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Love has been perfected among us, . . .
There is no fear in love;
but perfect love casts out fear: . . .
Whoever fears has not reached perfection.
1 John 4:17, 18
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Rock-the-Cradle Discussion Questions and Exercises:
1. Distribute and read Wesley's sermon "On Patience" (1784) where he deals with what the Bible means by this phrase "Ye shall then be perfect." Or distribute and read Wesley's classic sermon, "The Use of Money" (1760) or "The Good Steward" (1768), both of which were precipitated by Wesley's worry that an increasingly rich second generation of Methodists would forget their heritage.(30)
2. Do a Bible study of this text from Matthew 5. Consult what the commentaries say. Fred Craddock, in his exegesis of Jesus' command to "Be Perfect," notes how the discussion takes place within the context of relationships. To say that we are to be perfect as God is perfect is to say that since God loves completely, fully, wholly, not partially, so we are to love each other fully, wholly, not partially.(31)
Walter Wink translates this verse "You therefore must be all-inclusive, as your heavenly Abba is all-inclusive."(32) Does this rendition speak to you or not?
3. Ask members of the class to bring in their favorite self-help books. To what extent can these volumes be seen as exercises in perfection? How else does one explain their phenomenal popularity, such that the New York Times has had to publish a separate best-seller list for them?
4. In one week's time, see how many book titles, television programs, and other such things members of the group can locate that have the word "Perfect" in them.
5. Bishop Robert Morgan of the Mississippi Area warns that North American United Methodists have found it easier to build new sanctuaries than build Christian disciples, to study the Bible than the live the Bible, to do social action than to confront people with the challenge of Jesus Christ. How would you respond to his warning?
6. Wesley viewed the visitation of the poor as a key spiritual discipline. "He could no more imagine a week without visiting the hovels of the poor," Theodore W. Jennings, Jr. has written, "than he could a week without participation in the Eucharist."(33) What would visitation of the poor look like today?
7. Even before consumerist culture, Wesley laid down this rule of consumption: "Everything about thee which cost more than Christian duty required thee to lay out is the blood of the poor."(34) Is this an impossibly high standard?
8. To what extent is our church falling under the "Curse of Wesley?"
Lay this deeply to heart, ye who are now a poor, despised, afflicted people. . . . Hitherto ye are not able to relieve your own poor. But if ever your substance increase, see that ye be not straitened in your bowels . . . that ye fall not into the same snare of the devil. Before any of you either lay up treasures on earth, or indulge needless expense of any kind, I pray the Lord God to scatter you to the corners of the earth, and blot out your name from under heaven.(35)
9. Discuss Article 10 ("Of Good Works") and Article 24 ("Of Christian Men's Goods") from The Articles of Religion of the Methodist Church (1784), as found in The Book of Discipline.
Article 10: "Although good works, which are the fruits of faith, and follow after justification, cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of God's judgment; yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, and spring out of a true and lively faith, insomuch that by them a lively faith may be as evidently known as a tree is discerned by its fruit."
Article 24: "The riches and goods of Christians are not common as touching the right, title, and possession of the same, as some do falsely boast. Notwithstanding, every man ought of such things as he possesseth, liberally to give alms to the poor, according to his ability."(36)
10. Sing the Charles Wesley stewardship hymn based on Acts 4:34-35. The third stanza goes:
Jesus, thy church inspire
With Apostolic love,
Infuse the one desire
T'insure our wealth above:
Freely with earthly goods to part
And joyfully sell all in heart.(37) 
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