John had a wonderful time teaching on Juan Wesley this year! He had a fabulous class of students!
After fourteen years of teaching about the intriguing founder of the Methodist Movement(Wesley never was a Methodist!) in our Bible Institute in Paraguay, John thinks our denomination was amazingly blessed! Wesley was such a keen observer that he would have been a first rate doctor or scientist. The same could have been said for him as a lawyer or politician. His theology was distilled to its essentials. How do you know if someone is a Christian? By their love, looking to express itself in caring for both the bodies and the spirits of our neighbors. Love in action at every need and opportunity. “That,” he said, “is the character of a Methodist.”
A few years ago, John was at a ministerial meeting for all the Paraguayan Methodist pastors and realized he had taught 30 of the 33 pastors in attendance in the Bible Institute. That does not include all the lay people in our churches that have gone through the Bible Institute. He also teaches Principles of Christianity in each of the three levels.
This year it was decided that Methodism will taught all three years (all three levels) in the Bible Institute. John begins with the first year students and teaches them about the life Juan Wesley, the history of the Methodist movement and some of Wesley’s major doctrines like justification by faith alone, prevenient grace, testimony of the Spirit, Christian perfection, free will and sin after justification. One of his students who is now a fabulous pastor, teaches Juan Wesley’s doctrine in depth to the second year students. The Bishop teaches the third year students how to apply Juan Wesley’s teaching and history in the church life and life in general.