SQL Queries And Methodist Preaching

SQL Queries for Data Analysis

Preaching is one of the responsibilities that has been a part of the life of the enthusiastic Christians who take activities as a part of their spiritual growth. It was always important for me to pass on the treasure of spiritual knowledge that I manage to gather from the Church and my seniors and mentors in the congregation. I being a part of the Methodist Church of Zimbabwe try to do whatever little I can to preach the message of the Christ in the maximum people possible.

The Methodist Church was established by Charles Wesley and John Wesley in the year 1730. Both of them were Anglican priests who first preached in the European and North American continents and their followers later took the message and the mission of the Church in the deep corners of Africa. Before the Methodist Church it was the Catholic Church which first came into the region and set up a Christian environment. I personally got connected to the Methodist Church by effective leaders and preachers who were on the mission to preach going door to door in various regions of Zimbabwe. The movement was brought in the continent by Owen Watkins and Rev Isaac Shimmin who came in the region to establish the first Methodist Churches in the region. They had extreme determination to preach Christianity in the region and henceforth making the Church well established in the Zimbabwe.  The various mission stations which were established in the first phase like Fort Salisbury (1891); Hartlyton (1891); Nenguwo (Waddilove) (1892); and Kwenda (1892).

I as a part of the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe I had to be engaged with the local preachers and the seniors to be well aware about the various theological principles of the particular faction of the Christian belief. This has also helped me in growing as an individual in the spiritual path. The intricacies of the Christian religion are some of the very important pillars that have made me who I am today. I have understood the philosophy of life in the best way possible by the words of Jesus Christ and his teachings. The association of the Church has brought an inner transformation of heart in me and it is one of the most effective and long lasting transformations throughout my life. As a preacher today I take a lot of inspiration from the life of the Apostles and the people who were directly associated with Christ and how much sacrifice they made to preach the message of Christ in the most distant lands and in the most difficult situations. The Apostle Paul’s message was one of the very effective preachers who took the message of the Christ and the New Testament to the Gentiles or the Non-Jews people who were not the followers of the Old Testament. These were the people who were given the blessings and the message of Christ in spite of not having a proper Christian background.   

Experiences of a Methodist Preacher

In John 3.3 it is stated “Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” In Hebrews 5:12-14 it is stated “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. {13} For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. {14} But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” The life of a Christian is a life of growth and maturity in the spiritual arena. The growth in personal life comes from constant practice of the religion in the best possible hoy adhering to the teachings of the Bible and the Christian religion as a way of life.

Many verses of the Bible gives me inspiration and teaches me the ideal standards of the life. These are ways to go about life and grow spiritually. Hebrews 10:22-25 states “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. {23} Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. {24} And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, {25} not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

The Old Testament and The New Testament are both inspiration to the preachers. It is the own words of Jesus to state that The Old Testament should be given equal importance. The words of the old Testament must not be forgotten or ignored because that would be against the will of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord has in various times established religion in various ways by sending various messengers and Moses being one of them must be equally respected in the same way. Therefore I try to study both the old and New Testament to understand the Christian theology in the best ways possible. There were many re interpretations of the scriptures that were brought about by the founders of the Methodist Church and therefore those must be understood in the best ways possible to preach the same to the community and the congregation.

As a preacher I have grown with time preaching to various important people and to large groups. Passing on the message of Christ as a tool of Him is the best thing I can do in this lifetime. I completely have surrendered myself to the mission of Christ and to spread the message of Methodist Church to the distant places.

Reference:

Burdon, Adrian. Authority and Order: John Wesley and his preachers. Routledge, 2016.

Church, United Methodist. The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2016. United Methodist Publishing House, 2016.

LORD, MY. "MEETING JESUS AGAIN—FOR THE FIRST TIME." (2016).

Methodist Church of Southern Africa. The methodist book of order: The laws and discipline of the methodist church of Southern Africa. Methodist Publishing House, 2016.

Ministries, G. (2014). The United Methodist Church. Kadoma, Zimb