Essentials of Christian Faith

In my random reading toady I came across the "Wesleyan Essentials of Christian Faith" which were adopted by the World Methodist Council in 1996, under discussion as to whether there was in fact an overriding Methodist Doctrine or Theology because John Wesley never actually produced an official set of doctrines.

Anyway...the one that really struck me was...

We serve the world in the name of God, believing that our commitment comes to life in our actions, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

It's so easy to fall back in to the way of thinking that everything we do is done in our strength, when really it's not!  We may be the hands and feet that give physical identity to what we do but then we have to sit back and let the Spirit work, for it is in that moment alone that the power of God is felt as he works 'supernaturally' through our 'natural' actions.

What a privilege to be that vessel.

Is it all in a name?

Paul never took a course in missions. He never sat in on a committee meeting. He never read a book on church growth. He was just inspired by the Holy Spirit and punch-drunk on the love that makes the impossible possible: salvation.

The message is gripping: Show a man his failures without Jesus and the result will be found in the roadside gutter. Give a man religion without reminding him of his filth, and the result will be arrogance in a three-piece suit. But get the two in the same heart-get sin to meet Saviour and Saviour to meet sin-and the result just mght be another Pharisee turned preacher who sets the world on fire.

(c) Max Lucado The Applause of Heaven

The Summit

...What may happen in the next few minutes borders on the holy.

The quietness will slow my pulse, the silence will open my ears, and something sacred will happen.

The soft slap of sandaled feet will break the stillness, a pierced hand will extend a quiet invitation and I will follow.

I wish I could say it happens every night; it doesn't. Some nights he asks and I don't listen. Other nights he asks and I just don't go. But some nights I hear his poetic whisper, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened..." and I follow. I leave behind the budgets, bills and deadlines and walk the narrow trail up the mountain with him.

You've been there. You've escaped the sandy foundations of the vally and ascended his grand outcropping of granite. You've turned your back on the noise and sought his voice.. You've stepped away from the masses and followed the Master as he led you up the winding path to the summit.

His summit. Clean air. Clear view. Crisp breeze. The roar of the marketplace is down there, and the perspective of the peak is up here.

Gently your guide invites you to sit on the rock above the tree line and look out with him at the ancient peaks that will never arode. "What is necessary is still what is sure." he confides. "just remember:
You'll go nowhere tomorrow that I haven't already been.
Truth will still triumph.
Death will still die.
The victory is yours.
And delight in one decision away - seize it."

The sacred summit. A place of permanence in a world of transition.

Think about the people in your world. Can't you tell the ones who have been to his mountain? Oh, their problems aren't any different. And their challenges are just as severe. But there is a stubborn peace that enshrines them. A confidence that life isn't toppled by unmet budgets or rerouted airplanes. A serenity that softens the corners of their lips. A contagious delight sparkling in their eyes.

And in their hearts reigns a fortresslike confidence that the valley can be endured, even enjoyed, because the mountain is only a decision away.


(C) Max Lucado, The Applause of Heaven.