The Wesleyan Way Leader Guide: A Faith That Matters

By Bishop Scott J. Jones

In this exciting and inspiring new study, Scott J. Jones helps seekers and believers to envision and practice discipleship as a way of life. Presenting Christianity from a Wesleyan perspective, Jones invites participants into a deeper, more thoughtful, more active commitment to Christ. This Leader Guide includes everything a group leader needs to plan and facilitate the 8 sessions, helping participants to explore what they have read, to view a 12-minute video, and to discuss the reading and video with the group. The guide walks leaders through the study format and provides options for tailoring sessions to the time-frame and style of each group.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abingdon Press
• Release date: Sep 3, 2013
• ISBN: 9781426779220

Bishop Scott J. Jones

Scott J. Jones is the Resident Bishop of the Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church and served as Bishop of the Great Plains area of The United Methodist Church. He was formerly the McCreless Associate Professor of Evangelism at Perkins School of Theology, where he taught courses in evangelism and Wesley studies. Previous books include The Wesleyan Way, The Evangelistic Love of God & Neighbor, Staying at the Table, and Wesley and the Quadrilateral, all published by Abingdon Press. of the United Methodist Church and served as Bishop of the Great Plains area of The United Methodist Church.

Book preview

1.

Following Christ

Is a Way of Life

Session Summary

The word salvation sometimes has been misused by Christians and misunderstood by others. Yet, like many other words found in the Bible, it is best to keep using it and to do so with as much clarity as possible. When talking about the Wesleyan Way of salvation, one should keep in mind what Jesus said to many people whom he met. For many of them, salvation was about healing them of the brokenness in their lives. For some this meant physical healing. For others it was restoring broken relationships. For still others it meant life after death, in paradise. One way of explaining it is to say that salvation is from all the bad things in life, and salvation is for true happiness, joy, and meaning.

Salvation is more than membership in a church, although church membership is part of it. Salvation is more than a family affiliation, though one’s family and upbringing may influence our path. People enter the Christian life in a variety of ways, but salvation is a lifelong journey. Once someone has entered into the Christian life, that person has been saved but is still being saved. Christians should understand that God has not finished with them just because they have entered into a saving relationship. All of us are sinners, and it takes a lifetime to become the kind of people God intends us to