The United Methodist Church:
Conclusion and Earnest Plea
Part 19
A study of this kind we’ve made could be expanded ten-fold but surely this is sufficient to make the points that we wish to leave with you. If you haven’t read over previous installments on this series on the United Methodist Church, we greatly urge you to do so. There is no way you can be informed unless you read and study the Biblical evidence and the Methodist teachings and practices.
We have examined the life of John Wesley and his early views and teachings. We have observed the early history of the Methodist Church in America and the early divisions with the resultant Methodist denominations. We have also seen the formation of the United Methodist Church and its present decline. Additionally, we have examined a number of the UMC doctrines and practices that reveal a liberal and unbelieving perspective.
Within this study of the UMC, we noticed some of the beliefs and practice of two smaller Methodist denominations that left the main body because of its departure from some of Wesley’s principles and emphases.
Where do you stand in this? Maybe you are a committed and faithful member of the United Methodist Church, however you sincerely want to know God, obey Him, and follow in His ways. Have you come to see how the UMC has departed from the sound teaching of Scripture? And have you come to see how both Methodist pastors and members fail to cling to basic truths about God, Christ, the church, Biblical teachings, and moral principles? Maybe you have been troubled by these matters for years but have come to see the issues in bold relief.
Just as in the past, you and I are called on to make a choice—between truth and error, between light and darkness, between the will of God and the fallen will of man. Will we seek to discover the pattern of New Testament truth and commit ourselves to it—or will we continue to follow our own way that reflects religious tradition and churchly doctrines, but does not manifest the will and ways of God?
Probably one of the most troubling points that we have covered has to do with the vast unbelief manifested by United Methodists, as reflected in credible surveys. This should concern you if you happen to be a member of this denomination. Further, maybe this unbelief is found in your own life. Perhaps you fail to believe the basics of the Scriptures, those truths that are needed to have eternal life. Now that you have discovered that you were not truly regenerated and saved as a baby when you had water sprinkled on your head by a Methodist minister, maybe you have come to have concern about your own standing with God. This is good for it shows that you have a sensitive conscience and want to make sure of your own salvation.
You now want to learn how you can enter into a personal relationship with God through Christ Jesus through a genuine forgiveness of sins. And you are now determined to leave this religious denomination of your past, even though you know that it will mean much sacrifice and perhaps even persecution and rejection. The Lord Jesus says, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me” (Mark 8:34). Are you willing to do this?
Maybe you are not a member of the United Methodist Church but happen to be a member of one of the leading “mainline” Protestant denominations—the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Episcopal Church, the Northern Baptist Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, or the United Church of Christ. Much of what we have discovered about the United Methodist Church is applicable to your own denomination. You too need to make a decision for the Lord and His Word regardless of your past religious connections.
Scripture challenges us, “Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). Are you willing to choose the written Word of the living God and be willing to turn from the faulty traditions of a compromising denomination?
You may wish to check out the United Methodist Church further:
http://truediscipleship.com/methodist-church-history/
The Methodist Church History and Background is Very Revealing (This is the First in the series of 19 articles.) Please type in “Methodist Church” or “United Methodist Church” to see all in the list.