Watching Over One Another – Classes and Bands
The Wesleys were big on social Christianity, and you can see this not only in John Wesley's organising and writing and preaching, but in the hymn writing of his brother Charles. Listen to these lovely words from a hymn called "Help Us to Help Each Other, Lord":
"Help us to help each other, Lord,
Each other's cross to bear;
Let each his friendly aid afford,
And feel his brother's care."
This was the heart of the Methodist movement – caring for each other in groups.
Wesley's Three-Tiered Community System
John Wesley organised the people into three types of groups: societies, which we spoke of yesterday, where larger groups of Christians in one area would gather to worship, pray, and hear the Word; and then there were also classes, which were smaller groups of 10-12, where the people could discuss things and talk about their own Christian walk over the last week; and then there were bands, which were small groups of 3 or 4 people of the same gender and age usually, who would get very serious and honest with each other to keep each other accountable in their quest for Christian perfection.
Some people think that the small group phenomenon in church happened in the last 30 years. But Wesley was doing it 260 years before! He believed strongly in Christian people watching over each other and helping each other along the road.
Biblical Foundations for Mutual Accountability
James 5:16 says "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." You need a group for that. You need a class or a band meeting in which you can get that intimate with the Christians next to you and receive that blessing. Church has its place as a larger meeting, but the smaller meetings allow for the real honest and raw accountability that fosters real spiritual growth.
David Lowes Watson wrote a great book called Covenant Discipleship, in which he talks about the importance of this type of spirituality, and he suggests ways that the modern church can get serious about small groups again like the early Methodists were. He writes this: "the early Methodists discovered that mutual accountability – holding fast in company with one another – was a very good method for building up consistent discipleship. It is as relevant today as it was 200 years ago."
Yes, we need Christian people with whom to journey, confess, pray, share, vent. If your church has small groups, maybe it's time for you to look at joining one. If it doesn't, maybe it's time you start one!
Don't go at it alone – your Christian call is to help and to be helped, to bear another's cross and to allow another to help bear yours.
