Five Means of Grace
Last month, Dr. Eric Hallet wrote about Gen Z and Millennial Wesleyans who desire spiritual depth and an affinity for a “primitive Christianity.” By what I can only call a nudge of the Holy Spirit, we will now consider five distinctives of the Wesleyan tradition by way of John Wesley’s “means of grace.” The plans for this article far pre-dated my interaction with Hallet’s article. But with fluidity, they will continue the conversation regarding “ancient, embodied, disciplined, and communal” practices that humbly position the hungry for deep formation.
At a time when information about practically anything and everything lies at our fingertips, while entertainment reigns and distraction runs rampant, what does the church offer, and why does it matter? Our young people ask this question—and the world needs us to answer it definitively.
The Wesleyan means of grace are proven channels through which we know God moves. They are traditions practiced by saints who have faithfully gone before us. Although we may think we know them well, taking the time to consider them again always proves fruitful. The goal of our spiritual lives is to participate with Christ’s work in making all things new. We are to be compelled by the grace of God—to know it, experience it, and embody it—so that we may effectively express grace to the world around us. The means of grace assist us in Spirit-inhabited, embodied ministry.
The following five points come from Elaine A. Heath’s book Five Means of Grace: Experience God’s Love the Wesleyan Way.
1. Prayer is gazing at Jesus. Heath defines prayer as “the very breath of God, breathing life into us, opening us to who God is, to who we are, and to this world that God loves.” Prayer is a special place where we learn to look to Jesus and realize He gazes back at us with loving kindness. It prepares us with dignity to know the difference between God-honoring doctrine and legalism. It grounds us in relationship, helps us claim our status as beloved children, and prepares us for growth in holiness. But prayer requires vulnerability. May we faithfully utilize it as a practical means toward greater participation with God, a place where we learn to see where He is going, serving, and calling us to follow.
When you guide a new Christian in faith and practice, do you start with doctrine or with prayer? What new type of prayer might you choose to practice to enliven your prayer life this season?
2. Searching the Scriptures is a treasure hunt. Heath rightly points out that the description “Searching the Scriptures” is old-fashioned, but that the phrase elicits the delightful sense that we are looking for buried treasure. The tradition is less about approaching Scripture intellectually and more about utilizing it to know and obey the will of God. John Wesley presented this grace as a means of transformation, a way to perceive God’s guidance and receive present-moment comfort, assurance, and peace. May we approach God’s Word with awe, wonder, and the anticipation of what jewels we might uncover today.
What obstacles are present for yourself or your congregation in seeing or hearing God when approaching Scripture? Does Scripture shape your speech, thought, and discernment?
3. The Lord’s Supper is embodied prayer. In the supper, we are taken, blessed, broken, and given. We claim our belonging to Christ and to one another. Heath says that as we gather in worship, we become “something like a multi-grain loaf.” God unifies us and blesses us, He forgives our sins, and when we leave the service, we are “broken” into many pieces. From there, God sends us out to embody Jesus in the world. Lord Jesus, open our eyes to the mysterious miracle of your grace, spoken to us through the practice of breaking bread.
How often do you partake of the Lord’s Supper? How often do you present opportunities for your community to take the Lord’s Supper?
4. Fasting empties us for proper filling. John Wesley faithfully fasted on Wednesdays and Fridays following the modeling of church father Tertullian (AD 155–240) and the instructions of the Didache. Fasting is a practice useful for conquering bodily appetites, a means of spiritual warfare, an amplification of discernment, and an increased authority over sickness and evil. It prepares our whole person to fulfill God’s missional purposes. Jesus fasted in the wilderness in preparation for his public ministry. He suffered with “the least of these” and asks us to do the same.
Heath urges us to take the time to find Jesus among those who are vulnerably suffering, disempowered, oppressed, and at the mercy of others. We do this by remembering how deprivation feels, emptying ourselves to rely once again on God’s strength, provision, and grace. Fasting helps us regain our true identity as God’s children, wholly dependent on him. Heath states, “Fasting is the primary spiritual discipline that brings us back to our vulnerability.” May we faithfully acknowledge our dependence on God.
How do you utilize fasting as preparation for discernment, ministry, or wielding God’s authority with grace? Do you teach and encourage fasting with your congregation?
5. Christian Conferencing is accountability and encouragement. Christian Conferencing is another old-fashioned phrase; it describes the discipleship and accountability of God’s gathered people. Christian Conferencing helps us discern how to turn from inward graces to outward graces and to love our neighbors well. We gather because we need the sharpening aid of other Christians to call out our way of life. We need safe spaces to talk about struggle, temptation, and sin. We need empathy and encouragement from others who share the goal of greater holiness and faithful apprenticeship to Jesus. May we implement careful listening to God and one another that leads to faithful action in the world.
Do you participate in active accountability? Do you create safe places for your congregants to pursue a life of holiness that is marked by accountability?
For further study:
Fee, Gordon D. and Douglas Stuart. (2014). How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Zondervan Academic.
Gallagher, Nora and Phyllis Tickle. (2010). The Sacred Meal: The Ancient Practices. Thomas Nelson.
Haugen, Gary A. (2021). Good News About Injustice: A Witness of Courage in a Hurting World. IVP.
Heath, Elaine A. (2017). Five Means of Grace: Experience God’s Love the Wesleyan Way. Abingdon Press.
Lewis, C.S. (2018). How to Pray: Reflections and Essays. Harper One.
McKnight, Scot and Phyllis Tickle. (2010). Fasting: The Ancient Practices. Thomas Nelson.
Nee, Watchman. (1974). Ye Search the Scriptures. Christian Fellowship Publishers.
Nouwen, Henri J.M. (2008). The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life. Crossroad Publishing.
Pippert, Rebecca Manley. (2021). Out of the Saltshaker and Into the World. IVP.
Thompson, Andrew C. (2015). The Means of Grace. Seedbed Publishing.
Vander Zee, Leonard J. (2004). Christ, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper: Recovering the Sacraments for Evangelical Worship. IVP Academic.
Emotional contributor: Rev. Bethany Tippin
Executive editor: Johanna Chacon Rugh
Curator of content: Carla Working
