, Pa.; CLC Publications, 2000), 17.

Why Jesus Drank Wine and I Don't

From Wesleyan Life Magazine

By Denn Guptill

Every wedding has a story. Perhaps the most famous wedding faux pas was the one where they hadn’t ordered enough wine, and halfway through the festivities the proverbial well ran dry. This story will never be forgotten—not because of the blunder, but because of how the mistake was corrected: Jesus miraculously turned water into wine, and everyone had enough to drink (John 2:1-11).

It’s a great story; it reveals a lot about Jesus’ character and personality. But sometimes I wish John had skipped it. It would have made it easier to justify The Wesleyan Church’s stance on alcohol consumption:

To demonstrate a positive social witness by abstaining from all forms of gambling and by abstaining from using or trafficking (production, sale or purchase) in any substances destructive to their physical, mental and spiritual health, such as alcoholic beverages, tobacco and drugs (other than proper medical purposes of drugs). (From The Discipline 265:4)

Often when people hear about our stance they say, “But Jesus drank wine!” I concede that it does appear Jesus drank wine, and I will not insult your intelligence by trying to convince you that he turned the water into grape juice. As one pastor said, “Jesus turned the water into wine, and for the past two thousand years we’ve been trying to change it back.”

So because I’m sure I’m not the only one to field those questions, I thought this would be a great place to address why Jesus drank wine and I don’t.

It Was a Different Time

Imagine living in a time when water supplies were used for bathing and washing clothes, and there was no effective way to treat wastewater.

Add to that a lack of refrigeration, and you can understand what Palestine was like 2000 years ago. Drinking untreated water would have been dangerous, and the most practical solution was to use the antiseptic qualities of alcohol.

They drank wine 2000 years ago because there weren’t many options; today there are. You can go to a tap and get a glass of clean, safe water. You can go to your fridge and get a glass of cold milk or juice. If you need to take a beverage on a trip there are hundreds of safe options.

I don’t drink because I have other options.

It Was a Different Place

In Jesus’ day, wine was an important part of everyday life—from meals to celebrations. However, drinking alcohol was not recreational. Drunkenness was a social taboo, much like how people feel about drunk driving today.

Our culture’s view on drinking today is typified by writer Stephen King in his autobiography On Writing: “I found the idea of social drinking ludicrous—if you didn’t want to get drunk, why not just have a Coke?” Drinking a little in our culture can easily become drinking a lot. As Francis Scott Fitzgerald said: “First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you.”

The scriptures do not clearly prohibit drinking, but it does prohibit drunkenness. Strongly. Galatians 5:19–21 says, “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God” (NLT). That’s harsh: drunkenness will keep you out of heaven.

When does having a drink become drunkenness? I’m not exactly sure where that line would be for me—or whether when I got close to the line I would be able to keep on this side of it—so I don’t toe it.

I don’t drink because my culture doesn’t require it and often abuses it.

It Was a Different Brew

The wine that Jesus drank 2000 years ago wasn’t a whole lot different than the wine that is around today—somewhere between 3 and 11% alcohol content; but it was mixed with water, usually two parts water and one part wine. And there was nothing stronger than wine. Distillation was not discovered until about 1500 A.D. When the Bible speaks of strong drink, it’s referring to unmixed wine.

Are you going to follow Jesus’ example by drinking? Then you should be willing to limit your alcohol consumption to what his would have been. Also, if you intend to copy him, keep in mind that he prayed with devotion, he studied the Word of God, he fasted, and he tithed—not to mention that he gave up his life for others.

I don’t drink because it’s not even close to what Jesus was all about.

It Hurts Others

I have stood at the coffin of a teenager killed by a drunk driver, I have sat across the desk from women abused by drunk husbands, and I have seen marriages dissolve because of alcohol abuse. Addiction to alcohol happens subtly, and the results are devastating.

I don’t ever want to be someone’s example to drink. You might be able say that Denn drove you to drink, but you will never be able to say that you drink because Denn does. Romans 14:21 says, “It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble” (NLT).

I don’t drink because I will not support an industry that destroys lives, wrecks marriages, and kills people.

The Bible does not order you not to drink. But it does say, “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts,” Ephesians 5:18-19 (NLT).

If you so badly want to drink, ask yourself why. And ask yourself what would be missing if you gave it up.

— Denn Guptil is a pastor and columnist

New Devotion Resource Links

I just added these two fast links to "the Wesleyan Hour" and to "Wesleyan Life Magazine Online."You will find these in the left hand column of this blog. Just click on the picture with your mouse and you are there.

Musings of a Reluctant Evangelical

By Marlene J. Chase

Wesleyan Life Magazine

I stop to talk to my six-year-old neighbor. We chat amiably for a while, and then between nervous licks of her strawberry cone she tells me about an uncle who has been hurting her mommy.

I listen, repulsed by her story. She is one of many hurting people in a society plagued with problems. Hope is all but dead, and God seems buried and forgotten if indeed He ever existed at all. The air rings with Pilate’s familiar taunt when confronted by a flogged and bleeding Christ: “What is truth?” (John 18:38).

A Divided World

I cannot ignore my neighbor’s story; authorities will bring change into this child’s life, but who can guarantee that it will change for the better? Only the Truth himself can help her. I begin to hum softly.

“Do you know this song?” I ask her.

She looks at me with wide, grave eyes. Perhaps my less than tuneful rendition has been unrecognizable. “It’s ‘Jesus Loves Me,’” I explain.

She screws up her small features and returns to her ice cream.

I am astounded. Doesn’t every child know “Jesus Loves Me”? Statistics show that an increasing number of people do not know the most basic facts about God. Others regard Christianity as a curious anachronism, a cause for suspicion rather than celebration.

Strangers to Truth

What does Christianity mean for my neighbor? What does it mean to a culture that has lost the one true God? What do neighbors and friends make of the church’s slogans and campaigns, soulful anthems and contemporary choruses? Too often, people feel threatened by Christians who impose ideas and codes of behavior for which they have no point of reference.

“What have we evangelicals done to make Good News—the very meaning of the word evangelical—sound like such a threat?” asks author Philip Yancey. He notes that neither Jesus nor Paul seemed concerned about cleaning up a degenerate Roman Empire. Instead, first-century Christians used their time and resources for spreading the good news of a Kingdom defined by love.

To the decadent Corinthians, a decidedly evangelical Paul came “with much trembling” not to bring society into line with his convictions but to reveal a love so great that “no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor. 2:2–9).

Perhaps we evangelicals have become distracted from our mission: to preach the good news of God’s love. A society that has once embraced the Christian gospel but largely rejected it is not an easy audience. If people are to be attracted to the message of the gospel once again, they will need a demonstration of love to overcome inbuilt skepticism.

Love in Action

Suicide bombers believe they will be rewarded if they give their lives for their beliefs. Paul didn’t work for any such self-absorbed reward. His heart beat with the love of the God who gave His life to ransom the world. He spread the good news in a culture as degraded and hostile as ours and stated, “I could wish that I myself were . . . cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers” (Rom. 9:3).

That is a truer picture of an evangelical Christian. We must do more than groan over the evil practices of the day. We must do more than sing “Jesus Loves Me.” We must demonstrate to a hostile world that Christ in our lives is avidly seeking their highest good.

“I have come that you might have life and have it to the full,” Christ said (John 10:10). With that He was willing to give up His rights and redeem us at the costly price of His life. And that must be the focus of a true evangelical.

- Marlene Chase of Rockford, Ill., is a former editor in chief and literary secretary for Salvation Army Publications.

Wesleyan Life Magazine Online

Hope to Refugees

By Bonnie MacBeth

Our faith-based organization was mentioned in a front-page article of the main Buffalo, New York, newspaper. Myo Thant (pronounced mew taunt), a volunteer who translates to English for the Burmese families we serve at Hope Refugee Services (HOPE), was interviewed about the tragedy in Burma, the cyclone Nargis. I shook my head in amazement as I read the reference to HOPE.

Starting with limited financial resources and a few volunteers with compassion for refugee families, only God could have taken us from a group of five women drinking coffee around a table and brainstorming about what we could do for refugees (with no funds and no facilities) to helping hundreds of refugees solve translation needs, housing crises, food shortages, children’s educational challenges, health needs, and employment issues.

A Perfect Location

Fifteen million refugees live in “temporary” refugee camps worldwide. Fewer than one percent ever leave the camps. Refugees fled their homelands for fear of persecution or death and have experienced much tragedy and injustice. They are legal immigrants who come to the U.S. after undergoing an intense screening process by the United Nations and the federal government, and they arrive in the States with only the clothes on their backs.

It seems like every week God shows up in new ways to meet the overwhelming needs of these families. When we needed a place to start our ministry, a Catholic nun who operated a home for people who were physically handicapped was concluding her ministry and retiring. She heard about HOPE and decided to give the house to us for our ministry to refugees. It was in a perfect location for the many families who must walk to meet with us, as most have no car.

Wesleyans Respond with Help

When we needed emergency funds to help refugee families move into apartments, a number of Wesleyan churches gave to make it possible. When we saw refugee kids discouraged and struggling in school because they are put into classrooms according to their age and not their English abilities, we started an after-school tutoring program. The Buffalo Public Schools asked us if they could piggyback on our Saturday program and expand it from 15 to 60 kids!

Hamburg Wesleyan Church gave us a generous, two-year grant that enabled us to open our doors, and several Wesleyan churches across Western New York District, including my home church, Fellowship Wesleyan in Seneca, New York, have provided funds, volunteers, and household items.

He Knows We Are Christians

Early on, Myo Thant, the volunteer interviewed in the news article, showed up and began to bring many Burmese families to us for help. A Buddhist, Myo loves his people and is a leader among them. He knows we are Christians and is happy to work with us. Always a cheerful person, he is constantly helping others. But after the cyclone tragedy in Burma he came into my office in tears and showed me pictures of the dead from his home area. I told Myo that Jesus’ heart is broken for the people who are suffering and dying in Burma, and as we cried together he let me pray with him.

Deepened Love for Jesus

Recently God has opened up new areas of ministry: A local camp is partnering with us to develop a year-round leadership program, we’ve started a sewing project to teach refugee women how to use sewing machines and encourage them in developing home businesses, and we are partnering with local housing agencies to offer homebuyers’ programs. A new drop-in center is ministering to 500-600 people each month.

My days include long hours of service and both emotionally and physically exhausting work. But as a byproduct, I realize my faith is growing; I am more willing to take risks for the sake of the Kingdom; I am learning to listen more intently to the leading of the Holy Spirit; I have become bolder in sharing my faith. Most of all, my love for Jesus has deepened as I see His heart of love reach out through His church to those who need to know He has not forgotten them.

- Bonnie MacBeth is executive director of Hope Refugee Services in Buffalo, New York.

Musings of a Reluctant Evangelical

By Marlene J. Chase

Wesleyan Life Magazine

I stop to talk to my six-year-old neighbor. We chat amiably for a while, and then between nervous licks of her strawberry cone she tells me about an uncle who has been hurting her mommy.

I listen, repulsed by her story. She is one of many hurting people in a society plagued with problems. Hope is all but dead, and God seems buried and forgotten if indeed He ever existed at all. The air rings with Pilate’s familiar taunt when confronted by a flogged and bleeding Christ: “What is truth?” (John 18:38).

A Divided World

I cannot ignore my neighbor’s story; authorities will bring change into this child’s life, but who can guarantee that it will change for the better? Only the Truth himself can help her. I begin to hum softly.

“Do you know this song?” I ask her.

She looks at me with wide, grave eyes. Perhaps my less than tuneful rendition has been unrecognizable. “It’s ‘Jesus Loves Me,’” I explain.

She screws up her small features and returns to her ice cream.

I am astounded. Doesn’t every child know “Jesus Loves Me”? Statistics show that an increasing number of people do not know the most basic facts about God. Others regard Christianity as a curious anachronism, a cause for suspicion rather than celebration.

Strangers to Truth

What does Christianity mean for my neighbor? What does it mean to a culture that has lost the one true God? What do neighbors and friends make of the church’s slogans and campaigns, soulful anthems and contemporary choruses? Too often, people feel threatened by Christians who impose ideas and codes of behavior for which they have no point of reference.

“What have we evangelicals done to make Good News—the very meaning of the word evangelical—sound like such a threat?” asks author Philip Yancey. He notes that neither Jesus nor Paul seemed concerned about cleaning up a degenerate Roman Empire. Instead, first-century Christians used their time and resources for spreading the good news of a Kingdom defined by love.

To the decadent Corinthians, a decidedly evangelical Paul came “with much trembling” not to bring society into line with his convictions but to reveal a love so great that “no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor. 2:2–9).

Perhaps we evangelicals have become distracted from our mission: to preach the good news of God’s love. A society that has once embraced the Christian gospel but largely rejected it is not an easy audience. If people are to be attracted to the message of the gospel once again, they will need a demonstration of love to overcome inbuilt skepticism.

Love in Action

Suicide bombers believe they will be rewarded if they give their lives for their beliefs. Paul didn’t work for any such self-absorbed reward. His heart beat with the love of the God who gave His life to ransom the world. He spread the good news in a culture as degraded and hostile as ours and stated, “I could wish that I myself were . . . cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers” (Rom. 9:3).

That is a truer picture of an evangelical Christian. We must do more than groan over the evil practices of the day. We must do more than sing “Jesus Loves Me.” We must demonstrate to a hostile world that Christ in our lives is avidly seeking their highest good.

“I have come that you might have life and have it to the full,” Christ said (John 10:10). With that He was willing to give up His rights and redeem us at the costly price of His life. And that must be the focus of a true evangelical.

- Marlene Chase of Rockford, Ill., is a former editor in chief and literary secretary for Salvation Army Publications.

Devotion-Contentment

How Can We Be More Content?

By Julie-Ann Lattimer-Wesleyan Life Magazine

…make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands… (1 Thess. 4:11).

• Don’t compare yourself to others. If you do, look at those less fortunate and you’ll be thankful for what you have.
• Take a walk and look at nature. It’s God creation, not man’s. We can see His plan and control of this earth through the beauty and balance of nature.
• Read a book about India, Haiti or another third-world country. What we label bare necessities are unattainable luxuries to these people.
• When feeling shut-in, get out. Go to the library or a museum, not the mall.
• When feeling down about your job, think of those unemployed. If you’re exhausted or feeling over-worked, kick off your shoes and relax. Be thankful you’re tired from a hard day’s work instead of boredom.
• Dissatisfied with your looks? Gramma always said, “Beauty is a clean face, shiny hair, and a pure heart.” Anyone can have it.
• Do something thoughtful for someone. Thinking of others keeps our minds off ourselves.
• Focus on what is good in your life and rely on God to supply all your needs, not your wants.
• Enjoy the freebies in life: flowers, sunsets, love, family, friends and Christ’s salvation.
• Meditate on heaven and eternity. Our present situation is temporary.

Contentment is not boredom or lack of ambition. It is an acceptance. Being content does not depend on circumstances. With God’s help, may we say, as the apostle Paul did, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Phil. 4:11).

Wesleyan Life

Holy Living

By Dr. Ronald D. Kelly

“Wesleyan” because of a church you attend? Or are you called Wesleyan because of the truth you believe? In an age of creeping universalism (one way or another, everyone is going to heaven), God has set a different standard: holy living. Leviticus 11:44 says, “I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.” Holiness is something we seek actively and continually because it is God’s will for us.

Pure in Heart

When God called Abraham to leave his home and set out for the Promised Land (Gen. 12:1), He called him to model holiness by living above the standard of the surrounding culture. Jesus Christ reaffirmed this lifestyle in Matthew 5:8, when He reminded us that the “pure in heart . . . will see God.” When Christ prayed for His disciples (John 17:17, 19), He prayed that they would be “sanctified” (that is, set apart for holy use). Why do some Christians struggle to live a life of spiritual wholeness (holiness)?

Carnal Nature

All followers of Jesus Christ begin their journey with a determination to grow in the faith. But it isn’t very long before they come to a spiritual speed bump—a point at which they have to deal with something that hinders growth in their walk with Christ (Rom. 7:21–23). The problem is as old as the first man, Adam, but as fresh as today’s inner struggle: original sin (Rom. 5:12). We are born with a spiritual DNA that includes a tendency to live by self-law and self-strength rather than God’s (called a carnal, or sinful, nature, Rom. 8:5–8). Spiritual maturity and positive response to God come to a grinding halt when self rules.

Now or Later?

Many churches believe that original sin remains in a person after he or she is spiritually reborn. And many recognize that something must be done to deal with the tendency toward sin. While many believe it is a process that is finalized only in heaven, Wesleyans believe that original sin (the carnal nature) can be dealt with in the present (on earth), and that we can have victory over sin in our daily lives (1 John 1:7).

Entire Sanctification

We believe God has provided a solution through what Christ did on Calvary (Heb. 9:14). The theological term for that solution is “entire sanctification.” Wesleyans believe that once we are convicted (inwardly convinced) of our need, and admit that our solution comes from God alone (Eph. 4:12–14), we can make a definitive (entire) surrender of self and selfishness to God (Rom. 12:1–2). We believe that in response to our asking in faith, God will do a second spiritual work of grace in us through the power of the Holy Spirit, cleansing our heart of the limitations of original sin (Acts 15:8–9) and allowing us the freedom to love and serve Him with joyful obedience (Gal. 5:22–23). Wesleyans believe this is more than an article of religion; we believe it is a way of life!

- Ronald D. Kelly is General Secretary and General Editor for The Wesleyan Church.

This article is from Wesleyan Life Magazine, which is published quarterly.The current issue,not yet online has an excellent article on the leadership of Women in the Church. As Wesleyans, we were the first to ordain women and African-Americans and admit them to our colleges and universities. Pick up the current issue from the table in the foyer, or go online: Click here