Wednesdays with Wesley

One of the byproducts of the pandemic and its times of isolation has been our tendency to get lost in our own thoughts. Many people have reported having difficulty in focusing, being more anxious than usual, spending too much time on their devices, or struggling with their relationship with God. A lot of our problems stem from what Adam Grant calls "languishing," or "a state of stagnation and emptiness" that feels as though we are muddling through our days and "looking at life through a foggy windshield." John Wesley's sermon on "Wandering Thoughts" is thus a helpful guide for our times and an encouragement to refocus our thought life on what really matters. Written long before the days of cell phones, screens, and notifications, Wesley offers some wisdom for sorting out which thought patterns lead to sin from those distractions that are merely part of being human. Learning to mitigate those distractions and "take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5) is key to living a sanctified life. 

Read Wandering Thoughts

Read Adam Grant's article on "languishing" in The New York Times (may be behind paywall) or, better yet, listen to his TED Talk on languishing.

Check out Cal Newport's book Digital Minimalism 

Send your questions and comments to host Bob Kaylor at [email protected] and follow Bob on Twitter @revbkaylor

John Wesley's bestselling book was not a work of theology, but a book of medical remedies titled Primitive Physick, or an easy and natural Method of Curing Most Diseases. In a time when medical care by doctors was primarily the privilege of the wealthy, Wesley offered medical advice and free pills and elixirs to the poor as a way of upholding the Methodist General Rule of doing all the good you can to the souls and bodies of people. While Wesley's remedies may seem quaint and misguided by modern medical standards, they do reveal the heart of the Methodist movement as being concerned for the salvation of the whole person. In this episode, host Bob Kaylor offers a glimpse into this fascinating (and quirky) work of Wesley.

Grab a copy of Primitive Physick.

Read Samuel Rogal's interesting article in The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine. 

Send your questions and comments to the host at [email protected] and follow Bob Kaylor on Twitter @revbkaylor. 

In this sequel to "The Wilderness State," John Wesley describes the "heaviness" that all Christians experience through various trials that come their way; and yet this "heaviness" is not the same as the "darkness" he described in the previous sermon. While "the wilderness state" can lead to a loss of faith, a period of "heaviness" can lead to an increase of faith, hope, love, and holiness. While God doesn't visit these trials on us, says Wesley, God does allow them as a way of purifying our faith, confirming our hope, and perfecting us in love. 

Read Heaviness Through Manifold Temptations

Note: "Wednesdays with Wesley" will be taking a hiatus for the holidays. We'll be back in January 2022 with a look at more of Wesley's sermons and writings. Happy Advent and Christmas to all! 

One of the troubling trends of recent years has been the "deconstructing" of the Christian faith by some high-profile Christian leaders. Add to that the rise of "ex-vangelicals," the "nones," and the "dones" and it seems like a lot of people are moving away from Christianity. What they're moving toward, however, isn't the absence of faith, but rather faith in a different sort of secular religion where the overarching narrative of Scripture is replaced by the story of the self.

The people of God have always faced the temptation of rival religions and the "greener grass" of getting out from under the "repressive" rules and difficult way of cross-bearing discipleship. Like the Israelites in the wilderness, we've often faced the temptation to go back to Egypt and its delights--forgetting, of course, that Egypt also meant slavery! The big question is, "How do we avoid getting stuck in a spiritual wilderness and avoid the temptation to give in and go back to the self-focused life? That's the question with which John Wesley wrestles in "The Wilderness State."

Read The Wilderness State

Check out Carl Trueman's book The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self.

Send your questions and comments to host Bob Kaylor at [email protected] and follow Bob on Twitter @revbkaylor.

In this sermon, John Wesley offers what is arguably one of the greatest (and simplest) messages on financial stewardship in all of Christian history. Wesley doesn't see money itself as evil--on the contrary, when it is used well it can have a tremendous impact for the Kingdom of God. "Gain all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can." It's good advice for every Christian in evaluating his or her use of money! 

Read The Use of Money

Send your comments and questions to host Bob Kaylor at [email protected]. Follow Bob on Twitter @revbkaylor. 

Did you know that "Methodists" were originally named after an insult? John Wesley published this 8-page pamphlet in 1742 as a way of answering critics who had a distorted view of the movement's rigorous and optimistic doctrine and practice. The distinguishing marks of a Methodist, for Wesley, were no different than the distinguishing marks for all real Christians; it's just that Methodists were expected to know them and live them! This is an important piece for 21st century Methodists to use as a measuring stick for the life of faith in individuals and in our churches. 

Read The Character of a Methodist

Send your questions and comments to [email protected] and follow Bob Kaylor on Twitter @revbkaylor. 

One of the questions we often get here at the podcast is, "How would you preach Wesley's sermons in a 21st-century church?" In this episode, Bob Kaylor demonstrates how a sermon like "Christian Perfection" can be used to bring some of Methodism's distinctive doctrines to new generations. Think of it as a throwback to the way that Wesley's original circuit riders used the sermons as a "seminary in a saddlebag" for fueling their preaching in fields and preaching houses across the British Isles and the American frontier. 

Read Wesley's sermon "Christian Perfection."

Check out Kevin Watson's outstanding book Perfect Love for a comprehensive explanation of entire sanctification. 

Send your questions and comments to the host at [email protected] and follow Bob on Twitter @revbkaylor. 

What does it mean to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling?" (Philippians 2:12-13). John Wesley's view is that God saving grace works in us for a purpose--to enable us to work for God's glory as people made in God's image. As Wesley puts it, "First, God works; therefore you can work. Secondly, God works; therefore, you must work." This sermon dives deep into this important biblical text and reveals that Methodists do not have a passive, lethargic, or idle understanding of saving grace. Instead, Methodists have a synergistic vision of salvation that requires both God's grace and human cooperation. 

Read On Working Out Our Own Salvation

Contact the host with your questions at [email protected] and follow Bob Kaylor on Twitter @revbkaylor. 

Does the Wesleyan doctrine of "Christian perfection" mean that believers no longer have to deal with sin? John Wesley uses this sermon to clarify some points about the nature of sin in believers--that sin may remain, but it need not reign. Mediating between the view of a hopeless continuation of sin in the totally depraved on the one hand and the idealistic idea of sinless perfection on the other, Wesley offers a third way that he argues from Scripture, experience, tradition, and reason--a way in which the believer can embrace the power God gives us to overcome sin while still recognizing its presence. 

Email your questions and comments to host Bob Kaylor at [email protected]. Follow Bob on Twitter @revbkaylor. 

In a culture where "hot takes" and "burns" on social media are the norm and where people seek more "likes" for their open criticism and condemnation of others, Wesley's wisdom on how Christians should deal with conflict is essential. Based on Jesus' teaching in Matthew 18:15-17, Wesley offers a practical approach to dealing with conflict and addresses how we should speak and act toward others who may have done us wrong or who are doing wrong. It doesn't involve speaking about them to another, but speaking directly with them and seeking every opportunity for repentance, reconciliation, and restoration. This sermon is a critical one for 21st century Methodists who are navigating a culture that is now known for its "evil-speaking." We can be different and lead others to the restoring love of Christ! 

Read The Cure of Evil-Speaking

Send your comments and questions to host Bob Kaylor at [email protected]. Follow Bob on Twitter @revbkaylor. 

Note that we will be back with a new episode on October 6, 2021.