40 Days with Wesley by Job Rueben P.;

Author:Job, Rueben P.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Published: 2017-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

First Wesley Reading

St. Peter expresses it in a still different manner, though to the same effect: “As he that hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.” (1 Peter 1:15.) According to this Apostle, then, perfection is another name for universal holiness: Inward and outward righteousness: Holiness of life, arising from holiness of heart.

Sermon 76, “On Perfection,” Works 6:414

Reflections

Many assert that John Wesley was the world’s most influential social reformer of his day. While some will question the depth of his influence, none question his remarkable ability to link piety with justice and to translate doctrine into daily living. From the early days at Oxford until a few days before his death, Wesley was about the ministry of caring for the poor, the oppressed, and the imprisoned. And all of this while living a rigorous life of prayer, study, and reflection.

Holy living is a direct result of and inseparable from a holy heart. To experience Christian perfection is to live as Jesus lived. It is to be obedient to the One proclaimed as Savior and Lord. Matthew 25 is a text to be taken seriously. To know Christ and to be known by Christ means to walk with Christ in the everyday business of life.

Certainly one of the goals of the societies, bands, and classes was to help people live the holy life. While each had some distinctive characteristics there was one common purpose. The meetings, the confessions, the prayers, the admonishment, the encouragement, the teaching were all designed to aid the participant in the translation of the gospel story into everyday living. To fail to practice holy living was to place in jeopardy one’s relationship to God.

As early as the Oxford Holy Club days the spiritual quest for holiness centered in a pure heart and a transformed life.

This transformed life within led to a transformed life without. For the Wesleys the only reasonable response to God’s grace and activity within was a faithful living out, an imitation of the One “who went about doing good.” Obedience to Christ meant seeking to fashion all of life in keeping with the life of Jesus. Such obedience translated naturally into a life of holiness where love of God and love of neighbor were the guiding principle and the evident fruit of faith in the life of the believer.

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