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A/315. We expect all who are received into the adult
membership of the church to be good examples of Christian conduct.
We also recognize that growth in the grace and knowledge of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18) can take time and exposure
to the witness of Scripture and holy living, requiring love and
patience. Free Methodists, therefore, seek to live according to
scriptural principles expressed in the membership Covenant (Pars.
156-160), and applied to life in the following statements.
AS REGARDS GOD
1. FALSE WORSHIP
A/320. Jesus Christ affirmed the Old Testament commandment, "Hear
O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind and with all your strength" (Mark 12:29-30; Deuteronomy
6:4-5). This precludes the worship of any other person, spirit,
or thing.
Our people are to abstain from all practices which lead to idolatry.
New Age teachings, and occult practices such as spiritism, witchcraft,
and astrology must be avoided. Moreover, Christians must be on guard
against the idolatries of the heart - the worship of things, pleasures,
and self (1 John 2:16).
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2. SECRET SOCIETIES
A/321.
- 1. Christians' supreme loyalty must be to Jesus Christ who is
Lord (Romans 14:9; Acts 2:36). In all associations, Christians
must keep themselves free to follow Christ and obey the will of
God (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). Therefore, we require all members
to avoid solemn bonds of fellowship with unbelievers which may
confuse their identity and cloud their witness.
- 2. Those voluntary associations which demand an oath, affirmation,
promise of secrecy, or a secret password as conditions of membership
are to be considered secret societies. In contradiction to the
teaching of Christ and the New Testament, these societies require
pledges and vows which bind the future actions of those who join
(Matthew 5:34-37). Christians, therefore, who swear their unreserved
loyalty to any secret society are in direct conflict with their
unconditional surrender to Jesus Christ as Lord. Christians must
keep themselves free to follow the will of the Lord in all things.
- 3. Most secret societies are religious in nature. Prayers are
offered, hymns are sung, and members engage in acts of worship
before an altar. Chaplains are chosen to lead in worship and to
conduct funerals. But the worship of these societies is unitarian,
not Christian; the religion is moralistic, not redemptive; and
the ends are humanistic, not evangelical (Acts 4:12). We insist,
therefore, that those who are members of our church refrain from
membership in all secret societies and that those who unite with
the Church resign from active membership in any lodge or secret
order previously joined.
- 4. We do not require those who become members of the Church
to cease all payments necessary to keep in force insurance benefits
previously contracted through lodge membership.
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3. THE LORD'S DAY
A/322. God makes clear in Scripture by both example and command
that one day in seven is to be devoted to worship and rest (Genesis
2:2-3; Exodus 20:8-11). Jesus declared, "The sabbath was made
for man, not man for the sabbath" (Mark 2:27). We need a special
day in which we turn from our work and concerns to worship God and
to renew body, mind, and spirit. The New Testament reveals that
the early church moved from observing the last day of the week -
the Jewish sabbath - to worshiping God in Christ on the first day
of the week - the Lord's day, the day of resurrection.
In keeping the sabbath principle in a Lord's day setting, we urge
our people to make corporate worship with the Christian community
the essential activity of Sunday (Hebrews 10:25) and to set the
day apart by engaging in worship, fellowship, and ministries that
express their praise to God, nurture their faith in Christ, build
the Body of Christ, and serve the needs of persons around them.
We urge our people to refrain from unnecessary labors and commerce
on the Lord's Day, recognizing that salvation and all the resources
of life come not from our own strivings but by grace as we rest
in God (Isaiah 58:13-14; Hebrews 4:9). We encourage pastors and
others who must be involved in necessary work on Sunday to observe
the sabbath principle on another day.
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