Built for Love and Action: A Wesleyan Call to Holiness and Surrender

Picture a beautiful brick fireplace on a bitter winter day: mantle polished, stonework solid, wood stacked neatly nearby. Everything looks ready to provide warmth—except there is no fire. The structure is impressive, but it does nothing. That image captures a danger we face: a faith that looks right on the outside but offers no warmth, no movement, and no transformation.

The Problem: Knowledge Without Fire

Religious activity, correct doctrine, and regular attendance can all exist without heart change. The church can become like that cold fireplace—beautiful, full of resources, but not warming anyone. When faith stops at intellect and ritual, it fails to be the force that changes people, neighborhoods, and systems.

Holiness: A Heart Set on Fire

Holiness is not moral superiority, rule-keeping, or withdrawal from the world. It is a life set apart for God—one transformed by grace so that character and action follow. The Scriptures put it plainly:

"But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do... Be holy, because I am holy." — 1 Peter 1:15–16

And Hebrews adds the urgency:

"Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and be holy. Without holiness, no one will see the Lord." — Hebrews 12:14

Holiness is a heart warmed by God’s presence. It is sanctifying grace at work—an inward transformation that produces outward love and service. It is not perfection, but direction: a life moving toward Christ through surrender and devotion.

What Holiness Looks Like

• Entire devotion to God: Not a checklist, but a surrendered life.
• A heart cleansed by grace: Real change that only the Spirit can accomplish.
• A life aligned with Christ: Daily choices shaped by love, not pride or convenience.

The Spark That Starts the Flame

There are moments when the heart is "strangely warmed"—an encounter with grace that shifts a life from knowing about God to truly living for God. For John Wesley, that was a decisive experience that launched a movement. The flame he received did not stop at personal devotion; it overflowed into service, reform, and community transformation.

A movement of holiness begins inside and demands to be lived outside. Knowledge without action is like matches on the mantle: the fireplace has everything, but no one is warmed until a spark is struck.

Love That Refuses to Stay Inside

True religion looks like practical compassion. James 1:27 describes faith in action—caring for orphans and widows—and Jesus teaches that how we treat the hungry, the thirsty, the imprisoned, and the marginalized matters eternally. Faith that never leaves the building is ineffective.

John Wesley turned inward fire into outward ministry: accountability groups, lay leadership, schools, relief work, and a fierce opposition to injustice. The Wesleyan impulse is both personal holiness and public love.

Movements, Not Moments

Moments of worship, powerful music, and emotional encounters can be meaningful, but they must become movements. A movement is sustained, contagious, and practical. It changes the six days outside the Sunday experience. Rather than being a thermometer that simply reflects cultural temperature, the church is called to be a thermostat—setting a different temperature for the neighborhood, schools, workplaces, and homes we touch.

Practical Steps to Live Out This Calling

1. Ask honest questions: Is my faith merely intellectual, or does it shape my habits, relationships, and decisions?
2. Identify what to surrender: What in your life competes for Lordship? It might not be sinful in itself, but it could be what keeps you from full surrender.
3. Move from knowledge to action: Find practical ways to serve—feed the hungry, visit the isolated, advocate for justice.
4. Build accountability: Join or form small groups where honesty and discipleship are practiced regularly.
5. Prioritize daily holiness: Ask what holiness looks like in routine: morning choices, how you use time and money, and how you respond to conflict.
6. Turn moments into movements: Let experiences of God reshape your six days, not just your Sundays.

Four Questions to Ask Yourself

• Is my faith only intellectual, or do I really live it?
• Who is God calling me to love more intentionally?
• What does holiness look like in my daily routine?
• Where do my beliefs need to be turned into actions?

A Closing Encouragement

We are part of a relay. The flame of holiness has been passed down through generations; today it rests with us. The call is simple and demanding: surrender daily, love intentionally, and let grace transform both your heart and your neighborhood.

"As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as you were called to be holy, be holy in all you do." — 1 Peter 1:13–16

Go with the grace of God and be the church—warm, active, and relentlessly loving.