A Study of The Methodist Church

Teaching Methodists• Need to show that God does not approve of

religious division. • You may have to prove that God is not different

now from what He was like in Biblical times.• You may have to overcome the idea that

Methodist preachers, due to training in seminaries are assumed to have much more knowledge and that regular lay people should trust them.

• You may have to deal with the Bible in terms of the generally accepted books and letters versus other books that are not considered canon.

What Can We Do?• Invite them to a Bible Study. Hold a study in your home

and invite them to study a book of the Bible (e.g. Acts). God’s word is “quick and powerful” and has the ability to convict people if we can get them to examine it.

• Emphasize the Whole Bible Approach. The Bible tells one continuous story.

• Show examples of conversion from the Bible. Discuss passages that show what a person must do to be saved.

• Point out how local churches were organized, what their work consisted of, their practices and why it is important that we follow that pattern.

• Prove that authority in religion is necessary to please God. Show examples from the Bible where God expected men to follow the instructions given them.

What Can We Do?• Show from the Bible what constitutes faith. Show how

we cannot allow our own ideas to change what the Bible teaches.

• Examine your own positions. Know why you believe and practice what you do. Continue to study and grow.

• We are commanded to go into all the world and teach. We are given examples of how NT Christians went out spreading the word. We will give an answer in judgment for our compliance to God’s commands.

• Remember, our goal is not to win an argument or get as many people as possible believing the same way we do. We are simply trying to convert people, and help make more true disciples of Christ. “Let your speech be seasoned with salt”.

Methodist Episcopal Church South, Discipline, 1930

A Methodist Church and itsWork, Tippy, Kern1918

Statement concerning the workOf the church.