In 1738, John Wesley had an experience with Jesus that profoundly changed his life. He writes, “In the evening, I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther’s Preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”

Wesley went on to found the Methodist Movement, averaging 8000 miles on horseback per year in his evangelical zeal. His love for God and the souls of others drove him to write, preach, organize, and pray. Many other movements within Christianity have greatly benefited from Wesley’s commitment to Christ, including ours, The Church of God. Founded in the late 1800’s by D. S. Warner, our theological roots and methodology relies heavily on Wesley’s interpretation and understanding. We too were driven by the love of God to seek out souls for the sake of the Kingdom. Jesus’ final commandment to His disciples at the end of Matthew’s Gospel was embraced as rudimentary to the Christian life in the early days of our movement. And because evangelism and discipleship was thought as normal as pastoral care and teaching, we excelled to the point that we were at one time the fastest growing Christian movement in America. Those days are long past but our Lord’s words remain:

I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:18-20, NLT).

Through the Holy Spirit, the words of our Lord are being carried out globally in places like Britain, Venezuela, China, and Iran where reports are coming out that an astounding amount of people are coming to know Jesus. Here in America, we are seeing significant growth over the last four years; where as, the trend beforehand was a decline in the faith. This has quietly reversed as Millennials and Gen Z are converting to Christ. What once was a New Day for Wesley in the 1700’s and for Warner in the 1800’s is for us as well. It’s a New Day all over again.

At the 2025 Church of God Convention and General Assembly in Denver, our new Interim Director for Church of God Ministries, Pastor Monte Dillard, preached boldly on the Holy Spirit’s leading and Noah’s ark. His profound and simple insight, that we are required to leave the ark when it’s function has been fulfilled and to follow the Holy Spirit’s lead in the next God-filled-adventure, resonated with my heart. For some fifteen years I have carried a burden for the lost just as I’ve carried one for our fellow brothers and sisters who know Jesus but need encouragement or teaching or care. How, I have often wondered, am I to properly love as I am loved by our Lord and Savior when often times I feel hampered by outdated structures and attitudes that once fulfilled the loving words of Christ but no longer do so? Or perhaps another way of asking it: how can I fulfill the Jesus call in my life and yet still properly honor the arks of yesterday?

There’s an old understanding that all loves must be educated. Truth is, this is what the Holy Spirit is consistently doing when we study Scripture, apply it to our lives, pray, fellowship, and live for Jesus. Like most in the ministry, I got in because of the love of God and for the love of others. I got in because I believe that Jesus died for my sins and has given me a new life. I got in because the Holy Spirit inspired and lead me into this wonderful venture that is full of mountaintops and valleys and everything in between. I got in because I wanted to share, share, share the goodness of God with others. And I got in because I wanted to see many come to know Jesus and grow in Him. I still want all of these things, as I’m sure you do too, and so I offer one point of reflection and a closing thought that will hopefully encourage your heart to stay strong in the faith.

Since April of this year, we have been teaming up with EveryHeart Movement, a Christian organization that works primarily with 20 year old's and focuses on evangelism and discipleship. They are associated with YWAM and have a base of operations in Michigan. Just this week a large group of young adults were at The First Church of God in Tulare, leading a worship night one day, and in-the-field-training in evangelism the next. I was personally touched by their devotion to Jesus and their willingness to be lead by the Holy Spirit. They are doing what Wesley and Warner and many other Christians have done, and because of their age they are ignorant of the old arks. We have the freedom to worship and follow the movement of the Spirit regardless of our statues, age, and opinions. All that is required of us is a willingness to submit to the love of God.

Finally, let us consider the story of Noah again but this time move away from the ark to a particular passage in Genesis 9:7 where God says, “now be fruitful and multiply, and repopulate the earth”. This line in Genesis is part of an agreement that God makes with Noah and his family and echoes the first blessing that was graciously bestowed upon humanity in Genesis 1:22. In both passages fruitfulness and multiplication are desired for our own good. The meaning behind the term ‘fruitful’ is fairly obvious in that it means to produce according to one’s nature. To multiply refers to numerical growth, but it can also mean to be greater in quality or maturity. As Christians, we are called to be a people of the Great Commission, but let us not neglect the original blessing at the start of creation of abundant and excellent life! May our habits, attitudes, thoughts, and desires be life giving to us and others. May the power and grace of the Holy Spirit accomplish this in us. And just like Wesley, who’s heart was “strangely warmed” by Christ, may it be so for the heart of our culture.

It’s a New Day all over again,

Pastor Aaron