Over the last two weeks, I have been researching my doctoral thesis in the UK. My research has involved reading original documents from John Wesley, including the Methodist Conference minutes of the 18th century. The Conference (like our Annual Conferences today) was an annual gathering of preachers and leaders of the Methodist movement.
Wesley convened the first Conference in 1744. He met with just five other leaders then, when the movement was in its infancy (see the illustration on the right). Since then, year after year, the Conference would meet, and Wesley continued serving faithfully. How many years did this last? The last Conference Wesley joined was in 1790, shortly before his death. That was a span of 46 years! He should in fact have received a 50-Year Long Service Award for serving in the Methodist movement since the first societies were formed in 1739.
When examining the archives, I was very moved to come across Wesley’s final signature at the end of the 1790 Conference minutes (see photo on the left, with his signature circled). He was 87 years old then. You can see how old and frail he was by his written signature. He served God all his life, till the very end.
This made me reflect: what it would take to serve God as faithfully as Wesley did? As Christians, we can perhaps recall times when we were actively seeking and serving God. Have we managed to keep that going? How did Wesley last the distance? Here are some ingredients I have discovered from Wesley, that sustained his lifelong faithfulness towards God.
1. Intimacy with God. Wesley kept his devotional routines throughout his life. He spent considerable time (often hours!) searching the Scriptures and in prayer each day. He kept a diary and journalled regularly. He rarely compromised on this no matter how busy he got.
2. Integrity before God. Wesley was serious about pursuing holiness. He often defined true Christianity as holiness of heart and life. He had great influence, but he first took care of his heart posture, and prioritised character and integrity over competence and influence.
3. Interpersonal Accountability. Wesley also was a great promoter of “small groups” (he called them Classes and Bands). He once said there was no holiness but “social holiness”, meaning one cannot pursue holiness and stay faithful to God alone. It was through such loving accountability that he and others could be spurred on to stay faithful to God.
May these elements characterise our Christian life from now till the very end.
