John Wesley's Journal

Working on my sermon last night, it became clear to me that the biggest influence, by far, on my preaching has been reading John Wesley's Journal. (I would say that it has also been the biggest influence on the way I go about pastoral care as well.)

What I have learned about preaching from 12 years of reading his Journal:

Sin is our biggest problem, the Cross is our remedy, that's what you preach

How to look for the Gospel in the Old Testament

How to preach the Good News to sinners

There is a price to be paid to preach the Gospel

Be willing to go anywhere, learn to be comfortable everywhere, and talk to anyone

Raise up as many people as you can to spread the workers out into the harvest field

A simple word of encouragement to someone that they should seek Christ can bear fruit years later

It's kind of funny. I did not grow up in church. I went to seminary unaware of controversy in the Church. I became a Methodist because of John Wesley, in spite of the Reformed, Baptist and Episcopalian fellows who helped win me to Christ. There is a dear saint here who likes to joke and tell people around the church and town that I am a “closet Baptist.” I will take that as a compliment; but I preach simply what Wesley preached. And he preached the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3) Look at his 52 Standard Sermons. I don't know why we would preach anything else.