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Wednesday, January 27, 2016

3RD AND DONE: The 3rd General Rule

This is my final post in the series on the basic doctrines of the CME Church.

There’s an old challenge in Christianity.  We ask, “If you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” 

If you keep the 3 General Rules of Methodism there will be enough evidence to convict you.

It is expected of all who desire to continue in these Societies that they should continue to evidence their desire of salvation…

People who follow Jesus live differently from people who don’t.  We say “No” to things Scripture calls wrong, even when other people say, “I don’t see what’s wrong with that” (General Rule #1).  We do good to others, especially but not exclusively to other Christians; and we do good even when it isn’t rewarded, appreciated, or permitted by law or custom (General Rule #2).

Thirdly, by attending on all the ordinances of God such as:
    The Public Worship of God
    The ministry of the Word, either read or expounded.
    The Supper of the Lord.
    Family and private prayer.
    Searching the Scriptures, and
    Fasting or abstinence.

An ordinance is a specific act of worship, often with an accompanying set of specific procedures and restrictions. 

The Public Worship of God.  You can worship God all by yourself (and you should) but if your worship is about God and not about you (and what’s comfortable or convenient) then you will also regularly worship God in a fellowship of believers. 

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. (Hebrews 10: 23-25)

You can’t hide the evidence of your faith if you leave a
 bunch of witnesses.

The ministry of the Word, either read or expounded.  Worship can take many valid forms, including times with nothing but music and prayer. But, without preaching and teaching, praise alone becomes empty entertainment.  Worship moves us; and the ministry of the Word prepares us to do what we’re moved to accomplish.

You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3: 14-17)        

Those who minister the Word of God need courage and understanding.

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4: 2-4)


The Supper of the Lord. Holy Communion is one of two rituals that Jesus ordered the church to perform. (The other is baptism.)  At the Last Supper Jesus told the disciples to “do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22: 19).

Paul warned the Corinthian church against taking the Lord’s Supper lightly.  Communion isn’t a snack or an empty ritual.
Liturgies change and vary, but “as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 11: 26-27).

Family and private prayer.  Jesus prayed alone (Luke 5: 16).  He used “a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart” (Luke 18: 1).  Jesus explicitly explained how we should and should not pray, even going so far as to recite a prayer we can use as a model  (Matthew 6:5-13).   It’s pretty clear that God wants us to pray, often, regularly---as Paul says--- “without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Prayer is a dialogue with God, and marriage is the picture of relationship with God, so it’s not surprising that Scripture links prayer and family. 
Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. (1 Peter 3:7)


Searching the Scriptures.  The preacher must diligently study the Bible to show himself/ herself to be an approved and right divider of the Word, but guess what?  Every Christian has the same obligation to study the Bible.  Yep, every Christian. You, too.

The Bereans sat under the masterful teaching of the Apostle Paul, but they didn’t stop learning when Paul ended a lesson.
           
You can sit under the most qualified and sincere Bible teachers in history, but if you don’t consistently spend your time individually studying God’s Word, you will drift into error.  Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. (Acts 17: 11)

In the gospels, the Sadducees came the most progressive school of theology in Judaea.

Jesus said to them [the Sadducees], “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God? (Mark 12: 24)

If you only know what your preacher has told you, you don’t know nearly enough.  Open your own Bible on your own time and become “more noble-minded.”


Fasting or abstinence.  Fasting means giving up the necessary act of eating for a while, and using all the time that you would have spent finding food, preparing food, consuming food, etc. to pray, read, meditate, and serve others.

Jesus practiced, endorsed, and taught fasting.

“Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward in full.  But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you  (Matthew 6: 16-18).

Jesus’ teaching recalls Isaiah’s detailed instructions for fasting (Isaiah 58). 

Abstinence means saying “No” to anything to which you usually say “Yes.”  You can abstain from social media, television, dessert, sex (1 Corinthians 7:3-5), anything you can do and like to do. 

Abstinence or fasting, searching the scriptures, family and private prayer, the Supper of the Lord, the ministry of the Word, and the public worship of God are ordinances delivered to us by God.  Keeping these ordinances is the 3rd General Rule of Methodism.

By themselves, keeping the General Rules doesn’t save you. Salvation comes from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.   The General Rules explain how the world will know that you desire salvation.  If you do good, avoid evil, and keep the ordinances of God you’ll leave enough physical evidence for them to convict you of being a Christian. 

Without evidence, they have to let you go.  So, the finals words of the General Rules state:

These are the General Rules of our Societies; all which we are taught of God to observe, even in His written Word, which is the only rule, and the sufficient rule, both of our faith and practice.  And all these we know His Spirit writes on all truly awakened hearts.   If there be any among us who observe them not, who habitually break any of them, let it be known unto them who watch over that soul, as they who must give an account. We will admonish him of the error of his ways; we will bear with him for a season; but, if then he repents not, he hath no more place among us; we have delivered our own souls.

---Anderson T. Graves II   is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Miles Chapel CME Church in Fairfield, Alabama; executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO); and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).

Subscribe to my personal blog  www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com .

Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
Follow me on twitter @AndersonTGraves
#Awordtothewise

You can help support this ministry with a donation to Miles Chapel CME Church.

You can help support Rev. Graves’ work by visiting his personal blog and clicking the DONATE button on the right-hand sidebar.

Support by check or money order may be mailed to
Miles Chapel CME Church
P O Box 132

Fairfield, Al 35064

Sunday, January 24, 2016

CAUSE & EFFECT, PART 1

Nothing just happens.  Everything has a cause.  In the opening chapters of Isaiah, God delivers a prophetic warning about what is causing the chronic brokenness in our communities, and offers a way to correct the decline.

This is part one of an urgently relevant and necessary message.  The sermon is titled: CAUSE & EFFECT, part 1 .


Listen well.

If you can’t get the audio on your device, visit the main podcast page at http://revandersongraves.podomatic.com/

---Anderson T. Graves II   is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Miles Chapel CME Church in Fairfield, Alabama;  executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO);  and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).

Subscribe to my personal blog  www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com .

Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
Follow me on twitter @AndersonTGraves  #Awordtothewise 

You can help support this ministry with a donation to Miles Chapel CME Church.

You can help support Rev. Graves’ work by visiting his personal blog and clicking the DONATE button on the right-hand sidebar.

Support by check or money order may be mailed to 
Miles Chapel CME Church
P O Box 132
Fairfield, Al 35064


Sunday, January 17, 2016

WHAT ARE MISSIONARIES FOR?

A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.  A Christian is safe when he/she leaves missionary work to a few religious specialists. But is that what Christians are for?  A missionary is safe when he/she accepts the title but avoids outreach.

And that brings us to the message for Missionary Day at Miles Chapel CME Church.  The sermon is titled: WHAT ARE MISSIONARIES FOR?


Listen well.

If you can’t get the audio on your device, visit the main podcast page at http://revandersongraves.podomatic.com/

---Anderson T. Graves II   is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Miles Chapel CME Church in Fairfield, Alabama;  executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO);  and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).

Subscribe to my personal blog  www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com .

Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
Follow me on twitter @AndersonTGraves  #Awordtothewise 

You can help support this ministry with a donation to Miles Chapel CME Church.

You can help support Rev. Graves’ work by visiting his personal blog and clicking the DONATE button on the right-hand sidebar.

Support by check or money order may be mailed to 
Miles Chapel CME Church
P O Box 132
Fairfield, Al 35064


Tuesday, January 12, 2016

HOW WILL YOU RESPOND? (audio of sermon)

It’s said that life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you respond to it.  The principle is valid even in the church.  In the closing verses of John chapter 6 a large crowd was present for the same worship service, but the people in the crowd had very different worship experiences because they responded differently to the preacher.

The preacher that day was Jesus.

Maybe as much as 90% of the rest of your life depends on your answer.  The title and the question is:  HOW WILL YOU RESPOND?

Listen well.

If you can’t get the audio on your device, visit the main podcast page at http://revandersongraves.podomatic.com/

---Anderson T. Graves II   is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Miles Chapel CME Church in Fairfield, Alabama;  executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO);  and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).

Subscribe to my personal blog  www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com .

Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
Follow me on twitter @AndersonTGraves  #Awordtothewise 

You can help support this ministry with a donation to Miles Chapel CME Church.

You can help support Rev. Graves’ work by visiting his personal blog and clicking the DONATE button on the right-hand sidebar.

Support by check or money order may be mailed to 
Miles Chapel CME Church
P O Box 132

Fairfield, Al 35064

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

DO-GOODER: The 2nd General Rule


The 2nd General Rule of the Methodist Societies
Secondly, by doing good, by being in every kind merciful after their power as they have opportunity, doing good of every possible sort, and, as far as possible, to all men.
    To their bodies, of the ability which God giveth; by giving food to the hungry; by clothing the naked, by visiting or helping them that are sick or in prison.
    To their souls, by instructing, reproving, or exhorting all that we have any intercourse with; trampling under foot that enthusiastic doctrine that "We are not to do good unless our hearts be free to do it."
    By doing good especially to them that are of the household of faith, or groaning so to be; employing them preferably to others; buying one of another; helping one other in business, and so much the more because the world will love its own, and them only.
   By all possible diligence and frugality, that the gospel be not blamed. By running with patience the race set before them, denying themselves and taking up their cross daily; submitting to bear the reproach of Christ; to bear the filth and off-scouring of the world; and looking that men should say all manner of evil of them for the Lord's sake.


Let’s begin with an assumption. I assume that every Christian knows that he/ she is supposed to help people.
Well, now I’m thinking about that…

Let me begin with a statement:  Every Christian is supposed to help people.

The apostle John said, “Whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?”  (1 John 3: 17) And for when you respond that, “I LOVE everybody,” John adds, “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” (verse 18)

We worship in spirit and in truth (John 4: )  but we love in DEED and in truth.   In the 2nd General Rule of Methodism, John Wesley put it like this:
It is therefore, expected of all who continue therein that they shall continue to evidence their desire of salvation,…secondly, by doing good, by being in every kind merciful after their power as they have opportunity, doing good of every possible sort, and, as far as possible, to all men.

In other words,
Technically, this is a popular misquotation, but it does accurately reflect Wesley's sentiments.

In John 6: 1-14, Jesus fed people because their bodies needed food and they weren’t in a place to provide food for themselves.  But in John 6: 22-59, when those same people showed up looking for more free food, Jesus didn’t feed them.  He preached to them about the bread of life.    Sometimes there’s a need of the body.  Sometimes there’s a need of the soul.

And sometimes your body is tired, your soul is exhausted, and you don’t feel like helping anybody.

The good news is that it’s O.K.  to not feel like helping people.  The other good news is that you have to help anyway.  Jesus fed 5,000+ hungry people even though the people had found Him while He was trying to take a few days off to rest and grieve for His cousin who’d just been beheaded (Matthew 14: 10-13).

We must, as the General Rule states, “[trample] under foot that enthusiastic doctrine that "We are not to do good unless our hearts be free to do it."   

During His earthly ministry, Jesus gave priority to helping His people, the Jews (Matthew 10: 5, 6) because in that time, Israel was the household of faith.  But Jesus healed the children of foreigners in pagan cities (Matthew 15: 24-28).  He evangelized immorally living women in Samaria (John 4).  Jesus helped officers of the heathen military that was occupying His nation and oppressing His people (Luke 7: 1-10). 

As a spiritual family, Christians ought to give priority to each other.  But, like our Lord, we don’t use religious or cultural preference as an excuse to turn our backs on Mormons, Muslims, Hindhus, Sikhs, Atheists, conservatives, liberals, Blacks, Whites, Latinos, Asians, Middle Easterners, Africans, rich, poor, straights, gays, or whomever we have power and opportunity to do good.

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10).

Doing good is exhausting.  It always has been.  “But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good” (2 Thessalonians 3: 13).  

Do good anyway. 

Doing good is inconvenient and expensive.  It always has been. 

Jesus said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”
Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.” (John 6: 5-7)

Do good anyway.

The calling to Christian good-doing requires what Wesley called, “all possible diligence and frugality.”  In the law, God commanded Israel to leave the gleaning of their fields (Leviticus 19; 23: 22) for the poor in their communities.  The practice of gleaning meant that a hard-working Jewish farm had to budget for less than 100% of his harvest. 

The principle of gleaning is:  You can’t help all the people you can if you spend all the money you make.

We aren’t generous when we’re broke.  Hence, the need for “diligence and frugality.” Roughly translated, that means working hard and being cheap.

The surrounding culture tells us to consume and accumulate, but Christians are called to transcend the influence of culture and to be DIFFERENT.  

In a sermon called, “The Use of Money,” John Wesley offered these 3 simple rules:  “Having, First, gained all you can, and, Secondly saved all you can, Then give all you can."

Does that sound crazy?  Does that sound radical or un-American?  Are you thinking, “Graves, it doesn’t take all that?”

Then you’ll love the last part of this General Rule.  Christians do good “by denying themselves and taking up their cross daily; submitting to bear the reproach of Christ; to bear the filth and off-scouring of the world.”

Well, if that sounds crazy, remember whom Wesley got it from.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Matthew 16: 24)

---Anderson T. Graves II   is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Miles Chapel CME Church in Fairfield, Alabama;  executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO);  and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).

Subscribe to my personal blog  www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com .

Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
Follow me on twitter @AndersonTGraves
#Awordtothewise

You can help support this ministry with a donation to Miles Chapel CME Church.

You can help support Rev. Graves’ work by visiting his personal blog and clicking the DONATE button on the right-hand sidebar.

Support by check or money order may be mailed to
Miles Chapel CME Church
P O Box 132
Fairfield, Al 35064



Sunday, January 3, 2016

A MOVE IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM

What do you do when trouble comes suddenly like an unexpected storm?  Where is God when the problems persist and push you farther off-course and away from your dreams and goals?  The answers can be found in a new look at a familiar scripture.  Take a look at the accounts of Jesus walking on water and see how the storm can actually work to your advantage.

The title of the message is: A MOVE IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM.


Listen well.

If you can’t get the audio on your device, visit the main podcast page at http://revandersongraves.podomatic.com/

---Anderson T. Graves II   is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Miles Chapel CME Church in Fairfield, Alabama;  executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO);  and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).

Subscribe to my personal blog  www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com .

Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
Follow me on twitter @AndersonTGraves  #Awordtothewise 

You can help support this ministry with a donation to Miles Chapel CME Church.

You can help support Rev. Graves’ work by visiting his personal blog and clicking the DONATE button on the right-hand sidebar.

Support by check or money order may be mailed to 
Miles Chapel CME Church
P O Box 132
Fairfield, Al 35064