Three Simple Rules
A Wesleyan Way of Living
Based on the book of the same name by Ruben P. Job
REVIEW OF LAST WEEK
We are exploring John Wesley’s “Three Simple Rules” Do no harm, Do Good and Stay in love with God.
Last week we began with “Do no Harm.”
We remembered the response of Jesus when asked which commandment was the most important, “you shall love the Lord you God with all your heart, and with all you soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”…There is not other commandment greater than these.”
We acknowledged that when we agree not to harm those with whom we disagree, then…conversation, dialogue, and discovery of new insight become possible…
When we guard our lives and actions by this first simple rule…we discover time and space to think about consequences before we speak a word, or take any action
(REVIEW THE BULLET ANALOGY)
We began to acknowledge what we all really knew inside, but somehow, too often forget. That if all who are involved can agree to do no harm, the climate surrounding the conflict is immediately changed! I can no longer gossip about the conflict. I can no longer speak disparagingly... or judgmentally about those involved in the conflict, I can no longer manipulate the facts of the conflict. I can no longer diminish those who do not agree with me and must honor each as a child of God “I WILL GUARD MY LIPS, MY MIND AND MY HEART SO THAT MY LANGUAGE WILL NOT DISPARAGE, INJURE OR WOUND ANOTHER CHILD OF GOD. I MUST DO NO HARM EVEN WHILE I SEEK A COMMON GOOD.”
REVIEW…The “Dirty Brick” rule @ Summer Games… the results…the comments of the campers. (It really did make a difference!) How it applies to our daily lives as adults….as Christians…. As Disciples.
We discover other positive things as well when we truly undertake the act of disarming, laying aside our weapons and desire to do no harm. We find ourselves standing on common ground, inhabiting a common and precious space, sharing a common faith, and having an equal measure of Gods unlimited love.
When I determine to do you no harm, I lose my fear of you; and I can see you and hear you more clearly. Removing the possibility to do no harm, we find that good, solid place to stand where together we can seek the way forward in faithfulness to God.
When we fail to take this first step, it’s usually not because we don’t understand or because it is too simple. Instead, I find, perhaps you also, it demands too much self-discipline and very deep faith that God will empower and lead us when we are faithful to Him, when we trust Him.
If this step is so simple and easily understood, when then do so many do so much harm? Why do we sometimes fail to recognize and follow the power of this simple rule?
Perhaps it is because in truth, it is not such an easy rule; it demands a radical trust in God’s presence, power, wisdom and guidance and a radical obedience to God’s leadership. Practicing our faith in the world, walking the walk, not merely talking the talk, requires our deepest resolve, our greatest faith, our unwavering trust, and a very large measure of God’s grace.
Another possible reason is that we’ve bound ourselves to a certain ideology or theology rather than binding ourselves to Jesus Christ as both Savior and Lord of all. Perhaps we have convinced ourselves that our way is the right and only way… and as such, we can’t consider that God’s way could be different from our own. When caught in this kind of trap, we may loose sight that these kinds of actions and thoughts are more of the world than of God.
To abandon the way of the world and follow the way of Jesus is a bold move, requiring honest, careful and prayerful consideration. This is not a decision without cost or consequences. Jesus Himself tells us to consider carefully the cost of discipleship:
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. Lk 14:26-33
Discipleship is serious business. If we are not true disciples, then Jesus cannot build the tower and fight the war. “There is always an if in connection with discipleship,” wrote Oswald Chambers, “and it implies that we need not [be disciples] unless we like. There is never any compulsion; Jesus does not coerce us. There is only one way of being a disciple, and that is by being in love with and devoted to Jesus.”
There may be another reason we overlook this basic building block of Christian living… this “do no harm” rule… could it be we are afraid of the consequences?
To abandon the ways of the world for the way of Jesus is a radical step. While this first rule seems very simple and easily understood… it is not easily achieved. When we truly embrace this rule, we begin to realize it may lead us where we don’t want to go!
Are we ready to give up political power for the power of God’s love? Are we ready to give up our most cherished possession… that is the certainty that we are right and others wrong? Can we trust God enough to follow the ways of the Spirit rather than the ways of the world? If we choose to follow this way, will others see us as weak and at their mercy rather than as powerful and in control of every situation? If we choose this way, will our position be eroded and our point lost? The risk seems so great; often our fears speak louder than our faith.
So the question becomes, is it possible to live in this complex and violent world without doing harm? Are we really supposed to turn the other cheek to those who distort the truth by selective use of facts…. Is it wise to do no harm to those who seek to harm our future, our reputation, or us? Can we limit our response to a way that is not destructive to those who use false and violent words that seek to harm and destroy us? Is it possible to speak the truth in love and gentleness when other seem to speak partial truth in anger and hatred?
This is indeed a challenging path to walk. Yet… even a casual reading of the Gospels suggests Jesus taught and practiced a way of living that did not harm. His life, His way of life, and His teaching demonstrates so well this first simple rule. Rather than invent something new, John Wesley incorporated what Jesus taught into his structure for faithful living:
Keep close, I beseech you, to every means of grace. Strive to walk in all the ordinances and commandments of God blameless… “Add to your faith virtue; to virtue knowledge; to knowledge temperance; to temperance patience; to patience godliness; to godliness… kindness; to kindness, charity. May 6, 1760
There are many reasons why we find it so hard to embrace the first of these three simple rules. But, the good news is this… We don’t have to make the journey alone. There is always One who stands and walks with us. Not only stands and walks with us, but also invades us with Spirit Presence and Power to practice our faith with integrity and in faithfulness to the One we seek to follow. This truth is at the heart of the incarnation and of Pentecost.
Wesley said that to continue on the way of salvation, that is living in harmony with God, we should begin “by doing no harm, by avoiding evil of every kind, especially that which is most generally practiced” (The Book of Discipline, 2004 Sec 103, pg 73)
To do no harm means that I will be on guard to all my actions and even my silence will not add injury to another of God’s children or to any part of God’s creation. As did John Wesley and those in the early Methodist movement before me, I too will determine every day that my life will always be invested in the effort to bring healing instead of hurt; wholeness instead of division; and harmony with the ways of Jesus rather than with the ways of the world.
When I commit myself to this way, I must see each person as a child of God… a recipient of love unearned, unlimited, and undeserved…just like myself.
The good news is… it is possible to practice a way of living that is in harmony with the life of Jesus and survive, even thrive in a world like ours. It’s a way of life both challenging and rewarding; and each of us, with God’s help can live such a life fully, faithfully, and joyfully.
Perhaps the greatest consequence of all… is living by this rule forms, and transforms us to live more and more as Jesus lived. And this personal transformation leads to transformation of the world around us as well. Just as two people in a long and successful marriage filled with love begin to think, act, and even look like each other, so those who practice this simple rule, being in love with Christ, begin to think, act and perhaps… even look like Jesus. This huge step toward living the holy life brings healing and goodness to all it touches. This simple step will change your life in good and wonderful ways, but wait... there’s more… Next week… “Do Good.”
