So John the Baptist would start off a sermon like
this: “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to
flee from the wrath to come?” (Luke 3: 7)
Basically, “Hey, losers! Do any of you wanna not go to Hell?”
(John the Baptist cares
nothing for your motivational speaking techniques.)
John referred to the
congregation as bunch of snakes. He
questioned their ancestry (verse 8). He
called them a bunch of useless trees waiting to be chopped down (verse 9).
From John the Baptist this
wasn’t a series of insults. Well, it WAS a series of insults, but it
wasn’t ONLY a series of insults. John’s introduction was also an
invitation. An angry, sarcastic, magnificently
effective invitation.
They flocked to the altar.
(Actually they flocked to the muddy edge of the Jordan river bank, but you get the
imagery.) Peasants, tax collectors, Romans,
Galilean fishermen---- they asked, “What should we do, Reverend John. We want to change. We want to get right before the Messiah comes
to judge us with His winnowing fan in His hand.
WHAT SHALL WE DO?!”
John answered them all. Whatever their ethnicity, status, occupation,
or past performance, he gave them pastoral counsel about what lifestyle changes
to make to align their daily lives with the will of God.
The membership policy of the angry,
sarcastic fire-and-brimstone Baptist preacher is the official membership policy
of the Methodist movement.
One of the defining documents
of the Methodist movement is John Wesley’s General Rules.
The introduction to the
General Rules says:
The General Rules of the "United Societies"
organized by Mr. Wesley in 1739 are as follows:
There is only one condition previously required of
those who desire admission into these societies, a "desire to flee
from the wrath to come, and to be saved from their sins."
That’s it.
No religious resume
requirement. No Bible literacy exam. No financial disclosure statement. You don’t have to first prove your worth or
your commitment. You just have to not
want to go to Hell when Jesus comes to judge the world.
If you "desire to flee from the wrath to come, and to be saved from their
sins," we’ll work with you on the rest. The rest, of course, refers to those
lifestyle changes.
The General Rules continue:
But wherever this is really fixed in the soul, it will
be shown by its fruits. It is therefore, expected of all who continue
therein that they shall continue to evidence their desire of salvation,
First,
by doing no harm, by avoiding evil of every kind…
Secondly,
by doing good…
Thirdly,
by attending on all the ordinances of God…
I’m a Methodist pastor, and I
don’t know for sure who in my church is truly saved, wherever this is really fixed in the soul. But we can all know the evidence of at least their desire of salvation because it will be shown by its fruits.
We all come into the church as
broken, unholy people; but in the church we strive together for wholeness and
holiness. In the church, we help each
other align our daily lives with the will of God,
First,
by doing no harm, by avoiding evil of every kind…
Secondly,
by doing good…
Thirdly,
by attending on all the ordinances of God…
Methodism is an open door to
discipleship. Membership is easy. Discipleship is work. From as far back at least as John the Baptist,
that’s been the “general” idea.
---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).
Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
#Awordtothewise
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P O Box 132
Fairfield, Al 35064
