John Wesley advised churches to keep unity in the following ways:
- Focus on the essentials: He emphasized the importance of agreeing on essential doctrines, such as the Trinity and salvation through faith in Christ, while allowing diversity on non-essential matters.
- Love and respect: He encouraged believers to show love, respect, and kindness to one another, even when they disagreed.
- Avoid controversy: He encouraged believers to avoid controversy and debates that could lead to division.
- Seek common ground: He encouraged believers to seek common ground and shared interest, rather than focusing on differences.
- Practice forgiveness: Wesley emphasized the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation in maintaining unity.
- Submit to one another: He encouraged believers to submit to one another, rather than insisting on their own way.
- Pray together: Wesley believed that praying together was an important way to maintain unity and foster a sense of shared spiritual purpose.
- Celebrate communion: He saw the celebration of communion as a powerful symbol of unity and a means of strengthening bonds between believers.
- Avoid schism: Wesley strongly discouraged schism and the formation of new denominations, urging believers to work towards unity and reconciliation within existing church structures.
- Seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance: He believed that the Holy Spirit was the source of unity and encouraged believers to seek the Spirit’s guidance and wisdom in maintaining unity.
By following theses, principles, Wesley believed that churches could maintain a spirit of unity and work together towards their shared mission and purpose.
John Wesley’s teaching on the dangers and use of money as follows:
As is well known, John Wesley devoted a substantial amount of ink to the subject of money, returning to it several times, using a variety of biblical passages as his launching points. In the whole sweep of Wesley’s preaching and writing, the subject is central to only a small percentage of texts. However, the chronology of those texts suggests an increasing focus on possessions as a moral and spiritual danger. Wesley observed the course of his Methodist Societies’ development, and the character of his rhetoric indicates an increasing urgency to his concerns. The standard list of pertinent works will be familiar even to casual students of Wesley. In chronological order: there is the most widely known (and equally widely misrepresented) sermon “The Use of Money” (1744); also the sermons entitled “The Good Steward” (1758), “The Danger of Riches” (1780), and “On Riches” (1788). There is also the late and deeply disappointed sermon “On the Causes of the Inefficacy of Christianity” (1789), and the final, almost desperate sermon “On the Danger of Increasing Riches” (1790). Relevant too is the pamphlet “Thoughts on the Present Scarcity of Provisions” (1773). In addition, brief remarks about the potency, usefulness, and perils of wealth are laced through other sermons as occasion arises, for example in his multiple treatments of the Sermon on the Mount.- Wesley was critical of the excesses of the wealthy and the exploitation of the poor, warning against the dangers of covetousness and the love of money. Wesley taught that money is a neutral tool, which can be used for good or ill, and that its value lies in its ability to be used for the glory of God and the benefit of others. Wesley’s sermon, “The Use of Money” is a key text, in which he argues that Christians should: 1. Gain all they can, but not at the expense of others or their own souls. Save all they can, by avoiding unnecessary expenses and living simply. 3. Give all they can, using their resources to benefit others and advance God’s kingdom. Wesley was particularly concerned about the corrupting influence of wealth and the ways in which it can lead to spiritual decay. Wesley’s emphasis on the importance of generosity, hospitality and stewardship, and his call for Christians to use their resources to make a positive impact on the world. Wesley’s teaching on money is a call to responsible stewardship, generosity, and simplicity. He gives a stiff warning against the dangers of allowing wealth to become an idol.