John Wesley's Fourth Sermon On The Sermon Of The Mount.

In John Wesley’s fourth sermon on the Sermon of the Mount, he makes the point that Christianity is a social religion. Christianity is not practiced in a vacuum. As Christians, he says, we gather as a community, holding one another accountable to the faith and being with one another as we grow in relationship with God. Beyond that, as a social religion, Christianity calls us to have an impact on our communities, to care about others, and to be involved in making social changes for the betterment of the world. The church should foster these Christian communities, providing space in which Christians and those exploring Christianity can live their faith with one another. Wesley’s two-part understanding of the social nature of Christianity and the church leads us to the stated mission of the United Methodist Church – “to make and mature disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” This mission matters because our world needs transformation, and our call as the church is to work in concert with God to bring about the Kingdom of God – on earth, and within and through our lives.
This mission reminds us that for the Kingdom of God to continue to break in, individual lives need to be changed, while being motivated and equipped for transformation. Our Book of Discipline offers this cue: “God has used our church to save persons, heal relationships, transform social structures, and spread scriptural holiness, thereby changing the world.” When we change lives and introduce people to the all-loving nature of God, we indeed transform the world. When making disciples, the Church welcomes people into community, educates them on God’s call for Christians, and equips them toward using their spiritual gifts to serve as change agents playing a role in bringing about the Kingdom of