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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
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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
DAY ONE: Pray the Opening Prayer, then read the lesson and do
the exercises at the end of each section.
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
the exercises at the end of each section.
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!
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 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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