What a Time to Be Wesleyan:
The Biblical Roots of Our Theological Heritage
1. Committed to the Faith
Session Goals:
• To introduce a new unit of study on our Wesleyan
theological heritage.
• To affirm that Christian theology must be grounded
in an understanding of both the Old and New
Testament Scriptures.
• To understand that Christian faith is derived from
belief that Jesus is the Christ of God.
• To acknowledge that Wesleyan theology is in the
mainstream of Christian faith and thought.
• To examine the influence of the Reformation on
what we believe.
What a Time to Be Wesleyan:
The Biblical Roots of Our Theological Heritage
1. Committed to the Faith
This quarter begins with a unit on our rich
heritage as Wesleyans. In many ways, our
times are much like those of John Wesley.
The question is: Can we find opportunity in
the midst of that? In the words of David L.
McKenna, “Wesleyans are a people saved to
serve in turbulent times.” We are called to be
Christians of Wesleyan conviction in a world
that is spinning out of control.
What a Time to Be Wesleyan:
The Biblical Roots of Our Theological Heritage
1. Committed to the Faith
During this first session we will trace the
biblical roots of our theological heritage to
the Protestant Reformation and to the New
Testament itself. We will find that Wesleyan
thought is thoroughly within the mainstream
of Protestant Christian faith.
What a Time to Be Wesleyan:
The Biblical Roots of Our Theological Heritage
1. Committed to the Faith
OUTLINE
•Anticipation (Matthew 4:12-16)
•Preparation (Matthew 11:7-15)
•Proclamation (Matthew 4:17, 23-25; 11:1)
•Transformation (Matthew 11:2-6)
What a Time to Be Wesleyan:
The Biblical Roots of Our Theological Heritage
1. Committed to the Faith
Describe how and
why you began
coming to this
particular church.
What a Time to Be Wesleyan:
The Biblical Roots of Our Theological Heritage
1. Committed to the Faith
The choices we make about
the kind of church we
attend says a lot about who
we are, who we believe God
is, and how we and He are
to be involved in the work
of His kingdom.
What a Time to Be Wesleyan:
The Biblical Roots of Our Theological Heritage
1. Committed to the Faith
2 Timothy 3:14-15 says: “But as for
you, continue in what you have
learned and have become convinced
of, because you know those from
whom you learned it, and how from
infancy you have known the holy
Scriptures, which are able to make
you wise for salvation through faith in
Christ Jesus.”
What a Time to Be Wesleyan:
The Biblical Roots of Our Theological Heritage
1. Committed to the Faith
What do you consider to be the
basics of Christianity?
What do you consider to be the
important sources of information
about Christianity for a growing
believer today?
What is the key message that we
find in the life and ministry of Jesus?
What a Time to Be Wesleyan:
The Biblical Roots of Our Theological Heritage
1. Committed to the Faith
Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25; 11:1-15
 What does each of these sections of
Scripture say about the basics of the
Christian faith?
What does each section of Scripture
say about the sources of our Christian
faith?
What does each section of Scripture
say about the mission of Jesus Christ
specifically?
What a Time to Be Wesleyan:
The Biblical Roots of Our Theological Heritage
1. Committed to the Faith
From our work so far,
define the word
“Christian” in
one-sentence statements.
What a Time to Be Wesleyan:
The Biblical Roots of Our Theological Heritage
1. Committed to the Faith
A Short Lesson in Church History
The Early Church was composed at first of
converts from Judaism.
Christians began to disassociate themselves
from Jews.
The Christian religion was considered illegal
and was persecuted by the Roman Empire.
In A.D. 313, Christianity became a legal
religion.
The Christian church grew in size, power and
hierarchy throughout the Middle Ages.
What a Time to Be Wesleyan:
The Biblical Roots of Our Theological Heritage
1. Committed to the Faith
A Short Lesson in Church History
In the 1500s, the Protestant Reformation
divided Christians into two Christian bodies-Catholics and Protestants.
Within the Protestant tradition, many different
denominations have developed. One of the
Protestant streams of theology is known as
“Wesleyan” and began in the 1700s.
What a Time to Be Wesleyan:
The Biblical Roots of Our Theological Heritage
1. Committed to the Faith
3 key differences between
Protestants and Catholics
The authority of God’s Word.
Justification by faith only.
The priesthood of all believers.
What a Time to Be Wesleyan:
The Biblical Roots of Our Theological Heritage
1. Committed to the Faith
When I realize that my church is part
of the larger Christian church that goes
back all the way to the first-century Early
Church, I am reminded. . .
Knowing that I am part of the larger
Protestant tradition, I realize. . .
When I am reminded that my church
stands for the basics of the Christian faith
in today’s troubled world, I feel. . . .
What a Time to Be Wesleyan:
The Biblical Roots of Our Theological Heritage
1. Committed to the Faith
NICENE CREED
I believe in one God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth, and of all
things visible and invisible.
What a Time to Be Wesleyan:
The Biblical Roots of Our Theological Heritage
1. Committed to the Faith
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the onlybegotten Son of God, begotten of His Father
before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God, begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father, by
whom all things were made; who for us and for
our salvation came down from heaven, and was
incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man,
What a Time to Be Wesleyan:
The Biblical Roots of Our Theological Heritage
1. Committed to the Faith
and crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered and was buried, and the third day
He rose again according to the Scriptures, and
ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right
hand of the Father; and He shall come again
with glory to judge both the living and the
dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
What a Time to Be Wesleyan:
The Biblical Roots of Our Theological Heritage
1. Committed to the Faith
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and
Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father
and the Son, who with the Father and the Son
together is worshiped and glorified; who spoke
by the prophets. And I believe in one holy
universal and apostolic church; I acknowledge
one baptism for the remission of sins; and I
look for the resurrection of the dead, and the
life of the world to come. Amen.