The inception and rapid growth of the Methodist movement in Eighteenth Century England make for an inspiring story of spiritual awakening. A key feature of the Methodist movement was the development of the Methodist classes and societies. Classes were small gatherings in which Christian believers would meet regularly for the purpose of prayer, study of Scripture, and holy accountability. Several of these Methodist classes would then be grouped together in a “society,” which, of course, generated a larger and more expansive sense of community for the people called Methodist.
Always eager to practice good oversight and leadership in the Methodist movement, John Wesley, the founder of the movement, formulated what came to be known as “the three general rules.” The general rules, which still appear in the United Methodist Book of Discipline, were designed to remind the early Methodists of the kind of life to which they were being called through Jesus Christ. The three general rules are these:
-First, DO NO HARM. (Wesley further explained his rule as the avoidance of every kind of evil, including the vain usage of God’s name, engagement in activities that do not glorify God, drunkenness, and unrestrained self-indulgance.)
-Second, DO GOOD. (Wesley defined goodness here as the regular offering of Christlike love and mercy to all people, coupled with the rendering of compassionate ministry to those who are hungry, marginalized, sick, or imprisoned.)
-Third, ATTEND UPON ALL THE ORDINANCES OF GOD (For Wesley, these “ordinances” included the public worship of God, family and private prayer, searching the Scripture, fasting, and the regular celebration of the Lord’s Supper.)
These three general rules, according to Wesley, were to govern the thinking and behavior of the Methodist classes and societies. Methodists, in other words, were to be people who did no harm, who instead did good, and who diligently attended upon the ordinances of God, all for the sake of Jesus Christ and his kingdom.
In recent days, a United Methodist Bishop by the name of Reuben Job wrote an excellent little book entitled “Three Simple Rules: A Wesleyan Way of Living.” In the book, Bishop Job suggests that it is time for United Methodist followers of Jesus to rediscover and reclaim the three rules as an ethical paradigm for the life of discipleship.
Our current episcopal leader in Western Pennsylvania, Bishop Tom Bickerton, gave the “Three Simple Rules” book to all of his pastors as a Christmas gift this year. This week, I joined some of my colleagues in ministry for a two-day retreat during which Bishop Bickerton lead us in a reflection on the three simple rules.
I currently find myself praying over how the three simple rules might impact the current season of my discipleship to Jesus Christ.
How might I become more intentional about doing no harm? (This question compels me to examine my life for the purpose of discerning where it is that I am wounding the souls of others with my sarcasm, my flippancy, my quickness to anger, my eagerness to have the last word and win the debate, my cavalier insults, and my arrogant efforts to put people in their place when I disagree with them.)
How might I become more intentional about doing good? (How is it, in other words, that I might cultivate a passion for doing the good and merciful thing instead of the destructive and hurtful thing? And what might some of those “good things” be into which God is currently calling me to pour myself?)
How might I become more diligent about attending upon the ordinances of God? (In his book, Bishop Job rewords this third rule so that it reads, “stay in love with God.” With all due respect to Bishop Job, I like Wesley’s wording better. “Staying in love with God,” in my mind, makes the third rule dependent upon our capacity to generate a romance with the divine. If history has taught us anything, it is that we are painfully fickle in that regard. “Attending upon the ordinances of God,” I think, is a much clearer reference to the centrality of the ordinances and spiritual disciplines through which the Holy Spirit ushers us into a transformational intimacy with the presence of God. No matter which phrase I use, however, the challenge is the same. It is the challenge of organizing my life around the spiritual disciplines instead of merely squeezing the disciplines intermittently into my pre-formed schedule and agenda.)
I am grateful for Wesley’s three rules. I am grateful for the opportunity that I have had to reflect upon them over the last couple of days. And I am grateful for my brothers and sisters in the land of blog who might just be inclined to join me in a recommitment to the life of doing no harm, doing good, and attending upon the ordinances of God.
Who’s John Wesley?
P.S. - Kidding of course…….
I think you are right with focusing on attending upon the ordinances of God. With Bishop Job’s paraphrase we may lose the insight that it is God’s Spirit working in us that “keeps us in love” and lets us grow in love with God. It is not our work, but God’s work in us. Attending upon the ordinances of God let us place our very bodies (souls) in a position for God to do that work.
I guess I wanted to lift this up, because I know there is so much work left in me, and it is beyond my power to accomplish it. On to perfection.