What does it mean to be "born again?" How do Wesleyans understand the new birth? These are key questions for John Wesley who believed that being "born again" wasn't merely a state of being "saved" but was really the beginning of a new life marked by faith (including power over sin), hope, and holy love. Join host Bob Kaylor as he looks at these three "Marks of the New Birth" and their implications for understanding the Wesleyan way. 

Read The Marks of the New Birth

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In this sermon, which was written shortly after his Aldersgate experience, John Wesley expounds on the core doctrine of the Reformation: salvation by grace through faith. For Wesley, however, that salvation is about more than just a ticket to heaven--it's the activation of God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, transforming him or her from the inside out, moving them toward sanctification, and giving him or her power over sin. Join host Bob Kaylor for a look at this important sermon and the distinctive Wesleyan accent it gives to the teaching of the Reformation. 

Read Salvation by Faith

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In this sermon, Wesley describes the difference between the "almost" and "altogether" Christian. The answer may surprise you. Join host Bob Kaylor for a deep dive into this important sermon and take some time to engage in the self-examination in which Wesley challenges his readers to engage. Are you "almost" or "altogether?"

Read "The Almost Christian." 

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Join host Bob Kaylor for a look at John Wesley's sermon "The Spirit of Bondage and Adoption" and its invitation to self-examination. Are you in the natural, legal, or evangelical state when it comes to your relationship with God? See also Charles Wesley's sermon "Awake, Thou That Sleepest" for a similar theme on spiritual awakening. 

Read "The Spirit of Bondage and Adoption"

Read "Awake Thou That Sleepest" 

Email the host at [email protected] and follow us on Twitter @revbkaylor. Subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review on your favorite platform. 

Wesley wrote this sermon in 1739 in response to the Calvinist doctrine of predestination. In this episode, Bob and Jason take a look at Wesley's critique and offer some contrasts with the Wesleyan idea of prevenient grace. Discover how Wesley's vision of God's grace is both "free in all" and "free for all." 

To read Free Grace, click here. 

Contact the show by emailing Bob at [email protected]. 

In this week's episode, Tri-Lakes UMC Associate Pastor Jason Baxter joins Bob to discuss John Wesley's sermon "Original Sin." "Nothing in human history is more original than sin," quipped Methodist theologian Tom Oden. Wesley, in line with other orthodox Christian traditions, sees original sin as the universal diagnosis of the human condition for which the gospel of Christ and the grace of God are the only cure. Naming the disease is the first step toward healing and beginning the process of being renewed in the image of God.

Read Wesley's sermon "Original Sin" here. 

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Wesley's sermon "The Image of God" isn't one of the Standard 44 but it is a key sermon in understanding both the glory and the problem of humanity in relationship to God. It's also a critical sermon in defining the "target" or "the one thing needful" in Methodist theology and practice: renewal in the image of God. In this episode, Bob Kaylor unpacks this sermon and offers some thoughts on how Wesley, in line with the classic Christian doctrine on humanity, speaks to the condition of humanity and the Church today. 

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

In this first episode, host Bob Kaylor introduces the sermons of John Wesley and makes the case that reading and understanding them is an essential practice for clergy and laity in the Methodist family as well as for those who want to understand this grace-filled and transformational Christian tradition. 

Each Wednesday we'll be diving deep into one of Wesley's sermons and we invite you to read along. You can order a copy of The Sermons of John Wesley: A Collection for the Christian Journey here, or read sermons online for free through the Wesley Center Online.

Leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform and email us with your questions and comments: [email protected]