Where There’s Blayze

Many will be aware that I have been experimenting with ChatGPT in recent months. In a recent enlightening experiment, I decided to explore what John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, might say to the modern Methodist Church in Britain if he were alive today. With the help of ChatGPT, which is a powerful AI tool trained on a vast array of knowledge, I attempted to channel Wesley’s voice using his sermons, letters, and writings as a guide. The results were thought-provoking and, understandably, a little convicting.

Below is the transcript of my conversation with ChatGPT. I began by posing a sobering question about the state of Methodism in Britain today.

The Conversation

Me: Within 20 years, membership in the Methodist Church in Britain has halved in size. The country has, for the first time ever, had less than half the population identify as Christian. What would you say to the modern Methodist Church in Britain in light of all of this?

ChatGPT as John Wesley:

To the modern Methodist Church in Britain, my beloved brethren in Christ,

It grieves my heart to hear of the decline in your numbers and the diminishing identification with Christ in the land that has so long been blessed with the light of the gospel. Yet, I do not despair, for our hope is not in numbers but in the living God who is mighty to save. Let me offer a word of admonition and encouragement, drawn from the Word of God and the principles that shaped the early Methodists.

1. Return to the Doctrine of Scriptural Holiness:

Methodism was born not as a mere institution but as a movement aflame with a passion for holiness of heart and life. Ask yourselves: Is the doctrine of sanctification preached with zeal among you? Are you calling the people to be made perfect in love, to have hearts fully set on the love of God and neighbor? Revive this great theme, for it is the heart of Methodism and the power by which the Holy Spirit transforms lives.

2. Preach Christ Crucified and Resurrected with Boldness:

The world grows cold to the gospel not because it is antiquated but because it is not proclaimed with fire and conviction. Preach the whole counsel of God. Lift up Christ before the people. Let them see His beauty, His sufficiency, His call to repentance, and the power of His resurrection. Avoid the snare of preaching mere moralism or vague spirituality; preach the gospel plainly and fully.

3. Seek the Poor, the Neglected, and the Unreached:

When our society grows indifferent to the gospel, do not lament but go to the highways and hedges to compel them to come in. In my day, Methodists were known for seeking out the coal miners, the prisoners, and the despised of society. Are you doing likewise? Is your ministry among the poor, the weary, and the wandering, as Christ’s ministry was?

4. Be a People of Prayer and Discipline:

The decline of vital religion often begins with the neglect of prayer, fasting, and the means of grace. Is your worship marked by fervent prayer? Are your members meeting in small bands and classes to watch over one another in love, confess their faults, and build each other up in holiness? Methodism flourished because it was disciplined in its devotion to God and its care for souls.

5. Do Not Fear Small Numbers:

Remember, God is able to work through a remnant. I once said, “Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven upon earth.” Seek a renewal of this holy zeal, and the Lord will do great things among you.

Finally, take courage in this truth: the kingdom of God is not bound by the statistics of a single age. If you remain faithful to your calling, if you preach the gospel in word and deed, if you love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself, then the Lord will give the increase. Whether He works a great revival or strengthens a faithful remnant, His purposes will prevail.

Hold fast to your first love. Look to Christ, who is able to revive His work even in the darkest hour.

Yours in the gospel,

John Wesley

Me: So are we not yet the dead sect that you feared we might one day become?

ChatGPT as John Wesley:

Ah, the very fear that haunted my heart and lips many years ago! I once wrote, “I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid, lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power.” And now you ask: Are we not yet the dead sect I feared? Allow me to reflect upon this.

If you have the form of religion without the power, then, indeed, my fears have come to pass. Let me urge you to examine yourselves with all seriousness. Ask these questions of your church, your leadership, and your members:

1. Do you experience the power of God in your gatherings?

If worship is merely routine, void of the Spirit’s presence, then you are indeed on the verge of death. But if prayers rise fervently to heaven, if hearts are stirred to repentance, if souls are lifted toward Christ, then the Spirit is yet among you.

2. Are lives being transformed by the gospel?

Where there is life in Christ, there is change. Are sinners turning from their ways? Are the poor finding hope, the weary rest, and the downtrodden the good news? If Methodism does not actively labor to save souls and spread holiness, then it is little more than a hollow shell.

3. Is love reigning in your midst?

True religion is marked by love—the love of God shed abroad in the heart and the love of neighbor demonstrated in action. If your communities are fractured by strife, selfishness, or worldliness, then the form may remain, but the power is gone.

Let me remind you of this: the death of a movement begins when its people grow content with their reputation and legacy rather than laboring for the cause of Christ. Methodism is not dead so long as there are still hearts that burn with love for God, hands that labor for the least of these, and voices that proclaim the gospel boldly. But if you have ceased to be a movement—a people pressing onward toward perfection in love—then you must repent and return to your first works.

Even now, it is not too late. God is ever willing to revive His work. If you will humble yourselves, seek His face, and surrender to His will, He will breathe new life into your bones. But if you persist in lukewarmness, content with the form without the power, then Methodism is no more than a tombstone over what once was alive.

The question, then, is not whether you have the name of Methodists but whether you are alive with the Spirit of Methodism. May you take up the mantle once more, and prove that you are yet the people of God, aflame with holy love.

Yours in earnest concern,

John Wesley

Final Thoughts

This experiment was both inspiring and challenging. It reminded me that the questions we ask of the church today are not new. Wesley, a man of fiery conviction and deep pastoral concern, wrestled with these same issues in his own time. While the Methodist Church in Britain faces immense challenges, the call to return to its roots, a movement of holiness, bold gospel preaching, and practical love, rings as true now as it did in Wesley’s day.

Perhaps this is not the end, but a call to revival and a reminder of what we have forgotten. May we heed the wisdom of the past to navigate the uncertain present, and may Wesley’s words stir us to seek the Spirit’s power afresh.