Lessons from John Wesley
By Dr. Rick Vance
“Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on Earth.”
–– John Wesley
I encountered this quote in a devotion last week, and I pondered how the quotation relates to how we do men’s ministry.
Most of us want to receive the finest training and be engaged with the most up-to-date technologies.
While outreach and training are important, Wesley said that the most important component is our willingness to be holy and desire God’s best in our life.
Following his death and resurrection, Jesus instructed his trained disciples to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28).
In other words, take your training and act on it.
Going out and building relationships with men who are not part of our ministry is at the core of our mission to “Coach men to THRIVE through Christ!”
John Wesley once said: “Beware you be not swallowed up in books! An ounce of love is worth a pound of knowledge.”
The way we show love is through our relationships with other men who are on a spiritual journey and with those who have not yet begun.
All of this requires that we leave our meeting places and go into the mission field (the world) to love, serve, and coach God’s children.
Wesley said: “Get on fire for God and men will come and see you burn.”
May we be so bold to go into the world and allow the fire of the Holy Spirit to burn in us, that men will come and see.
The commission has many resources to help you reach out into your community and local church. Please give us a call.
The Rev. Dr. Rick Vance, director of the Center for Men’s Ministries
General Commission on UM Men