"Methodist Monday" is a series of simple posts that provide some very brief quotes from early Nazarene leaders that demonstrate the underlying "Methodist" identity of the Church of the Nazarene. - This week's quote comes from C. W. Ruth, Assistant General Superintendent, 1903:
"The Church of the Nazarene is nothing in the world but old-fashioned Methodism"
At Ancient Paths Church of the Nazarene1, I have been using the time during the giving of our tithes and offerings, as we are preparing to come to the Table, to help us with our Wesleyan sacramental theology. I have been doing this by introducing some of the rich Eucharistic Hymns of the Wesley's. Here are two of my favorites, which we have recently sung:
Glory to Him
1. Glory to Him who freely spent
His blood, that we might live,
And through this choicest Instrument
Doth all His blessings give.
2. Fasting He doth and hearing bless,
And prayer can much avail,
Good vessels all to draw the grace
Out of salvation's well.
3. But none, like this mysterious rite
Which dying mercy gave,
Can draw forth all HIs promised might
And all His will to save.
4. This is the richest legacy
thou hast on man bestow'd:
Here chiefly, Lord, we feed on Thee,
And drink Thy precious blood.
5. Here all Thy blessings we receive,
Here all Thy gifts are given,
To those that would in Thee believe,
Pardon, and grace, and heaven.
O the Depth of Love Diving
1. O the depth of love divine
the unfathomable grace!
Who shall say how bread and wine
God into us conveys!
How the bread his flesh imparts,
how the wine transmits his blood,
fills his faithful people's hearts
with all the life of God!
2. Let the wisest mortals show
how we the grace receive;
feeble elements bestow
a power not theirs to give.
Who explains the wondrous way,
how through these the virtue came?
These the virtue did convey,
yet still remain the same.
3. How can spirits heavenward rise,
by earthly matter fed,
drink herewith divine supplies
and eat immortal bread?
Ask the Father's wisdom how:
Christ who did the means ordain;
angels round our altars bow
to search it out, in vain.
4. Sure and real is the grace,
the manner be unknown;
only meet us in thy ways
and perfect us in one.
Let us taste the heavenly powers,
Lord, we ask for nothing more.
Thine to bless, 'tis only ours
to wonder and adore.
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1 Ancient Paths Church of the Nazarene is located at 2278 Canal Lane, Georgetown, IN. Our worship services begin at 10:30 AM. If you are in the area, we would love to have you join with us!
From Sermon 1: Salvation By Faith, Ephesians 2:8:
He that is by faith born of God sinneth not, (1), by any habitual sin, for all habitual sin is sin reigning; but sin cannot reign in any that believeth. Nor, (2), by any wilful sin; for his will, while he abideth in the faith, is utterly set against all sin, and abhorreth it as deadly poison. Nor, (3), by any sinful desire; for he continually desireth the holy and perfect will of God; and any unholy desire he by the grace of God stifleth in the birth. Nor, (4), doth he sin by infirmities, whether in act, word, or thought; for his infirmities have no concurrence of his will; and without this they are not properly sins. Thus, 'He that is born of God doth not commit sin.' And though he cannot say he hath not sinned, yet now 'he sinneth not'.
published by the Order of Saint Luke and edited by Heather Josselyn-Cranson. I was privileged to have written the following piece on Bresee (the prayer was written by Daniel Taylor Benedict, Jr.): |
| Me, behind Bresee's pulpit with my Bresee bobble head |
You will find, in a previous post, that I highlighted a video on a Wesleyan understanding of Baptism. The following video actually preceded that video. In this video Dr. Matt O'Reilly, an elder in the Global Methodist Church, and the host of Theology Project, interviews my friend, Dr. Ryan Danker, and they discuss the place of the Eucharist in Wesleyan theology. Dr. Danker is the Director of the John Wesley Institute in Washington, D.C.. - Like the video on Baptism, I commend it to all who are a part of the Wesleyan tradition.
Below is a video briefly describing Ancient Paths Church of the Nazarene. It talks a little about who we are and about the gathering together of a core group for our official launch. (One correction, the video indicates we will launch on the first Sunday of December, and it identifies that as the First Sunday of Advent. It is actually the Second Sunday of Advent, December 7.)
I invite everyone who sees this post to keep us in your prayers. And if you live anywhere near Georgetown, Indiana, I invite you to prayerfully consider whether God might be calling you to be a part of Ancient Paths Church. We are meeting on Sunday mornings at 10:30 at 2278 Canal Lane.
Dr. Matt O'Reilly, an elder in the Global Methodist Church, has recently produced a couple of very good video podcasts on his channel, Theology Project, which deal with the sacraments in the Wesleyan tradition. The first one (which I plan to link after I have the chance to finish viewing it) is an interview with my friend, Dr. Ryan Danker. That interview focuses on the place of the Eucharist in Wesleyan theology. - The one, linked below, is an interview with another friend, Dr. Jonathan Powers, about the place of Baptism in Wesleyan theology. - Dr. Powers is a part of the Anglican Church in North America, and he currently teaches at one of my alma maters, Asbury Theological Seminary. - This is a really good interview, and I commend it to all who are a part of the Wesleyan tradition.
The Church of England has finally elected a new Archbishop of Canterbury! She is the Rt. Rev'd. Sarah Mullally.
If you are a member of the Wesleyan-Anglican Society, or if you would like to become a member, the following video contains information that you will be interested in!
Happy Aldersgate Day!
I invite you to take a look at my video for Aldersgate Day, this year, and following the video, I invite you to join me in the prayer, listed below.
The following passage is taken 
"Though Wesley clearly taught that 'our Church supposes all who are baptized in their infancy are at the same time born again ' (S, 1:281), his emphasis in this sermon is elsewhere - not on what they once were, but on what they now are. 'How many are the baptized gluttons and drunkards, the baptized liars and common swearers, the baptized railers and evil-speakers, the baptized whoremongers, thieves, extortioners!' he asked. And even more pointedly Wesley concluded: if 'there is no new birth but in baptism [then this], is to seal you all under damnation, to consign you to hell, without any help, without hope' (O, 1:429)."
Today, November 1, is All Saints' Day! Many Protestant churches transfer All Saints' Day to the following Sunday and observe All Saints' on Sunday. We will be doing that in our congregation, as well. However, I wanted to make sure that I published a post, today.
As The United Methodist Book of Worship reminds us, "All Saints (November 1 or the first Sunday in November) is a day of remembrance for the saints, with the New Testament meaning of all Christian people of every time and place. We celebrate the communion of saints as we remember the dead, both of the Church universal and of our local congregations. For this reason, the names of persons in the congregation who have died during the past year may be solemnly read as a Response to the Word."***This is a re-post from last year for Reformation Day.***
To answer that question, I have included the following video from Seedbed, by Dr. Larry Wood. In it, he explains the place of John Wesley in the Protestant Reformation.
