Disciples How the Early Church Made Disciples

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LIGHTLIGHTANDLIFEMAGAZINE.COM+ LIFE │ JULY 2015

MAKE DISCIPLES HOW THE EARLY CHURCH MADE DISCIPLES

DIETS AND DISCIPLESHIP JOHN WESLEY’S GENERAL RULES

OPEN OUR EYES LEARN HOW TO PARTNER STRONG OPENERS BY JEFF FINLEY JULY 2015 │ Whole No. 5277, Volume 148, No. 7

MANAGING EDITOR, Jeff Finley LEAD DESIGNER, Erin Eckberg COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, Jay Cordova COPY EDITOR, Dawn McIlvain Stahl CONTENT STRATEGIST, Mark Crawford DISCIPLE OR CIRCULATION MANAGER, Katie Ehle BUSINESS SALES ASSOCIATE, Marvin Gray WEB ARCHITECT, Douglas Britt DECLINE DESIGNER, Kelly Holt he church in the United States is having FOCUS GROUP: a rough time of it lately, according to the Raisa Fabre Jason Roberts news media and pollsters. David Kendall J.R. Rushik Rob McKenna Denny Wayman TRecent headlines include “Big Drop in Share of Jason Morriss Trisha Welstad Americans Calling Themselves Christian” (New B. Elliott Renfroe York Times), “Millennials Leaving Church in JEFF FINLEY SPANISH TRANSLATION: Managing Editor Droves” (CNN), “Christians in U.S. on Decline as COORDINATOR, Rodrigo Lozano Number of ‘Nones’ Grows” (NPR) and “America Is Ezequiel Alvarez Alma Jasinski Jazmin Angulo Karen Kabandama Losing Its (Christian) Religion” (The Week). Fredy Caballero Esther Ortiz The headlines resulted from a Pew Research Carmen Hosea

Center survey, “America’s Changing Religious WEBSITE: lightandlifemagazine.com Landscape” (fmchr.ch/pewacrl), that found EMAIL US: [email protected] NEWS AND SUBMISSIONS: [email protected] “between 2007 and 2014, the Christian share of ADVERTISING: [email protected] the population fell from 78.4% to 70.6 %.” ADDRESS ALL CORRESPONDENCE TO: The church isn’t just struggling to win new Light + Life Magazine, 770 N. High School Road, converts. It’s struggling with discipleship. Indianapolis, IN 46214 (317) 244-3660

Definitions of “discipleship” vary, but I like Light + Life Magazine (ISSN 0024-3299) was established in 1868 by the Free Methodist Church. Published monthly by the wording on the website of the Akron (New Light + Life Communications. © 2015 Free Methodist Church York) Free Methodist Church: “Discipleship is to – USA, 770 N. High School Road, Indianapolis, IN 46214. 09 Views expressed in articles do not necessarily represent become more like Jesus.” the official position of the Free Methodist Church. All rights BISHOPS reserved. Except for brief quotations, no portion of this We are called to be disciples of Jesus and to magazine may be reproduced in any form without written Investment in others permission of the publisher. All Scripture quotations are from “make disciples” (Matthew 28:19). But how do we the New International Version unless otherwise indicated. BY MATTHEW THOMAS go about making disciples? Printed in U.S.A. One answer may be found in the “Book of Member: Evangelical Press Association, 11 Discipline”: “Free Methodists today seek to con- Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability tinue the mission of first-century Christianity Periodicals postage paid at Indianapolis, IN, ACTION and additional mailing offices. Partner Strong which was recovered by John Wesley and the early Methodists, who declared they existed ‘to raise up Postmaster, send address changes to: BY SABRA DYAS Light + Life Magazine, 770 N. High School Road, a holy people.’” Indianapolis, IN 46214 In this issue, you’ll learn more about the disci- 13 pleship practices of early Christians and Wesley, DISCIPLESHIP an 18th-century British evangelist who spent time Diets and becoming in America. You’ll also hear from Bishop Matthew PLEASE RECYCLE like Christ Thomas, who will speak this month at General THIS MAGAZINE BY KEVIN M. WATSON Conference 2015 about making disciples. For evangelicals, the Pew survey wasn’t as 17 bleak — only a drop of 1 percentage point since LET’S CONNECT! 2007 — as it was for other Christian groups. NEWS Still, we and our fellow evangelicals should stay Winona Lake facebook.com/ instagram.com/ lightandlifemagazine fmcusa celebrates committed to living out the Free Methodist BY MINDI GRIESER Church’s mission “to love God, love people and twitter.com/ CROMWELL make disciples.” n lightandlifemag fmchr.ch/fmcgplus

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LIGHT + LIFE │ 01 │ JULY 2015 instagram.com/ fmcusa fmchr.ch/fmcgplus vimeo.com/llcomm HOW THE EARLY CHURCH MADE FEATURE BY STEVEN D. BRUNS

image and likeness of Christ. Wesley called this process of discipleship “sanctification.” Discipleship is not a nebulous endeavor. It is something with an end result: a disciple. If we are talking about making disciples of Jesus, there is only one entity that has been empow- STEVEN D. ered to do that: the church. A strong church BRUNS is an underlying assumption in all of the early is the pastor of the Newton church writings and practices. In the first three (Illinois) Free centuries of the church, the overriding concern Methodist in discipleship was to ensure that it was within Church. He HOW THE EARLY adapted this the framework of true Christianity. There were article from a myriad versions of Christianity during that series on ancient discipleship time, and most of those alternate versions of CHURCH MADE (fmchr.ch/ Christianity were very individualistic in their ancientd) he approach to the spiritual life. Everyone was on wrote for Asbury John Wesley lived in a time when the church Theological had grown weak and inept, and the faith of their own personal journey. A church was an Seminary’s many had grown cold. We find ourselves in a optional add-on for them. True Christianity, seedbed.com. similar situation today. We live in a pluralistic however, saw the necessity of the church in culture in which attitudes about Christianity Christian growth and discipleship. range from mild interest to indifference to Jesus said all authority in heaven and earth outright rejection. Our culture still contains was given to Him, and then He immediately Christian ideas, such as going the “second told the church to make disciples. Today, we mile” or being a “good Samaritan,” but tend toward the alternate view of individualism Christianity is no longer the dominant voice when it comes to faith: We are all on our own shaping our culture. journeys, and — while we may like a particular Wesley’s solution in his organization congregation for its music, teaching, preaching of Methodism was to look to the primitive or fellowship — church itself is not really nec- church. He saw the church of the first 300 essary for our salvation, let alone our spirituali- years as the prototype of a vibrant expression ty or discipleship. of the faith that would turn the world upside To talk about disciples, we have to talk down once again, creating committed and about the church and its place in our lives. passionate disciples. We also look back to our past — to Wesley or the primitive church —for our model. WESLEY’S STUDY OF THE One of the key foundational texts for early Christian discipleship was 2 Peter 1:3–4: “His PRIMITIVE CHURCH LED divine power has granted to us all things that HIM TO CONSIDER PRAYER, pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own SCRIPTURE, WORSHIP, glory and excellence, by which he has granted THE LORD’S SUPPER AND to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partak- CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY AS ers of the divine nature, having escaped from THE MEANS OF GRACE BY the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (ESV). The theological term for WHICH WE GROW. this process is “theosis”: being renewed in the

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Otherwise, we will end up with ancient gospel. They understood that their status church practices in a framework of DIG as a new people held them to a higher individualized spirituality and a personal DEEPER standard of living in the world. journey that is not entirely Christian. This group identification held the early BISHOP EMERITUS Christians together and encouraged them to WITHIN CHURCH LIFE RICHARD SNYDER continue in the faith. No one was ever alone Discipleship was always within the life SHARES TIPS FOR in the faith or on an exclusively personal of the church. It was together that Chris- “BEING DISCIPLES journey. Every Christian together was a tians encouraged one another through — MAKING part of the kingdom of God and the new, persecution and in the mundaneness of redeemed creation. By intentionally being DISCIPLES” IN A normal life. Christians were different, unique and different, by intentionally cre- 33-PAGE BOOK and they were intentionally different. ating a new people in the world, Christians THAT CAN BE Their spiritual lives as faithful disciples reminded themselves that they were not only brought them into tension with the cul- DOWNLOADED AS purchased at a great price; they also endured ture around them. They lived as members A FREE PDF FILE: and supported one another at a great price of the Roman Empire, obeying its laws fmchr.ch/rsnyder — because no one else would do it. and participating in its civil life so long as Rather than striving to blend in to that life did not conflict with their Chris- the world around them, Christians strove tian identity. They were expatriates of the APPLY IT to be disciples together. Their distinct kingdom of God in the empire of Rome. identity shaped that discipleship because When people became Christians, FOR JUST $5, it reminded them that they had a higher their lives became oriented around life PROVIDE A BIBLE allegiance than to any one ethnic group, in Christ together. The church and its FOR A NEW language or empire. The Christians of members became the center of the con- those first three centuries saw themselves BELIEVER IN JESUS vert’s world, and their faith became the as a set-apart group that used certain disci- CHRIST. measure by which they lived. There was pleship tools — corporate worship, prayer, fmchr.ch/bible4eb no protest against the prevailing laws of Scripture and the Eucharist — to receive the empire that were in conflict with the more and more of God’s presence in their gospel message. The Christians simply lives and ultimately experience theosis/ did not do what was legal but against the sanctification collectively.

LIGHT + LIFE │ 04 │ JULY 2015 FEATURE BY STEVEN D. BRUNS

MEANS OF GRACE read at length in the context of worship. There was no Wesley’s study of the primitive church led him to individual Bible study because there were no individ- consider prayer, Scripture, worship, the Lord’s Supper ual Bibles. As scriptures were read, they were seen as and Christian community as the means of grace by a unified voice spanning God’s work in Israel through which we grow. Wesley’s emphasis on holiness (theosis/ the life of the church, and they were interpreted sanctification) was the motivating factor in all of these. together, always pointing to Jesus Christ as the fulfill- As Wesleyan Christians who are committed to sanc- ment of every passage. The subject material was Jesus, tification, we need to ensure that is the focus and the no matter what book or passage was read and the definition of what it means to be a faithful disciple of application was how, therefore, the followers of Jesus Jesus Christ in the world and utilize the means of grace. were to live with one another and in the world. By doing this, we will not only be good Wesleyans, but The worship service itself was a time when Chris- we will be in good company with the primitive church. tians were discipled in a general way. It was a time to The early church taught its people prayers and how encounter the Scriptures. It was a time to be encour- to pray. It was one of the ways the church discipled its aged by one another to keep the faith and persevere people and encouraged them in their spiritual life and through whatever trials they were encountering at the growth. Correct prayer, taught by Christians to new time. It was a time to be reminded that Jesus Christ is Christians, was among the most important means of God and that the individual members of the church ensuring the correct “faith that was once for all deliv- were integrated into His life, His body. ered to the saints” (Jude 1:3 ESV). Since prayer is vitally The worship service was not evangelistic in nature. important for a relationship with God, the early church The preaching was not for conversion of the visitors. wanted to ensure that its members were addressing the The focus was on God and how to be faithful disci- correct God and using correct theology when they did ples. If non-Christians attended a service — and they speak to that God. This was modeled in the worship frequently did, since the church experienced explosive services as Christians together prayed and listened to prayers said on their behalf, for which they responded in agreement, “Amen. So be it.” The early church made full use of every passage of the Old Testament for the purposes of teaching, exhorting and evangelizing. They understood the literal meaning of the Old Testament, but they had no qualms with also reading those scriptures in an allegorical or typological way. We see this in numerous examples in the New Testament already. “Out of Egypt I called my son” from Hosea 11:1 easily gets applied to Jesus rather than Israel in Matthew 2:15. The story of Noah becomes a type for baptism in 1 Peter 3. Paul uses the relationship between Sarah and Hagar to describe the Christians and the non-Christian Jews in Galatians 4. Jesus even uses the bronze serpent from Numbers 21 as a type for Himself in His conversation with Nicode- mus in John 3. Early Christians completely integrated the Old and New Testaments and created a poetry to the faith. A cursory reading of almost any of the writers of the church’s first 300 years will show a range and depth of meaning and interpretation not found in preaching and teaching today. And for them, Scripture was FEATURE BY STEVEN D. BRUNS

reading of Scripture and expounding on it showed how God had been acting throughout history to prepare the world for the coming of Jesus Christ, and how Christ was still present in the world through the church, His body. Finally, in the Eucharist, as the people had been ascending to heaven, heaven came down to earth as the Holy Spirit eucharized the bread and wine so that the people in Christ actually received Christ. In Holy Communion, heaven and earth met. What this did for the Christians was to give an objective reality to the Christian experience. Not every worship service was an ecstatic journey into the third heaven. Not every presider was skilled at preaching, or even praying, on behalf of the people. Not every Chris- growth for the first three centuries — they had already tian felt like they were in the presence of the Creator been intrigued by the lives of the Christians they and Sustainer of the universe every week. But in the knew. The reason they came was not to be the center of sacrament, the Christians knew, whether or not they attention or the focus of the service, but to learn what felt it, that Christ was present. They knew they were these people truly believed and why. standing in the presence of the God of all who gave all For these early Christians, the Eucharist was a for them. They knew that, by receiving the sacrament, main form of discipleship as well. It was the climax they were receiving more of God within them for their of every service they celebrated. For the entire part transformation and empowerment to be the faithful of the service leading up to the Eucharist, the people disciples they were called to be. were being raised up to the throne of God in heaven. All of the other means by which the church created Their prayers focused them on God, petitioning God and reinforced discipleship were found in the celebra- to create the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. The tion of the sacrament. It was only celebrated when the people gathered together as the church. Because it was only open to Christians, it reinforced the concept that EARLY CHRISTIANS COMPLETELY they were different — a new race in the world, one not belonging to any nationality or tribe but to God above INTEGRATED THE OLD AND all else. Holy Communion was the climax of corpo- NEW TESTAMENTS AND rate worship. It was an extensive exercise in prayer — prayer that used numerous scriptural references from CREATED A POETRY TO THE both the Old Testament and what would become the FAITH. A CURSORY READING OF New Testament. It was here, in the sacrament, that the church saw fully and completely what the potential ALMOST ANY OF THE WRITERS cost of discipleship entailed: death. Yet it was literally OF THE CHURCH’S FIRST 300 good news because, despite His death, Jesus Christ was currently present with them in this very act of Holy YEARS WILL SHOW A RANGE Communion. AND DEPTH OF MEANING AND As Christians in the Wesleyan tradition, we embark on the commandment by Christ to make disciples with INTERPRETATION NOT FOUND the vision ahead of theosis/sanctification. By making IN PREACHING AND TEACHING regular use of the means of grace Wesley identified from the primitive church, we can make significant TODAY. strides in that mission as we journey together in the life of the church. n

LIGHT + LIFE │ 07 │ JULY 2015 JoinJoin thousands thousands of of Free Free come.come. MethodistsMethodists from from around around thethe world world for for four four inspiringinspiring days days of of worship, worship, learn.learn. dialogue,dialogue, teaching teaching and and fellowshipfellowship at at the the 2015 2015 GeneralGeneral Conference Conference of of the the bebe inspired.inspired. FreeFree Methodist Methodist Church! Church!

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INVESTINVEST IN IN YOUR YOUR KIDS. KIDS. INVESTINVEST IN IN YOUR YOUR CHURCH. CHURCH. INVESTINVEST IN IN YOURSELF. YOURSELF. There’llThere’ll be be all-day all-day programs programs for for In Inaddition addition to to sessions sessions on on strategies strategies ConsiderConsider 4 daysfour daysof being of being with withlike- like- childrenchildren and and teens. teens. Already Already more more than than toto grow grow your your church, church, you you could could leave leave mindedminded people people of offaith faith from from around around 200200 have have signed signed up up for for the the various various withwith a powerfula powerful website website and and social social thethe world. world. Immerse Immerse yourself yourself in ina a groupsgroups that that will will provide provide world-class world-class mediamedia strategy strategy for for your your church, church, and and cultureculture of ofGod’s God’s love. love. Come. Come. Learn. Learn. “youthyouth camp,” camp, children’s“children’s camp camp” and and a hosta host of ofother other exciting, exciting, practical practical BeBe inspired. inspired. “toddlers’toddlers’ camp” camp eacheach day.day. opportunitiesopportunities to to build build the the kingdom. kingdom.

RegisterRegister at: at: BISHOPS BY MATTHEW THOMAS

THINK OF YOUR INVESTMENT IN OTHERS AS THE BEST INVESTMENT IN YOURSELF.

HELPING OTHERS BECOME WHO GOD INTENDED THEM TO BE hat would you do with unlimit- was His to do with as He pleased, and what ed authority? It is not dissimilar pleased Him was to benefit two groups of to the “What would you do with people. He used it to empower people to Wthree wishes?” question. The common build other people. It was the ultimate “for answers on the latter lean toward personal the benefit of others” activity. Everyone wins BISHOP benefit — a million dollars, a perfect body, a with this use of Jesus’ authority. MATTHEW new house, or some form of celebrity status. Those of us who are already His disciples THOMAS But we know the better and nobler answers find unusual empowerment from God when has been an active part would be less consumptive and self-serving: we are following through on this command of of the Free world peace, better circumstance or health Christ. When we are helping others become Methodist of others, and an end to poverty. who God intended them to be, we find our- Church since 1979. His Back to the authority question. Hopefully, selves uniquely equipped to do what we might ministry roles if you had “all authority” at your disposal, otherwise feel inadequate for. It was never have included serving as you would leverage it for the good of others. Jesus’ intent to leverage His authority for our a pastor, That is what Jesus did with His. personal pleasure — to have or do whatever we church planter, Jesus, after His resurrection, claimed to might want to have or do. It was His explicit missionary and superintendent. have seized all authority (Matthew 28:18). So intent to use His authority to help us help what did He do with it? He told His disci- others. ples to “go and make disciples” (Matthew People lacking power in their own lives 28:19–20). lack it primarily because they have tried I find it interesting that the authority to use whatever power they might have for

LIGHT + LIFE │ 09 │ JULY 2015 personal benefit. That is not only a small purpose; it is an authority- draining endeavor. On the other hand, when we help others overcome, we find ourselves better overcomers. The Latin term for this is ex opere operato, which means “out of the doing, it is done.” The process of helping others heal leads to our own healing. The exercise of helping others gives us the ultimate help that we need. And, of course, the other beneficiaries of Jesus’ authority are those who are being discipled. If they are pursuing Him, He makes life much better for them. He enables them to overcome addictions, heal relationships, discover purpose, live out calling, live joyfully, experience freedom and ultimately pass it all on to another generation. If this is what Jesus wanted to do with His authority, it should be what we do with the authority that has been granted to us. He gave a foretaste of this right after His resurrection (John 20:19–23) when He appeared in the Upper Room with His disciples. He spoke peace to them, breathed onto them or into them, conveyed the Holy Spirit (all exercises stem- ming from His authority) and then told them that they could exert this authority by forgiving people of their sin. This passage gives us pause because verse 23 sounds like an uncomfortable transfer of authority to us. But it is really a precursor to the Great Commission. Jesus takes His authority and passes it on to His faithful followers to make other faithful followers. Think of your investment in others as the best investment in yourself. Live your life helping others live theirs fully and you will find yourself living a pretty full life. Help others discover the holiness of the Lord, and you will discover the holiness of the Lord in your life. Don’t think of discipleship as an exhausting exercise that is extrane- WHEN WE ARE ous to your own calling. It is your HELPING OTHERS calling. It doesn’t matter what your spiritual gifts are. This commission BECOME WHO was for all of the gifted. It doesn’t GOD INTENDED matter whether you are male or female, pastor or lay, rich or poor, THEM TO BE, WE young or old, black or white, highly FIND OURSELVES skilled or bereft of skill; this is for you. UNIQUELY EQUIPPED And, if you are discipling others, TO DO WHAT WE you will find a strange energy for all of the work you feel called to MIGHT OTHERWISE do. You will discover wholeness FEEL INADEQUATE and have the satisfaction that you are helping others discover whole- FOR. ness themselves. n

LIGHT + LIFE │ 09 │ JULY 2015 ACTION BY SABRA DYAS

KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN TO THE PEOPLE GOD HAS ALREADY PLACED AROUND YOUR PATH.

OPEN OUR EYES

Two are better than one, because they have a “participation,” “sharing” and “association.” good return for their labor. — Ecclesiastes 4:9 When we live in relationship with one another, the key motivator becomes loving here is no better word for understand- one another as Christ has loved us (John ing the word “partner” than “relation- 13:34, 15:12). With this motivator, competing SABRA DYAS ship.” Living in relationship with others with each other loses its appeal. We become is the Partner Thas a “good return” or reward because “two focused on advancing others for the kingdom Strong strategy are better than one.” When we work together, of God. Time here is short, and we all should team facilitator for General our work multiplies. Working together is a be working at great lengths to advance His Conference natural opportunity for the kingdom of God work on earth regardless of differences. Those 2015, a Free to advance here on earth. When we become very differences can unite us to become stron- Methodist elder and the interested in building God’s kingdom on earth ger witnesses — not pull us apart or cause president of as it is in heaven, the risk involved in part- division. Main Street Ministries. nerships becomes minimal. When we focus Often what gets in our way is becoming on the kingdom of God, we desire to live in shortsighted and forgetting what we already relationship with others, building the king- have. We fail to see those God has already dom together. placed around us to partner. Many churches The primary Greek word for “partnership” toil and labor trying to build the kingdom, in the New Testament is koinonia. This word but they realize their resources are minimal. appears 19 times in the New Testament. Per- When our eyes become opened, we unite haps the most common translation of koino- together as one, set aside our differences of nia is the English word “fellowship.” It can also interpretation, and become disciples build- be translated into other English words such as ing together with multiplied resources. We

LIGHT + LIFE │ 11 │ JULY 2015 LIGHT + LIFE │ 10 │ JUNE 2015 ACTION BY SABRA DYAS

become stewards of God’s resources in such individually and collectively realized the a way that “for His kingdom” becomes the strength in partnering with like-minded umbrella under which we distribute ministries for the kingdom. Engle — the resources. We cross over the lines of fear lead pastor of Jackson (Michigan) Free and allow His perfect love to cast out fear Methodist Church — and Grieco — the (1 John 4:18). lead pastor of Brooke Hills Free Method- Partnering can become messy. Ask Paul ist Church in Wellsburg, West Virginia and Barnabas someday (Acts 15:36–41). But NINE — will discuss their local efforts of part- allowing fear to stop us results in sin and STRATEGIES nering with other like-minded groups. unsaved people. DEFINED: Grieco and his congregation have worked Keep your eyes open to the people God tirelessly to resource the church with 101 has already placed around your path. Build PARTNER practical ways to partner. relationships with others whose minis- STRONG When we set aside fear and partner tries have something yours is missing, and with other like-minded ministries, his- vice versa. Both parties benefit from the WE WILL toric things will happen. When differ- resources each party brings to the table. ENCOURAGE ent parts of the kingdom stop wasting The motive is love, and the result is the PARTNERSHIPS energy by competing with each other, we advancement of the kingdom of God. will find the strength to build everlasting WITH LIKE-MINDED Eden Reforestation Projects President partnerships. Partnerships are mutually MINISTRIES. Steve Fitch says it well: beneficial for the kingdom of God. THESE MUTUALLY Fairly often new innovative groups When we join together, we can see come along and end up (unintention- BENEFICIAL trees being planted. People can be set ally) weakening core missional minis- RELATIONSHIPS free from the bondage of modern slav- tries. Some groups are afraid of innova- GIVE US UNIFIED ery. We can link together with people of tion, but such is not the fate of the Free VOICE ON SOCIAL all races, denominations and socioeco- Methodist Church – USA. With our AND SPIRITUAL nomic backgrounds. The encouragement long-term commitment to social jus- ISSUES, AS WELL AS to witness and our wealth of resources tice and holistic ministry in heart and MORE FOCUSED will be strengthened. Healthy vulnera- hand, the Board of Bishops determined SKILLS TO FULFILL bility will increase. Let us partner coura- to embrace the creative as a means to OUR MISSION AND geously to find kingdom growth. What strengthen the core. At General Con- VISION. are we waiting for? n ference 2015, one of the breakout sessions will focus on partnering strong. Come and see how the Free Methodist ministry family will grow stronger as we join core missional ministries with BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS holistic expressions like digging wells, WHOSE MINISTRIES HAVE SOMETHING medical work and even planting trees. As the Partner Strong team, Fitch, Pastor YOURS IS MISSING, AND VICE VERSA. Jason Engle, Pastor Bryce Grieco and I have

LEARN MORE about the Free Methodist Church’s nine strategies at GENERAL CONFERENCE 2015, LIGHT + LIFE │ 10 │ JULY 13–16, IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA. MAY 2015

Go to gc15.org for more information. LIGHT + LIFE │ 11 │ JULY 2015 LIGHT + LIFE │ 10 │ JUNEJULY 2015 DISCIPLESHIP BY KEVIN M. WATSON

LIKE DIETING, CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP IS NOT THAT COMPLICATED.

DIETS AND CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP

ave you ever tried a new and exciting than to actually do it. It is easier to read a book diet? about diet and exercise than to prepare healthy Several years ago, I watched in hor- food and commit to regularly exercising. Hror as my friend ate two large pieces of greasy Diets are similar in this way to Christian beef. There was no bun, no lettuce or anything discipleship. I am confident that you could KEVIN M. else for that matter. There was just meat — read a book about Christian discipleship every WATSON and lots of it. What surprised me more than day from now until you died and you would is an Emory the fact that he could consume so much meat not have read every book written on disciple- University assistant professor was that he was proud of himself for being on ship. of Wesleyan a diet. Why eat a salad with no dressing for Like dieting, Christian discipleship is not and Methodist lunch when you can eat 32 ounces of ground that complicated. The reason there are thou- studies who previously beef? sands of books on Christian discipleship is taught at Seattle Most people know that the basic ingredi- not because nobody has figured out how to Pacific University from 2011 to ents to weight loss are a balanced diet and be a disciple of Jesus Christ, or because we 2014. His books exercise, yet fad diets continue to pop up. can’t quite figure out what a mature disciple include “The They are often startlingly different in content, looks like. Rather, I suspect there are so many Class Meeting: Reclaiming a but what they tend to have in common is the books on discipleship because it is easier to Forgotten (and promise of a shortcut. read about discipleship than to be a disciple. Essential) Small There may be another reason for so much It is easier to think about what it would be like Group Experi- ence” (fmchr.ch/ literature available on diet, exercise and weight to live lives of radical faithfulness to the God tcmkwatson). loss: It is easier to think about losing weight Christians worship as Father, Son and Holy

LIGHT + LIFE │ 13 │ JULY 2015 DISCIPLESHIP BY KEVIN M. WATSON

Spirit than it is to actually live such a life. When Jesus was asked what the greatest JARGON commandment was, He replied, “‘Love the IT IS EASIER TO THINK Lord your God with all your heart and with WESLEYAN ABOUT WHAT IT all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is (ADJ. OR N.) the first and greatest commandment. And WOULD BE LIKE TO the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as DEFINITION: LIVE LIVES OF RADICAL yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew RELATED TO BRITISH FAITHFULNESS TO 22:37–40). EVANGELIST AND THE GOD CHRISTIANS In the “General Rules,” John Wesley or- THEOLOGIAN JOHN ganized Methodism around Jesus’ summary WESLEY’S BELIEFS; WORSHIP AS FATHER, of discipleship. The first rule is a simple A FOLLOWER OF reminder to “do no harm.” If we love God SON AND HOLY WESLEY and neighbor, we will not do things that SPIRIT THAN IT IS TO harm them or our relationship with them. USAGE: The second rule, “do good” to others, echoes ACTUALLY LIVE SUCH A Jesus’ second greatest commandment. Wes- LIFE. ley’s “doing good” is an active expression FREE METHODISTS of love of neighbor. The third rule echoes HAVE A WESLEYAN Jesus’ commandment to love God with THEOLOGICAL heart, soul and mind through the means of FOUNDATION. continue thinking about their faith. But grace. When we pray, worship, receive the I also hope I would take the time to ask Eucharist, search the Scriptures and fast, we them about how their life with God is. express our love for God. Are they practicing the means of grace? One of the profound gifts of Methodism Are they doing good to their neighbors? is its recognition that understanding Chris- What do they think the next step of tian discipleship is relatively easy. What is faithfulness looks like? I hope I would far more difficult is actually putting it into walk with them. n practice. I have a hunch that when a parishioner expresses a desire to go deeper in their faith, most pastors are most comfortable rec- ommending a book for them to read. And while this is understandable — there are DISCUSS IT some great books to recommend — I won- Did you know a new discipleship article is der if this is like giving people stones when ARE WE READING OR TALKING posted to our website they ask for bread. ABOUT DISCIPLESHIP BUT NOT each week? The four If someone came to me wanting to lose monthly articles are ACTUALLY MAKING DISCIPLES? perfect for use in your weight and asking me what he or she should 1 small group or as a do, I could recommend they read a book weekly supplement to AS A LOCAL CHURCH OR SMALL about how to lose weight, or I could invite individual study. GROUP, ARE WE SUPPORTING AND them to go running with me. If someone asks me how they can go ENCOURAGING ONE ANOTHER TO deeper in their life with God, I hope that as 2 FOLLOW CHRIST? I listen to them I can think of the perfect lightandlifemagazine.com book to give them that would help them

LIGHT + LIFE │ 14 │ JULY 2015 NEWS FREE METHODIST CHURCH

CHURCH RESOURCES MUSICAL DIVERSITY TO UNITE

FMCUSA.ORG GC15 IN WORSHIP BY JEFF FINLEY Q: WHERE CAN I GO TO ree Methodists from around LEARN ABOUT the world will join in song July JOB OPENINGS 13–16 during General Conference IN CHRISTIAN F2015, and they will have a worship team MINISTRY? reflecting the conference’s “Whole Church” theme. A: THE FREE Dawn Salmons, a worship leader for METHODIST the Orlando Fellowship and Asbury CHURCH – Theological Seminary’s Orlando campus, USA HUMAN envisions GC15 as a time when “we can RESOURCES experience what worship will someday DEPARTMENT be like — where we all come together, POSTS join our different traditions and form a INFORMATION chorus of praise.” Drummer and percussionist Chase ONLINE ABOUT JOB Hodge of Christ Community Church OPENINGS AT THE in Columbus, Georgia, also expects the WORLD MINISTRIES worship to reflect “what heaven will be Michael Metts CENTER AND FOR like — many different people and cul- OTHER FMCUSA tures coming together to worship Jesus.” Glen Prior (left) will direct the worship team at CONGREGATIONS The GC15 worship team blends Free General Conference 2015. AND INSTITUTIONS. Methodist singers and musicians with a FOR JOB LISTINGS, wide range of musical backgrounds who will unite the denomination in worship. GO TO fmcusa.org/ “Expect diversity. There will be more than one genre, language and style,” said Hannah hr/employment. Lampe, the director of worship music at the Spring Arbor (Michigan) Free Methodist Church. “I am thrilled to experience God’s diverse kingdom on earth come together.” Free Methodist Church – USA bishops asked Glen Prior, one of the General Conference 2011 worship leaders, to direct the GC15 worship team. Prior, the Free Methodist Church in Southern California’s assistant superintendent for administration, said that Tim Lambert — the worship arts director at Pearce Memorial Church in North Chili, New York — played a key role in the selection of the worship team by contacting and following up with prospective musicians and worship leaders. “We have assembled a core instrumental worship team to which we are adding seven vocal leaders. The idea is to establish a consistent musical foundation that has the flexibili- ty to flow with the unique giftedness of each leader,” Prior said. Prior won’t be the only familiar leader for people who attended GC11. Jervaun Trier

LIGHT + LIFE │ 15 │ JULY 2015 traveled from Ethiopia, where she served as a missionary at the time, to New York to help CHURCH’S BACKPACK PROGRAM lead the last general conference in worship. “GC worship is an expression of grace in FEEDS HUNGRY CHILDREN unity, that which is reflected in Acts 2:44: ‘All Smithfield, Pennsylvania the believers were together and had everything in common,’” said Trier, who now leads worship Whitehouse Free Methodist Church started a new ministry program at Lakewood Light + Life Community Church last year when members of the congregation began talking about in Colorado. their experience working in local elementary schools. Many of the Jesus Use Me Movement founders David children would come to school hungry during the week, and there and Leah Gaulton of the Pacific Coast Japanese was a real concern for them not being fed over the weekends. Conference are assisting in assembling the The church now spends approximately $400 per week to supply music catalog and crafting the worship flow weekend food items for local children through its backpack for each session. Professional keyboardist and program. Go to fmchr.ch/whback for more information about the music producer Troy Welstad of the Oregon program and how to donate to it. Conference will serve as the music director. Many of the team members are adept at playing different genres of music. Eric Logan — the worship team coordinator at New Hope FMC in Rochester, New York — is a classically trained vocalist who was a member of the pio- neer Christian rock band The Sons of Thunder. “Know that when the first note is played, we will not be beginning worship, but instead continuing and entering into a worship expression that God began in you long before,” Logan said. Other team members include former Green- ville (Illinois) FMC Director of Music and Worship Arts Kristen Pence, who led worship during the spring National Prayer Summit in preparation for GC15; Tamekia Nash-Walls, the worship leader at New Beginnings Community REVELATION CHURCH MAKES NEWS Church in Ypsilanti, Michigan; Tim Guille- FOR GROWTH, RELOCATION mette, the lead guitarist and chaplain for the Bozrah, Connecticut Roberts Wesleyan College gospel choir; and William Pena, a bass player and the pastor of Revelation Church recently received in-depth coverage from the Ministerios Nueva Vision, Hialeah, Florida. n Hartford Courant newspaper for the church’s rapid growth and its purchase of a former Boy Scout camp to which the congregation will move from its worship space in a former furniture store. The article explained the church’s Free Methodist affiliation and Go to fmchr.ch/gcworship for expanded detailed the faith journey of Pastor Matt Grohocki who planted the coverage. church three years ago. Andrew Walsh of the Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life described the church as “a daring, innovative crowd.” Go to fmchr.ch/hcbozrah for the Courant’s story and photos. NEWS FREE METHODIST CHURCH

WHAT’S THE BUZZ? WINONA LAKE CELEBRATES PAST WHILE MOVING FORWARD LINKED TOGETHER BY MINDI GRIESER CROMWELL FREE METHODISTS WERE PREVALENT stablished in the 1930s in the AT LINKED Sarah Wadkins homes of Free Methodist Pub- TOGETHER, lishing House personnel, the A WESLEYAN/ EWinona Lake (Indiana) Free Method- HOLINESS ist Church has a long and significant WOMEN CLERGY history in the Wabash Conference and CONFERENCE in the wider Free Methodist Church. STRENGTHENING, An iconic place within Free Meth- ENCOURAGING odism, Winona Lake conjures mem- AND EQUIPPING ories of the publishing house, the WOMEN CALLED International Friendship House, TO MINISTRY. the Billy Sunday Tabernacle, Homer #WHWC2015 Rodeheaver Auditorium and the local Free Methodist church. The community also hosted the Free Methodist headquarters for many year, leading many denominational employees and visitors to worship at the Winona ADVERTISE WITH Lake FMC. LIGHT + LIFE The congregation celebrated 80 A choir of pastors sings during the Winona Lake Free Methodist Church’s anniversary celebration. We are a vibrant print and years of ministry during a celebration digital community that service on Sunday, April 26. Eleven propels earnest Christ- current and former ministers shared in the event. After an extended meet-and-greet followers forward and time, the congregation came together to worship through congregational singing, resources the Christian special music and testimonies of former pastors. The ministers’ comments had a com- community with helpful mon thread: commending the congregation on how members care for their pastors. tools for living. When you Mike Conkle, the second associate pastor to serve the congregation, reflected on his reach the readers of Light experience and how it shaped his call into ministry. + Life Communications, Former Superintendent David Colgan reminisced about one of his early experi- you influence pioneering ences when he served as Winona Lake senior pastor. He was prepared for a week of pastors, culture creators denominational Board of Administration meetings and the fact that all the bishops, and marketplace BOA members and many superintendents would be around Winona Lake for the missionaries. week. On Saturday night, however, he discovered that instead of arriving Monday, as he thought, everyone was already in Winona Lake and would be attending the Sun- CONTACT day morning service. Colgan was nervous about the special balloon service he had Marvin Earl Gray planned, but after the service, one bishop said he hadn’t had that much fun in church Business Sales Associate [email protected] 800-342-5531 ext. 320 in years. That experience laid the ground- work for fruitful years of ministry at Winona RETIREE CONNECTS WITH Lake. Bob Carder, pastor during the early 1990s, INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE STUDENTS talked about the congregation’s adjustments Largo, Florida when the Free Methodist headquarters tran- sitioned from Winona Lake to Indianapolis Gordon Koncelik — a retired widower who serves as a delegate in 1990. For a congregation that began as the at Lake Palms Community Church — befriends and disciples Free Methodist Publishing House transi- international college students studying in the United States. He tioned from Chicago to Winona Lake, there has introduced some of these students to Jesus Christ, and his was concern about how the local church connections have led to him visiting Asia four times since 2010. would fare as the headquarters moved. “God has blessed my life and filled my heart with international Over the years, denominational executives students since my beloved wife, Sue, went home to be with Him,” occupied many key leadership positions in Koncelik said. “They fill my life with joy. They all call me their the church. When those people moved to American grandpa.” Indianapolis, Carder said, other Winona Lake members stepped into leadership roles previously occupied by the “professionals” and continued a tradition of ministry both in the church and in the community. Current Senior Pastor Paul Parker talked about how the service could have been a memorial to the past history of the church. Since he started in February, however, he has seen many ways in which the church continues to reach out to the broader Win- ona Lake community. Through the Kiddie Kollege, a preschool and child-care program where Parker leads weekly chapel services, children from the community make connections to the church. As Henry Church, missionary and former Winona Lake FMC pastor said, “Because of FIREFIGHTER OF THE YEAR the broken body of Jesus, we are one.” CREDITS FAITH AND CHURCH It’s that conviction and commitment to Champaign, Illinois Jesus that continues to drive Winona Lake FMC into the future as its members minister When the News-Gazette newspaper profiled Josh Jessup, the to their community. n Champaign Firefighter of the Year, Jessup shared how his faith helps him in his work. “We go to the Mattis Avenue Free Methodist Church here in Champaign. My faith and background in the church has allowed me to be confident to do this job. I feel like people MINDI GRIESER CROMWELL is a Free Methodist elder and the director of the East Michigan Conference’s East who choose to do this job — and other helping professions, like Michigan Training Institute. police officers and EMTs — are doing God’s work.” Go to fmchr.ch/maffoy for the newspaper’s interview with Jessup.