Birmingham Global Methodist Church

Birmingham Global Methodist Church We are a friendly, welcoming church. We’d love to have you join us for worship.

09/07/2026

Some Thoughts on the Character of a Bishop (Part Two)
The Apostle Paul writes:

“Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer (bishop) desires a noble task.” (1 Timothy 3:1)

Last Saturday, September 5, the Global Methodist Church consecrated new bishops. I was humbled by the privilege of preaching this service.

As part of my preparation, I read the first sermon preached at the consecration of an American bishop. Thomas Coke preached it at the Christmas Conference on December 27, 1784—the bishop being consecrated was Frances Asbury. In the sermon, Coke shared ten graces he believed should be manifest in one set apart for general superintendency. I believe those graces are as relevant today as they were then.

I shared the first five last week. Here are the last five:

6—IMPARTIALITY. Coke said, “This is the rarest of all virtues.” Partiality in ruling is intolerable to people and often results in resistance and resentment, but impartiality builds trust and exemplifies integrity. Coke also said, “Partiality opens God’s vineyard to all kinds of beasts of prey…but the bishop without partiality rules with equity.” The bishop who clothes themselves in impartiality will act justly regardless of how powerful or influential a person is, will clothe themselves in the dignity of the office, and execute God’s will.

7—ZEAL. Coke said, “Zeal for the Lord’s house consumes him—while wrapped in all the other graces.” The zealous bishop is driven by a passion for souls—a deep, consuming desire for the conversion of the whole world. They commit themselves to spend and be spent for this purpose.

8—WISDOM. Coke said, “Wisdom is the virtue that reigns over the soul.” Wisdom is a gift of grace bestowed by God and seasoned through experience. The wise bishop was born to govern and has quick discernment of people and situations. They know when to speak and when to be silent—when to move and when to be still—and to wait and when to act. They can bring order out of chaos and rally all resources to align with the mission.

9—COMMUNION WITH AND CONFIDENCE IN GOD. Coke said, “Their soul cleaves to God. They water everything in prayer while making all their hopes and fears known to God.” I can personally tell you that this was the most important growing edge in my life as an active bishop—to pursue communion with and have confidence in my identity in Christ. The bishop who walks with God and moves with the confidence that befits a child of the King is a gift to the church.

10—SERIOUSNES. Coke said, “They know their station and magnify their office. God’s enemies may fear and even hate them, but they cannot despise them because they exude a spirit of dignity and love regardless of their company or context.” A serious bishop will steward every moment of time and devote themselves to the service of the Lord.

God, grant our bishops the grace—and the graces—to lead us well.

Bishop Jeff Greenway

08/31/2026

Some Thoughts on Stopping Insanity
Do you ever find yourself entangled in relationships or situations that drive you a bit crazy? I believe it was Albert Einstein who defined insanity as "doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." Sometimes we need to remove ourselves from the “crazy” to regain our personal, relational, and spiritual sanity. It’s a gift to say: “not my circus and not my monkeys.”

As you read this, the General Conference of the Global Methodist Church has convened in Johannesburg, South Africa. For the last several years, I’ve lived into a new season where I'm learning new ways of relating with others—and it’s been incredibly refreshing. It’s such a gift to be in a room with high trust and similar beliefs.

I’ve also deliberately stopped reading articles and watching the social media accounts about my former tribe. It can be a guilty pleasure to look back and be grateful that I’ve been freed from the dysfunction of what was and lean into where God is calling us now. I'm grateful to have stepped away from some of the insanity. I sense they feel the same way.

It’s taken discipline to refuse to keep looking to the past as I’ve lived into the future, but it was necessary. The health of my present and future relationships demanded unlearning old ways and learning new ways of relating. One key has been fixing my eyes on the right things.

I'm reminded of this verse from Daniel describing King Nebuchadnezzar:

"At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored" (Daniel 4:34).

Due to his pride, Nebuchadnezzar had gone insane—but when he looked to God, his sanity was restored.

Are you experiencing a season of “crazy?” What are you watching? What are you reading? Who are you listening to? I encourage you to shift the focus from the past to the future—and look up!

Sanity comes from seeing things as they are—not as we wish they were. When we focus on ourselves, as though we're the center, we become a little insane. When we focus on God and see Him as the center, our sanity is restored. Whenever we find ourselves being captured by the “crazy”, remember Nebuchadnezzar—and raise our eyes toward heaven.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, my friends!

Bishop Jeff Greenway

08/28/2026

Some Thoughts on Inquiring of the Lord
How do you make important decisions? Are you deliberate, or do you act quickly? Is your approach based on research, or do you go with your gut? Do you seek advice from trusted friends or content experts, or rely on your own knowledge and insight? Do you weigh all possible outcomes and implications? Do you pray? And if you pray, is it a deliberate attempt to seek the Lord and his will—or are you asking the Lord to bless what you’ve already discovered?

One danger of highly gifted or “successful” people is the tendency to rely on their own wisdom and insight—and to forget to inquire of the Lord. King David was a leader who usually sought the Lord when making decisions:

"Once again David inquired of the Lord, and the Lord answered him, 'Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand.'" (1 Samuel 23:4)

On nine different occasions, the Bible tells us David "inquired of the Lord"—and each time he did, God guided him to success. But there was the one time he didn't inquire of the Lord: instead of going with Joab and his army to attack the Ammonites, David stayed in Jerusalem—instead of looking away from Bathsheba, he lusted after her—instead of "inquiring of the Lord," he acted on his impulses, took her, broke four of the Ten Commandments, and allowed brokenness to enter his family that would affect generations.

How different would the story have been if David had stopped to inquire of the Lord at any decision point—but especially when lust started a battle in his soul?

How different would our lives be if, when confronted with decisions or temptations, we stopped and inquired of the Lord?

I write today to remind you to pray—to inquire of the Lord—at every decision point in your life.

God would later make this promise to David's son, Solomon, about the power of inquiring of the Lord:

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Let us inquire of the Lord, my friends!

Bishop Jeff Greenway

08/26/2026

Some Thoughts on What God Does in the Human Heart
The human heart is amazing. Physically—it pumps life-giving, oxygenated blood into the body. Emotionally—it is the seat of our emotions and affections. Spiritually—it contains what Blaise Pascal called the “God-shaped hole” that only Jesus can perfectly fill as he makes us whole. We cannot live—physically, emotionally, or spiritually — without a healthy heart.

If you know me well, you've undoubtedly heard me talk about the need for followers of Jesus to do some "heart work" as we mature in faith. This work is especially necessary when it comes to forgiveness, but none of it would be possible without the initial "heart work" the Holy Spirit does at the time of our conversion.

The prophet Ezekiel describes it this way:

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26)

At the time Ezekiel spoke these words, the hearts of God's people were so calloused by sin that they'd never respond with the loving obedience God desired, so He planned a radical surgery—heart surgery. God said,

"I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 11:19b).

I recently read an account of a middle-aged man diagnosed with heart disease, and doctors gave him little time to live. But another man died prematurely, and his heart became available. The transplant surgery was successful. The first man received a new heart.

Sometime later, that man got married. His new wife was a widow, and together they learned the heart inside his chest belonged to her former husband. Somehow, it made their love even stronger.

Now here’s the point: in order to receive a new heart, someone with a good heart has to die. The only person with a perfectly good heart was Jesus Christ, and He died to give us His heart. This is another way of describing what happens when the Spirit of Christ comes into us (Acts 2:38). We get a new heart–which makes transformational "heart work" possible.

Do the "heart work" made possible because of your new heart in Christ, my friends!

Bishop Jeff Greenway

08/19/2026

Some Thoughts on Serving God
I always try to start my day by praying and asking Jesus to be the Lord of my heart. The reason is that I know my heart—and, at some point each day, there’s a battle for the throne of my heart—and I want to make sure I start with Jesus in His rightful place. I start my day with a recognition that Jesus is the King of my heart and the Lord of my life. As a result, my life is better because of this settled priority. How about you?

In 1 Kings 15 and 2 Chronicles 12, we read a story about King Rehoboam that reflects the battle for the allegiance of our hearts. In the fifth year of King Rehoboam's reign, Shishak (the king of Egypt) attacked Jerusalem. Rehoboam had allowed evil to flourish in Judah, so God sent the king of Egypt to attack them. God’s judgment was coming. 2 Chronicles chapter 12 fills in the reason:

"This is what the Lord says, ‘You have abandoned me; therefore, I now abandon you to Shishak.' When Rehoboam heard this, he humbled himself and said, 'The Lord is just.' Then God softened the punishment and said, 'My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak. They will, however, become subject to him, so that they may learn the difference between serving me and serving the kings of other lands'" (2 Chronicles 12:5b, 7-8).

Rehoboam loved freedom so much that he wanted to be free from God. That was a dangerous place to be because when he was free from God, no one could protect him from Shishak. So instead of serving the King of Heaven, Rehoboam was forced to serve the king of Egypt.

The same applies to us. If we serve God, He'll protect us from the evil one (see Matthew 6:13). But if we refuse to serve God, no one will protect us from the one who hates us most. Serving the God who made us and loved us unto death provides us with perfect freedom. Because as Jesus said, "…if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36).

Live in the freedom and security of serving King Jesus today, my friends!

Bishop Jeff Greenway

08/14/2026

Scripture this week is form Genesis 45:1-15, 50:19-20. "You Intended to Harm Me, but God Intended it for Good." Worship time is 9 AM.

08/13/2026

Some Thoughts on Church Membership and Commitment
A relationship with a church is no different than a relationship with a person. In the same way some people cycle through relationship after relationship—others cycle through church after church. The Apostle Paul reminds Timothy:

“If I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the buttress of the truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15)

So—how ought we behave? My experience has taught me there are five stages of church commitment—each with associated behaviors:

First, when we are new to a church, we think: “This is the perfect church! I am going to give it my all!” We know this isn’t realistic. There are no perfect churches. If you ever find one—you’ll ruin the whole thing the moment you show up. This sense of newness is temporary because it’s based on an illusion. The perfect church doesn’t exist.

Second, before long, we get confused about a church and think: “What! This church isn’t perfect!?!” When reality pops our honeymoon balloon at a church, we feel temporarily disoriented and stunned. That this happens is stunning in itself, but it happens all the time.

Third, we become disenchanted with a church: We think, “I thought this was a perfect church…” This is the point at which people say, “I have been hurt by the church.” The church isn’t whatever that person thought it would be or should be, and they are brought to a crisis point.

Fourth, we need to make a decision about the church: Either “I am going to quit this church and look for a perfect church” or “I am going to realize that no church is perfect and serve God anyway.” I want to be very clear—some churches are toxic and getting out is the right move—which is what my church recently did denominationally. If you want to be functional—don’t stay at a church that is dysfunctional. But let me give a word of caution—if we are too quick to hit the eject button every time the plane ride gets bumpy, we are sure to crash a lot of planes on one hand and never learn to pilot in bad weather on the other.

Here is the deal: even highly effective churches consist of flawed people— flawed systems—and flawed leaders—because we live in a flawed and fallen world. Sometimes leaving is the right answer, but much more often the right play is to stay and be a part of making something better.

The final stage is maturity—when we come to the place where we say: “This is an imperfect church! But it is my church, and I am going to give it my all.” Those who grow to this point get all the benefits of loving their church, but they are now in a sustainable position to serve effectively for the long haul. They don’t expect that things will be easy—systems will be flawless—and that people will never make mistakes. They understand the church is an imperfect institution—lead by imperfect people—attempting to fulfill the mission of a perfect savior.

It was with people like this that Jesus Christ built his Church! Be mature in your church membership commitments, my friends!

Bishop Jeff Greenway

08/10/2026

Some Thoughts on Overcoming Church Hurt
I recently found myself in a situation where someone was angry about something happening in their church. The words spoken were patently untrue and hurtful.

Have you ever been hurt in church? It happens. At our best, we are sinful, broken people whom God has redeemed and forgiven, and who are progressing toward perfection. At our worst, we are sinful, broken people who are struggling to overcome our lower nature. People—even God’s people — will often hurt people.

This is nothing new. It’s been this way since the beginning. The church in Corinth was almost certainly the worst church Paul ever started. A careful reading of his letters reveals that he was writing to a church that ‌was a dysfunctional mess. In 2 Corinthians chapter 12, Paul describes some of his fears about the church.

“For I am afraid that when I come, I may not find you as I want you to be... I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented… “ (2 Corinthians 12:20-21a)



They were guilty of many sins—and some were slow to repent. Imagine that! Unrepentant people in church!

And yet, in 1 Corinthians, Paul describes them as a real church:

“To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people…” (1 Corinthians 1:2a)



The church in Corinth reminds us not to expect too much from our own church. The church is not a gathering of good people, but of believing sinners who often behave sinfully. We ought to be better than we were, but are never as good as we should be, and will often sin against each other.



If someone ever hurts you in your church, make a list of what they did wrong, then do the opposite. If they have been unkind, be extra kind. If they have been gossipy, speak all the good you know. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also (Luke 6:29).

Their poor example can make you a better Christian, and you can make your church a better Christian community.

Bishop Jeff Greenway

08/06/2026

Some Thoughts on the Purpose of Conviction
One of the good gifts God gives us is a conscience—that inner meter within our souls that awakens us to our need for God and the awareness of our sin and brokenness. However, those whose hearts become so seared and hardened that they don’t feel conviction are in a very dangerous place spiritually.

Our conscience and the guilt it produces are indicators that our hearts are still supple. We are still open to the work and movement of the Holy Spirit—even if it means feeling convicted.

Psalm 51 is perhaps the most famous prayer of confession and repentance. It was born out of a time of great conviction in King David's life. After his sin with Uriah's wife, Bathsheba, and all that followed, God sent the prophet Nathan to confront David. David's immediate conviction was a sign his heart had not grown hard and cold toward God.

A portion of David's prayer in Psalm 51 reads:

"Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin" (Psalm 51:2).

Sin is so perverse that, if our conscience works properly, we'll feel dirty whenever we do wrong. We can bathe ourselves in water and use the strongest soap, but the sense of being defiled won't go away until God cleanses us.

As an aid to catching thieves, banks will include a permanent dye with money that's stolen. As soon as the thieves reach for the cash, their hands are clearly marked. They can use any kind of detergent and scrub until they are raw, but the dye won't come off. The mark of their guilt is clear for everyone to see.

That's what CONVICTION is like. Apart from the cleansing work of Jesus, every sin we commit leaves a permanent stain on our soul. The sin won't be removed by time, regret, remorse, sacrifice, service, or anything—other than the shed blood of Jesus Christ. The Apostle John writes:

"But the blood of Jesus . . . purifies us from all sin." (1 John 1:7)

And the writer of Hebrews reminds us:

"Whoever believes in Jesus Christ is not mostly forgiven, but completely forgiven for all their sins, for all time." (Hebrews 10:4)

Forgiveness of sin and freedom from guilt can only be found in Jesus. Who could ask for anything more?

I hope you experience conviction, my friends!

Bishop Jeff Greenway

08/03/2026

Some Thoughts on Following Jesus in an “Empire”
When I was a younger man, I was told there were three things one did not talk about in public: religion, politics, and sex—especially in the same conversation! I’m not sure that was the best advice. As people of faith, we are called to be salt and light in every area of our lives. While it is not easy, we are called to follow Jesus in every area and aspect of our lives—including how we politically interact with governing authorities.

When believers in Rome came under the authority of Jesus Christ, they wondered about their relationship to ungodly governments. If Jesus Christ is King, and the government does not acknowledge him, are Christians obligated to obey their ungodly government? The short answer is, yes. The Apostle Paul made this clear in his letter to the Romans:

“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” (Romans 13:1)

This is a little surprising since these words were penned when Nero was emperor. Nero was evil incarnate—committing many evil deeds and even killing his mother. He likely set fire to a poor part of Rome to make space for new buildings. When the rumor that Nero started the blaze wouldn’t go away, he blamed the Christians—which was then followed by a period of persecution in which many Christians were burned, crucified and thrown to wild animals in the colosseum. He was not worthy of obedience based upon his virtue or integrity, but Paul admonished them to live under his governing authority.

If Paul required them to support a government led by Nero, then Christians should support their government whenever possible. When a government breaks down, chaos erupts. Theft, murder, and lawlessness go unpunished. This is why Christians should think of government as a gift from God to be valued, obeyed, and supported.

The only time Christians should disobey the government is when it commands something God forbids. When the governing authorities in Jerusalem told Peter and John to stop talking about Jesus, they replied, “We must obey God rather than human beings” (Acts 5:29). Otherwise, we should be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.

Learn to live under authority, my friends!

Bishop Jeff Greenway

Address

74103 Birmingham Road
Kimbolton, OH
43749

Opening Hours

9am - 5pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Birmingham Global Methodist Church posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Place Of Worship

Send a message to Birmingham Global Methodist Church:

Shortcuts

Share

Category