For Oct 18

Sermon Notes:  What I Believe as A Global Methodist

Intro: You may have heard the adage, “Unless you stand for something, you'll fall for anything", meaning that a person without clear values, principles, or beliefs can be easily manipulated or led astray by bad ideas.. Peter Marshall, a renowned preacher, and later U.S. Senate Chaplain, used that adage in a sermon around 1947. And it applies to religious beliefs especially today. While Christianity began as one church in Jerusalem, it now encompasses many different theological understandings, especially among Protestant denominations. Most Christians today claim a fundamental belief in a specific denomination based on past knowledge, but evolving changes can alter the beliefs you had once stood for. So, it’s important to understand the faith principles of your church to ensure you’re not being led astray.

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I. Becoming Global Methodists

A. Our Waltz congregation, like many others, had become increasingly opposed to the liberal beliefs and practices of our denomination, contrary to its guiding Book of Discipline. One main point of contention was adherence to the Book of Discipline's statement that "homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching" and that "marriage is only between a man and a woman” Other liberal practices began appearing, with more being proposed, such as withdrawing support for Israel, leading to our voting virtually unanimously to disaffiliate in 2023. We also voted to apply for membership into the newly formed Global Methodist Church, the GMC, which had been launched

May 1, 2022 by faithful Christians seeking to preserve the doctrinal integrity of our Christian faith. As of February 2026, the GMC is composed of over 7,000 congregations, and rapidly growing as a global church as Its name infers  But as the Global Methodist Church evolves, we need to continue to be aware that what the GMC stands for is Scripturally sound and what we actually believe. So, this morning, I would like to review what the Global Methodist Church currently stands for.

B. The GMC is guided by the Book of Doctrines and Discipline, which outlines our core beliefs, practices, and organizational structure. It’s been moderately transitional in its initial nature, guiding the new Church to a convening General Conference where elected representatives have given the denomination a more definitive shape as it continues to mature as the Church grows.

C. As part of that process, Articles of Faith have just been published for review, which upon final review and acceptance, will be incorporated into the Book of Doctrines and Discipline. These fifteen Articles prescribe the normative standard of the GMC, affirming the creedal traditions of the church,  like the Apostle’s Creed that serves to express our theological beliefs of the persons of the Trinity. The Articles of Faith acknowledge the divine inspiration and the authority of Scripture as the Holy Spirit inspires and works through them. They express our Protestant theological heritage of faith, and articulate our particular Wesleyan Methodist emphases and concerns. They are intended to be taught in the churches to guard against false teaching by providing a basis for the praise and honor of God in faithful instruction that orients us to serve in God’s Kingdom. The four page document is more extensive than I would cover in a sermon, and probably better digested in smaller portions,  So, I will be looking for ways  to provide such smaller portions over the next several weeks for your review.

D. Grounded in Wesleyan tradition, the Global Methodist Church emphasizes scriptural holiness, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the life-changing grace of God available to all. We believe in making disciples of Jesus Christ who worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly. The GMC is deeply committed to sharing the peace of Christ with others and advocating for God’s justice for all people. At the same time, it expects its deacons, elders, and bishops to act with restraint and modesty when it comes to addressing social and political policy matters. And when necessary, it trusts the laity will remind Church clergy and leaders that they are the Church’s pastors, not its politicians. To preserve such standards in speaking for the church, the Book of Doctrines and Discipline contains our core beliefs regarding specific political and social issues, which I will now briefly summarize.

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II. Believing As Global Methodists

A. We believe all persons, regardless of their circumstances in life, have been made in the image of God and must be treated with dignity, justice, and respect. We denounce as sin racism, sexism, and other expressions that unjustly discriminate against any person.

B. We believe life is a holy gift of God whose beginnings and endings are set by God, and that it’s the particular duty of believers to protect those powerless to protect themselves, including the unborn, those with disabilities or serious illness, and the aged. The sacredness of all life compels us to resist abortion except in cases of tragic conflicts of life against life when the wellbeing of the mother and the child are at stake. We don’t accept abortion as a means of birth control or gender selection, and call upon all Christians, as disciples of the Lord of Life, to prayerfully consider how we can support women facing unintended pregnancies without adequate care, counsel, or resources.

C. We believe all should have the right to work in safe conditions with fair compensation, free of exploitation by others. We respect the right of workers to engage in collective bargaining to protect their welfare. We acknowledge that science and technology are gifts of God intended to improve human life, and encourage dialogue between faith and science as mutual witnesses to God’s creative power.

D. We believe God has called us to share His concern for the poor and to alleviate the conditions and policies which have produced vast disparities in wealth and resources, among individuals and nations, giving rise to poverty. We are called to improve the quality of life and opportunities for all God’s people as we share the good news to the poor, and freedom for the oppressed.

E. We believe all have been summoned to care for the earth as our common home, stewarding its resources, sharing in its wealth, and exercising responsible and sustainable consumption so there is enough for all.

F. We believe human sexuality is a gift of God to be affirmed as it is  

exercised within the legal and spiritual covenant of a loving and

monogamous marriage between one man and one woman.

G. We are saddened by all expressions of sexual behavior, including pornography, polygamy, and promiscuity, that do not recognize the sacred worth of each individual or that seek to exploit, abuse, objectify, or degrade others, or represent less than God’s intentional design for His children.

H. We believe that children, whether through birth or adoption, are a sacred gift from God, and we accept our responsibility to both protect and nurture the youngest among us, particularly against such abuses as enforced child labor, involuntary forced labor, human trafficking, and other such practices.

I, We believe that followers of God have been called to exercise self-control and holiness in their personal lives, generosity and kindness in their relations with others, and grace in all matters of life.

j. We believe in the rule of justice and law in society, in the right of individuals to follow God’s call and to lawfully immigrate to new places, and in the pursuit of peace both between nations and individuals. We offer ourselves to work in order to reduce the bitterness that has overflowed in God’s world.

K. We believe that the practice of the Golden Rule, treating others as we would wish to be treated, can effectively guide our social and business relationships. We seek to cultivate the mind of Christ and a heart for others.

L. We believe each person should have the right to exercise their religious beliefs without fear of persecution and that governments should respect freedom of religion and the important role of faith communities within the greater society. We further denounce discrimination or persecution which may target any because of their gender, economic status, ethnic or tribal identity, age, or political views.

M. And finally, we believe in the final triumph of righteousness when the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom of Christ, and we accept our calling to work towards that end as Christ’s light and the salt of the earth.

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III  Applying Our Beliefs

A. We should apply these principles of our beliefs within our regular worship. Accordingly, this morning, we began worship with a hymn praising God’s Creation of all creatures, great and small. Our Call to Worship then acknowledged from the Creation account in Genesis that God considered his creation as ‘good’ and in particular ‘man and woman – in His image’ – consistent with the rest of the created heterosexual kingdom, as “very good.”  We then confessed our fundamental faith through the historical Apostle’s Creed, a foundational summary of Christian faith that evolved from early baptismal statements in the 2nd-century Roman church. Legends have it that each of the Twelve Apostles contributed a part of that creed, but the reality is that over the centuries, the text expanded through additions like "descended into hell" and "communion of saints, reaching its final, standardized Latin form by the 8th century under Charlemagne. It remains as one of the foundational creeds of the Christian church. Interestingly, some churches, like the Baptist Church, don’t use it, because of a historical tradition emphasizing "no creed but the Bible", and their preference for individual churches rather than a universal church. The Baptist Church however, generally agrees with the theological concepts within that creed.

B. Our overall service is built around the selected Scriptures. I believe it’s important to relate the OT with the NT, although I will also relate Gospel readings with Epistle or other readings. Our OT lesson this morning was a strong basis for our stand against homosexuality. Two angels had come to warn about the evils of Sodom, notorious for its degenerate sexual practices. Although unsure of whether the visitors were angels, Lot insists they stay the night in his house. Not just because of hospitality, but because Lot knew the violence they would face from the city. Soon, all the men and boys of the town assemble at Lot’s door, demanding Lot surrender the visitors for their homosexual pleasure. Attempting to protect them, Lot is even willing to do the unthinkable, giving them his two virgin daughters instead. But the aroused crowd isn’t interested, they only desire the two handsome visitors. The angels prevent further violence by striking them blind, but now telling Lot they had come to destroy the city that had come to the Lord’s attention as so evil, and all of Lot’s family were to leave at once.  The next morning, Abraham looks to the place where Sodom and the neighboring, equally perverse Gomorrah, had been, but only sees a dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace. God had judged all the people of those cities as evil, having no mercy on anyone or anything from those places.

C. Many ignore this Scripture, feeling that God doesn’t consider homosexuality a grave sin, whereas we, as Global Methodists, see it as a warning against this sin. Still, it must be recognized that God was their judge, just as He retains that right today. We saw that in the social principles, where all life, even if corrupted, is sacred to God. It is not our place to judge, or cast stones at LGBTQ+ individuals. We are not righteous enough to even qualify as anyone’s judge. But neither are we to give in to sin, and allow sin to go unchecked, corrupting all in its path, especially our young. Many of us are experiencing such appearances in our families, and wonder how we should respond. We should express our beliefs, unashamed and without apology. Jesus said that if we love family more than Him, we cannot follow Him. But He also taught us to love others, even as He has loved us.

D. Our Epistle Lesson from Paul’s letter to the Romans speaks to this as well. Jesus said we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. He set no conditional boundaries for love regarding another’s way of life. Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil, cling to what is good. Keep our spiritual enthusiasm and passion. Practice hospitality. But do not be overcome by evil, rather overcome evil with good.

 E. We might feel we are being persecuted by the gay community, or feel the anger of our former denomination. Instead, bless those who persecute us, don’t curse them. Paul teaches we’re not to repay anyone evil for evil, but leave room for God’s wrath. Vengeance is the Lord’s; He will repay.

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Conclusion: This morning has been a short summary of who we are and what we believe as Global Methodists. Global Methodists within the Church of Jesus Christ, and ensuring we keep those in that order. That our beliefs as               

Global Methodists are founded on our beliefs in our loving Savior who died for our sins, that all might be saved. All people. Amen.