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God Will Find a Way

Romans 4:6-13

In the early 1700’s our old friends John and Charles Wesley (originators of the Methodist movement) found themselves in quite a wrestling match with the Church of England.  They were both ordained into the priesthood within the structure of the church.  But they soon bumped in to a dilemma of doctrine.  As they read the Scriptures they were discovering scriptural truth that people could enter into a saving relationship with God through personal faith without any official membership connection to the church.  The church objected because the formal church endorsed a belief that membership in the church validated your life so you could become eligible to receive the love of God.

Push came to shove and the Wesley brothers lost the tug-of-war.  They were exiled from the church.  They were no longer welcome to preach unless they would agree to stop proclaiming that people could enter into a godly relationship by faith alone.  The church stood firm and the Wesley brothers did the same.
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In the end, it was the start of something that today includes a very large part of the protestant community around the world. It was the launch of the Methodist movement.

It was all about the faithfulness of God, the desire we have to express our faith, and freedom from the oppression of the law.   And it all goes back to Abraham.   Even though he was old and felt a bit left behind, his faith did not waiver.  He held fast to God and the Lord honored his faith with the reward of a beautiful and very extensive family.

Do you know some people like Abraham?  You might know people who feel left out.  In fact, your own experience may lead you to believe that your faith is not powerful enough to actually be worthy of an answered prayer.  The Lenten word is straight forward…hang in there.  Find a way to make it work!  In fact, God will find a way where there seems to be no way!
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