“For
by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it
is the gift of God -- not the result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NRSV)
We lament that many of our churches are
no longer growing. Part of it is demographics, since many of our churches are
located in rural areas where populations are in decline. Part of it is a lack
of vitality in our music, preaching, and small groups. But I’m convinced that a
big part of it is that we’ve lost our passion to do whatever it takes to reach
those who don’t yet know Christ. That passion drove [John] Wesley and our forbearers
to preach on the hilltops, at market crosses, in the cemeteries, and wherever
they could get a hearing, in order to share the good news of God’s grace and
love for all people.
Wesley preached in city squares, on
hills beside coal mines, in jails and fields. He sought out those who were
nonreligious and nominally religious, and he invited them to receive God’s
grace and salvation through Jesus Christ, free to all.
-- Adam Hamilton in “Revival:
Faith as Wesley Lived It”
#4716
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