While in college, John Wesley, an Anglican minister and the founder of the Methodist movement, started a small group with his brother and a few friends. They did believe their society had some moral deficiencies but were concerned about themselves. They felt that when followers gave themselves wholly to Jesus, their lives would be transformed and different from the world. Their behaviour earned them the name The Holy Club.
Scripture says, “for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16), and so they believed it was possible to live a humble and holy life. Our North American version of “holiness” includes images of revival meetings, gospel trios, old-time religion, and stern prohibitions against drinking, dancing, and playing cards. Today, holiness is often associated with moral behaviour such as sexual purity, financial honesty, and commitment to private prayer. As discussed in scripture, holiness has a strong moral purity connotation, but its basic meaning is about being “set apart” or “dedicated” to God—to belong to God. It is all about belonging to God and making Him our first love and loyalty?
The holy club met intentionally to pray, read scripture and help their community. They did have a set of questions (22 in all) that they would ask each other for personal growth. The questions had scriptural links and were not the characteristics of a Super Christian but were questions related to daily life that should be changed when Christ is our focus.
Do you have a Christian friend whom you could go to in confidence and discuss your daily walk as a Christ-follower? Would you allow this friend to provide suggestions for your walk with the Lord, and would you be willing to listen to them? If not, why not?
God designed us to flourish in community, and we are guided in scripture to seek assistance and assist others. Nothing would be more beneficial to our walk if we allowed an honest appraisal to occur from time to time, not to make us hear that we are perfect but to help keep you and me “set aside” for Jesus.
Here are the 22 questions the Holy Club asked themselves every day:
1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
2. Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
3. Do I confidentially pass on to another what was told to me in confidence?
4. Can I be trusted?
5. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?
6. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
7. Did the Bible live in me today?
8. Do I give it (Bible) time to speak to me every day?
9. Am I enjoying prayer?
10. When did I last speak to someone else about my faith?
11. Do I pray about the money I spend?
12. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
13. Do I disobey God in anything?
14. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
15. Am I defeated in any part of my life?
16. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy, or distrustful?
17. How do I spend my spare time?
18. Am I proud?
19. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?
20. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I doing about it?
21. Do I grumble or complain constantly?
22. Is Christ real to me?