I was meeting with some friends last week and they asked a question that needs to be clear to all of us making the journey from the United Methodist Church to the Global Methodist Church. They asked, what does the Global Methodist Church stand for? I know we have shared a bit about this, but I thought my weekly blog might be a good avenue for professing several important statements that might be good for each of us to know.
First, the Global Methodist Church has a mission ... a very clear one. The mission of the Global Methodist Church is to "make disciples of Jesus Christ who worship passionately, love extravagantly and witness boldly." We are going to be part of a church that places first things first ... especially Jesus. In the current United Methodist Church, many leaders profess the many ways to God (Adam Hamilton talks of how close many [practically all] other religions are to God). 1 Peter quotes Isaiah 40:6-8 and reminds us "all people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever." Jesus is (John 1) the "Word made flesh." Jesus is essential, primary and foundational as "no one comes to the Father except through Christ."
In the Global Methodist Church worship is part of who we are. In Psalm 150 God reminds us to worship with pretty much everything we have. So we will gather, in fellowship with our brothers and sisters from all different walks of life, and point to Jesus, "the author and perfector of our faith (Hebrews 1:2)." We will affirm our faith (we are creedal), we will sing (we sing our faith and our expressions of God's Word), we will participate in liturgy, we will give, we will hear God's word preached, we will pray and we will praise God from whom all blessings flow! We will not be afraid to worship passionately!
We will love with extravagance! God loves us so much he gave His only begotten Son! How extravagant is that? So we share that love with others through our helping ministries (Backpacks for Friday, Food Pantry, Benevolence), through our recovery ministries (Celebrate Recovery, Selah, CR Inside), through our missions (Belize, Costa Rica, Red Bird) and through nurture (ICU, meals for families). Our cup truly overflows!
And we will witness! We will preach the pure Word, teach in our opportunities for growth and we will lead children, youth and adults toward a knowledge that will allow them to "have this hope as an anchor for their soul (Hebrews 6:19)." Our witness is one of hope and of the grace of God, given freely to all who come to Him!
We are going on a journey with a church that is more concerned with your soul than your pronouns. We will remind people that to find themselves they must lose themselves in Christ. We will not be ashamed of Scriptural authority, Christian tradition, our connection to other Christian believers, our belief in justification by faith in Christ alone, our belief that the presence of Christ is able to transform sinners into saints, our advocacy for our Christian faith, our focus on discipleship and accountability and our involvement in ministries that express compassion into our world. And we will always remember what Moses told a group of stiff-necked Hebrews, stuck in a wilderness ... "the Lord IS your life." This is the freeing message that life isn't about ME ... it is about God. "Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and fully surrender all things to Your glory and service. And now, O wonderful and holy God, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer, You are mine and I am Yours (John Wesley)!" AMEN
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