Wesleyan Accent

Wesleyan Accent is World Methodist Evangelism’s online magazine of practical resources in the area of discipleship, evangelism, leadership and theology. Through articles, book reviews, and interviews, WME features leading and emerging voices of the Wesleyan Methodist world.

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Evangelism And Discipleship by Maxie Dunnam

Share the post: Georgia Harkness was once considered one of our most outstanding theologians. She was certainly a brilliant thinker and spoke prophetically to the church. Here is such a word: “We must rescue evangelism from the red-light district of the ecclesiastical community.” That’s putting it unquestionably straight. Evangelism has been prostituted for money and personal gain. That’s the reason

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A Prophet Present Among Them by Maxie Dunnam

   Share the post: This is the season in many denominations when changes take place in clergy leadership. I’m in a good bit of conversation with clergy and lay leadership about the nature of ordained ministry. I urge clergy and lay leadership to read and consider chapter 2 of Ezekiel as a part of the experience of “clergy appointment.”  A

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Life Beyond The Headlines by Joseph Seger

Share the post: Don’t believe the story.  So went the surprising proclamation of DL Moody – Some day you will read in the papers that D.L. Moody of East Northfield, is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now; I shall have gone up higher, that is all,

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Falling From Grace? by Maxie Dunnam

Share the post: It may not be good writing or even good grammar, but I deliberately put a question mark after the title of this article, Falling from Grace? This is a follow-up to my last article where I also put a question mark in the title Once saved always saved? Oh! Both, “falling from grace,” and “once saved always

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The Good Fruit of Faith by Kim Reisman

Share the post: Scripture Focus: A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil

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Once Saved Always Saved? by Maxie Dunnam

Share the post: In my last three articles I have discussed assurance and sanctification. These aspects of salvation lead us to think about what separates a Methodist understanding from those who believe in eternal security. Once saved, always saved was a theme I was asked often about in the first churches I served in rural Mississippi. We Methodist Wesleyans believe

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And The Rock Was Christ by Kim Reisman

Share the post: Scripture Focus: I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as

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Holiness Of Heart and Life by Maxie Dunnam

Share the post: In an earlier article, we reflected on Wesley’s insistence on perfection being an essential dimension of our going on to salvation. He came from his Aldersgate experience convinced that all could be saved, and all could be saved to the uttermost. Thus assurance and perfection became essential in his understanding of grace working for our full salvation.

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Faith: The Vital Connection by Kim Reisman

Share the post: Scripture Focus: You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly exhibited as crucified! The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? Having started

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When God Calls Us To The Wilderness Road by Rob Haynes

Share the post: There is a familiar story line I sometimes see in movies or books that goes something like this. Someone is facing a crisis and wants to overcome the current situation. The hero of the story goes to a wise master for guidance. The master gives the new student a series of tasks to do to train for

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Balance Is Good Enough, Part 2 by Kim Reisman

Share the post: Scripture Focus: In the days when the judges ruled in Israel, a severe famine came upon the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah left his home and went to live in the country of Moab, taking his wife and two sons with him. The man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife was Naomi. Their two

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Someone To Take The Place of Jesus: Companion by Maxie Dunnam

Share the post: The Holy Spirit is certainly one of the most common and most important issues of faith and doctrine in the Church. We use the term and talk about the subject assuming that people know what we are talking about — when, at most, their understanding is limited and vague, and at best, they don’t have the faintest

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Sinner or Saint? by Tim Johnson

Share the post: For the Good News to truly be “good news,” we must be able to lose our sin nature and exchange it for something radically different. Can you imagine if the song went like this? “Oh, when the sinners go marchin’ in, Oh, when the sinners go marchin’ in, Lord, I want to be in that number When

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Balance Is Good Enough by Kim Reisman

Share the post: Scripture Focus: In the days when the judges ruled in Israel, a severe famine came upon the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah left his home and went to live in the country of Moab, taking his wife and two sons with him. The man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife was Naomi. Their two

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Pentecost: God Comes Unexpectedly by Maxie Dunnam

Share the post: The New Testament Book of Acts tells the story of the birth of the Church. Here is an exciting part of the story. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They

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Remembrances of Training Leaders in Cuba by Winston Worrell

Share the post: For 25 years, I was blessed to serve as Director of the World Methodist Evangelism Institute.  Through service to the local church, I was blessed to travel the world and see our good God at work.  It is good to remember the work the Lord has done. In 2001, I coordinated with Dr. H. Eddie Fox of

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Christ-Centered and Spirit Filled by Kim Reisman

Share the post: Scripture Focus: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians

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Forgiving Others and Yourself by Maxie Dunnam

   Share the post: In my previous article, I made the claim that saying yes to forgiveness is the clearest claim that we are Christian. One of my heroes, Clarence Jordan, was my primary witness to that claim.  Clarence was a farmer and a New Testament Greek scholar. He wrote the Cotton Patch Paraphrase of the New Testament. He speaks

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Dog with large ears being held by two hands, symbolizing outreach and communication.

Ears Wide Open by Kerry Willis

Isaiah directs the reader to “Come to Me with your ears wide open. Listen for the life of your soul is at stake.”  Listening for the voice of the Lord must become a serious lifestyle imperative for us all. We cannot afford to do any less than to continually come to Him with our ears wide open, because our never-dying

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Young woman reading and using her phone by the window.

The Christian Pattern (Part 2) by David Juliano

This is the second article in a series on the Christian Pattern. Read the first article here. What Is Your Life Really About? I have been a pastor for over thirty-five years. In that time I have sat across from a lot of people in a lot of conversations — in hospital rooms, in counseling sessions, in coffee shops, in

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Hand raised in prayer or blessing during World Methodist Evangelism event.

Will You Finish Well? (Part 7) by Maxie Dunnam

Check out the earlier articles in this series where Maxie shared about the need for personal holiness (part 1), surrender (part 2), character (part 3), faithfulness (part 4), the wisdom of the saints (part 5), discipline and obedience (part 6). Two more characteristics of the saints I want us to explore as we wrestle with the question, “Will I finish well?”

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The Christian Pattern (Part 1) by David Juliano

I was nineteen years old when I wandered into the First Methodist Church of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and fell in love with John Wesley. I didn’t know much about him at first. But the more I read, the more I was captivated — by the way God had raised him up, by his faltering journey to faith, by his struggles with

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Sign encouraging faith and evangelism at World Methodist Evangelism.

Will You Finish Well? (Part 6) by Maxie Dunnam

Check out the earlier articles in this series where Maxie shared about the need for personal holiness (part 1), surrender (part 2), character (part 3), faithfulness (part 4), and the wisdom of the saints (part 5). If we want to finish well in our ministry, we do well to look to those who have walked before us. In my studies and

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The Gospel Matters by Andrew Barker

In our world today, there are many groups of people who have instantaneous access to so much information. With little time to discern its truth, we witness competing philosophies and differing opinions filling the media landscape. The sheer volume of differing views causes some to feel that the Gospel is outdated, too complicated, or worse, irrelevant, for our world today.

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Thoughtful young woman sitting on steps, reflecting at an outdoor venue.

Will You Finish Well? (Part 5) by Maxie Dunnam

Check out the earlier articles in this series where Maxie shared about the need for personal holiness (part 1), surrender (part 2), character (part 3), and faithfulness (part 4). It is not enough to recognize that the fruit and progress that result from our leadership are based on strong character. We must practice the disciplines that build that character and make

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Graffiti-covered rusted metal structure at abandoned industrial site.

On Mission With The Messiah by Michael Cloud

Note from the author: Somewhere along the way, I was told that a good Methodist preacher should always have a sermon and a prayer ready. Wanting to be faithful in that calling, I keep a few in reserve for those times I am asked to preach in different places. This one has become a favorite. I have preached it in

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Bible open on a wooden surface, symbolizing faith and evangelism.

The Gospel by Rob Haynes

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel. Jesus, Mark 1:15 ESV   “Gospel” is a word that we hear quite a bit in church circles. However, what exactly is “the gospel?” In many settings, at least in churches in the West, it runs the risk of being reduced to

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Eternal Life by Maxie Dunnam

Christians talk about HEAVEN as the place where they will live for eternity. ETERNAL LIFE is the life that is a gift of God which comes to those who accept Christ as God’s gift of salvation. Paul uses the phrase eternal life to describe the goal of the process of salvation. We normally think of eternal life as what happens

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Going First by Andrew Forrest

Back in January of this year, media channels were flooded with accounts and commentary regarding the immigration enforcement actions taken in Minneapolis by the current presidential administration. Everyone agrees that two people were killed by federal officers. There are videos of each incident. What is striking about the videos, however, is that they do not seem to have changed anyone’s

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Love Goes First Book Cover

“Love Goes F1rst” Book Review by Joseph Seger

Many news outlets have picked up the story of the decline of the church. Many strategies have been crafted to counterbalance this dataset. What if there has always been a way to not only prevent the decline but to engage the world around us well? How to Respond to Church Decline in a Changing Culture In Love Goes F1rst, Andrew

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Will You Finish Well? (Part 4) by Maxie Dunnam

Check out the earlier articles in this series where Maxie shared about the need for personal holiness (part 1), surrender (part 2), and character (part 3). A couple of years ago I was smitten in my heart by a word I heard in the ordination service of the Free Methodist Church. It was verses 4 and 5 of Ezekiel 2:

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God And The Priority Of Love by Beth Felker Jones

The following article has been reposted with permission from Beth Felker Jones. Check out the original post at her Substack: Church Blogmatics. Understanding the Mystery of the Holy Trinity We should not be surprised to discover that God, being God, goes beyond human categories and assumptions, and we should be suspicious if we find our theologies supposing themselves capable of

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Are You Asking The Right Question? by Rob Haynes

I like to do projects around the house and the garage. It may be a small chore like changing a light fixture or a large job repairing the car. I like to be part of the solution. Over the years I have learned that one key to doing the job well is having the right tool for the job. You

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Will You Finish Well? (Part 3) by Maxie Dunnam

So far in this series, I have shared how personal holiness and surrender have kept me spiritually alive throughout my ministry. Let me now make my case and offer specific notions which I pray might have at least some hints of wisdom. Spiritual, emotional, and relational growth takes time and energy. It requires discipline. It diverts us from “pastoral duties”

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David Juliano Solvitur Ambulando It Is Solved by Walking

Solvitur Ambulando: It Is Solved By Walking by David Juliano

I’m not what you’d call an outdoorsy person. In fact, the only exercise I typically get is jumping to conclusions. So when I found myself at the bottom of a very steep hill in the Peak District of Derbyshire, legs already burning, lungs already protesting, I had a moment of serious doubt about my life choices. But I’m getting ahead

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Foundations Of Disciple-Making: Friendship by Paulo Lopes

In March of 2020, as many of us were coming to terms with the COVID-19 pandemic, I became close friends with a neighbor. Our kids are close in age, and we defiantly kept a similar “open-door policy” with our neighbors and their kids in a season when many were understandably afraid of contagion (or peer-judgment). Because of our likeminded attitude

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Will You Finish Well? (Part 2) by Maxie Dunnam

In my last article, I took the long way around to getting to where I really want to be in my sharing with you. Often the Holy Spirit speaks to us in some very personal way to lift us out of discouragement – but not only so, calls us to make an on-course adjustment in our pattern of life and

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