Don't Go It Alone

Good afternoon, friends! Most of you know I’m currently in seminary and getting to learn all kinds of cool things about the Methodist tradition and John Wesley in particular. There’s one quote that’s always stuck out to me and comes to my mind especially this time of year:

“Directly opposite to this is the gospel of Christ. Solitary religion is not to be found there. ‘Holy solitaries’ is a phrase no more consistent with the gospel than holy adulterers. The gospel of Christ knows of no religion but social; no holiness but social holiness.”

- John Wesley’s Preface to the 1739 Edition of Hymns and Sacred Poems

For Wesley, the idea of being a Christian who keeps to himself was wholly unthinkable! We see something similar in Scripture. In Genesis 2:18, God says, “It is not good for man to be alone.” In Luke 10, when Jesus sends out 72 followers to prepare the towns ahead of him, he sends them out in pairs, not alone. And the writer of Hebrews 10:24-25, says this: "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another …”

I could go on and on and on, but you get the idea. Wesley was right: the Christian life is not solitary. God never designed it that way. It becomes nearly impossible to live out the commands Jesus gave if we try to do so alone. The family we have in Christ is an amazing gift, but if we do not use that gift, we are missing something incredible. 

Very soon you’ll be seeing and hearing things about GROUPS at our church. This is officially your first invitation to join one this year. We will have Grow Groups and Seed Studies as always, and our new groups will be called Interest Groups. Interest groups meet together to have fun enjoying a hobby (ex: sewing, hiking, games), and during their time together they’ll spend some time engaging in some of the spiritual disciplines like prayer and devotional study. 

Keep an eye and ear out for more info, and be in prayer! Remember, God never intended your faith life to be lived alone. (And there are probably a lot of people in our church family who would love to spend time with you.)

If you have questions or want to know more, please reach out any time: 361-443-9668; allen@fmcmarblefalls.com.