Book Review: A Blueprint for Discipleship

This past July, I became the Senior Pastor of Wesley Freedom UMC, and I had a renewed desire to look at the life and teachings of John Wesley, after all, I am the pastor of a church bearing his name. I began by reading selections of John Wesley's sermons and journal entries. I then read, A Longing for Holiness: Selected Writings of John Wesley, edited by Timothy K. Jones. If that was not enough I dived into Bishop Rueben Job's book Three Simple Rules: A Wesleyan Way of Living. I even went so far as to use the book as part of an Immersion series, preaching on John Wesley's General Rules and having small groups study Bishop Job's book. I purchased a copy of the Wesley Study Bible, shortly after it went on sale. During Lent, I am leading a small group, based on the book, A Life that Really Matters: The Story of the John Wesley Great Experiment, by Danny Morris. I also subscribe to a number of blogs which deal with John Wesley. One in particular is Deeply Committed by Kevin Watson.

While I was reading his blog, Kevin made an offer I couldn't refuse. His publisher, Discipleship Resources, was offering a free copy of his new book A Blueprint for Discipleship: Wesley's General Rules as a Guide for Christian Living. The only catch was that after reading it, I had to write a review on my blog. So here it goes.
 
I was very excited when the book arrived. And then I read the introduction, and discovered that the book was based on John Wesley's General Rules (I guess I didn't read the title closely enough). I thought to myself, "I recently finished Bishop Job's book, Three Simple Rules, could Kevin's book be that different?". I must say, Bishop Job's book was merely an appetizer and Kevin's book was the main course.
 
Over all, I thoroughly enjoyed Kevin's book. He has a gift in weaving together a comprehensive historical study of John Wesley, placing us within that context of history, and practical insights and ideas for bringing Wesley out of the 18th century into a present day, relevant Christian context.

From the opening chapters, a reoccurring theme, the challenge of living our Christian faith, runs through the entire book.  Kevin poses the questions:  “Does being a part of the Wesleyan tradition make any difference as we face the challenge of living our faith in Jesus Christ?  Does our heritage offer any special guidance for us as we look to the future and seek renewal?”  I agree with his answer, yes, being descendants of John Wesley does make a difference.  Originally a movement of laity, I believe Kevin’s book and approach can return the responsibility of spiritual development back to the laity.  For too long, many clergy have gotten in the way, and the General Rules give us a framework for authentic renewal, beginning at the grassroots level of laity, as they watch over one another in love.  John Wesley spent his life empowering laity to renew the Church, and Kevin continues this work through his writing.  As Kevin explores and guides us through the General Rules,  he shares how they can move us from following a set of rules or beliefs to becoming a way for us to live out our Christian faith.

Before he dives into the General Rules, Kevin places his book within a Wesleyan understanding of grace.  It is grace that moves us toward salvation and prods us to ask the question, “What’s next?”.  Kevin’s book answers this question and guides us, not only toward information, but gives us map for transformation.  I really appreciated how Kevin then built upon Wesley’s idea of salvation by faith, through grace, as he then discussed how we have not only been saved from something, but we have been saved for something.  This is a point I have been returning to for several years, because our salvation is not merely individualistic, it is also corporate – our salvation must make a difference in more than our own lives.

Like Kevin, I have pondered, on more than one occasion, if John Wesley would recognize the United Methodist Church today, as a descendant of his movement? Wesley wrote, "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 the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case unless they hold fast to both the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out" (From John Wesley - "Thoughts Upon Methodism"). I agree with the author's conclusion that many of the churches in our denomination have not held fast, and we are in danger of becoming a dead sect. In the midst of this reality, Kevin offers a way for us to return to the methods of our roots - return to the practices that gave birth to the powerful movement that was founded by John Wesley.

Kevin then integrates and updates John Wesley's General Rules, supported by thought provoking discussion questions, which lend themselves to local church small groups. Each chapter builds upon the previous, beginning with the first General Rule, Do No Harm, translated by Kevin to "stop doing those things that lead us away from God." (54). He then updates the second General Rule, Do All the Good You Can, which is how we follow Jesus' command to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. And finally, the third General Rule, Attending Upon All the Ordinances of God, is a reminder to practice our faith by participating in Spiritual Disciplines. While Kevin does bring a fresh perspective to John Wesley's General Rules, this section of his book was not new information to me, so I found it repetitive, but his scholarship and interpretation were solid. 

Two particular chapters provided insight, understanding and new perspective for me: "Finding the Balance" and "Watching Over One Another in Love: The Importance of Christian Community." In "Finding the Balance", Kevin explains how the General Rules can help us discover balance in our Christian journey. Kevin's view of "balance" is provocative. He writes, "We are trying to find balance within the Christian life, not balance between the Christian life and something else." While we often talk about trying to find the balance between the Christian life and the other aspects of our lives, Kevin conversely suggests we try to find a balance of practicing our Christian faith and therefore the rest of our lives will fall into place. Or as we read in Matthew 6:33 - But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (NRSV).  I have said, on a number of occasions, that a strong point of Wesleyan thought was his brilliance in bringing together an understanding of faith and works – that both are needed in order to maintain a Christian life.  This is the balance Kevin describes, and one that we in the Church need to hear.

The chapter on “Watching over One Another in Love” is the bedrock chapter of this book, for me.  If we are going to renew the United Methodist Church, then returning to John Wesley’s concept of class meetings is essential.  As I said earlier, this book has the potential of empowering the laity for renewal, based on a return to small groups.  People are in search of authentic community.  And we are positioned to offer that which people are seeking.  Kevin gives us the rationale and framework to develop this kind of community.  This is the hallmark of Wesley’s movement.  As Kevin writes:  “Wesley defined Methodists during his life as people who ‘unite together to encourage and help each other in…working out their salvation, and for that end watch over one another in love.’” (109)  Kevin challenges us to embrace this definition. 

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to my colleagues, with the challenge of getting it into the hands of the laity and then get out of the way.  As the Holy Spirit moved in John Wesley’s heart, may our hearts be warmed with the love of God as we strive to grow in our faith.