Sermon Central
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I Need Accountability!
Contributed by John Bright on Jul 12, 2026 (message contributor)
Another Ordinary Means of Grace is being in an accountability group. John Wesley divided folks into classes and bands for accountability. The class meetings were larger and included both women and men. When someone shared a struggle, they were assured of God’s forgiveness, and then the members would search the scriptures to offer both correction and encouragement. The band meetings were smaller and single sex. The same thing happened in the band meeting, with a focus on praying for the person and his/her struggles with sin.
Today, the church struggles with accountability because my faith is considered my private business. Also, the 12 Step community (Alcoholics Anonymous) has taken over the large group format of confession and forgiveness. We are trying to restore Wesley’s vision of what it takes to develop holiness of heart within our Global Methodist churches.
I was always part of an Emmaus Reunion Group. Some of those were very powerful, which led to great freedom for those other men and me. Ever since 2021, I have been part of a Discipleship Band. I meet on Zoom every Monday morning with two other GMC pastors. We trust each other so we can share our struggles with sin. Every time I confess, they both say, “John, in the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.” Every Monday morning, one of them prays for me. It is powerful. (Free resources at https://discipleshipbands.com/ )
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