The Means of Grace: How Methodists Practice the Christian Life

Wesley was suspicious of any Christianity that relied on inner spiritual feelings alone, without the regular use of the external means God had appointed. He called these the 'means of grace' — not because they earn grace but because God has appointed them as the ordinary channels through which grace flows. A Christian who neglects them is like a farmer who prays for a harvest but never plants seeds. Grace is not automatic, but it is available — and the means are where you find it.

The Instituted Means of Grace

Wesley distinguished between instituted means — those directly commanded by Christ — and prudential means — those found by experience to be useful. The instituted means are five: prayer (private, family, and public), searching the Scriptures (reading, hearing, and meditating), the Lord's Supper, fasting, and Christian conference (accountable fellowship with other Christians). Each of these, Wesley taught, is a genuine channel through which the Holy Spirit works on the soul.

Prayer: The Grand Means

Wesley called prayer 'the grand means of grace.' He himself rose at 4 a.m. and spent the first two hours of the day in prayer and Scripture. He taught that prayer is not merely presenting requests to God but a form of conversation, attention, and opening of the self to the Spirit. The Lord's Prayer was not a formula to be recited but a pattern to be inhabited. He urged Methodists to pray at fixed times, not only when moved by emotion.

Frequent Communion

Wesley was an unusually frequent communicant by 18th-century Anglican standards, receiving the Lord's Supper as often as daily during some periods. He urged his followers to receive communion as often as possible, writing: 'The grace of God given herein confirms to us the pardon of our sins, and enables us to leave them.' This 'converting ordinance' view — that communion can function as a means of both justifying and sanctifying grace — has shaped the Methodist tradition of the open table.

The Class Meeting: Accountability in Community

The class meeting was the engine of early Methodist growth. Groups of about twelve people met weekly under a class leader who began with the question: 'How is it with your soul?' Members gave an honest account of their spiritual state, temptations, failures, and progress. The group prayed, sang, read Scripture, and held each other accountable. Membership in a Methodist society required regular attendance at a class meeting. Without this structure of mutual accountability, Wesley believed, spiritual growth would stall.

Fasting: The Neglected Mean

Wesley fasted every Wednesday and Friday, following the practice of the early church. He warned that neglecting fasting is a form of spiritual self-indulgence that dulls the soul to the things of God. Fasting is not about earning merit; it is about creating hunger — a physical reminder that the soul depends on God, not on bread alone. Wesley believed that many Christians who complained of spiritual dryness were simply neglecting this basic discipline.

The means of grace are not a ladder of spiritual achievement. They are channels — places where God has promised to meet his people. Wesley's practical wisdom was this: you cannot manufacture grace, but you can put yourself in its way. Show up at the table. Open the Bible. Keep the fast. Meet with your brothers and sisters. The God who has promised to be found in these places will be found there — and the heart that seeks him through these means will not seek in vain.