Episode 23 Matthew Johnson: Entire Sanctification and the Guide to Holiness

In today’s episode, the Rev. Matthew Johnson and I talk about his interest and passion for the transformational message of Christian holiness. Matthew shares his own life experience as well as draws from mentors and his extensive research into contemporary and historical writings on entire sanctification. We also talk about his newsletter “A Guide to Holiness” that shares testimonies of God’s work of sanctifying grace.

How to connect with Matthew Johnson

revmhj.com 

scripturalholiness.com (sign up for newsletter there; content coming by end of year)

@revmhj on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook.

Here are the books Matthew mentions in answer to questions:

Amy Caswell Bratton - Witnesses of Perfect Love: Narratives of Christian Perfection in Early Methodism https://amzn.to/3hZz68s

Chris Bounds Unholiness: Overcoming the Forces That Attack Your Soul https://amzn.to/3bjJAwC 

Kevin Watson Old or New School Methodism?: The Fragmentation of a Theological Tradition https://amzn.to/31SHr8g

These are Matthew's recommendations:

Samuel Logan Brengle - Helps to Holiness. http://wesleyanbooks.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WB&Product_Code=0388&Category_Code=

Dennis Kinlaw - Prayer: Bearing the World as Jesus Did. https://amzn.to/3lITjRU 

Preaching in the Spirit https://amzn.to/3hO0iGZ 

Robert Coleman - Nothing to Do But Save Souls. https://amzn.to/2QLuPcA 

Mildred Bangs Wynkoop - A Theology of Love: The Dynamic of Wesleyanism (2nd ed) https://amzn.to/3jG3wN8 

Bio:

Matthew Johnson is one of the associate pastors at Central United Methodist Church in Rogers, AR.

He has served as an United Methodist pastor for sixteen years. He graduated from Asbury Theological Seminary in 2003, was ordained an elder in the United Methodist Church in 2007, and has served his current church since July 2018. He also received from Asbury Theological Seminary the Doctor of Ministry degree in 2017. His project was on Reintroducing the Doctrine and Experience of Christian Perfection to United Methodists.

He’s been married since 2001 and he and his wife have one incredibly awesome daughter.

When he’s not reading, researching, or writing, he’s running, biking, or hanging with his family.

Links are affiliate links to Amazon. This podcast receives a small fee from Amazon. This does not increase your sale price. Thank you for supporting my show by purchasing recommended books and resources.

Mission and Holiness

In 1 Corinthians 9:19-22, the Apostle Paul describes his method of reaching the Mediterranean world with the Gospel.

NRSV 1 Corinthians 9:19 For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some.

Paul describes an outreach strategy that modern thinkers would describe as contextual or indigenous. Paul worked to offer Christ to persons in terms of their own culture and thinking. Paul’s encounter with Greeks on Mars Hill is a classic example of this strategy. Paul’s conversation with a group of people on the Areopagus is recorded in Acts 17:16-34. He uses one of the Athenian’s own religious altars—one ascribed “To an Unknown God” as a vehicle for the proclamation of the good news about Jesus. In other words, Paul attempted to use some aspect of his target audiences own culture and belief system as a starting point or doorway into a conversation about Jesus Christ.

At least on the surface, most of us gravitate toward Paul’s strategy of “becoming all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” If we wish to live an evangelistic and missional lifestyle, there is much to learn here. This is a key element to learning to speak human.

For me, there is a key question: How does one embody such a mission strategy and stay true to the Gospel? Common answers such as, “I just follow Jesus” (though true) do not quite cut it because they are overly simplistic. In order to be the sort of persons who can follow in the footsteps of Paul and his co-workers (let alone the footprints of Jesus), we need to be profoundly touched by God. We need to be so rooted in God’s character that we are capable of adapting ourselves to new challenges, structures, and circumstances without losing the substance of who we are in Jesus. This means that deep character is more important than surface character.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “The clothes make the (wo)man.” In my thinking, this is completely backwards. If we want to be adaptable so that God can use us to reach the many, then we need to embody an ethos in which “the man [or woman] makes the clothes.”

This is not easy. It is even dangerous. In fact, Paul immediately follows up the above text with two strong warnings:

1) Paul uses an athletic metaphor to describe the seriousness of the danger:
NRS 1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. 25 Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. 26 So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; 27 but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.

Those of us who wish to reach out with God’s love to all persons need to realize the level of commitment necessary. Just as the athlete must continue her or his training to stay on top, so must we who follow Jesus be intentional and consistent in the nurturing our own relationship with God. To be an elite athlete requires a commitment to a training regimen that empowers the athlete to improve performance over time.

2) Then, in chapter 10 of 1 Corinthians, Paul reminds his readers of the unfaithfulness of Israel despite the fact that the Israelites were eyewitnesses of incredible acts of God.

The lesson is clear: our past history with God is no guarantee of our future faithfulness. Reflecting on Israel’s past tendency to be unfaithful in spite of God’s faithfulness, Paul warning in 1 Cor 10:14 “If you think you are standing strong, be careful that you don’t fall.”

The conclusion is this: our own personal holiness cannot be separated from the mission that God calls us to fulfill. Character matters. When the character of Jesus truly resides in us, we can adapt ourselves to new contexts and God will use us to reach others who desperately need the good news that is found only in Jesus. If we follow Jesus boldly, he will lead us into the darkest places in the world so that we can serve as light as Jesus shines through us.

Reflection:
1) How adaptable am I to new situations?

2) Am I more likely to be influenced by culture or to influence the culture for good?

3) What habits do I keep that help to nurture my soul and replenish me so that I am ready to reach out and serve others?

4) Reflect on your own understanding of the relationship between a missional lifestyle and personal holiness.

© 2006 Brian D. Russell, Revised 2016.

My latest book (re)Aligning with God: Reading Scripture for Church and World offers reflections on how to read Scripture in light of God's mission to bless all people.

Reading the Bible Missionally: Essays on the Method and Practice of Missional Hermeneutics

I've collected some of my best essays in one place. For those interested in my work, I finished a book on missional hermeneutics. It will be published by Wipf and Stock and should be available in late 15 or early 16. I'll keep you updated. It will be called (re)Aligning with God: Reading Scripture for Church and World. 

Method:
Reading the Bible Missionally: A Short Guide A Methodology for applying a missional hermeneutic

What is a Missional Hermeneutic? A broad introduction to the current scholarly conversation.

Bibliography for the Study of Missional Hermeneutics. An up-to-date guide to published resources


Practice:

Crafting a Missional Ethos through the Study of Scripture

The Importance of a Missional Reading: Implications for Christ Followers Thinking through how reading the Bible missionally affects our Christian practice

Implementing a Missional Hermeneutic: Practicing Missional Community 

Implementing a Missional Hermeneutic: Understanding Your Context

Implenting a Missional Hermeneutic: Missional Holiness

From Maintenance to Missional: Transitioning Established Churches into Kingdom Outposts