Host Bob Kaylor offers a brief update on the show and his impending move into a new season of ministry. Wednesdays with Wesley will be back in a few weeks but, in the interim, send your suggestions for future episodes to revbkaylor@gmail.com (note the new address). Watch for new episodes coming soon!
In this episode we go a little deeper into John Wesley's understanding of the good news by looking at his definition of "true religion" found in Jesus' proclamation of the kingdom of God. It's a religion of the heart that is evidenced in the believer's life in "righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." As Wesley puts it, "This is the way; walk ye in it!" Host Bob Kaylor walks us through this important sermon that gets at the essence of the gospel and how it's lived out in the lives of th...
Many evangelical Christians are aware of The Four Spiritual Laws as a shorthand version of the gospel used in evangelism. While millions of Christians have come to faith through this simple presentation, which has its roots in the Reformed tradition, those in the Methodist tribe might wonder if there is a Wesleyan version of The Four Spiritual Laws that expresses not only the salvation we have in Christ but also a version of the "wonderful plan" for our lives that involves sanctification, restor...
The spontaneous revival at Asbury University has now moved into its second week. What started as a regular Wednesday chapel service has grown into a move of God that is attracting hundreds of people to Wilmore, KY, to experience this outpouring of God’s Spirit. People are coming to experience the power of confession and repentance, healing and reconciliation, testimony and spontaneous praise. There’s no central leader, no direction or agenda, just people gathering together, drawn in and sent out...
In Discourse I, John Wesley described the way in which people (and especially preachers) void the moral law of God by an overemphasis on faith alone. In Discourse II, he offers three ways to properly establish the law through faith: through preaching a fully biblical doctrine, through seeing faith as a means toward holiness, and through living out that law of love in our hearts and lives. The Wesleyan way sees faith and law working together to produce Christ-like character expressed in holy love...
“Consider this well--that to preach Christ is to preach all things that Christ hath spoken; all his promises; all his threatenings and commands; all that is written in his book; and then you will know how to preach Christ, without making void the law.” Bringing law and grace, law and faith, into balance is one of the strengths of Wesleyan theology, paying attention to the critical role that both play in the Bible and in the life of the disciple of Jesus. Law without grace is legalism, while grac...
"The devices whereby the subtle 'god of this world' labors to destroy the children of God, or at least torment whom he cannot destroy, to perplex and hinder them in running the race which is set before them, are numberless as the stars of heaven or the sand upon the seashore." In this sermon, John Wesley looks at some of the particular devices of Satan that would hinder Christians from "going on to perfection." It's a helpful reminder that when it comes to the spiritual life we should focus more...
John Wesley's understanding of prevenient grace allowed him to acknowledge the good that God can accomplish through a variety of people, even those outside of the church. In this sermon he cautions against the kind of spiritual pride that would limit the power of God to only working within our own tribe or even our own religion. When sinners turn to God in repentance, no matter how or through whom it happens, it's something to be celebrated. Host Bob Kaylor takes a look at this important sermon ...
In this episode, host Bob Kaylor looks at one of John Wesley's most misquoted sermons, "Catholic Spirit." Rather than a sermon about theological pluralism, as many have perceived it, Wesley is making the case that Christians who are united around a core of "the faith once delivered to the saints" can hold different opinions while still loving one another. It's an important sermon to read and understand in context, especially in a time in which Methodism itself is in conflict over doctrinal and p...
"The 'denying' ourselves and the 'taking up our cross,' in the fullness of the expression, is not a thing of small concern. It is not expedient only, as are some of the circumstantials of religion; but it is absolutely, indispensably necessary, either to our becoming or continuing his disciples." In this sermon, John Wesley takes up these commands of Jesus and expresses the truth that whenever a person is not living fully as a disciple of Jesus it is always due to a lack of following these comma...
Wednesdays with Wesley is back from hiatus with an episode on the Wesley Covenant Service, which some Methodist churches use on the first Sunday of the New Year. Host Bob Kaylor offers a brief history of the service and then takes a look at the elements of the liturgy that renew our covenant with God and counter our culture's rugged individualism with a promise of surrender to God's will. You can access the United Methodist version of the Wesley Covenant Service here for your church or for your ...
As we near Holy Week and Easter, this sermon from John Wesley gives us a solid foundation not only for understanding the resurrection of Jesus but also for leaning into the promise of our own resurrection. Using Paul's treatise on the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15 and borrowing from an earlier work by Benjamin Calamy, Wesley addresses the question that Paul raises: "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?" (1 Corinthians 15:35 NRSV). Understanding the resurrection from a...
As the United Methodist Church goes through a painful separation, John Wesley's sermon "On Schism" is instructive. Bob Kaylor looks at Wesley's definition of schism, what the criteria for separation should be, and how to avoid the "evil tempers" that always accompany divisions in the body of Christ. Read On Schism Email your questions and comments to pastorbk@tlumc.org. Follow Bob on Twitter @revbkaylor and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform....
In 1786, near the end of his life, John Wesley wrote "Thoughts Upon Methodism" as both a historic look back at the origins of the Methodist movement and a cautionary look ahead to its future. This short piece, which appeared in The Arminian Magazine in 1787, is best known for its opening quote: "I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid, lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without ...
In this special episode, Bob chats with Madeline Henners about her essay on the role of the Holy Spirit in Wesleyan Christianity in the new book The Next Methodism: Theological, Social, and Missional Foundations for Global Methodism. Madeline suggests that while most Methodists see Wesley's Aldersgate experience as the catalyst of the movement, the real "Methodist Pentecost" happened on January 1, 1739, at Fetter Lane. Madeline discusses the reasons why mainline Methodism seems to have neglected...
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 wi...
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...
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 fait...
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 ...
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 T he Use of Money Send your comments and questions to host Bob Kaylor at pasto...
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 ...
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...
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 g...
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 i...
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, bu...
John Wesley believed that "it is the duty of every Christian to receive the Lord's Supper as often as he can." Why? Wesley answers, in effect, "Because Jesus says so!" In this episode, Bob Kaylor looks at this important sermon and, along with Wesley, offers a challenge (as well as a bit of a rant) focused on the reasons those in the Methodist tradition should re-engage the practice of weekly communion in our worship services. It is a key means of grace through which "we may be assisted to attain...
What did John Wesley believe about eschatology and the end times? The answer is hard to pin down because he doesn't write much about it. His concern was less about the timing and manner of Christ's return than it was about how we should live in light of his coming and the final judgment. Joining the early Methodist societies required each person to have "a desire to flee from the wrath to come," thus God's judgment was as important to Wesley as God's love, which are two sides of the same coin. I...
In this last Discourse, Wesley once again circles back to the Beatitudes as the "sum of all true religion" and the character of the one who builds his or her spiritual house on the "rock," obeying the teaching of Jesus by walking the narrow way. Many will say "Lord, Lord!" and show their credentials in good works, Bible study, church attendance, and even following the General Rules, and yet without the inward transformation that leads to holiness of heart and life they will not find their way in...
In Discourse 12, John Wesley looks at Matthew 7:15-20 and Jesus' teaching on recognizing false prophets. If the "ill example" of the crowd is a way of leading some people on the broad highway to hell, the "ill advice" of false prophets speaking a different version of the gospel and the way of Christ is a way of convincing the rest. Wesley identifies the properties of false prophets and then speaks to them directly, inviting all of us to consider the ways in which we have dabbled on the wide road...
"No stop sign, speed limit; nobody gonna slow me down!" It's hard to read Matthew 7:13-14 and not think of AC/DC shrieking happily about being on the "Highway to Hell;" but as both Jesus and John Wesley warn, that road leads to a literal and figurative dead end. In this Discourse, Wesley contrasts the "inseparable properties" of the wide way that leads to destruction and the narrow way that leads to life. It's an essential part of the Sermon on the Mount and one that challenges us to ask ourselv...
