When God called me to the ministry I was living in a town that had three churches - a predominantly Spanish-speaking Catholic church, a single-family Baptist church, and a United Methodist congregation. Coming from the polar opposites of Mormonism and store-front Pentecostalism, all I knew about the Methodist church was that, along with all other mainline churches, it was a Church of Laodicea. Lukewarm and nauseating to God. (sigh)
But I had to go to church, so off to the Methodist church I want every Sunday. Even though the pastor was way too liberal. An Illiff grad. One Christmas Eve he read from some of the Gnostic gospels. (shudder)
But it was while attending this church that I heard God call. "OK," I said, "But, Lord, you're gonna have to lead me, 'cause I don't know what it means to be a pastor. Just, please, not the Methodist church!" This seemed like a good deal to me, and one that I was sure God agreed with!
But in God's unfathomable wisdom, by many circuitous twists and turns, He led me here. But many times it hasn't felt like I fit. Square peg, round hole. But one of the things the Methodists did was introduce me to John Wesley. Wow. And after I read the first fifty-three sermons, I started on the rest of his writings. Man, this guy got it. And the more I read, the more I felt the witness of the Holy Spirit, teaching me, convicting me, encouraging me. This stuff was righteous. If this was what Methodists believed, I was home!
Problem was, I couldn't find many Methodists who did believe this. Or many who even admitted reading Wesley. Oh, there were lots of books telling them what Wesley taught, and what Wesley thought, and what Wesley would teach or think if he were here today, but nobody read Wesley.
So today there are even more books on Wesley, but when was the last time you just read Wesley? If you're a United Methodist, your doctrinal standards are 1) the Articles of Religion (and the Confession of Faith), 2) John Wesley's Notes on the New Testament, and (drum roll, please) 3) the Standard Sermons. There's no simple Small Catechism, or Wesminster Confession, there's 53 (or 44, if you're a lightweight) Sermons to inform the way you understand your Christianity.
So that's why I'm chasing Wesley. I want to imitate him as he imitated Paul imitating Christ. Well, OK, maybe not in every detail of his life, but I'll be happy to die with my bills paid and enough money to pay for a modest funeral in my pocket, having spent my life in winning souls.
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