11
I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of
human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it;
rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of
my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of
God and tried to destroy it. 14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my
own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my
fathers. 15 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me
by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him
among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being.
17 I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was,
but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus. 18 Then after three
years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas[a] and stayed with
him fifteen days. 19 I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s
brother. 20 I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. 21
Then I went to Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was personally unknown to the churches
of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only heard the report: “The man who
formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24
And they praised God because of me.
This is the Word
of God for the People of God……Thanks Be to God!
This
morning during these next three weeks we will be looking at the
early Christian communities, the early Camp meetings,
And
some of the early circuit riders who held them and
traveled between many Churches, communities both cities and
countryside’s preaching the Word of God, singing old hymns,
and
growing in the Christian faith,
A
great fellowship of believers, who like Acts 2 tells us, “Devoted
themselves to the apostles’ teaching (the Word of God) and
to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
This
morning we will be taking a closer look at one of the earliest
Circuit
riders, the Apostle Paul, as well as the founder of Methodism John Wesley. We will hear and be reminded of their histories
And a calling to ministry that they both shared,
Both
of them traveling from church to church and country to country.
From
our Scripture reading in Galatians Paul reminds
One
of his Churches about his past and about his ministry
As
a circuit rider. Riding between
Churches, all over many countries.
We
hear that Paul was a missionary as well as a Preacher,
And
felt a strong call in his ministry, with strong purpose given to him by
God. While Peter some of the other
Apostles were busy Preaching
to the Jewish-Christian community,
Paul
felt called by God to spreading of the Gospel Through
early Christian communities across the Roman Empire.
Paul’s
name before his conversion was Saul and he was born in the city of Tarsus in Turkey
but was raised in Jerusalem. Paul
was a Roman Citizen who also claimed to be the son of a Pharisee and a
Roman. When
Paul was a young adult he cooperated in the killing of Stephen one of the later
appointed apostles by the original disciples.
Paul
confesses to standing watch over the taking of Stephen’s clothing and allowing
the stoning which lead to Stephen’s death.
Thankfully out of the death of one
Apostle was born another!
During
the book of Acts 9 we hear about Paul coming into faith
On
the road to Damascus, it reads,
“He
went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in
Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or
women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
As
he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around
him. He fell to the ground and heard a
voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why
do you persecute me?” “Who are you,
Lord?” Saul asked.
“I
am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.
“Now
get up and go into the city, and you will be told
What
you must do.”
At
this point Paul fell off of his horse and when he tried to open his eyes and
found himself blind. The men who were
traveling with him
Get
him get to Damascus, and it was there that he meet a disciple named Ananias,
who was called by God to meet Paul and help him To
see. Scripture
tell us that Ananias, placing his hands on Paul, said, “Brother Saul, the
Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—Has sent me
so that you may see again And
be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately, something like scales fell from
Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after
taking some food, he regained his strength.”
It is here at this point of Baptism, of seeing the Light of Christ being blind but now can see,
that our Scripture reading this morning Shines light on Paul’s call to ministry.
“When God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might Preach him among the Gentiles”
At
this entry point reflected through Galatians, begins Paul’s journey
As
a Circuit rider, as a missionary, as a writer, and as an evangelist.Over the course of his ministry Paul wrote 14 Epistles, written by him
To
the Churches which he ministered on his own “circuit” as an Itinerate Preacher. Also written of him were the many accounts in
the book of Acts about what Paul experienced on the road of ministry.
**This
brings us to the founder of Methodism John Wesley
Who
was born in 1703 in Epworth. John was
the fifteenth child Of
his parents Samuel Wesley and Susanna Wesley.
His
father Samuel was a Pastor a Church of England.
When
Wesley was growing up, at the age of five, the parsonage which
the family was living was set on fire. John was saved and
pulled out of the burning home to safety and ever since that time, Wesley knew
he was called to ministry.
He
tied his calling into that of Joshua’s calling in Zechariah 3:2 Where
God says, “Is not this man a burning stick snatched From
the fire?”
John
Wesley continued his call to ministry when he was accepted
To
College in Oxford where he received his degrees and was Ordained.During that time at Oxford John and his brother Charles
Formed what was known as “the Holy Club”
The
holy club decided to meet weekly met weekly where
they discussed Scripture and experience, as well as practicing
the ways of discipleship and holy living.
The Holy Club is where the name Methodist came from. Students started calling the members of the club “Methodists”
During this time Wesley began preaching outside, and would gather great crowds of people, he also traveled to the American Colonies.
Wesley
traveled to the American Colonies as a missionary
But
it wasn’t until after his first return trip to England Where he started preaching outside in the traditions
Of the camp meeting.
Returning
to England John took up a friend’s invitation
To
preach outdoors near Bristol in 1739 this marked the beginning Of the Methodist early camp meeting, and revival movement.
While Wesley was not a fan of preaching outside at first
He
did realize how important they were and how successful
These
camp meetings were in reaching the un-churched in the community. Wesley began to preach anywhere were there was
An assembly of people whether inside or out.
John
Wesley preached for over fifty years, he preached at churches, in
fields, in cottages and chapels and great halls. Wesley once said that,
“I look on all
the world as my parish; thus far I mean, that, in whatever part of it I am, I
judge it meet, right, and my bounden duty, to declare unto all that are willing
to hear, the glad tidings of salvation.”
When
Wesley returned to America, Methodism began to grow at
a very fast rate, because he used the idea of Circuit riding and
camp meetings, he appointed preachers to travel in an
“Itinerate
process”, traveling from one church to the next; evangelizing, baptizing, doing weddings and
funerals, worship services, Communion, while creating bible study groups called
classes and bands 
And while the preacher was not able to attend to the congregation, when they were “riding their circuit”, lay preachers from the community would lead the duties of preaching
And Pastoral care.
John Wesley and Paul’s ministries collide while on the road.
They both traveled on the road, through wind and rain, storms
And heat, both on horseback or on ship. Preaching from town to town,
Church to Church and country to country bringing with them
The good news of Christ to Christian communities
Challenging
them on issues of spiritual practice, Christian living, doctrines and theology
of the Church as well as Discipleship. They
both preached to the un-churched. John
Wesley preached
To
minors, farmers, herders, the wealthy as well as the poor, to assembly halls
and fields full of people and the same could be said for Paul. Both Paul and John preached for revival of
the Spirit, and on Grace. And finally both Paul and John wrote down their
stories, adventures and encounters on the road going from Church to Church.
For John Wesley, some of these adventures along the way
included,
Being
run out of Savannah with an order of arrest Because of a disagreement between him and the Governor,
Being pelted by mud and stones by angry mobs both at him
And others.
Getting lost in the woods without food or drink
Traveling
through terrible weather of storms, snow and wind
Casting
out demons from multiple people who were possessed.
And Talk about having interruptions during
your sermon, John Wesley had an Ox let lose in a crowd on one occasion and an
angry bull on
another.
Getting
arrested multiple times and even converting his Jailer. Casting
a demon out of a fortune-teller in a marketplace, and
after being shipwrecked and making it to shore only to be bitten being bitten
by a poisonous viper, and while he should have died,
He
does not get ill and in a result converts others.
These
are only a few of the stories of Paul’s travels as a Circuit rider.
For Paul and John Wesley, these are but a
few of the hundreds
Of
stories and encounters on the road, traveling from one place
To
the next preaching to the assemblies, both outdoors and inside.
And
experiencing the bad and the good of the
life
Of
a traveling minister.
What sustained both Paul and John during their travels
Was
their faith in God, and the assurance of Grace.
It
was in listening to the Holy Spirit leading and guiding them on.
We
too are called to listen for the Holy Spirit leading us and guiding us on our
own paths and journey’s. We might not
all be “called
Into
the ministry of Pastoring and Preaching but we are all called
Into
a lifetime of discipleship and if we allow ourselves to follow
The
visions that God has for us and the Circuit path which is marked
For
us, we too will have many exciting adventures along the road.
Let us pray:
God,
we thank you for remembering and discovering our
Shared
history this morning both Biblical and that of our Spiritual roots.
We
thank you for those evangelists of Grace, John Wesley
And
your Servant Paul. Revive in us today a
faith that is everlasting
And
ever strong. We celebrate this
fellowship of believers
And
we celebrate your mighty promise to us today.
Be
with us this week in our Spiritual practices,
Through
the prayers we pray, and the Scripture we read,
Guide
us to better ways of living. It is in
your name we pray…AMEN.
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