What is..

Katydid said:

What is Reformed? What type of beliefs? I have never heard of it before. Just curious as to what your beliefs are.

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Katydid said:

OK let me make this easier, I grew up Methodist. How does Reformed differ from other churches, like Methodist. Does that make it a little easier?

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Katydid said:

OK how about this, are you close to Catholic, Baptist, you know what are you closest to that I may know a little about?

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Sola Gratia said:

Methodists are closer to Catholicism than Calvinists. I believe that like Catholics they lean much on Thomas Aquinas ,
We are more Augustinian in Theology

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Not always true Sola Gratia

"Which kind of church are you the minister of in Wales?"
"Really a Presbyterian Church, the name of the denomination - the strongest one in Wales - is the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Church."
"Surely there's a mistake somewhere," I opined, "please say that over again."
Once more the name rolled out, a civil war in language. "I'm bewildered," was my confession. "Surely the term 'Calvinistic Methodist' is about as harmonious as 'white black-bird' or 'east-west wind'. Are they not antipodal terms?"
"Not at all - you evidently think that John Wesley was the only Methodist who ever lived. George Whitefield was a Calvinist - that's why he and Wesley quarrelled."

http://bsrich.tripod.com/calvinistic/

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Sola Gratia said:

Methodists are closer to Catholicism than Calvinists. I believe that like Catholics they lean much on Thomas Aquinas ,
We are more Augustinian in Theology

Calvinists really believe men are saved by grace... no kidding about it or putting pre cursers to it

We believe men are really dead in sin and that dead men have neither the strength or desire to grasp the life preserver thrown to them in the form of the gospel .

We believe that the first activity of salvation is God acting on men .

That His grace is so glorious that no one that sees it does not respond to it

That when Jesus died on the cross the salvation of all those the father gave him was completed .

We really believe that God knew us before we were born and that he did call the elect by name


For those he foreknow he did also predestinate ..

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Katydid said:

So you believe that we are predestined to believe or not?

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cygnusx1 said:

Not always true Sola Gratia

"Which kind of church are you the minister of in Wales?"
"Really a Presbyterian Church, the name of the denomination - the strongest one in Wales - is the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Church."
"Surely there's a mistake somewhere," I opined, "please say that over again."
Once more the name rolled out, a civil war in language. "I'm bewildered," was my confession. "Surely the term 'Calvinistic Methodist' is about as harmonious as 'white black-bird' or 'east-west wind'. Are they not antipodal terms?"
"Not at all - you evidently think that John Wesley was the only Methodist who ever lived. George Whitefield was a Calvinist - that's why he and Wesley quarrelled."

http://bsrich.tripod.com/calvinistic/

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Reformationist said:

Nicely said Sola Gratia.

God bless

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Sola Gratia said:

Indeed, I came from a Wesleyan church, and as i posted that I thought of one of the finest preachers known in the church , George Whitfield.

My response went to the American methodist church of today .

The method is all but gone in American Methodism .

So I will accept your correction with grace and a smile

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Sola Gratia said:

Ahhh the words of Charles still ring out



Long my imprisoned sprit lay, .................... Total depravity
fast bound in sin and nature's night;
thine eye diffused a quickening ray; ................... Irrestable Grace
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
my chains fell off, my heart was free, .................... Regeneration
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free, .................... Salvation
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.


No condemnation now I dread; ..... Perservation of the saints
Jesus, and all in him, is mine;
alive in him, my living Head,
and clothed in righteousness divine,
bold I approach th' eternal throne,
and claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach th' eternal throne,
and claim the crown, through Christ my own.

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cygnusx1 said:

Great Hymn , perhaps the best!

I thought you may like to read this , I posted it up in respones to a question about Revival....... but it seems to fit here as well .....

Background


A century ago Wales experienced the last National Religious Revival, a revival that brought in an extra 100,000 new converts according to the estimates of the time, and a movement that quickly spread to the 4 corners of the World. Yet that great move of the Spirit had very small beginnings. Beginnings that didn’t always involve the great preachers of the day – erudite and educated as they were, but instead included, for instance a young teenager from New Quay, Cardigan – Florrie Evans – who in a youth meeting in February 1904 declared publicly that she loved the Lord Jesus with all her heart. With these words the Spirit seemed to fall on the meeting and the fire quickly spread to other young people in the Cardiganshire area.
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In September of the same year, an Evangelist Seth Joshua was addressing a Convention which included these young people at Blaenanerch just 5 miles north of Cardigan. Seth himself had been praying for years that God would raise up a young man from the pits to revive the churches – little did he know that on Thursday September 29th 1904 his prayer was to be answered in a life changing experience for one 26 year old student, Evan Roberts.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

For years Evan had been a faithful member of Moriah Calvinistic Methodist church at Loughor, he was a Sunday School Superintendent, a consciencious reader of the main theological works of his day, and more than that he had been praying for revival for over 11 years. Having been converted as a young teenager, he continued to pray regularly that God would visit again the nation in Revival Power. Determined to do his part, he felt compelled to go into the Calvinistic Methodist Ministry and on September 13th 1904 he became a pupil of the Newcastle Emlyn Grammar School to prepare for Trefecca Theological College
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[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]It was only 2½ weeks after arriving that he found himself at Blaenanerch – and at a crossroads in his spiritual experience. A spiritual experience which would lead him back to the young people of his own church Moriah Loughor where he shared his experience and encouraged them to be open to God’s Spirit. Within two weeks the Welsh Revival was national news and before long, Evan Roberts and his brother Dan and his best friend Sidney were travelling the country conducting Revival Meetings and they were meetings with a difference. Meetings which broke the conventional and bi-passed the traditional – often the ministers just sat down unable to preach or even to understand what storm had arrived in their usually sedate temples. [/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]This was a Revival with youth on fire – young men, yes and women. After the first stirrings amongst the young women of New Quay, young women continued to play a part in the Revival work – young Florrie went on a team to North Wales with her friend Maud – others used their voices as instruments of God’s message and amongst the most well known was Annie Davies Maesteg who accpomanied Evan Roberts on his missions.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Yes a storm had hit the churches yet for so many it was a storm of love and power which completely transformed their lives. [/font]

http://www.welshrevival.com/

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