What Would John Do?

Ah, good old John... Yep, he is credited with the quote. In searching to verify that it really was John Wesley, I stumbled on another nugget from him:

I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case unless they hold fast both the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out.


It would seem that our denomination's founder looked ahead about 200 years and saw the possibilities...or, he looked back at what had happened over the 200 years of the Church of England's existence... Do we need a New Methodist Reformation? I bet in the 1740s John and Charles had the real "progressive" churches - and from that core grew another great revival...

But go to England and see Wesley's chapel today in Bristol (no, really, go there: http://newroombristol.org.uk/ ). While there are still worship services held there (so the website says), it's a MUSEUM. If Wesley would be unhappy about anything it might be that the chapel that helped launch revival through the Old and New Worlds is a tourist attraction now.

BUT - that's our need to hold on to yesterday. God is the God of today.

What would John Wesley do today? Ooo - where are the fields to preach in today? One thing is sure, he'd share the word again and again and again - he rode 250,000 miles on horseback, preached some 42,000 sermons (still doing 3 a day, in different places, no less, at the age of 87 - man, I don't preach three a WEEK most weeks...).

So, What Would John Do? How would he "catch on fire with enthusiasm"?