Means Of Grace
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According to John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, the means of grace can be divided into two broad categories, with individual and communal components:
A. Works of PIETY
INDIVIDUAL Practices--
Prayer
Fasting
Searching the Scriptures
Healthy Living
COMMUNAL Practices
Worship
Christian Conferencing (or "community")
B. Works of MERCY
INDIVIDUAL practices--
Doing Good (Good works)
Visiting the Sick
Visiting the Imprisoned
Feeding and Clothing those in need
Earning, Saving, and Giving
COMMUNAL practices
the Seeking of Justice; Abolition/Opposition to slavery
sponsoring orphanages
foster care system
The science of singing from PSYCHOLOGY TODAY
New research corroborates anecdotal evidence that singing your heart out in a group makes people happier by reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. A recent study, “Sing Your Heart Out: Community Singing as Part of Mental Health Recovery," was published in the latest issue of the journal Medical Humanities.
For this study, Tom Shakespeare and Alice Whieldon from the University of East Anglia (UEA) Norwich Medical School in the UK worked with an organization called Sing Your Heart Out. SYHO is a grassroots initiative based in Norfolk, England that conducts popular weekly singing workshops and welcomes people suffering from mental health issues.
SYHO differs from most traditional choirs because anyone can participate—regardless of his or her singing ability. There's also very little performance anxiety because the singers aren't rehearsing for a public concert. The primary objective of "Sing Your Heart Out" is to have fun.
Shakespeare and Whieldon immersed themselves in the SYHO project for six months. During this time they monitored and surveyed participants, organizers, and workshop leaders. Their final conclusion was that people from all walks of life who participated in a community singing group maintained or improved their mental health. The researchers speculate that the combination of singing and socializing was key to optimizing mental health because it promoted ongoing feelings of belonging and overall well-being.
MUSICAL WORSHIP
EPHESIANS 5:18-20
18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Psalm 33:1-3
1 Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him.2 Praise the Lord with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully, and shout for joy.
PRAYER
Acts 4
31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
SHARING YOUR FAITH
Philemon
6 that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
FELLOWSHIP
Acts 2:42-44
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.