Rekindling Our Thirst For God
Before Free Methodism became a denomination, it was a movement—one marked less by structure and more by a deep hunger for God. A recent article from Seedbed Ministries, Methodism as an Awakening Movement, traces that hunger back to its source, and it’s well worth our attention.
The writer points to a formative night in 1784, recorded in John Wesley’s journal:
“They contained themselves pretty well during the exhortation, but when I began to pray, the flame broke out. Many cried aloud, many sunk to the ground, many trembled exceedingly, but everything seemed to be quite athirst for God and penetrated by the presence of his power.”
Prayer and a deep thirst for God led to a powerful experience of the Holy Spirit that fuelled the relentless spread of the Methodist movement. Relentless prayer, mutual accountability, and small discipleship groups were at the heart of this awakening.
It’s a good—and perhaps uncomfortable—question to sit with: Do we thirst for God the way our spiritual predecessors did? It’s not uncommon for movements born out of desperate hunger for God to settle, generations later, into routine and complacency, eventually leading to decline. Yet today, God is stirring hearts and moving people in ways that echo our Methodist roots.
Church health and revitalization are not things we manufacture through systems and structures. They are gifts we position ourselves to receive from God. Systems and strategies matter, but they can never substitute for spiritual renewal. So, if you’re looking for a checklist of tasks from our department, you’ll probably be partially disappointed. Our desire is to point you to God first and strategy second.
We believe God is positioning our movement for renewal once again, awakening within us a deeper thirst for Him and a longing for healthy, Spirit-filled churches where Holy Freedom can be unleashed.
What would it look like for your church to become “quite athirst for God” once again?
Read the full article: Methodism as an Awakening Movement
