Um Christian Magruder

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Copyright 2005 United Methodist Church in

Cameroon. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by an means, electronic or mechanical, including

photocopying without permission. Requests for permission shouldbe addressed to UNITED METHODIST CHURCH IN

CAMEROON, B.P. 491 FEMEC Yaounde, Cameroon 223-52-35Email:[email protected]

UNITED METHODIST CHURCH IN CAMEROONB.P. 491 FEMEC

Yaounde, Cameroon223-52-35

Email: [email protected]

A Publication of the United Methodist

Church in Cameroon

THE UNITED

METHODIST

CHRISTIAN

An Eight-Week Bible Study Course
mailto:Email:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:Email:[email protected]


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THE UNITED METHODIST CHRISTIAN

What is a United Methodist? A United Methodist is

simply none other than a Biblical Christian, who aspires to

be holy and to live completely for the glory of God. Thats

the short answer!

In this eight-week study of United Methodist Christi-

anity, you will receive the longer answer.

Do you like a good story? This course is told like a

story several different stories in fact.

The story of United Methodism is a story, first of all,

of the way God moves in the world. Because God loves the

world, he does everything he can to convince people of his

love, to the extent of sending his own beloved son to earth.

Throughout history, God has been at work wooing people to

himself, drawing people closer, and using men and women

as his instruments on earth.

One of those men that God used was John Wesley, a

priest in the Church of England in the 18th-century. The story

of United Methodism is also his story; John launched the

movement that now boasts over 60 million adherents. In ad-

dition to being a celebrated revival preacher, John was an au-

thor, songwriter, organizer, antislavery advocate, prison min-

ister, and missionary.

The story that John started was continued by those

who became Christians under his preaching. They became

known as the people called Methodists, and they helped

spread the gospel from England to every continent on the

earth.

But finally, the story of United Methodism is your

COVENANT PRAYER OF JOHN WESLEY

Lord, let me be your servant, under your command.I will no longer be my own.

I will give up myself to your will in all things.Make me what you will.

I put myself fully into your hands:Put me to doing, or put me to suffering.

Let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you.

Let me be full, or let me be empty.Let me have all things, or let me have nothing.

I freely and with a willing heart give it all to your pleasure and disposal.

O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

You have now become my Covenant Friend.And I, through your infinite grace, have become your

covenant servant.

So be it. And let the covenant I have made on earth

be ratified in heaven.Amen.

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Date: I certify that I have completed the eight weeks of study con-tained in this booklet, The United Methodist Christian, and have prayerfully considered the meaning of becoming a United Methodist Christian. I hereby consent to the themescontained in the booklet, and reaffirm my commitment to be-coming a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ.I will be JOYFUL and HOLY and PRAYERFUL and BIBLICAL! I will INVITE people to know Jesus.

I will LOVE my neighbors and my enemies.I BELONG to a community of faith.And I will put my FAITH TO WORK!

Signature of Candidate

Signature of Pastor

Signature of Mission Director

THE UNITEDMETHODIST CHRISTIAN

story. The vision of scriptural holiness that God gave to John

Wesley has now been given to you; you have been called by God,forgiven by Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit to

have abundant life. As you work through this study, prepare

yourself to pray the Covenant Prayer found in the back of the

book.

It is our prayer that, upon completion of the study, you

will recommit yourself to becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ, anda faithful member of your local United Methodist Church.

Each lesson includes: a story from the life of John Wesley;

a brief explanation of United Methodist theology and doctrine; a

bit of history of the Methodist church; questions for reflection;

Scriptures for study; and a daily reading plan.

These studies may be done with a class and a leader; orthey may be done individually. At the end of the study, please pre-

sent your completed book to your pastor for approval. You will be

asked to pray the Covenant Prayer in a special worship service, at

which time you will receive a pin confirming your completion of

the first course.

I hope this study helps you to understand and appreciate

what it means to be a United Methodist Christian. May God bless

you on this journey!

Rev. Dr. Wesley Magruder

Director of Mission,

United Methodist Church in Cameroon

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LESSON ONE__________________________________________________A UNITED METHODIST CHRISTIAN IS JOYFUL!

DAY SIX: Read Jesus words in Luke 12:13-21. Why is greed

such a danger for the Christian? _________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

DAY SEVEN: Read what happens when a rich man approaches

Jesus and asks for eternal life in Luke 18:18-30. Why did Jesus tell

him to sell everything he had?___________________________

__________________________________________________

DAY ONE: Pray the Opening Prayer, then read the lesson and do

the exercises at the end of each section.

Opening Prayer: Lord, open my heart that I may see you clearly.

Give me the assurance and joy of salvation through your Son, Je-sus Christ. Amen.

I. WESLEYS STORY

A young man, recently ordained a priest in the Church of

England, boarded a ship headed for America in 1733. This mans

name was John Wesley.

John hoped to preach the Word of God to American Indi-

ans. He was full of energy and desire, but in the middle of the At-

lantic Ocean, the ship encountered several terrible storms.

In the midst of one of these storms, John experienced

great fear. As wave after wave crashed over the deck, John feared

for his life, and he discovered that he was afraid to face the judg-

ment of God. What if God did not accept him? What if he had not

been good enough to merit eternal life? What if God sent him to

hell?

As John worried and prayed, he noticed that at least one

group of people on board the ship were at peace. These were agroup of Moravian Lutheran Christians who were having a wor-

ship service below deck. Even as the boat lurched from side to

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LESSON EIGHTA UNITED METHODIST PUTS FAITH TO WORK



Opening Prayer: Lord, let me show my faith in the deeds I do.

Give me a task to perform with joy. Amen.

I. DO ALL THE GOOD YOU CAN

One of the most distinctive characteristics of Johns life

was his interest in doing good works. We have already seen that

John learned that good works are the result of a saving faith in

Gods grace, not the cause of salvation. But a holy person will al-

ways be involved with showing his

faith in acts of real kindness and

mercy.

From the beginning of his

ministry, John took the words of

Jesus seriously: When you did it

to the least of these, you did it to

me. Even in his college days,

John sought out opportunities tominister to those whom society

considered the least. He and his friends made regular trips to

minister to prisoners, feed and clothe orphans and widows, and

visit the elderly.

Later, John raised enough money to buy a building in the

middle of London that had previously been used to make cannons.

John turned this old foundry into the center of Methodist activity

in the country. Part of the building was used to hold worship ser-vices every morning of the week. But the rest of the property

housed a soup kitchen, a pharmacy, school rooms for children, and

a printing press.

Even as he grew older, John was driven by his concern to

help the poor. As an 82 year old man, John wrote the following in

his journal:

So on this, and the four follow-ing days, I walked through the

town, and begged two hundred

pounds, in order to clothe them

DAY SIX: Romans 8:28-39 is a passage of comfort and assurance.

Read it, then write down those things that worry you and make

you afraid. Now read the passage once more as a prayer. Memo-

rize this part of the passage, and repeat it throughout the day to

yourself: Nothing will be able to separate me from the love of

God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

DAY SEVEN: Read Acts 26:4-18, in which Paul tells the story of

how he became a follower of Christ. Write here the story of how

you became a Christian: _______________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

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DAY SIX: Ephesians 6:10-18 gives the example of the Christian

as someone who is outfitted with Gods armor. Make a list of each

piece of the armor, and what it represents.

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

DAY SEVEN: Read James 3:1-18. One of the first things thatmust be made holy is our tongue! How does your tongue and your

talk need to be made holy in Gods sight?

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

LESSON SEVENA UNITED METHODIST ... BELONGS TO A

COMMUNITY OF FAITH! DAY ONE: Pray the Opening Prayer, then read the lesson and do


Opening Prayer: Lord, help me to understand that I need the fel-

lowship of other believers. Draw me closer to my brothers and sis-

ters in Christ. Amen.

I. THE CHURCH IS NOT A BUILDING

Even though John is considered the founder of the United

Methodist Church, it is important to remember that, throughout his

lifetime, he remained a priest of the Church of England. He never

intended to start a separate

church. He simply hoped

that the Methodist move-

ment would spark a refor-

mation and renewal of the

Church of England.

It was only after

his death that his followersformally separated from

the national church, and

began holding Sunday

morning worship services

in Methodist buildings.

John had a very

strong belief in the cen-

trality of the church. Heencouraged every Chris-

tian to be baptized by wa-

ter, attend a local worship

service every Sunday, and

celebrate Holy Commun-

ion regularly. He knew

that these were practices that could only be done in the company

of other Christians.When asked, What is a church? John usually gave two

answers. First, a church is a group of persons, who want to be

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assistant, Timothy. Read a passage from one of these letters, II

Timothy 2:1-19. How would a solid knowledge of Scripture

help Timothy in his position as leader of the church? _____

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

LESSON FIVETHE UNITED METHODIST CHRISTIAN INVITES!



Opening Prayer: Lord, open my heart to have an all-embracing

concern and compassion for all people. Amen.

I. THE WORLD IS MY PARISH

While a teacher in London, John received a message from

his friend, the evangelist George Whitefield. George had been

preaching in the village of Bristol with astounding success. He

told John that the crowds were huge, and that he needed help.

So John went to Bristol, though he was skeptical aboutwhat he would find. He had heard that George liked to preach in

the open air, in fields. John thought this was strange; he wrote in

his journal that he thought that preaching should only be properly

done inside a church building!

When John arrived, he found that thousands of people

gathered to hear George preach, and hundreds were receiving the

assurance of salvation. He was astounded! He agreed to preach,

and found that he had the same results! As many as 6,000 peoplegathered to hear him in the open fields.

Many of the people who came to listen to the Word of

God were people who were not normally admitted into the Church

of England many were poor, illiterate, and unemployed. Others

were coal miners, considered the lowest class of English society.

John began to take the Gospel to the people, where they

lived and worked, instead of waiting for the people to come into a

church building. Many people began to believe in the power of Je-sus Christ as a result.

This did not make everybody happy. Some priests in the

Church of England began to complain that John was stealing

their church members. One bishop asked John to leave his area

since it was the bishops own parish, but John replied, The world

is my parish!

What do you think John meant when he said, The world is my

parish!? ___________________________________________

__________________________________________________

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